Fashionably healthy

80 percent of weight loss relies on what you eat

How can one be fashionably fit and healthy?

It is a popular belief in the health and fitness industry that 80 percent of a successful weight-loss program relies on what and how much we eat. The sad truth of the matter is that only a few of us have the discipline and wherewithal to research, calculate, plan and create food meals that promote healthy weight loss. It is because of this common problem that the diet meal delivery (DMD) industry has been growing noticeably in the last few years. DMDs plan food programs, calculate the number of calories, prepare and deliver nutritious meals to your doorstep. DMDs have proven to be an invaluable partner in achieving the weightless goals of many busy people.

Uptown/Downtown gives you insight on three of the more popular diet meal deliveries in the metropolis today.

BetterHealth

A famous actress and fitness aficionado pronounced BetterHealth as “the cleanest, most health-based DMD in town.” Founded by Sargon Petros, a British-born Iraqi food and fitness enthusiast, BetterHealth aims to bring some much-needed fresh air in Manila’s run-of-the-mill food delivery industry.

Focused on providing only healthy yet flavor-rich options, and choosing a sleek and innovative style in packaging, the company sets up shop in Makati City with a spacious and modern production center and HQ along Pasong Tamo extension.

BetterHealth (managed by Valentina Remotti) serves healthy food that is gluten-, dairy- and wheat-free with no added preservatives, sugar or salt. BetterHealth also is one of the more affordable DMDs starting at P650 per day.

Depending on the client’s requirements, available diets are divided in three groups: small (1,200 to 1,500 kcal per day), medium (1,500 to 2,000 kcal per day) and large (2,000 to 2,500 kcal per day).

Its sample meal of the day include peanut butter protein bar for breakfast; South American-style BBQ and chopped salad for lunch and Thai-style fishcakes for dinner with Green Lean and Mean drinks.

(For more information, visit www.betterhealth.ph

or call 0906-3052305.)

The Healthy House

This columnist became a true believer of The Healthy House when she bumped into an older socialite friend who had been on the program for three months. And had, as a result, lost at least 20 pounds and shrunk three dress sizes. “The best part about the program is that it has an international repertoire of meals and its clients are given two choices of cuisine per day!” a happy client exclaimed.

Although pricier than most DMDs (starting at P3,450 for a three-day trial), The Healthy House, headed by athlete/entrepreneur  Gerard Sison, offers four meals and fruit (other DMDs are fixed at three meals). The company includes very thorough nutritional information and food preparation instructions with each delivery.

Meals include different cuisine options. For example the first option of Japanese cuisine include fresh fruit of the day, Overnight Oats with cinnamon for breakfast, chicken teriyaki with brown rice for lunch, Wafu salad, fish Yakiniku with brown rice for dinner. Second option of Latin American cuisine also includes fresh fruit of the day, Latino breakfast wrap, Peruvian beef stew for lunch, chicken salad and Red Snapper a la Veracruz for dinner.

(For more information, visit www.thehealthyhouse.ph

or call 0917-5663468.)

The Sexy Chef

Sisters Rachel Alejandro and chef Barni Alejandro-Rennebeck have been pioneers in the DMD industry. As such, The Sexy Chef has a variety of diet plans to choose from.

The South Beach Diet is an ideal meal strategy for meat lovers who are advised to go on a high-protein, low-fat, low-carb diet plan. Sample menu for this diet plan: Cheesy Vegetable Bake for breakfast, Shrimp Scampi with salad and Greek dressing for lunch, chicken fajitas and vegetable chili for dinner, and two snacks of almond gelato and trail mix.

Pounds Away is a calorie-controlled diet co-created by nutritionist Nadine Tengco. Examples of its scrumptious meals  include whole wheat vegetable siomai with malunggay tea for breakfast, miso-marinated fish kebab and salad with creamy sesame dressing for lunch, preservative-free chicken tocino with sauteed green beans for dinner, and two snacks of carrot sticks with tuna malunggay dip and dairy/refined sugar-free leche flan.

The Paleo Diet, which is gaining popularity nowadays, is a non-calorie-restricted diet that focuses on natural food such as lean meat, fish, fruit, vegetables and nuts. The Sexy Chef sample menu for this diet plan includes vegetable quiche cups for breakfast, oven-fried chicken tenders with yam home fries for lunch, trail mix for snack, and seafood Mongolian stir-fry for dinner.

One can also try the Flat Belly Diet, a five-day, 1,200-calorie per day meatless option. In its sample menu are chocolate breakfast parfait for breakfast, lentil Bolognese and Mongolian rice bowl and Anti-Bloat detox juice for dinner.

For vegans, there is the Eat Clean Detox, a no-meat, no-animal product eating plan. Its sample menu includes pre-breakfast intake of warm calamansi water, banana flaxseed pancake with muscovado syrup for breakfast, miso soup and vegan sushi for lunch and bean corn chili, garden salad with lemon vinaigrette and Juju Cleanse drink for dinner.

Finally, The Sexy Chef offers a Blood Profile-Based Prescription Diet that centers on meal strategies based on a client’s blood type. This diet plan’s sample menu consists of three meals, which include pizza crisps, Thai minced chicken salad dressing, and Cajun fish and zucchini saute.

(For more information, visit www.thesexychef.ph or call 0917-7992433.)