7

70

jocy c. Jackson Heights, NY.  From Yelp.com (original article link: http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-fresh-diet-new-york)

I must say I’m not a big fan of diets.  I’m normally a good eater (no fried food, no butter, etc).  My problem is that my portion size are too big.  I’m not too heavyset either, I’m about 5’9 and 160 lbs.

Anyway, I tried out The Fresh Diet because my bf and I eat out in restaurants in Jackson Heights area too much.  There is so much variety of food here, and it’s inexpensive, so it’s hard not to eat out.

My bf’s doctor had warned him to lower his salt intake, so I started looking for a food program that would be balanced and not have the “diet” food, so he and I did bought the program for about a week and loved it.  We renewed our program for 31 days, and then just recently renewed again for another 31 days.

The program consists of freshly made food delivered the night before.  That way, you’ll always have your food in the morning before you go to work.  Each delivery of food for the day consists of 3 meals (breakfast, lunch, & dinner) and 2 snacks (salty snack & dessert).

At first, I was really hungry because my bf and I were consuming more than your normal 2000 calorie diet.  I had to supplement with a bit more food on the side.  As time wore down, my stomach started shrinking, so now the food is enough for me.  I have lost weight in the past 3 months; about 15 lbs.  I think females get 1400 to 1600 calories a day, I asked Fresh Diet to up my caloric intake to be the same as my bf’s 1600 to 1800 a day.  That is nice because I can still have a Coke on the side and still be under my 2000 calorie intake per day.

Besides the fresh food, the other nice thing about this program is that it’s flexible.  I currently have the food delivered Mondays through Thursdays.  Then on Fridays through Sundays, my bf and I eat out at the restaurants around the area.

As you can see, our intention to join this program wasn’t to lose weight, it was to eat healthier and reduce my bf’s salt intake.  For me personally, I have lost about 10 to 15 lbs in the past 3 months (sorry I don’t have a scale to actually weigh myself; I did go down a size in my clothes).  I don’t do any extreme exercise, I walk my dog about 1 hour per day 3 to 4 times a week and around the block for the other days.  I do always try to take the stairs, but definitely am not a gym person.

The food generally has been really good. I do the Chef Choice 31 day program which averages out to about $35 a day.  That’s about the same price as I would pay between breakfast, lunch, and dinner if I had bought food.

Customer service reaches out about every month and half or so just to check in and see if you are happy with the program.

Some of the dishes that I have liked:

BREAKFAST
1) Hawaiian Pineapple Stuffed Whole Wheat French Toast with Strawberries and Blueberry Cottage Cheese
2) Creamy Mushroom Scrambled Eggs with Nine Grain Toast
3) Cajun Style Egg White Omelet with Bell Pepper, Onion, Turkey Sausage, and Roasted Roma Tomatoes
4) Spinach & Feta Cheese Egg Bake with Fresh Papaya

LUNCH
1) Chicken and Wild Rice Soup with Shitaake Mushroom
2) Grilled Lamb Burger on Whole Wheat Bun with Yellow Tomato & Mint Aioli
3) Philly Cheese Steak Whole Wheat Wrap with Sauteed Mushrooms
4) Turkey Souvlaki on Whole Wheat Pita with Minted Yogurt Sauce and Celery Sticks
5) Pulled Pork BBQ Sandwich on Whole What Bun with Sauteed Mushrooms

DINNER
1) Filet of Chilean Sea Bass with Citrus Chipotle Sauce with Green Split Pea Puree and Haricot Vert
2) Roasted Pork Loin with Apricot Curry Sauce with Herbed Celery Root Puree and Steamed Snow Peas
3) Lean Turkey Meatballs with Fresh Marinara Sauce with Sun-Dried Tomato Couscous and Roasted Yellow Squash
4) Greek Style Meatballs with Feta Cheese, Mint, Parsley, and Roasted Bell Pepper with Parnsip, Pear Puree, and Grilled Yellow Tomato

DESSERT
1) Lemon Poppy Seed Muffin
2) Pear Walnut Muffin
3) Cinnamon Pear Cheese Cake
4) Passion Fruit Cheese Cake

The only caution I have is that sometimes the fish that they pick either isn’t fresh or is too fishy in general.  The fishiness sometimes goes onto the veggies, so I feel like I’m eating a whole plate of fish.  There have been a few misses with the food, but overall, I would say that I’m a fan and would continue to subscribe to the program for part of the week.