Review: Dietlicious 5 Day Cleanse

Two and a half months ago I had been eating making my way through Europe for a few weeks and I came home from my trip with a suitcase of new clothes and an arse filled with a few more kilos.  Even though I had put a rein on my indulgent eating once I got back home my skin was dull, my energy was low and I was feeling sluggish and a little unhealthy. As if reading my mind, Emily from Gourmet Dinner Service contacted me and asked if I’d like to know more about their business and try out one of their programs.

Gourmet Dinner Service is an Australian gourmet food home delivery service.  The company was founded by Janel Horton who realised that many people are working longer hours these days and don’t have the time or energy to cook when they get home. I know personally that when I’m really busy working that the last thing I want to do is cook and that’s when I become all-too familiar with my local takeout menus. Already a trained chef, Janel gave up her high-flying office job to start Gourmet Dinner Service which now employs a team of trained chefs and kitchen hands working in a custom-built 400 square metre commercial kitchen.

I perused the website checking out all the programs which looked delicious but I kept going back to the 5 Day Cleanse, it was just what my body needed.

ABOUT THE CLEANSE:

“Spring clean your body with a 5 day Cleanse. Includes healthy breakfasts, lunches, dinners, fresh seasonal fruit, superfood smoothies and detoxifying teas. We recommend the Cleanse as a great way to start off your health and well-being plan”

What I liked most about the Cleanse was that it ACTUALLY CONTAINED FOOD, unlike many of the other cleanses/detoxes out there which are just liquid based. I have done a few  of those liquid detoxes before and although I felt great afterwards, I found the lack of food excruciating and I would become a cranky, moody bitch. At the best of times I can become really irritable and unreasonable when I’m hungry so you can’t even imagine what I was like on a 5 day liquid diet. I emailed through and placed my order for the Cleanse starting the very next Monday.

On Monday morning my huge box of foods arrived in a styrofoam box. All meals are individually packed in either a vacuumed sealed bag (this removes the oxygen which causes food deterioration and extends the shelf life to about 10 days in your fridge) or a container and are clearly labelled with all the relevant information.

THE MENU

DAY 1

First up Lemon + water
Breakfast Watermelon, mint + acai smoothie
Mid Morning Nut + seed mix
Lunch Indian vegetable curry w rice
Mid Afternoon Seasonal fruit + ginger tea
Dinner Chicken cacciatore w quinoa
Snack Seasonal fruit

DAY 2

First up Lemon + water
Breakfast Mixed berry w cacao smoothie
Mid Morning Nut + seed mix
Lunch Spinach chana dhal w basmati rice
Mid Afternoon Seasonal fruit + ginger tea
Dinner Lemon + garlic barramundi w green vegetables
Snack Seasonal fruit

DAY 3

First up Lemon + water
Breakfast Mango + chia seed smoothie
Mid Morning Nut + seed mix
Lunch Risotto provencale w tuna
Mid Afternoon Seasonal fruit + ginger tea
Dinner Tasmanian salmon w chermoula w spring vegetables
Snack Seasonal fruit

DAY 4

First up Lemon + water
Breakfast Gluten free toast w hummus and tomato
Mid Morning Nut + seed mix
Lunch Vegetable cakes w red capsicum sauce
Mid Afternoon Seasonal fruit + ginger tea
Dinner Ocean trout w + vegetable ratatouille
Snack Seasonal fruit

DAY 5

First up Lemon + water
Breakfast Gluten free toast w hummus and tomato
Mid Morning Nut + seed mix
Lunch Chicken cacciatore w quinoa
Mid Afternoon Seasonal fruit + ginger tea
Dinner Vegetable & lentil soup
Snack Seasonal fruit

THE VERDICT

I loved the Cleanse!

The food was easy to prepare, most of the time using the microwave, occasionally a fry pan and other times it’s ready to eat as is.

Every meal was hearty and full of flavour, though I wasn’t surprised as Dietlicious’ head chef Sebastien is from a Michelin starred background. My favourite dishes were the lemon and garlic John Dory (sensational, some of the best fish I’ve ever tasted), the smoothies (would love to have one every day), the Quinoa muffins and the chicken tagine OH YUM! All Dietlicious meals are made from scratch and even though some of the meals are frozen they taste really fresh especially the fish.

Not once during my week on the Cleanse was I hungry, in fact I actually found it hard to keep up with all the food at times. I couldn’t believe that I had lost 2.5 kilos by the end of the program because I felt I was eating so much food.

Not only did I lose a few kilos but my skin started to clear up, I had more energy and that sluggish feeling definitely disappeared.  To complement the program Dietlicious ask you to cut out soft drinks and caffeine so I drank plenty of water and herbal teas throughout the week.

I plan to complete the 5 day Cleanse more regularly and I really looking forward to ordering some of the other Gourmet Dinner Service / Dietlicious programs.

The Gourmet Dinner Service and Dietlicious programs are perfect for those who don’t have the time or energy to cook substantial and healthy meals everyday and for those who want to kick-start their healthy eating with a Cleanse.

Check out Dietlicious’s programs here and Gourmet Dinner Service’s here, I really can’t recommend them enough!

Thank you to Dietlicious for giving me the opportunity to trial the 5 day Cleanse.

Disclaimer: Lipstick & Cake is not influenced by any products/services/compensation received. View and opinions are my own.

(Photos thanks to Dietlicious)