I Tried a Meal Program That’s Healthy, Pretty, And Actually Tastes Good

The following feature appears in the October 2017 issue of NYLON.

Before you read this, please know that I am not a health freak. I wish I could be that girl who makes her own ashwagandha and chaga-infused organic smoothies at home. I wish I had the time (and flexibility) to do yoga once a week. I wish I could intuitively sense which one of my chakras needed alignment so I could whip up some kind of rose quartz and palo santo... salad? But the truth is: I fucking love bread. And until I can figure out how to sage the carbs out of my pasta, I refuse to stop eating it. 

However, in an effort to be a healthier and more proactive adult, I decided to challenge myself by trying out the five-day organic meal delivery program from Sakara. This is my story. (Cue the Law & Order sound effects.)

A fellow (and very glowy) beauty editor first recommended the Sakara meal plan—co-founded by Whitney Tingle, a certified yoga instructor, and Danielle DuBoise, a holistic health coach—to me at an early morning beauty press breakfast event. “It, like, totally cleared up my skin, and I lost two pounds,” she explained while modestly mixing some granola into her yogurt. As I started to bite into a very gorgeous chocolate croissant, I replied, “But does it actually taste good? Or is it like rabbit food?” 

Despite my fears, I decided to take the leap. The more research I did on the Sakara meal program, the more I liked what I saw.

“Fresh, plant-based, organic meals delivered right to your door,” the website promised. So no late-night trips to Trader Joe’s? Cool. “Ready-to-eat meals— no planning, prepping, or cooking required.” No spending money on Grubhub for a week? Rad. “Includes breakfast, lunch, dinner, functional waters, and detox teas.” I don’t have to worry about cooking anything all day? Awesome. A few clicks later and my meals for the next week were scheduled.

On Sunday night, my Monday and Tuesday meals were, as Sakara promised, delivered straight to my door. I was immediately impressed by both the efficiency of the program and the meals’ easy-to-read packaging—“Day 1: Breakfast, Day 1: Lunch, Day 1: Dinner,” and so on. “It would be really hard to fuck this up,” I thought. “I’m probably going to fuck this up,” I also thought. Day one (Monday) went really well. The meals were surprisingly yummy. The “functional waters” were actually Beauty and Detox Waters that I was really into, and the Sakara service even included a stick of palo santo! “Carbs?” I thought. “I don’t know her.”

Days three and four (Wednesday and Thursday) were a bit more of a reality check. The quality of the meals was still on point—I was genuinely enjoying everything I was consuming. I just wasn’t used to eating so little (two words: portion control) and so many greens. Day five (Friday) was difficult, to say the least, but what’s important is that I did it! I went the whole week without cheating, stuck to the delicious meal plan, drank my functional waters, and happily devoured the Beauty Chocolates that were included.

Not to get all, like, Whole Foods on you guys now, but I really did feel awesome after finishing the meal plan—so much so, in fact, that it has since inspired me to keep eating clean. What I’ve learned from it is simple: Saging your bread can be as easy as switching to gluten-free. Replace your beloved favorites with their healthier counterparts (for example: cashew and almond cheeses as alternatives to dairy). Hey, sometimes they taste just as good, if not better. 

The Sakara meal plan can be used simply as a detox before a special occasion, or as a way to dip your toes into nutritional (and functional) waters. Either way, take it easy on yourself. Be kind to your body, be kind to your mind, and if you make the decision to start eating cleaner, do it in a responsible way. For me, the point of this detox was spiritual, not superficial—it’s not a crash diet, and it shouldn’t inspire anyone to lose weight in a dangerous way. 

Like Tingle and DuBoise preach, “True beauty really does come from within...and it all starts with what you eat.” For more information on the Sakara meal programs, go to sakara.com.