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Food & Spirits: Surely you’ve heard the buzz about FRESHOLOGY (formerly known as Fresh Dining) – you know, that home meal delivery service that originally made a name for itself in Los Angeles with a buffet of celebrity devotees: Ricki Lake, whose attributed much of her weight loss to the plan; Jennifer Lopez, who used both the Fresh Dining and Fresh Mommy programs to slim down after her twins; Debi Mazar, who lost 80 lbs with the help of FRESHOLOGY after the birth of her 2nd child; Poppy Montgomery, Constance Zimmer and other stars like Ellen DeGeneres, Jack Black, Lil’ Kim, Ryan Philippe and Derek Hough from Dancing with the Stars who reportedly are fans of the program for its convenience and ability to help clients in shape.

Well, there’s great news for those of us who are not Hollywood-area A-listers – FRESHOLOGY has gone national! The company now delivers its chef-prepared, health-conscious “Get Slim” program meals to customers’ doorsteps nationwide. With this program launch, FRESHOLOGY is now the first-ever gourmet, calorie-controlled eating experience available to consumers living anywhere within the continental U.S.

What It Is
FRESHOLOGY’s Get Slim is not a typical diet program and certainly not a fad diet, as it focuses less on what you don’t eat and more on what you do. The company is able to offer its clients a variety of great tasting, gourmet meals that are low in calories by simply incorporating optimal food choices like super fruits and making smart substitutions for ingredients like sugar, butter, cream and fatty meats. Prepared with lean protein, seasonal vegetables, fresh meats, and whole fruit for optimal taste, the food is never frozen, shrink-wrapped, pre-packaged, dehydrated or processed and has absolutely no preservatives! FRESHOLOGY’s Get Slim program is completely customizable, allowing customers to make desired modifications for food preferences, weight loss goals, allergies, medical requirements, additional protein consumption and even an all organic diet.

How It Works
FRESHOLOGY’s Get Slim program provides seven days of fresh, healthful, epicurean meals in two weekly deliveries. Each delivery is dropped in re-usable cooler bags with all meals packaged individually in biodegradable and re-heatable packaging. Frozen cooler packs keep the meals cold until customers can refrigerate them.

The program utilizes a rotational 30-day calorie-controlled menu that pairs great-tasting gourmet dishes with healthy ingredients – all for $39.95 ($42.95 with s/h) a day. In my opinion, money well spent since there’s no planning, grocery shopping excursions, cooking, cleaning or other such time consuming tasks. on the client’s part. And, the system is sure to help you get – and stay – svelte. Daily caloric allowance for women ranges between 1,200 and 1,400 calories, and between 1,800 and 2,000 for men.

“There has been a void in the home-delivered diet food universe that we’re filling with Get Slim,” notes FRESHOLOGY’s founder and CEO. “Finally consumers do not have to sacrifice taste and food quality while trying to lose weight. This nationally-available plan is an upscale and effortless solution for people anywhere in the U.S. looking to lose weight, for those managing a busy lifestyle, or for individuals simply interested in eating delicious, gourmet calorie-controlled meals.”

FRESHOLOGY’s gourmet meals rely on lean proteins, fresh fruits, vegetables, good fats and low glycemic carbs to ensure its clients are eating the healthiest, highest quality foods. A day’s sample menu follows:

• Breakfast: Mixed Berry Crepe with Fresh Fruit Salad & Maple Glazed Canadian Bacon
• Lunch: Grilled Chicken & Portobello Mushroom and Salad with Truffle Vinaigrette
• Dinner: Fresh Herb Crusted Flank Steak with Roasted Vegetables & Quinoa Pilaf
• Dessert: Chocolate Raspberry BarI myself sampled a week’s worth of FRESHOLOGY’s Get Slim meals and, as someone who closely watches her weight and strives to eat healthfully without feeling deprived as a lifestyle, am absolutely smitten with this program. First I received the Get Slim welcome packet via email, which also came printed with the first meal delivery. This document contained a wealth of information about the program, including delivery schedules, meals & menus, the clever color coding system, food storage, heating instructions – and even ways to recycle the packing materials. It also contained great diet and health tips, including guidelines for dining out, determining appropriate portion size, snack recommendations and other savory advice.But, none of this would matter if the food, itself, didn’t live up to the hype. I’m here to tell you it does. Of the 28 FRESHOLOGY Get Slim courses I ate over the course of the week, there was not one that I did not enjoy and feel completely satisfied by. I have to say that, since this is a calorie-controlled program, I expected typical diet fare: tasteless food and very small portions. But, my concerns quickly abated from the very first meal, which, incidentally, was an extremely flavorful and moist protein style cheeseburger (sans bun) and a crisp side salad (455 calories).

  Indeed, all of the meals were large enough to completely satiate my appetite and hold me over until the next one. Other highlights from my week-long menu was the turkey meatloaf (2 slices!) with a flavorful cauliflower puree and sautéed green beans almondine (417 calories), grilled pork chop with sweet and sour sauce and stir fry vegetables (390 calories), roasted chicken breast with sweet potato mash (352 calories), grilled shrimp and spinach salad with balsamic vinaigrette (350 calories), spinach and mozzarella frittata with fresh fruit and grilled ham steak (244 calories), pan seared whitefish with sautéed spinach and wild rice pilaf (475 calories), grilled flat iron steak wrap with corn, black beans and jicama salad (435 calories), chicken pot pie with hearty root vegetables (380 calories) and, of course, desserts: flourless chocolate cake (199 calories…and worth every one), chocolate marble cheesecake (220 calories), blueberry coffee cake (181 calories), tiramisu (111 calories) and a coconut macaroon (130 calories).

  The bottom line? FRESHOLOGY’s Get Slim is perfect for any busy and/or kitchen-challenged food lover, those with very busy schedules, the health conscience or those that are looking for an easy and convenient way to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight and dietary lifestyle.

  For more information on FRESHOLOGY or to sign up for the company’s fabulous Get Slim healthy meal-delivery program, visit www.freshology.com.

***Some or all of the accommodations(s), experience(s), item(s) and/or service(s) detailed above may have been provided at no cost and/or arranged to accommodate this review, but all opinions expressed are entirely those of Merilee Kern and have not been influenced in any way as per the disclosure policy on our “Legal” page***