Botanical Delight: A Detox With A Difference

We are just leaving the month of Ramadan behind us with all the physical and emotional challenges it poses for all. Whether you have been fasting or not, I always like to think that now is the ultimate time to reset, recharge and perhaps kick a bad habit in time for the start of the new school year and the return of bikini weather!

But doing so is hard (did I hear impossible?) and most of us ordinary mamas can do with a little help. There are quite a few juice detoxes available in Dubai for mamas looking to give their system a bit of a rest (we’ve listed some of them in our healthy living round up here). I’ve tried a couple in my life, both here and abroad, and have to say, as good as it is to drink (and nothing but…) healthy juices; once the program is over you easily slip back into your old dietary habits. Not necessarily because you want to, but because preparing healthy, wholesome food requires a bit of training and inspiration. So when I heard of Detox Delight’s “Botanical Delight” program, which is a set of detox meals (that actually involve chewing!) I was intrigued. Mama needed to put it to a taste -test!

The Botanical Delight is an entirely vegan menu that consists of 3 dishes and 2 juices each day. There is no dairy, no eggs, meat or fish and only very little carbohydrates. Needless to say the dishes are gluten-free and contain no preservatives, artificial colors or other icky nasties. And here is how it all went down:

8am on Day 1 of my “detox”, a cheerful deliveryman arrived with food for my first 2 days. He dropped off an icebox with a selection of glass jars, boxes, bags and bottles, clearly labeled and ready to be conquered by a curious and hungry mama…

So what was inside the box? Was it good and how did I do? Well, all the lunches were salads of some sorts with creamy dressings to help bring the flavours up a notch. My favourite breakfast was definitely the Green Smoothie with pineapple, spinach and avocado but the homemade granola with soy yoghurt and mango mousse I had on day 2 wasn’t too shabby either. All of the dishes were fairly filling, really flavourful and seriously yum! And honestly mamas, the Dhal with coconut milk, ginger and garam masala that I chowed down on day 2 for dinner was heavenly and most definitely not a hardship to eat! Between the three meals you eat per day, you drink a selection of green, fruit juices and rehydrating coconut water to help keep you going.

The only thing I personally struggled with a bit was the portion size, although for mamas looking to lose a bit of weight it makes sense to keep it controlled. Should you find yourself getting the munchies between or after meals (you know who you are), there is a list of suggested foods you can snack on without breaking the diet.

Verdict: I give the Botanical Delight a big thumbs up! Not as a drastic weight loss program, which we all know doesn’t work anyways, but as a tasty, easy introduction to a healthier lifestyle leaving mama with some great ideas for healthier cooking!

www.detox-delight.ae
Tel:  (+971) (0) 55 883 5072