By: Melissa Stevens
It may not be fashionable, but I love carbs. Pasta, rice and bread are daily staples in my meals, and cakes and pastries are much-loved indulgences. So, when Eatology offered me the chance to road-test its home-delivered, low-carb meals, I was intrigued.
Eatology is a healthy meal plan delivery service. Meals are prepared by chefs, tested by dieticians for their macronutrient and caloric content, and cooked fresh every day. There’s a range of plans to suit different dietary goals, whether it be achieving weight loss, boosting energy or being meat-free or dairy-free. The company can also tailor plans to meet your specific requests – a modified Atkins diet, for example.
Founder Christophe Daures says, ‘If you want to lose weight, you need to measure out your food: it needs to be weighed to get an accurate read of macros and calories, and each meal needs to be balanced. This is fairly easy to do with simple food. But for food-lovers and gourmands, it’s very difficult to stay committed to a plan that consists of simple food.’
So, what’s it actually like to follow a low-carb diet? Here’s what happened when I sampled Eatology’s 1,500-calorie-a-day menu from its Lighter Delights Low Carb range.
Day 1
My sample program consisted of a daily menu of three meals and two snacks. Day 1 started off in promising fashion, with a breakfast of Middle Eastern-inspired egg shakshuka. It was immediately obvious that there’s no scrimping on quality on an Eatology menu. The three poached eggs with runny yolks in a rich and flavoursome tomato base made me feel like I was back in Australia enjoying a weekend café brekky.
Lunch was another generous portion – this time a Nicoise salad jam-packed with tuna and egg – while dinner was a hearty free-range burger (no bun) with homemade red pepper sauce and a zucchini tian. There were also two snacks: a mushroom crepe and two beef sirloin strips. It quickly became apparent just how much food can be made available on a 1,500 calorie ‘diet’ menu. And I didn’t feel at all like I have in the past when trying other diets.
Day 2
Breakfast on the second day saw me transported again to my Aussie café happy place, this time courtesy of a delicious and filling smoked salmon organic egg roll-up. As good as it was, lunch was probably my favourite meal of Day 2 – a veal loin with mushroom sauce and a pea and carrot mix. The day was rounded off nicely with a healthy kung pao free-range chicken dish.
If anything, though, it was the snacks on Day 2 that really showcased the attention that Eatology pays to ensuring it’s offering a super-interesting menu: Greek yoghurt, directly imported from Greece, served with blueberries, and an afternoon snack of plump prawns wrapped in bacon – both a far cry from the usual diet snacks of carrot and celery sticks.
Day 3
I was a little sad to reach the final day of my sample menu as I’d been enjoying the food so much – not to mention the break from cooking! Day 3’s breakfast was scrambled organic eggs with avocado, and it didn’t disappoint. Lunch was great too: wild cod with lemon aioli sauce and sweet potato puree. The snacks consisted of a generous serve of hummus and cucumber, and turkey meatballs and tartar sauce in the afternoon. But the ball was really knocked out of the park with the final dinner: delicious roasted duck breast and a cabbage mango slaw.
The Verdict
The dishes across the three days were varied and flavoursome, and not once did I have that hollow feeling you can have following other calorie-controlled plans. I really had no idea you could ditch carbs but still feel so full!
The other reassuring thing about Eatology is its commitment to long-term sustainability. All the packaging is bio-degradable and the food is responsibly sourced. They also focus on sourcing the best ingredients, similar to high-end restaurants, and share suppliers with Michelin-starred restaurants.
Eatology’s meals are made with organic eggs and free-range chicken from the US, and lean, grass-fed beef from Australia that is antibiotic and hormone-free. The salmon is strictly wild-caught, the organic coconut yogurt and homemade granola come from a local supplier in Hong Kong, and the olives, olive oil, Greek yogurt and Greek cheese are all directly imported from Greece.
So, is it possible for me to get home-delivered, calorie-controlled meals that are light on carbs but big on flavour, and that won’t leave me gnawing off my arm in hunger? After three days on my low-carb diet the answer is a resounding ‘yes’!
Standard Eatology programs start from HK$308 a day, which includes delivery fee (on Hong Kong Island). Two working days are required to start a standard order, with more time required for tailor-made orders. For more information, email contact@eatologyasia.com.
Check out more hints and tips on living in Hong Kong:
