Fit Food Manila: Diet Food Made Yummier with Culinary Masters Series!

Chef Nicco Santos of Hey Handsome and Your Local

Balanced diet, regular exercise, and a lot of will and determination are the key to a healthy and fit body. They should always go hand in hand to be effective.

Exercise can be as simple as brisk walking, jogging, dancing, doing push-ups or burpees at home, or a complete workout in the gym. What about right diet? There's the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) but for those who wanted to lose weight, calorie counting is one of the effective ways. And this is where diet food delivery service, such as Fit Food Manila, comes in.

three dishes created by Chef Nicco Santos for Fit Food Manila this June 2018!

One factor that made Fit Food Manila special among other diet food service is their Culinary Masters Series, which started in June 2018. Every month, they have a featured chef who will create dishes that will be part of the menu (Fit Food Original) for that month.

Dry Malaysian Curry Laksa Penne and Shrimp

The first of the series happened on June 11-17 with Chef Nicco Santos of Hey Handsome and Your Local. Chef Nicco came up with 3 interesting dishes: a rice meal, a pasta, and a sandwich - all flavorful and delicious you would doubt if they really have low-calorie! Chef Nicco shared that it was a different experience for him creating these dishes as even though he is aware of healthy food options, choosing the ingredients and being mindful of the calorie count challenged him and tickled his interest.

Smoked Salmon, Spring Onion & Fresh Egg Salad Sandwich

No, I'm not a fan of dieting as I never wanted to be restricted or deprived on what to eat -- especially when craving strikes. I actually tried a diet once wherein you'll eat certain types of food per day for a week (eg. day 01 potatoes, day 02 vegetables, etc), and I got dismayed that I even gained weight after all the efforts. So I told myself, no, not again.

As for calorie-counting, mine is as simple as: if you eat more, you should move/exercise more. That's it. Yet, the idea of Culinary Masters Series is interesting so I gave it a try.

Tex Mex Tofu Steak & Eggs with Teriyaki Black Rice

If you want to try Fit Food Manila, here's what you have to do:

1. Choose your Program
Each program includes 3 meals and 2 snacks

Fit Food Original (Php370-530/day) - Nutritionist recommended calorie counted balanced meal plans that don't sacrifice taste
Fit Food Plus (Php550-670/day) - Low carb, low sugar, high fiber and high protein. Doctor recommended for healthy weight loss
Fit Food Keto (Php645-745/day) - Ketogenic diet with low carbs and high fat
Fit Heart (Php600-720/day) - Cardiologist recommended to lower cholesterol with low fat and low sodium

2. Choose the Calorie Amount

If you're like me who doesn't know how much calories to take, no worries as Fit Food Manila has a Nutritionist on standby to answer your inquiries. I contacted them through their Facebook Page and they asked for my age, height, weight, and amount of physical activity per week (hours per session and number of sessions per week)

For Fit Food Original, Fit Food Plus, and Fit Heart, you may choose among 1200, 1500, or 1800 Calories/day
For Fit Food Keto, choose between Regular Size (1400-1600 Calories/day) or Large Size (1800-2000 Calories/day)

3. Choose your Meal Plan

5-day package
7-day package
4-week package: 5 days per week (save Php1,000-1,600 on delivery fees)
4-week package: 7 days per week (save Php1,400-2,240 on delivery fees)

4. Choose your Start Date/Week of Availment
It always starts on Mondays and they have limited slots per week so better to book early. Food delivery will be done the night before (first delivery is on Sunday night). Delivery fee of Php50-80 applies and depends on the location.

Here's what I had:

Program: Fit Food Original -- The Culinary Masters Series is only available on this program
Calorie: 1200 Calories -- Given my age, height, weight, and amount of activity, the Nutritionist recommended 1200 Calories and just supplement with my own snacks on the days that I workout
Meal Plan: 5-day package
Week of Availment: June 11-15, 2018

FIT FOOD ORIGINAL (1200 Calorie)

DAY 01 - June 11, 2018

DAY 01 - June 11

BREAKFAST: Chicken Sausage Whole Wheat Bun with Chili Con Carne (272 kcal)
SNACK: Fruit Cocktail and Jello (72 kcal)
LUNCH: Mango Chili Fish Fillet with Red Rice (433 kcal)
SNACK: Sky Flakes with Spicy Tuna (95 kcal)
DINNER: Chinese Style Pork Asado on Red Rice (373 kcal)

DAY 02 - June 12, 2018

DAY 02 - June 12

BREAKFAST: Oatmeal Arroz Caldo (313 kcal)
SNACK: Pancit Canton (140 kcal)
LUNCH: Hainanese Chicken with Ginger Sauce on Brown Rice (261 kcal)
SNACK: Pita and Maple Ham Roll (91 kcal)
DINNER: Dry Malaysian Curry Laksa Penne and Shrimp by Chef Nicco Santos (403 kcal)

DAY 03 - June 13, 2018

DAY 03 - June 13

BREAKFAST: Tinapa Caesar Salad (306 kcal)
SNACK: Carrot Cake (122 kcal)
LUNCH: Bangus Sisig with Garlic Red Rice (327 kcal)
SNACK: Lemon Lime Jello (63 kcal)
DINNER: Arroz ala Cubana Rice Bowl (419 kcal)

DAY 04 - June 14, 2018

DAY 04 - June 14

BREAKFAST: Smoked Salmon Spring Onion and Fresh Egg Salad Sandwich by Chef Nicco Santos (388 kcal)
SNACK: Palitaw (146 kcal)
LUNCH: Indian Red Curry Beef Tenderloin on Brown Rice (378 kcal)
SNACK: Apple (53 kcal)
DINNER: Hot and Spicy Chicken with Brown Rice (293 kcal)

DAY 05 - June 15, 2018

DAY 05 - June 15

BREAKFAST: French Toasts with Blueberry Compote (343 kcal)
SNACK: Palabok (140 kcal)
LUNCH: Mexican Beef Taco Salad (312 kcal)
SNACK: Pineapple (45 kcal)
DINNER: Grilled Chili Mustard Chicken on Red Rice (384 kcal)

To be honest, when I saw the package for DAY 01, my question was "Will I survive the day with just these?". Prior to this, I have been eating small-but-frequent meals due to my acid reflux. And they all seemed to be small meals! But upon having my first breakfast, then lunch, I felt that even though the portions seemed small, they are heavy on the stomach. I never felt hungry throughout the day and there were even times I wasn't able to consume the snacks.

WHAT I LIKE:

The food are all good tasting! Contrary to the usual belief that healthy food are less tasty, all the food I had from Fit Food Manila are well-seasoned. The most flavorful and delicious were still from Chef Nicco's creations as part of the Culinary Masters Series. But I'm fine not having that everyday else I might be encouraged to eat and want more
Variety of food. Here at home, our viand for lunch is the same until dinner. If I go to office, more or less I already know the selections and if I wanted something out of the ordinary, it means spending more money. But with Fit Food Manila, every day is a surprise. It can be a rice meal, pasta, sandwich, salad, etc.
Calorie counting done for you. No more guessing, no more label checking -- just eat and enjoy!
Better digestion and bowel movement. Healthy food are really good for the tummy. Those red/brown rice, salads, whole wheat and oats that I don't normally eat did magic in my digestive system and caused better bowel movement. Never felt cleaner and lighter
Saves time in food preparation and cooking. No time to go to the market and cook? No problem! Just order from Fit Food Manila and you don't have to worry about daily meals for a week (at least)
On time delivery. My food were delivered daily between 8PM and 9PM

WHAT CAN BE IMPROVED:

More delivery time options. As my food were delivered the night before, I had to pop them all inside the refrigerator for tomorrow's consumption. By the time I had to consume them, they aren't as freshly cooked versus having the delivery in the morning (assuming food will also be prepared hours before delivery)
May not be for picky eaters or those with allergies. It's the same menu per program and meals are prepared at the same time. Although special requests can be entertained, these would only affect the calorie count, food preparation, and taste
Better microwaveable containers. At first, I really thought they were not microwaveable as they look like thin plastic containers. Although this is fine as I can still reheat my food directly in the microwave using them, I prefer those that can be reused similar to those they used for salads and noodles
More proactive delivery guy. There was one time when I was not at home to receive the food package although my mom was there. When I got home, I was surprised to see my package tied to our gate. It was rainy and although it is well packaged with paper bag and plastic, I would have preferred if the delivery guy called me to ensure someone will receive it

And that's my first experience with diet meal delivery service! I still think the good points outweigh the few not-so-good ones. If you missed the first Fit Food Culinary Masters week, don't worry as the next will happen on July 16-22 with Chef Francis Lim of Nav Thai Cuisine and Tipple and Slaw. So don't forget to book your slots now!

Fit Food Manila
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/fitfoodmanila/
Instagram Account: https://www.instagram.com/fitfoodmanila/

Disclaimer: I was provided coupons to try the service. I did not pay anything. Photos with my watermark are mine and shouldn't be used without my permission.