After a festive holiday season filled with rich foods and fine wines, January is usually the month for detoxing. We all go into over-drive as soon as the clock strikes midnight, making New Year’s resolutions to lose weight, be more healthy and exercise regularly.
Often, these can go out of the window within the first few weeks; they just seem like too much work. So I was intrigued when London company The Pure Package offered to take away the hassle of juggling being healthy with a busy lifestyle. The Pure Package offers freshly prepared, ethically sourced meals. The best part is that they are delivered to your door every day, meaning it’s no effort at all to stick to it.
I opt to go super-healthy for four days with a vegan menu — no dairy, meat or fish — and I’m worried that I’ll be receiving packages of nuts and soup, which definitely won’t keep me going. So I was delighted on the first day to open the black package left outside my front door before 6 a.m., to find a wonder of treats.
For breakfast, I dug into sections of tasty fresh grapefruit which is served with organic rye bread and cashew nut butter. This is more food than I usually eat first thing in the morning, but it’s delicious, and I start the day full of energy. Before I know it, it’s time for my mid-morning snack. The apple and sunflower seeds do the job and keep hunger at bay until lunchtime.
The lunch portion is more than ample — again, probably just as much, if not more, than what I usually eat. But this is all prepared, so it’s even better. I dive into tofu which has been marinated with soya and served with saffron dressed baby potatoes on a sweet corn, cucumber and baby leaf salad.
It feels as though it should be unhealthy as it tastes so good!
I’m almost too full for my mid-afternoon snack, but the pot of spiced pears, stewed with cinnamon and mixed with soya yogurt are delicious. Along with the food every morning, I’m given cutlery, meaning I can eat on the go, as well as details about what the meals include. For example, the pears are rich in pectin and soluble fiber, and can be valuable in lowering harmful cholesterol levels in the body.
The evening meal has to be heated either in the microwave or the oven. My Mexican bean pot is jealously eyed by my husband, whose pizza isn’t even tempting me. I tuck into lightly spiced carrots, courgettes, peppers and kidney beans, which was served in a rich tomato sauce with brown rice and a wedge of lime. And the info on the menu card tells me I’m getting a healthy dose of fiber, protein and most B vitamins. I go to bed satiated; this is easy!
The next three days follow a similar, convenient routine. It’s great not having to think about going shopping or preparing lunch or dinner — and the food is great, as it’s often recipes I would never have tried, or am too busy to experiment with. I’m treated to delights such as banana Bircher muesli, mixed with soya yogurt; tempeh, shitake and cashew nut salad; courgette and butterbean cakes with Mediterranean vegetables as well as Babaganoush and oatcakes.
Sadly, the trial comes to an end, but I’m determined to stick to the healthy eating now I’ve got into a routine. And I’ve even tried out some of the recipes championed by The Pure Package. I feel as though I have more energy, and don’t experience those mid-afternoon slumps. I’m sure if I carried it on even longer, I’d notice a great difference. So the January detox is a success, and not something I’m going to give up on. When healthy food tastes this good, there’s no looking back. To find out more, visit PurePackage.com.
