Kale & Co, a local healthy food business, promises “delicious meals, snacks and small bites”. Two Bergen County nutrition counselors recently launched the company with food prepared using locally sourced or organic ingredients. They use no GMOs, artificial ingredients or animal products. Kale & Co foods are currently available two ways. The first is a line of prepared foods, available at local fitness and health centers. This includes gyms, yoga studios and more for a variety of snacks and meals. The second option is their food cleanses, that are purchased directly from the company and are available in 3 and 5 day increments.

The food cleanses aren’t similar to the many highly publicized options out there. Instead of juice, Kale & Co promotes “real food” cleanses which are meant to nourish the body and not send it into starvation mode. Each day consists of three meals, all of which are vegan and contain no gluten, no dairy, no meat, no eggs, no sugar, no soy and no caffeine. The team at Kale and Co also offers cleanse “support” via e-mail, to help customers during the process.

Kale & Co provided us with a complimentary, 3 day cleanse. Food was delivered the night before, along with a packet of instructions. which advised the participant to notice the certain effects of the cleanse (energy levels, etc). It also provided an “after cleanse” guide to help transition back into “normal eating”. The food came packaged in containers for each meal and each meal had a corresponding color for which day it was to be eaten. The meals themselves contained ingredients like vegetables, brown rice, quinoa and fruits, with homemade condiments like raw dressings and sauces.

Our test subject (male, 6′ and 205 lbs) followed the regimen strictly, with each meal eaten approximately 5 hours apart. He found that during the first day he was extremely hungry and ravenously ate during meal times, which did not seem to be particularly satiating. On day two, a headache persisted during the afternoon (though the Kale & Co team explained this was common, as toxins were leaving the body). Though his extreme hunger did steadily decrease. Day three was a relative breeze, energy levels were high and hunger seemed under control. During the entire cleanse, he drank nothing but water (with a piece of lemon), except for hot herbal tea before bedtime on night one and night three.

Our subject weighed 198 lbs on the morning of day 4, for a total loss of 7 pounds. He also communicated with Kale & Co staff during the cleanse and found them to answer any questions he had quickly. The days afterward were particularly interesting, as he noticed strong reactions by his body, in particular when we ate something with added sugar for the first time.

For more information on Kale & Co and where to find their prepared foods or to sign up for one of their cleanses, visit their Facebook Page at http://www.facebook.com/kaleandcompany.