Food

SAKARA LIFE // A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW

06.30
SAKARA LIFE // PLANT-BASED MEAL DELIVERY SERVICE: A REVIEW

Ok y’all!! I’ve now been doing Sakara consistently for the last month, so figured it was time to share a comprehensive review of the meal program. For those of you who are unfamiliar, Sakara is a plant-based meal subscription that delivers freshly made, healthy meals right to your door! I decided to give Sakara a try because I got SO sick of cooking during the pandemic! I really wanted to find a reliable, ready-to-go option that I knew would be healthy. When I’m feeling lazy, I tend to reach for unhealthy stuff that’s easy to heat up… and let’s just say I’ve gotten in the bad habit of making unhealthy choices pretty regularly. With Sakara I barely have to lift a finger! You can truly eat all of the meals as is, but you do have the option to heat up some of the meals (like pastas, burgers, breakfast items, etc). That’s truly the only time I have to “prep”! This means very little dish washing (hallelujah!!) and I also go to the grocery store far less than I would have to off Sakara.

There are two program options on Sakara: the Signature Program (Level I) and the Detox (Level II). The Signature Program is what I’ve been doing and is their weekly subscription service. The Detox level is a little more intense and is only offered twice a month! Both programs are plant-based, organic, gluten-free, dairy-free, feature no refined sugars and are non-GMO. The Detox can be viewed as a cleanse you do every once in a while, while the Signature Program is something you can do long-term. After I’m back from Carmel in July I may try doing the Detox to see what that’s like! I’ve heard good things about it!

After eating the Sakara Signature Program meals for over a month now, I can truly say I’m very impressed with the quality of the meals. I’ve liked 99% of the meals I’ve eaten on the subscription! There have honestly been only two items I haven’t enjoyed. The menu changes weekly and is super diverse! From Indian and Mexican to Italian, Asian, Mediterranean and American, they’ve really covered their bases with cuisines. You can check out the menus of the coming weeks here! Salads are certainly a staple in the Sakara menu, so you can expect to eat a lot of those! But they usually reserve the salads for lunch and a heartier meal at dinner like a veggie burger, a pasta, a masala or something similar. Everything I’ve eaten has been very well seasoned, and I’ve only added salt to two dishes so far! With all of that said, if you’re a picky eater (say you don’t like salads/many vegetables or you aren’t adventurous with different cuisines), you probably wouldn’t like Sakara. I am very adventurous and generally like everything (there’s not a cuisine I’ve tried that I haven’t liked!), so I’ve been very satisfied and pleased with everything.

Over the last five weeks I’ve done a mix of the three day program and five day program, and for me, I think the three day program is the most practical for long term. If I know I’m going to be here and have zero plans on the weekend, doing the five day program is great! Otherwise, it just makes more sense to have Sakara Tuesday-Friday and eat out on the weekends. And even with all of the variety Sakara offers, I still crave something different after a few days! I’ve absolutely loved the convenience of it and I definitely plan to keep it up and do the three day subscription when I’m in town. It’s made eating healthy easy, enjoyable and care-free, and I love doing something great for my body that makes me feel great! While I don’t have a promo code for you guys since this is not sponsored, if you are interested in trying Sakara or any of their products, click here! That link is an affiliate link and I’ll get a commission on any purchases you make.

Keep scrolling for the Q&A I promised I’d do on Instagram, and thank you to everyone who submitted a question!! I hope this review and Q&A are helpful!

SAKARA LIFE // PLANT-BASED MEAL DELIVERY SERVICE: A REVIEW

SAKARA Q&A – ANSWERING YOUR QUESTIONS!

QUESTION // Do you get to pick your menu or do they send a set menu based on the number of days you select?

ANSWER // Each week there is a set menu! The weekly menus are published on the site a month in advance.

QUESTION // Are there any customization options or an option to swap a meal if it doesn’t sound good to you?

ANSWER // There is no customization of the menu, and you can’t swap out certain meals for others. You can choose to skip a week if the menu doesn’t sound good to you (or you’ll be out of town), or adjust the number of days (2, 3 or 5) and which meals you want (say you only want breakfasts and lunches if you’re going out to dinner a lot one week!). You have until Wednesday night the week before to adjust your schedule!

QUESTION // Does the food require prep?

ANSWER // Everything is prepped and ready to go! The only thing you might choose to do is heat up some of the dishes – I microwave some of the breakfast items and saute or air fry some of the hearty lunch/dinner meals (like the masalas, veggie burgers and pastas). Let’s just say I rarely have to do many dishes these days!! It’s amazing.

QUESTION // What are the benefits you’re hoping to have from using the meal plan?

ANSWER // There were a few reasons I wanted to try Sakara, but it was mostly a desire to take a break from cooking and eat healthy more consistently throughout the week. If I don’t cook at home, I often tend to reach for easy, unhealthy items that I have in my pantry or freezer. With Sakara, I have a delicious and healthy meal at the ready that requires zero effort on my part! The main benefit I hoped for was to achieve a more balanced and healthy diet throughout the week, and I definitely think it’s done that for me. It’s also been a great lesson in portion control, as I don’t eat anything more than what is in each package.

QUESTION // Are you really not eating meat on the days you do the meal plan? If so, is there anything you’ve noticed on meatless days vs days you ate meat?

ANSWER // I’m not eating any meat on the days I do Sakara! While I occasionally cook meat and fish at home, more often than not I’m making veggie-heavy meals anyway. So going meatless doesn’t really bother me! I was worried I would miss cheese too much, as I eat that a lot and use it to season foods when I cook… but I actually haven’t really craved it at all. Everything has been so filling and well seasoned!

QUESTION // How do you manage eating out with this service?

ANSWER // If I know I have a bunch of plans coming up or I’m traveling, I’ll adjust my schedule for fewer days or skip a week. Otherwise, I’ll eat Sakara on the meals I have at home, and skip a meal if I eat out – I’ll just eat the leftover meal the next day! You can change your subscription/the number of days every week if you want – it’s super easy.

QUESTION // How long do the meal items generally keep in the fridge? Do the meals keep if you decide to skip a day and go out instead?

ANSWER // I’ve only ever eaten them a day or two after the date that’s listed on them, and they’ve been fine! Some items keep better than others (like the pastas or other things you can saute) – some of the dishes have avocado in them, which is something I wouldn’t recommend waiting to eat.

QUESTION // How filling are the meals, and do you feel like it’s enough food? Are you supplementing with other food as well or only sticking to the “prescribed” meals?

ANSWER // I’ve found all of the meals to be very filling! I’ve only supplemented a couple of times, but it was when I first started the program and my stomach was getting used to the portion sizes. Let’s just say portion control isn’t my strong suit! The only times I feel really hungry are with the super light salads. Most of the salads feature rice or quinoa which makes them way more substantial, but a couple didn’t and those had me hungrier earlier in the day. On most days you get a salad and a more hearty meal you can heat up, but occasionally the menu will feature two salads for lunch and dinner – those days you might want to supplement with an apple or one of Sakara’s bars. Another thing I’ve done if I’m still hungry after dinner is to put the Metabolism powder in a blender with ice and almond milk to make a kind of chocolate smoothie!

QUESTION // Is it worth the money? And has this replaced your typical grocery store/Trader Joe’s hauls?

ANSWER // Sakara is certainly not a budget-friendly service, so it definitely comes down to what your priorities are and whether it’s worth it to you. For me, it’s 100% worth it – I don’t have to cook, prep or do a ton of dishes, go to the grocery store every week, and I can guarantee I’m eating healthy, good-for-me meals. The convenience alone makes it so wonderful, and it’s great if you live alone and don’t like making meals that feed several people. The only time I’ve gone to the grocery store in the last month is to get almond milk and seltzer! I truly don’t have to think about it at all, and I’ve been very happy with most of the meals I’ve had. When I do Sakara, my money goes to that and not the grocery store!

QUESTION // For the breakfasts you’ve had, I’ve noticed they’re more sweet than savory. Are there savory options too?

ANSWER // I have yet to eat a savory breakfast! The breakfasts have been the best part though – they are so yummy. It’s great for someone like me with a sweet tooth!

QUESTION // Do they give you the recipes?

ANSWER // They share a bunch of Sakara-approved recipes here, but I haven’t seen one of the posted recipes featured in a menu I’ve gotten yet. They may keep those dishes exclusive to subscribers!

QUESTION // Do you think the metabolism powder curbed your sugar cravings? Would you use it without the meal subscription? Also, do you have any tips on how to get it to dissolve?

ANSWER // I have to be honest and say I haven’t been using it as consistently as I should! I often forget I have it. I’ve tried it in my hot coffee in the morning and I’ve done it with the “smoothie” I mentioned above (with almond milk and ice in a blend), and I found both of those ways get the powder dissolved/mixed properly. You definitely have to stir the powder in the coffee quite a bit, but when you put it in a blender with cold stuff it works great too! I have found my sugar cravings are less severe overall while I’m eating Sakara, even without the metabolism powder. I used to eat dessert/fruit after dinner almost every night, but I haven’t found I’ve craved that nearly as much! The breakfasts feature sweet items and several of the salads feature fruit, so it’s definitely not lacking in natural sweetness! It’s just good for you. Side note: I have been pretty consistent with taking Sakara’s Complete Probiotic Formula before each meal! I’m not sure if I’m actually supposed to notice a major difference, but it’s supposed to help with digestion and gut health.

QUESTION // Is the packaging eco friendly?

ANSWER // Everything Sakara ships to you (boxes, ice packs, food packaging, etc) is recyclable!

QUESTION // Did you notice a difference in your skin and bloating?

ANSWER // I’ve definitely noticed a difference in bloating! I think it’s due to both the clean ingredients (no meat or dairy) and the portion sizes. I’m bad with portion control when cooking for myself and eating out, so it’s been great to have pre-portioned meals so I don’t overeat! My skin isn’t very temperamental and doesn’t break out very often, so I haven’t noticed any changes there.

QUESTION // I found with the five day program the food got soggy. Did that happen to you?

ANSWER // I’m not sure if this is how they do this everywhere, but when I’ve done the five day program I get a shipment on Tuesday and again on Friday with freshly packaged food. I haven’t had an issue with that!

QUESTION // Can you talk about the prices/pricing options?

ANSWER // Options/prices may change based on where you are, but when I enter my zip code into Sakara these are the options available:

2 days of breakfast, lunch and dinner: $169 per week ($28 per meal or $84 per day)

3 days of breakfast, lunch and dinner: $239 per week ($26.5 per meal or $79.5 per day)

5 days of breakfast, lunch and dinner: $420 per week ($28 per meal or $84 per day)

You can also do two meals instead of three per day, but you can’t do less than two. So say you want to do only breakfast and lunch three days a week, that would be $159 instead of $239. The three day per week program seems like the best deal if you want to give it a try! It also seems the most realistic/practical, as you’d be eating Sakara during the work week and then could eat out on the weekends.

QUESTION // Do they have good options that are gluten free?

ANSWER // The entire program is completely vegan (no meat or dairy!) and gluten free!

QUESTION // Are you able to customize ingredients at all? I don’t care for onions or if a person is allergic to something?

ANSWER // No, the menu is set and you cannot change out ingredients or swap meals. While nuts are kept in a separate package for optional use, the meals are made in a facility that processes nuts… so no guarantees there. I would not recommend Sakara if you have a nut allergy!

QUESTION // Have you been uncomfortably hungry between meals?

ANSWER // Only when the salads are really light! I’ve only had a couple of those days – most of the salads feature a grain like rice or quinoa which makes them more filling.

QUESTION // Did you lose weight doing Sakara?

ANSWER // Losing weight wasn’t the main reason I started Sakara, but I think it could be helpful with that! Especially if you’re not already a healthy eater. As someone who has yo-yo dieted for years, I am not looking for a quick fix and I don’t think you’ll get that with this. I just want to eat healthy foods more regularly, which I think will absolutely lead to more effective, long-term weight loss. Now that I’m progressing in my workouts, I do think I’ll start to see some real changes in my body soon! I had to take a break from working out recently and so I’m just now getting back into a more challenging routine. These things take time! Just like changes to your diet take some time for you to see results. This program is not restrictive and isn’t focused on calorie intake, but on nutrition and nourishing your body with the best food for you.

QUESTION // How did you feel working out on a plant based diet?

ANSWER // No different! You still get a ton of protein in each meal, whether it’s with chickpeas, beans, quinoa, etc. The protein just doesn’t come from meat!

QUESTION // Are the meals something you could pack up and take to work every day?

ANSWER // Absolutely!! Most of the lunches are salads which makes it easy, and the only prep you have to do is mix it all together. They come well-packaged so you just need to put it in the fridge when you get to work!

QUESTION // Do you get macro counts on each meal?

ANSWER // No. I don’t personally count macros and haven’t counted calories in a long time! Sakara is big on not counting calories and I haven’t seen anything about macros mentioned on their website. They also don’t include nutrition information on the packages, just ingredients. You can read more about their philosophy here!

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