While I’ve always had an aversion to the words “detox” and “cleanse,” and shy away from anything related to crash diets or unsustainable eating habits. What can I say, I love to eat! But between a very busy end of the year work schedule, indulging a little too much during the month of November, and a killer Black Friday promotion, I finally convinced myself to bite the bullet and treat myself to a Sakara meal plan. I’ve tried other meal plans in the past but was drawn to Sakara’s emphasis on eating lots of plants and nutrient-rich foods.

Sakara has been on my radar for years. Touted as a luxury organic, plant-based meal plan based on a whole-food, nutrient-dense diet, Sakara is beloved by celebrities and models. I’ve seen the hype all over the internet and social media. But I wanted to try for myself and see how my body felt on plan.

I ordered the 5-day meal plan and opted for lunch and dinner from Sakara. I’m not the biggest fan of breakfast. So I made my own smoothies for breakfast everyday. I also supplemented the meals with my own snacks. But did stick to eating entirely plant-based for the week. I’m always a little apprehensive of overly glowing reviews. The skeptic in me can’t help but wonder, is it too good to be true? I wanted to share my honest review of Sakara – there was a lot that I loved about my experience! – but also share some of the potential downsides.

Sakara Review: My Experience with Sakara

Day 1

I woke up at 6am and the first 3 days of meals had already arrived on my doorstep. The meals are clearly marked with when they should be eaten and with instructions for reheating if needed. One thing I really loved about the meals is how each meal highlighted a seasonal superfood.

I unpacked my meals for Monday through Wednesday. And my immediate thoughts were – is this going to be enough food? My two meals a day also came with a daily probiotic and a satchel of detox tea for each day. I chose this plan for convenience rather than to lose weight. But at first glance I couldn’t help but think this would be a great weight loss plan if you were looking for structure and portion control. Sakara doesn’t provide calorie counts – one of their 9 Pillars of Nutrition is no calorie counting (which I love!) – and focus more on the nutrient density of their meals as opposed to calorie count.

The meal plan also suggests eliminating caffeine (in addition to gluten, dairy, sugar, and alcohol). But I still had my morning coffee everyday, along with my favorite smoothie for breakfast.

Lunch

by 11am I was ready for lunch, and had the H2O glow salad. Which was filled with bright greens and other vegetables. Although it was delicious, I was pretty hungry a few hours later and had to scarf down a Sakara energy bar.

You can’t make any changes or modifications to your first week of meals. But Sakara does have a super easy to use portal on their website where you can manage your subscription. You can change the number of days and meals you receive week to week. And also swap out 2 meals a week. In the future, I would likely assess the daily menu and substitute a different meal for the lighter salads or just know to add a snack.

By 4 pm I was starving… dinner was a Thai veggie burger salad with root vegetable fries. The meals indicate on the packaging if they should be reheated or not. I HIGHLY recommend reheating all of the dinners. I threw the burger patty and fries into the air fryer for 5 minutes which made my dinner substantially more delicious. This meal was actually so yummy. And surprisingly filling.

Day 2

I didn’t wake up super hungry. I made my coffee and had a cup of the detox tea that came with the meal plan. And I actually really loved this tea. Unlike other “detox” teas that are essentially laxatives, this one tastes good (rooibos, lemongrass, and rose) and didn’t have any of those crazy effects. I’m actually reordering a box to drink on its own afterward.

The meals this day were ok. A winter salad for lunch and “Revitalizing Risotto” for dinner. I wanted to stick to the meal plan. But as someone who is used to eating a lot more protein as opposed to grains throughout the day, I was really hungry throughout the day. I think the meals are delicious and I love how bright and colorful they are. But if you’re active and used to eating way more, it truthfully may not be enough calories.

It did feel like I was “resetting” my taste buds in a way. I found that throughout the week I felt more conscious of what was going into my body, and I wasn’t mindlessly snacking at all. If I felt hungry I would choose fruits or raw nuts as a snack, rather than chips or a cookie. It was a lot easier to say no to dessert when I had eaten so many vegetables throughout the day (and also knowing how much money I was spending on the meal plan!).

Day 3

By Wednesday I did feel less bloated, but I was also extremely hungry. Lunch was another salad, but the dinner (a corn muffin and a Southwest Sunset soup – which tasted like a vegan chili) – was my favorite meal of the week yet.

Day 4

Sakara divides their deliveries throughout the week so the food in your fridge is always fresh. Meals last for up to 3 days refrigerated, so if you happen to need to skip a meal for any reason, you can revisit it the next day. I received my second shipment for the latter half of the week by 6am again (their deliveries are between midnight and 6am) and was actually excited about the meals for the last two days. By Thursday I no longer felt super hungry throughout the day, and was really looking forward to eating the plant-based meals.

Day 5

The last day of my meal plan! My feelings towards Sakara definitely grew over the week as I came to really appreciate the variety in meals and how great I felt from eating plant-based for the week. By the end of the day, I was sad the week was over, and am looking to re-order and incorporate some Sakara meals into my regular routine.

My Honest Review of Sakara

Overall, I really liked my experience with Sakara. If you’re looking for a healthy plant-based meal plan, it’s one of the best options that are widely available on the market.

Pros:

+ Ease of use – the subscription portal on the website is SO easy to use. You can manage your calendar easily to change the number of meals and days you receive or skip weeks altogether. Their customer service is also A+.

+ Convenient – if you want to eat healthily but don’t have time to cook or want to think about what you’re eating, a meal plan is a great way to get variety and ensure you’re getting the nutrients you need. I LOVED how many greens I ate throughout the week – at least 3 cups a day – and my skin and digestion saw the benefits after the first 3 days of eating plant-based.

+ Great for detox or simply to “stay on track” – Sakara offers different levels of detox if you’re looking for a more “cleanse” like experience. I actually think the meal plan is a great way to eat healthy during the week and stay on track. In fact, Sakara actually encourages you to indulge in foods you love on the weekends, which is how I like to live my life!

+ Plant-based – if you already eat a vegan diet or want to eat a more plant-based diet, Sakara makes doing so easy and yummy. Although the meals look small at first glance, they are filled with nuts and seeds, grains, and beans to add additional bulk and protein to fill you up.

+ Diverse meals – the problem with meal prepping for one is you tend to end up eating the same thing every day. With Sakara, every day’s meals and flavors were different. So you never feel bored throughout the week. My favorite dishes were the Asian inspired flavors – the Thai and Indian meals were incredible.

Cons:

– Expensive – probably the biggest downside to Sakara, as with all high-end meal plans, is its price. It’s definitely a splurge. And something I wish I could do every day. I’ll definitely use it for a few weeks here and there when I need a reset or work is really crazy. But I will probably stick to meal planning and cooking for other weeks.

– Food quantity – although I loved most of my meals and the peace of mind that came with knowing my food was pre-portioned and filled with all of the nutrients I need, I was very hungry the first two days. If you are accustomed to eating a high protein diet, it might also be an adjustment as Sakara is much more grain and carbohydrate-heavy (as many plant-based diets are!). However, I will say it was a helpful exercise for me in recognizing hunger cues. And learning how to listen to my body when it came to food. I also felt encouraged to choose healthier options for snacks when I was hungry. And overall became more mindful of what I was eating and putting into my body.

Have you tried Sakara, or any other meal delivery services? If you’re interested in trying Sakara for the first time, you can get $50 off your first order!