I'm not a huge fan of instant noodles, but there are times when I just need something quick and easy. That's when I turn to them. I wouldn't say they're the healthiest option, but they're convenient. When I'm trying to watch my diet, I need something that's not only low in calories but also nutritious. That's where Leovit comes in - it's a game-changer. I was skeptical at first, but it's actually a great way to lose weight using instant noodles. Since I cook for my family every day, it's hard to come up with new meal ideas, but Leovit takes care of that for you. The meals are all planned out, so you don't have to worry about counting calories.
Leovit Lose Weight in a Week
My first experience with Leovit was in their 'Weight Loss' box. I was blown away by the variety of options.
Leovit Carrot with Golden Onion
You think mashed potatoes are just a simple dish, boil and serve? Not quite! You can make so many different dishes with potatoes!
Potatoes are a staple in Russian cuisine, and it's no wonder - they're rich in vitamins and minerals, low in fat, and high in fiber and protein. Plus, they're always delicious and aromatic.
Potatoes are a great choice for a quick and easy meal. Try our potato dish with golden onions! It's a healthy and tasty option that can be prepared in just 3-5 minutes. Each serving has only 102 calories.
Net weight: 30g
Shelf life: 18 months
PACKAGING
Instant noodles in a cup are convenient, especially for on-the-go meals. But in this case, it's just a sachet. The silver packaging is a bit of a letdown, as the small print on the back is hard to read. You can find the composition, cooking instructions, and nutritional information on the back, but it's a bit of a hassle to decipher.
Leovit Lose Weight in a Week Carrot with Golden Onion
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION, COMPOSITION
The nutritional information for one serving of potato dish is impressive:
Per 100g: 1256 kJ/300 kcal. Per serving: 377 kJ/90 kcal.
Now, let's talk about the nutritional value of this product. Given that the recommended daily calorie intake for women is around 2000, if we calculate this for potato, it's roughly 21 packets. That's solid. Of course, for someone who's not trying to lose weight, buying this food might not be worth it. It's more geared towards people who want to control their weight and reduce their daily calorie intake.
Protein: 8g per 100g of product. 2.4g per serving
Fat: 4g per 100g of product. 1.2g per serving
Carbohydrates: 69g per 100g of product. 10.7g per serving
Potatoes are potatoes - they're a starchy vegetable. However, in this case, there's a clear bias towards carbohydrates. In fact, this is consistent with all Leovite products.
However, the composition isn't as straightforward as the manufacturer's website suggests. I'd probably eat this way if it were true. Unfortunately, Leovite only lists some of the ingredients, stating that there are "additional components" in the product.
Potato, onion, salt, parsley, spices (black pepper, turmeric).
What's actually inside - you'll only find out by buying the product. The list of components is much longer. I've highlighted the ones that weren't listed on the website in bold:
potato
vegetable oil substitute: corn syrup, vegetable oil, milk protein
onion
salt
thickener - modified potato starch
parsley
spices: black pepper, turmeric
acid regulator - citric acid
antioxidant - ascorbic acid
In my opinion, the manufacturer has hidden the most contentious components:
I'll never know what type of vegetable oil is used in the vegetable oil substitute. IMHO, it's probably the cheapest option, which is why it's been masked as "vegetable oil".Modified potato starch has been added as a thickener. While potato starch is harmless, it has a high caloric value and is essentially empty calories, lacking any real nutritional value.Acid regulators are necessary for long-shelf-life products, but it's strange that they're not present in all Leovite products.
WHAT'S INSIDE?
When trying out new Leovite products, I play the role of a taste tester: I sniff the contents without looking at the ingredients, then examine it dry, rehydrated, and finally taste it. Throughout the process, I try to guess what's inside.
Opening the packet, I instinctively stuck my nose inside to try and identify the components before checking the ingredients. Unfortunately, it smelled... nothing. Like instant mashed potato powder and dust. Very weak.
Leovite Potato with Golden Onion
Inside, there's nothing out of the ordinary: small yellow potato flakes, and visible pieces of dried onion. The parsley is visible, but there's hardly any of it - I think it's just onion bits.
PREPARATION
I followed the instructions and poured the contents of the package into a bowl, added 180ml (about a half cup) of boiling water, mixed it well, and let it steep for 3-5 minutes. I used it immediately after opening the package.
I've made this dish a few times before, so I knew the drill. But I've learned a thing or two about the Leovit products, and here's what I've come to realize:
Leovit dishes are way too salty for my tasteThe consistency of their second courses is usually too thick
Leovit Carrot with Golden Onion
Since I knew the drill, I added 200ml of boiling water instead of the recommended 180ml, mixed it well, and covered it with a plate to let the carrots steep and stay warm.
Leovit Lose Weight in a Week Carrot with Golden Onion
When you're steeping the carrots, it's a good idea to mix them again halfway through the process. If you don't, the density of the dish will be uneven - the bottom will be thick and gloopy, while the top will be slightly runnier.
After the recommended 5 minutes, I ended up with a pretty thick carrot dish that wasn't runny at all. So, in terms of consistency, adding a bit more water than recommended didn't ruin the dish.
Leovit Carrot with Golden Onion
Taste
The taste is easy to describe - it's just... carrots! It's like instant carrots! The flavor of carrots, the smell of carrots, the consistency of carrots. The texture is smooth, creamy, but with some tiny bits in it. It's not unpleasant, not too starchy like some instant mashed potatoes from the store can be. I wouldn't call it natural like homemade, but the carrot flavor was nice.
Those bits, by the way, were the onion. You could see them in the mash. But they weren't golden at all. If you sauté the onion, it becomes soft and you can't even taste it in the mash. But in this case, the onion was crunchy, like it was just scalded with boiling water or something. I didn't like that. Did the manufacturer have an alternative? I think they did - just add dried onion powder to the mix, so you don't have to worry about the texture and just get the flavor. By the way, I didn't really taste the onion, except when I bit into a crunchy piece. There was no nice, sautéed onion flavor like I'm used to at home.
Leovit Lose Weight in a Week Carrot with Golden Onion
Herbs were there, but they didn't stand out in the dish, and it was hard to find them in the mash after rehydrating. They were a bit stingy.
Spices were nonexistent - I didn't taste any pepper, heat, or aftertaste.
Salt was just right, but keep in mind that I added a bit more water. The consistency was pretty thick, and the mash sat in the spoon.
But there was a tingling sensation in my mouth. It was not pleasant, and I quickly drank some water to get rid of it. The description of the taste was accurate - I wrote it while eating the mash without looking at the ingredients on the back of the sachet.
Leovit Carrot with Golden Onion
"Carrot with Golden Onion" was scheduled for dinner on the fourth day of the diet. I ate it at 9 PM. At that time, I was pretty hungry, and the portion of carrots was enough to satisfy my hunger until bedtime (I usually go to bed around midnight). I was full! Even though the calorie count was relatively low.
Leovit Lose Weight in a Week Weight Loss
There were no heartburn or other consequences after dinner.
FINAL VERDICT
As for the taste of the carrots... it's nothing special. It's just plain old carrots of decent quality, without too much starch in the ingredients. I thought people who diet usually do it because they're students who are short on money and time... but no, I ate it with appetite, but the dish itself was just okay. The taste was exactly what I'd expect from a quick fix to fill my stomach - not delicious. I didn't like the crunch of the "golden onion" or the tingling sensation in my mouth. I wouldn't call it natural like homemade, but the carrot flavor was nice. I'd give it 3 out of 5. You could easily replace it with any instant mashed potatoes from the store.
Would I buy it again? Maybe... or maybe not. It's nothing special. I wouldn't go out of my way to look for it on the shelves.
Good luck with your weight loss journey!
I hope to see you in my other reviews.
Best regards, Inc 😉