My Detox Kitchen Experience

One of the questions I get asked more often when I say that I am a food blogger is: “how to stay slim if you eat all the time?”. Well, between you and me, I am not slim but I get the point. How do food bloggers maintain their weight?

The answer is simple: don’t overeat, control your portions, eat real food made from good quality ingredients, and keep an active lifestyle.

The reality is that saying no to amazing meals is hard and with all the invitations I receive, I tend to overeat a little too often. That’s when the kilos start to pile up, my clothes don’t fit so well anymore and my mood swings. I have learnt that – for me at least – it is important to keep a healthy body in order to keep a happy mind. A detox is a good way for me to feel lighter, more energised, less stressed.

This year has been particularly hard for me. I don’t know if it’s because of all the travelling or working too hard, but I have been feeling tired, physically and mentally. So when I was offered the chance to review The Detox Kitchen program, I jumped at the chance to detox and eat “clean” for five days.

I know many of you despise the words “clean eating” and “detox”, because eating is natural, is human, and it is never “dirty”. Of course eating is never a bad thing, but that doesn’t mean detox is bad for you either. Personally I think eating less and cleaning your body from junk food for a limited time is a great way to boost your metabolism. Especially if you have a hectic lifestyle, it is healthy and good to take some time off to clear the body, the skin and the mind.

So what is The Detox Kitchen exactly? The Detox Kitchen is a delivery service of ready meals made without wheat, dairy and refined sugar. There are several detox programs to choose from with different calorie-intakes. The box includes breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks all made with fresh, nutritious food and delivered to you every morning.

I chose the “Protein” program which packs 1500 calories and provides all the nutrients you need to get through the day without starving. Juices and snacks meant I was never hungry, although I felt tired for the first two-three days of detox, as my body adjusted to the lower calorie intake. I tried to stay at home as much as possible to save energies and I did not exercise. On the fourth day I woke up feeling great, my energies back, and I went for a run to get rid of all the toxins in my body. My skin started to break out, a sign that the detox was working.

Against my expectations, the day after my detox I was not craving any food. I thought I would crave chocolate or biscuits or chips or pasta. Not at all. I woke up wishing I could keep continue the detox for a few more days.

The only thing I was grateful to give up was the rice milk in the morning (I never got used to the taste). I’d rather use fresh almond milk for my breakfast muesli.

The meals prepared by The Detox Kitchen are delicious and made up of whole grains, legumes, vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds and lean protein. The meat is sourced from a free-range farm in Norfolk. Salmon, prawns and all of the fish is sustainably sourced. The dishes are also well presented and full of flavours. It’s easy to see why The Detox Kitchen is so popular amongst many people. What they do, they do it really well.

After just five days of detox I felt a big change in my body and most importantly in my mood. I am not going to say that The Detox Kitchen program changed my lifestyle, because the nature of my job requires me to eat out all the time and it’s hard for me (though not impossible, I know) to stick to a whole foods / dairy free / gluten free / sugar free diet. But I loved doing the 5-day detox and I would definitely recommend the program.

The Detox Kitchen menus work on a 3-week rotation and are changed every season. Here’s what I ate during my days looked like:

Day 1 – Thursday

Day 2 – Friday

Day 3 – Saturday

Day 4 – Sunday

Day 5 – Monday

This detox program is not cheap: the “protein” box costs £34 per day, so your five day plan is going to cost £170. If you eat out in London everyday, drink alcohol regularly, and shop in Wholefoods, £170 is not going to seem a high price. But if you are the average person who shops in bulk and cooks all the meals at home, then of course this is going to be very expensive. Is it worth it though? I believe it is. I have spent nearly as much on juice cleanses, but I’d rather do this detox again than juicing.

It is also incredibly convenient to have all meals delivered to you and not having the stress of planning, shopping and cooking. Especially on the first few days when you feel tired all the time, you are going to be grateful for not having to cook. also the meals are well packaged and easy to take with you if you cannot eat at home.

The only downside for me was the delivery service, as I had to wake up every morning around 3:30/4 to open the door to the courier and collect my box (deliveries are made from 3am to 7am and you cannot choose a time slot). At least for this reason I was grateful to finish my detox after five days! Overall, I was very happy with The Detox Kitchen program, because I enjoyed every dish and I ended it feeling better and lighter.

Have you ever done a detox? How do you feel about it? I would love to read your thoughts in the comments. You can also check out this plant-based organic formula, Alkalising Greens, to detoxify your bodies with the most impressive health benefits.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary detox package for the purpose of this review. All opinions are my own.