I’ve been on the medifast diet for quite a while and I believe that I’ve tried almost every food that is offered. Some of the foods I like very much and consume on a daily basis. Some of the foods are quite decent with a little tweaking, and some of the foods require me to steer clear of them. I will tell you which of the foods taste the best and which are pretty unappetizing in this article.
On Overview Of The Medifast Foods: Before I go into taste though, I’d like to give you a quick overview of what types of foods are available. There are about 70 food choices and these are called “medifast meals.” These meals are small, but most are convenient, prepackaged, and easy to assemble. You’re asked to eat five of these meals per day and one larger, healthy meal you make for yourself which consists of protein and veggies. (This is called the “lean and green” meal.) So in essence, you eat three meals and three snacks per day.
The foods are pretty diverse and you are covered in terms are breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and drinks. There are eggs, oatmeal, protein bars, shakes, soups, stews, chilis, chips, fruit drinks, cappichinos, hot chocolate, and pudding, to name a few. All of these foods have many different flavors available. So, now I’ll discuss which tastes good and which doesn’t.
The Best Tasting Medifast Foods: Without a doubt, this diet has some standouts which I would not hesitate to eat even if I were not on a diet. These are the shakes, the protein bars, the oatmeal, the cappuccino / hot chocolate and the pudding. These products are good straight up and I don’t have to do a thing to them – although I will sometimes add sugar and fat free syrup or fat free whipped cream to the shakes if I am feeling adventurous. The protein bars have a nice chewy texture and the chocolate mint taste like a girl scout’s thin mint cookie while the peanut butter tastes almost like a Reese’s bar. The oatmeal taste like Quaker’s and the pudding is good, but can also be used a base to make muffins, cookies, etc. The cappuccino and the hot chocolate mixed rival a mocha anywhere.
Decent Tasting Medifast Foods That Can Be Good With Some Minor Adjustments: I find the eggs, chili, and soup to be quite OK. But, I do dress them up a little bit to give them a bit of help. I will add veggies or fat free sour cream to the eggs or I will add it to a fat free tortilla (and sometimes add chili too) for a burrito. I do the same with the chili – add cheese, lettuce and tomato, and salsa for a spicy burrito. I will also sometimes make a mock taco salad with chili by adding lettuce, tomato, cheese, and the diet’s chips for a nachos effect. I also add the chips and sour cream to the top of the soups as well.
The Foods That I Generally Don’t Like: I pretty much steer clear of the stew and the fruit drink. I don’t like stew in every day life and the fruit drink tastes a bit heavy and artificial. I get by this by adding a lot of water to it and pouring it over shaved ice for a snow cone. Or, I’ll freeze it (adding ginger ale or seltzer) for a popsicle. Luckily, there are enough food choices available that it’s no big deal to skip these options. I will sometimes eat them, but I often also just load up my order with only the foods I really using via the design a menu option.
Lindsey has lost over 80 pounds on this diet. Her Medifast Review Website features inspiration, tips, motivation, recipes, videos, coupons ($50 off or two weeks free), and products related to success on this diet. She also offers a free ebook (“Getting The Most Out Of Medifast”) to help you get started. You can visit her at http://easiest-diet.com/medifast
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The list includes some very modest eateries where you will not spend a fortune but will still eat well.
There are now so many restaurants in London, that this is just a cross section of those available but everybody should find something that will appeal to their tastebuds and pockets.
Michelin Star Restaurants
Le Gavroche
43 Upper Brook Street, W1K 7QR (020 7408 0881)
Albert and Michael Roux set the benchmark for Haute Cuisine for London restaurants many years ago and son Michael Roux Jnr is now doing the same. Elegant dining such as this does not come cheap, a minimum price of £60 each, but with 2 Michelin stars over the door you just know it is money well pent.
Gordon Ramsay On Royal Hospital Road
68 Royal Hospital Road, Chelsea, London, SW3 4HP (020 7352 4441)
Lunch Menu £40 7 Course Dinner Menu £110
With a 2 month waiting list you will have to plan ahead if you want to eat here and with three Michelin stars, you just know the food will be out of this world. Any serious foodie would kill his own Mother to get a seat here to sample the French and Mediterranean dishes. It is a credit to Gordon Ramsay that despite being listed in the top five restaurants in the world, the house wine is only £15 although the extensive wine list contains some fine wines at a lot more than that.
Petrus
The Berkeley, Wilton Place, Knightbridge, London, SW1X 7RL (020 7235 1200)
Chef, Marcus Wareing has earned his two Michelin stars by serving up some of the finest French cuisine available and that includes in France. The restaurant, situated in the Berkley Hotel a known haunt of the Queen, is named after one of the finest red wines in the world. You can enjoy a bottle with your meal but with prices starting at over £300 and ending in a wallet busting £12,300, you may wish to try the house red at around £15 per bottle, although this may be an insult to the magnificent food.
Locanda Locatelli
8 Seymour Street, London, W1H 7HT, (020 7935 9088)
Although I have not eaten there yet, I must admit this is my favourite celebrity chef. He always comes across a passionate believer in the quality of his ingredients and the joy of cooking them. I am sure his two Michelin stars are an understatement. If Italian food is your passion this is the temple where you can worship it in.
The amazing thing is that you can dine here for about £30 each and you will find many good wines at under £20 per bottle.
Nobu
Metropolitan Hotel, 19 Old Park Lane, London, W1 Y4LB (020 7447 4747)
This 2 Michelin star restaurant was the haunt of both pop and movie stars where the tempura is sublime. Japanese cuisine is always expensive so the £60 per person will not phases the Japanese affictionados.
Other Great Restaurants
Texture
34 Portman Square, W1H 7BY (020 7224 0028)
The nearest tube is Marble Arch but if you can afford to eat here you will not be travelling by public transport. Dinner for two with wine and service costs around £150. Has a Champagne bar that is worth a visit.
This restaurant is the brainchild of Agnar Sverisson, the Icelandic former head chef at Le Manoir aux Quatre Saisons, (Raymond Blanc’s flagship restaurant) and Xavier Rousset who was the Head sommelier there. One can only wonder at the day they both decided to leave!
The decor could be described as Icelandic cool, the cuisine in the nouvelle style and the ingredients are the best. A great introduction is the started menu which will give you a pointer to your next visit. Don’t leave it too long as a Michelin star or two cannot be far away and you know what that can do to the prices and the waiting list.
Daphne’s
112 Draycott Avenue, SW3 3AE (020 7589 4257)
Price £48.00
Another Italian restaurant that has been favoured by stars, particularly for the lunch time crowd and why not, the food is excellent and the service attentive without being over-bearing. At least it was when I ate there a couple of years ago. It has a novel open space that makes summer dining a real pleasure. Even though they take great pride in sourcing as much of their produce from caring British producers, their risottos and pasta dishes are second to none and are complimented by a fine selection of Italian wines.
Cantina del Ponte
36C Shad Thames, Butler’s Wharf, SE1 2YE
Price £25
This is the cheaper version of Sir Terrance Conrans restaurant La Ponte de la Tour, right on the river, overlooking Tower Bridge with spectacular views of the river Thames which make it an excellent summer dining establishment. The menu is traditional Italian fare cooked to perfection. I had a pizza which, having come from their wood fired oven was just sublime and the Tiramisu to follow did not disappoint. The food is well complimented by an extensive wine list.
Bibendum
Michelin House, 81 Fulham Road, SW3 6RD (020 7581 5817)
If seafood is your passion, this is the place for you. Opened by Sir Terrance Conran twenty years ago in the old Michelin Tyre Depot, you will think you are in Paris as you feast on superb fish dishes amid the splendour of the art deco features like the huge stained glass windows. Before you ask, there are also some fine meat dishes that are also cooked to perfection.
Lindsay House
21 Romilly Street, W1D 5AF (020 7439 0450)
If you wish to dine like a Georgian English gentleman with an British menu then you will do no better than Lindsay House where Richard Corrigan, a rising TV star, serves a wonderful menu sourced from the best providers. Pigs trotters or smoked eel salad served in a genteel 18th century drawing room may have you thinking that you will be able to get a sedan chair home. The 21st century will hit you at the end when the espresso is served at nearly £5 per cup which would make even the aristocracy reach for their smelling salts. That said, for those who can afford it, it will remain a unique experience.
Rules
35 Maiden Lane, WC2E 7LB (020 7836 5314)
Price £49.00
Rules has been serving traditional British food for over 200 years and the decor reflects this. To some it is elegant dining, to others it is a bit like an Olde England theme park either way it is a great way to sample some of the finest British cuisine and that includes those glorious English puddings. The only problem is you will need to have the wherewithal of at least a minor member of the aristocracy to pay for the meal.
If you go to the Tate Modern to feed your artistic soul, you will have the choice of two fine restaurants.
Tate Modern Restaurant: Level 7
7th Floor, Tate Modern, Sumner St, SE1 9TG (020 7401 5014 )
Whilst in the Tate Modern, you should take the lift to the 7th floor where, if you can get a window table, you will get some stunning views of the river to accompany your stunning food which luckily is not named after any types of art. The cuisine is modern European and sourced from both Britain and the continent. Views and foods this good do not come cheap so if you are on a modest budget, you might like to try the cafe on the 2nd floor where children are very well catered for.
If you are not too tired then try:-
Northbank
One Paul’s Walk, EC4V 2EH (020 7329 9299)
Just a quick stroll across the bridge and you will find this cathedral to the finest provender the South-west of England can supply, cooked to perfection. It doesn’t come cheap but after such a meal you will be more than happy to pay. Summer visitors will enjoy the outdoors tables and if you get there sooner you will still be able to marvel at the ‘Glass Gherkin’ building. Don’t forget to take a closer look at the wall paper, it is a modern toile that reflects the City of London surroundings.
Red Fort
77 Dean Street, W1D 3SH (020 7437 2115)
The authentic cuisine of North India has made the Red Fort a focal point for the Indian food afficionados. It is the exquisite cuisine and stylish surroundings that have attracted the good and the great. A definite must for any visitor but beware, you will never quite enjoy your own local take away again.
Myung Ga
1 Kingly Street, W1B 5PA (020 7734 8220)
This Korean restaurant is a haven for basic Korean food as the number of Koreans, Chinese and Japanese eating there will demonstrate. This bustling restaurant would be a great place for the novice to be introduced to the tastes of Korea.
Wahaca
66 Chandos Place, London, WC2N 4HG
Average Price: £50
This is a real Mexican restaurant that specialises in street food with ingredients that are ethical and traceable. Authentic is the keyword so be prepared to be surprised if you are used to the usual old tex-mex that has been touted around for years. The sample menu is a good place to start, just be careful of the freshly prepared hot sauces.
Dining On A Budget
Stockpot
18 Old Compton Street, Soho, W1D 4TN
273 Kings Road, London, SW3 5EN
38 Panton Street, London, SW1Y 4EA
Opened in 1958 this small chain of inexpensive restaurants are still providing the capital with nourishing food at affordable prices. The menu is simple British and continental with generous portions. For those on a limited budget this cannot be topped. I have eaten at all these locations and can attest to the quality as does the number of people who you will find eating there.
Yo! Sushi
MyHotel, 11-13 Bayley Street, Bedford Square, WC1B 3HD also at Harrods, Harvey Nichols, Selfridges and many other places.
A fun way to eat sushi that will not break the bank. As you sit, the different sushi goes around on a conveyor belt so you can help yourself from the cooked and raw dishes. A nice, if expensive twist is the water pump at each table.
Rootmaster
Old Truman Brewery, Brick Lane, E1 6QL
If you are looking around the City of London and want something different then this is the place for you, especially if you are a vegetarian and if you are not, then this would be a great introduction to the cuisine. The bonus is that you get to eat on one of what used to be, London landmarks, a big red Routemaster Bus, hence the name pun. Fantastic noodles and falafel made in the shape of burgers make this a truly unique eating experience.
Sticky Fingers’ Cafe
1a Phillimore Gardens, Kensington, W8 7EG
When Bill Wyman wasn’t Rolling with the Stones he started this restaurant which serves burgers, ribs and tex-mex. The food must be good as it still going strong after many years. Situated in a side street off the High Street Kensington makes it a perfect mid shopping break.
Hard Rock Cafe
150 Old Park La, W1K 1QR, (020 76290382)
The daddy of them all, they set the standard for burgers in London long before any of the chains opened up London. I would tell you when I first went there but I am afraid I might show my age. They have gone global but the ethics are still the same, good food in great surroundings and reasonable prices and you can get the t-shirt.
Pizza Express
Although the Pizza Express is a chain, you will not be disappointed by the quality of the pizzas unless you only like yours made in the deep pan style because they only make the traditional thin crust style. They do have a selection of other dishes available as well. Some of the restaurants have live jazz so you can make an evening of it.
You are now ready to venture out and sample the culinary delights of London, whether it is a fine British menu or something from further afield and you won’t necessarily need a bank balance the size of Fort Knox to enjoy them.
The top restaurants, especially those with Michelin stars, may need to be pre-booked so it may be advisable to check before you travel, it would be so disappointing to miss them.
About The Author
Dominique Richards is the webmaster of http://Imagewizard.biz and http://Yourpower2be.com Womens’website that men love to browse http://www.yourpower2be.com http://www.graphics.imagewizard.biz
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