Personally, I try to avoid milk, cream, onions and garlic where possible so I was interested in giving this a try. I don't have any allergies luckily so I do eat these foods but I find my digestion much better if I avoid them. It's not nice to have to take a tablet if I am eating a creamy dessert, and speaking to friends of mine I know I am not an isolated case.
Illumi food is 'proper' food - no diet foods here but they have a keen eye on nutrition and flavour and don't use unnecessary oils and fats. The food is delivered in pouches and packets, they say they gently steam their pouches to keep the flavours and the moisture in.
I tried the Boost Energy diet. The Boost energy diet is designed to offer you an easy to follow gluten free one-week meal plan. It's a flexible plan so you can switch a food you don't like for another one from their large range.
Recommendations on the plan are:-
- That you eat regular meals, three meals and up to three snacks each day (all provided).
- That you always eat breakfast and try not to eat your evening meal too late or close to bedtime.
- You vary what you are eating and add fruit and veg so you are getting your 5 portions a day and 3 portions of dairy.
So here are my thoughts on some of the dishes.
The gluten free porridge was lovely, not as powdery as my normal porridge as the oats were quite large and it wasn't milled but a very acceptable porridge. I made it with water and added soya milk and honey to taste. I had this most days and it certainly kept me full until lunchtime. For a snack throughout the week I had the oatcakes. I enjoy these anyway although some people may think they are bland, I like them, and there is also the benefits of oats being great for your heart health.
Gluten Free Porridge
Another lunch dish I enjoyed was the pea soup with mint and pancetta. This soup was thick and delicious but wasn't too smooth. I don't like smooth soups and normally I wouldn't pick pea soup but I honestly really thought this was yummy. To add some crunch I made my own croutons out of wholemeal bread lightly fried in olive oil.
Pea soup with pancetta and mint
Out of all the evening meals I had some favourites. The beef stew was rich and delicious, again there were decent chunks of meat in the stew and you could really taste the wine. I served this with potatoes although these were not part of the plan.
The lamb casserole was filling and hearty. It didn't need anything other than some vegetables perhaps. There were real chunks of lamb and there was a hint of mint in the gravy, topped with sliced potatoes it was a real meal in itself and very satisfying.
With this plan, you also get gluten-free lager. As I don't drink lager my husband sampled it. He enjoyed it and said there was no difference in the taste and flavour to normal lager.
With this plan, you also get gluten-free lager. As I don't drink lager my husband sampled it. He enjoyed it and said there was no difference in the taste and flavour to normal lager.
lamb casserole
The downsides of the plan you may ask? The Kerala chicken curry I didn't rate, it was just not to my taste and the spicy butternut squash soup could have been seasoned more and I thought it had a grainy texture. I would have liked to see another accompaniment included other than rice in the weekly Boost Your Energy diet. All these dishes are meant to be heated in the microwave, those in the pouches with the top cut off but I often found the motion of the microwave turntable moving would tip over the pouch. I combatted this by opening the pouch and putting the food in a dish instead and then heating in the microwave.
In conclusion
Most of the food was very tasty, and I really did enjoy the diet. It made me eat regularly and pay attention to what I was eating. I didn't fully stick to the week as I went out one night for a Valentine's meal. Would I recommend this diet and Illumi foods? I would say yes. I can see how it can be very useful for those with dietary problems. My digestion did feel better, and I had less bloating. My energy levels were also good.
Recommended.
* I was sent a week's worth of food for an honest review.
