Punch Detox – My 3 Day Cleanse Experience

Last month was a painful one as I went for a tooth surgery to remove 4 wisdom teeth and 4 normal teeth (for braces!) all at once. Yes, 8 at one go, ouch! Chewing food was out of question for the first few days so a liquid diet sounded perfect right? Enter the 3-Day Juice Cleanse program ($330) from Punch Detox, the first to provide such programs for busy people in Hong Kong and so successful that it has expanded to Singapore!

Tooth surgery aside, I was actually looking forward to the program because as an obsessed foodie, I admittedly indulge in desserts and rich food more than occasionally. Too much fat, too much sugar! It’s time to give my body a break, flood it with nutrients and flush out toxins at the same time! Toxins be gone!

Even though it was my first juice cleanse, I went for a level 2 cleanse since I felt ready for a deeper and more intense detox. After deciding on the dates, the fresh, gluten-free, vegan juices were delivered cold to my house the day before Day 1 of the cleanse. 3 cooler bags, 18 bottles in total… That’s 6 bottles of juices and soups per day, for 3 days. Easy and doable!

I really appreciate that Punch Detox sent out daily email and instructions to me during the program so I didn’t feel lost or intimidated at all!

Th bottles were clearly labelled Punch #1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and I was supposed to drink them in sequence. And then repeat. I stored all 18 bottles in the fridge as soon as they were taken out of the bags (and after I photographed them haha) since they were “living” juices with no additives or preservatives.

Day 1 officially started with #1: Citrus Punch, a mixture of lemon, ginger, cayenne pepper, agave nectar and filtered water. Benefits: lemons provide vitamin C and dissolves toxins; ginger and cayenne pepper build heat to kick start metabolism and circulatory system; agave nectar sweetens without raising blood sugar levels. I liked this! Slightly tangy, a tad spicy!

A snapshot of the other bottles:

#2: Green Punch
Ingredients: Parsley, cucumber, green apple, kale, celery, bitter gourd, spirulina
Benefits: dark green vegetables contain vitamins and minerals essential for the cleansing functions of the liver and kidneys; spirulina has more protein than soy, more vitamin A than carrots, more iron than beef, plenty of protective phytochemicals and the essential fatty acid, GLA.

#3: Red Punch
Ingredients: Beetroot, carrot, red apples, ginger, orange, goji berries
Benefits: phytochemicals and antioxidants (like betacyanin and beta-carotene) help to get rid of toxins and protect against the kind of DNA damage that can lead to premature aging and cancer; goji berries have essential fatty acids and almost a perfect essential amino acid complex.

#4: Salad Punch – Level 2
Ingredients: Romaine, Spinach, Choi Sum, Pear, Cucumber, Green Radish
Benefits: lower in natural sugars and even higher in greens, this is Punch Detox’s most alkaline and deepest detoxifier.

#5: GazPUNCHo
Ingredients: Tomatoes, cucumber, garlic, cilantro, cayenne pepper, sea salt, apple cider vinegar, extra virgin cold-pressed olive oil
Benefits: tomatoes are best known for lycopene; cucumber is an effective diuretic; apple cider vinegar is a bacteria-fighting agent; combination of garlic, cilantro and cayenne pepper fires up metabolism and blood circulation.

#6: Coco Punch – Level 2
Ingredients: Coconut, and Acai berry
Benefits: healthy electrolyte mix makes this the best hydrator.

Overall, I felt that all the juices (except #5, which is like a cold tomato soup) were refreshing, naturally sweet and very easy to drink! My personal favourites are #1 and #6! Punch Detox uses a hydraulic press to slowly squeeze and turn kilos of raw fruits and vegetables into colourful juices, preserving the vitamins, minerals and enzymes. It’s impossible to eat 8kg worth of fruits, vegetables and nuts so drinking is the way to go! Studies also show that this method of juicing extracts 3-5 times more vitamins and minerals than juice from other machines.

During the 3 days, I didn’t feel hungry… In fact, I felt full! Imagine, 500ml of liquid 6 times a day and 1 glass of water in between each juice. There was no time to be hungry haha. I also didn’t experience any side effects such as headaches, lethargy, nausea, weakness etc. The extent of the symptoms is apparently dependent on how “toxic” you are. The more toxins you have, the worse you will feel. I guess that means I’m relatively “clean” yay!

So, the million dollar question – did I feel any difference? Honestly, physically no, psychologically yes. I pretty much felt the same – no weight loss (to be clear though, the practice of cleansing is not a weight loss diet or fad), same level of energy, unchanged sleep pattern etc. Psychologically, I felt fabulous. The sense of achievement and knowing that all those nutrients are swimming in my body now just made me so happy! I’d love to go on another cleanse program in the near future, with K since he was very jealous that he couldn’t do it with me haha.

Thanks to Dilys and Punch Detox for the complimentary program!

Punch Detox
http://punchdetox.com.sg/
+65 8339 4133
info@punchdetox.com.sg
86 Circuit Road, #01-1003, Singapore 370086

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Afterglow

Vegetarian food is no big deal but when it’s raw, creative and delicious? Enter Afterglow – a plant-based, farm-to-table eatery with a cool, industrial vibe complete with the ubiquitous bike-hanging-on-the-wall thingy which cafes seem very fond of these days. I really enjoyed the food but our bill was rather pricey for the quantity. Hopefully we will see more copycats of Afterglow around soon – healthy competition is always a good thing!

I love the fake “cheese” here simply because I do not like real cheese! Made of cashew nuts and blended with herbs, the texture was creamy (kind of like a thick and coarse version of hummus) and easily spreadable on the raw dehydrated crackers. Lovely dish to share.

Raw Cheese with Beetroot and Almond Crackers ($16+)

Between the kimchi and achar rolls, I prefer the latter! Packed neat and tight with blended nuts (yes, a lot of nuts used so don’t think you won’t get full eating rabbit food!), the pineapple within made it fruity and refreshing while the kimchi was too pungent for me.

Kimchi Nori Roll ($12+ for 6) and Achar Nori Roll ($12+ for 6)

This may be one of the most tasty bowls of rice I’ve ever had! The dressing was magical and extremely flavourful that I kept snatching it from K. We have already agreed to order this as takeaway in future and buy some sashimi to make our own perfect chirashi hahaha.

Deconstructed Sushi Bowl with Avocado and Miso Dressing ($16+)

Afterglow
24 Keong Saik Road
6224 8921

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Real Food

Whenever the healthy mood strikes, there’s a few standard places we will turn to. Cedele (been there countless times and I always order the same thing), thunder tea rice (K is not a fan so I don’t get to eat this as often as I like, sigh), Veganburg (loveeeee the mushroom burger!), and then there’s Real Food too!

We’ve been to the outlets at Central and Square 2, and can vouch for the consistency. The food has been enjoyable so far (skip the overpriced avocado coconut smoothie — about 150ml for $7.80, crazy), from chickpea sweet potato cake ($13.80) and organic pizza ($13.80) to spicy mushroom aglio olio ($7.80) and mushroom bruschetta ($7.80), yums. Once, they even invited some Japanese chef (don’t know who) to whip up some specials and though my macrobiotic meal was filling, it didn’t put me to zzz after lunch…

Real Food
#B1-52/53 The Central
6 Eu Tong Sen St
6224 4492

#B1-105/106/129, Square 2
10 Sinaran Drive
6397 2289

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Beets Modern Vegetarian

“Vegetarians rejoice!” Not.

Beets Modern Vegetarian, mediocre 3-course set lunch ($29.90++) not worth mentioning in detail, great service though. We lunch-ed in really late, and the staff kindly moved us to all-day dining sister restaurant Addictions Cafe next door while it closed for a short siesta. Sheltered from the heavy downpour, we loitered there till evening and even had double scoops of ice cream on the house, thank you!

For a solid satisfying vegetarian meal, LivinGreens and Original Sin still have my undying loyalty~

Leek & Potato Soup
poached egg, truffle “caviar”

Background: Mint Pea Soup
mint leaf, pita bread

Tofu Burger
homemade seaweed tofu patty, grilled pumpkin, truffle aioli, relish

Mango Chili Salsa Sundae
lime sorbet

Root Beer Baileys Ice Cream ($9++)
compliementary from Addictions Cafe

Beets Modern Vegetarian
22 Dempsey Road
6475 6869

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LINS Smoodees Bar & Showroom

Thanks to LINS Smoodees, it’s so easy to get your 5-a-day now. This new concept bar specializes in blending dairy-free smoothies made from organic leafy greens, fresh fruits and filtered alkaline water. Definitely no nasty sugar, preservatives or additives!

I was invited by founder Adeline for a tasting session and it turned out to be more of an insightful sharing session which I thoroughly enjoyed. Detoxification, excess weight loss, increase in energy and stamina, improved mental clarity — these are just some of the numerous benefits of drinking greens!

More importantly, they taste really good. I tried the three signature smoothies (Greenhorn, Popeye and Peter Pan) and love them all. Naturally sweet, not bitter in the least, and so incredibly fresh!

Image Credit: LINS Smoodees

Besides greens, there’s also a selection of pure delicious fruit smoothies and enzyme drinks. I’ve actually thought of making my own enzymes at home but the whole process is just too tedious (lazy me, I know). So you can imagine how happy I am that LINS Smoodees offers several different types of enzyme drinks, from pineapple and kiwi to dragonfruit and bell peppers. Awesome~

LINS Smoodees retails between an introductory price of $5.50/smoodee for those with 15 grams of greens and $7.50 for those with 45 grams of greens. Delivery packages start from as low as $8.50 per bottle for a minimum order duration of 2 weeks. To find out more, why not drop by LINS Smoodees today? I’m sure Adeline and her mother, Annie, will be more than happy to share the goodness of these homemade smoothies with you!

Image Credit: LINS Smoodees

My sincere thanks to Adeline and Annie for hosting the session! I hope this green revolution turns out to be a huge success in Singapore 🙂

LINS Smoodees Bar & Showroom
18 Cross Street
#B1-02 Marsh & Mclennan Center
9007 8233

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The Most Un-Quiche-Like Quiche

I like quiches. Especially those with a soft flaky crust and eggy center filled with vegetables and smoked salmon. But the problem with quiches is that they are sneakily unhealthy.  High in calories, high in fats, high in everything that’s not good for you. That’s why I love Livingreens’ quiche! Ok, so it’s not a quiche-quiche. It’s a pseudo-quiche. But it tastes good. The crust is made of chickpea flour and the filling is a tofu-like mixture with mushrooms and spices. Together with the pumpkin pie and lasagna, this is also my favourite at Livingreens! =)

LivinGreens
325 Beach Road
6396 5523

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Vegan Burg

I’m proud to say that I haven’t eaten any fast food for more than 5 years (and definitely still counting). McDonald’s, KFC, Burger King, and even instant noodles, they hold no appeal to me. Nutritionally worthless, and I’d rather waste my calories on equally sinful cakes and ice cream, hee. Which is why I think Vegan Burg has a brilliant concept: a vegan burger fast food restaurant that defies my school of thought that fast food = junk food!

The menu is limited, only 5 types of burgers and I’ve already tried all except one. The burger set comes with a choice of juices (the diluted-by-too-many-ice-cubes wheatgrass spinach tasted anything but that) and crispy seaweed fries that’s (ironically) rather salty.

Besides burgers and fries, there’s some sides like vegan franks, soup and salad too. The potato spinach pops look good, right?

But I felt slightly cheated when they were served. Only 5 small balls (expensive at $3.80!) heavily bolstered by lots of lettuce (to give the impression that the portion is not so pathetic) and they were very ordinary, think crispy fried potato balls with minimal seasoning.

The buns are organic (I like the soft rye and wholemeal best) and all the patties contain no gluten, dairy, GMO, preservatives or transfats. That sounds so healthy! Speaking of which, I find that the texture of the patties are somewhat similar to one another. After trying so many, I can safely conclude that what differentiates the burgers from each other is the sauce.

So far, char-grilled satay (below, $6.85 for burger, $10.85 for set) is my favourite! A familiar taste that’s not too overpowering. For a limited period, there’s a Christmas burger (above) that’s pretty awesome too: cracked pepper patty with a tangy sweet cranberry sauce ($7.85 for burger, $11.85 for set)~ Nice, nice.

I also like the wonderfully smokey flavour of the (you guess it) smoky BBQ ($6.85 for burger, $10.85 for set) burger!

Though the classic Hawaiian pineapple burger ($6.85 for burger, $10.85 for set) is their signature, I didn’t quite take to the sweet plum sauce.. Burgers are supposed to be savoury, aren’t they?

Even if you are a hard-core carnivore, give Vegan Burg a try! While it may not turn you into a vegetarian overnight, you may be surprised at how yummy these meatless burgers can be =) 

Vegan Burg
44 Jalan Eunos
6844 6868

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Raw Food Cuisine at One-Ninety

I totally enjoyed my first “raw food experience” at Saf Restaurant in London earlier this year so I was rather excited when I read from the ST that Chef Matthew Kenney will be in town from 11 to 17 Oct to introduce his haute raw food cuisine at One-Ninety in the Four Seasons Hotel. I went there twice this week, once for dinner ($98++ for 5-course), the second time for the weekend lunch buffet ($48++).

Out of the 8 or so appetisers I tried, I’m partial towards the colourful kimchi dumplings..

.. and the black sesame and white coconut dumplings! I love the different textures in each and the seasonings make it so full-flavoured.

I didn’t quite take to the yellow corn chowder, mainly cuz it’s served cold (instead of piping hot, which is impossible in this case). That said, the consistency is light and smooth, just like any regular chowder.

Other appetisers: (clockwise from top left) Caribbean conch chowder, avocado tartare, basil wrap, eggplant tart, portobello sausage (this is nice too!) and my least favourite out of all — a pizza with a crust so rock-hard that it makes chewing a chore.

For mains, I like the gnocchi, which is surprising since I’ve never fancy those potato dumplings. This wasn’t starchy or doughy at all, so unlike the real McCoy!

Served with dehydrated mushrooms and guacamole, the white corn tamale is one interesting dish paired with a rich paste that tastes like dark chocolate. Imagine that! Chocolate sauce for a savoury course~

Dessert samplers at the buffet include strawberry tart, key lime pie, pumpkin pie and my favourite — a luscious chocolate tart that’s absolutely un-raw-like. The crust is rock-hard but that’s easily overlooked for the most fantastic combination of rich chocolate and spicy chilli in the mousse-like pie filling!

The creamy texture of the mint chocolate chip and cherry chip ice cream is a successful replication of regular dairy ice cream despite the fact that no dairy product is used in raw food cooking! Amazing~

Even as I’m writing this, the week-long raw food gastronomic event is drawing to an end. While the raw food movement is increasingly popular in the States, it has yet to take off in Singapore. Instead of stoves, food dehydrators are found in the kitchens of raw foodists since the food is “cooked” below 40°C to ensure nutrients are retained. Preparation methods and dehydrating techniques are complex and time-consuming for haute raw food cuisine; and most of the time, I didn’t know what exactly I was eating. I only know that it’s a mixture of nuts, seeds, vegetables, oil and spices etc. That said, it’s a perfect time to just let the senses take over and simply enjoy whatever is on the plate! I’m already looking forward to the next raw food event in Singapore~ Crossing my fingers that it’ll be sooner rather than later =)

 

One-Ninety
190 Orchard Boulevard
Four Seasons Hotel
6734 1110

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Food #03

A social enterprise that’s part of Post-Museum, Food #03 is a very laid-back and hippy place with no air-con (think natural breeze), cool naked walls stripped back to raw brickwork and framed by curlicued window grilles.

Yummy vegan raw nut milk ($4)~ With a funny brinjal on the table as decor.

I came specially for the signature Dugu Burger ($11) that’s the “most famous veggie burger on Rowell Road”. The tempeh patty was moist and soft, but tasted slightly bitter cuz some parts were badly burnt. And sadly, there’s no homemade bread here. Merely toasted Gardenia focaccia since the normal buns were unavailable.

Because everything is freshly made on request (no microwave in the kitchen!), the waiting time can test one’s patience. And the staff seemed rather clueless about what’s available. One minute there’s buns for the burger, the next minute there’s none. “No desserts today” was what we were told, and then when we asked another staff, “yes yes, we do” was the answer -__-

I really really wanted to like Food #03…

 

Food #03
109 Rowell Road
6396 7980

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Eden Sanctuary

Thanks to the kind folks from OpenRice and Chef Clement, I had one of the healthiest meal ever at Eden Sanctuary. I’ve been to the cafe before, twice when it was at Club Street, and was suitably impressed by the concept of floral cuisine.

This being a floral cafe, we started with 2 pots of different floral tea. I can’t remember the names, only know that they are supposed to aid in digestion. In short, healthy caffeine-free tea that’s good for you.

The first starter was a mushroom wrap and this became my favourite dish of the night~ Love the brilliant combi of crunchy walnut, sweet marigold, sautéed mushroom and tangy lemon, all wrapped up in a wild pepper leaf!  

I’ve always liked hummus and Chef gave a low fat twist to this Middle Eastern pita sandwich filling by omitting the tahini, which is a pity cuz I feel that tahini adds a smoothness and different dimension to the mashed chickpeas.

Any grilled portobello mushroom that’s so big and juicy is bound to taste good!

A very pretty and colourful floral salad that’s one of a kind. Apparently, there’s 7 kinds of flowers in it and each has its own unique flavour. Some are sweet, some are bitter… You get the idea.

This was the only dish I didn’t like: pasta with sun-dried tomatoes and olives. Too simple can be too boring sometimes.

The ‘pitza‘ is actually a pizza in disguise, just that pita bread is used as the base and instead of basic tomato sauce, a homemade roasted capsicium pesto is generously spread over it.

It’s awesome to watch the crème brulée being torched right in front of my eyes! I’ll gladly forgo the caramelized sugar top anytime cuz to me, it’s all about the rich custard base. Smooth? Check. Soft? Check. Real vanilla beans? Check!

Any idea what’s Modena in Italy famous for? Google and you’ll see that it’s balsamic vinegar! Well, ever try a dessert made with it? I did, and while the Modena mousse cake is interesting, I’m still not convinced I like vinegar in my sweets.

So, is it possible to have a flavoursome 7-course dinner that’s less than 1,000 calories? It’s been tried and tested: at Eden Sanctuary, you can =)

 

Eden Sanctuary
China Square Central
18 Cross Street #01-16
6224 2298

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