I’ve been slightly obsessed with NYC-based Sakara Life since I discovered it in 2014, two years after it was founded. Sakara is a plant-based meal delivery service that makes every meal feel like fine dining – all without using meat or dairy products.

Sakara was founded by childhood friends Whitney Tingle and Danielle Dubois. Both moved to New York to pursue competitive jobs. Tingle worked on Wall Street and Dubois was an aspiring actress and model. As young twenty-somethings working high-pressure and competitive jobs, they struggled to adjust to NYC and battled health issues.

Frustrated with pills and prescription treatments for their ailments, they used food to help cure their acne, general exhaustion, and body image negativity. Sakara Life was born.

Sakara says no to calorie-counting and yes to nutrient-dense, super-food packed meals.

Victoria’s Secret models like Lily Aldridge and glam celebrities like Gwynenth Paltrow reportedly love the service.

As a former investment banker, I definitely related to Whitney’s story of working on Wall Street and dealing with the strain on the body from a stressful, mostly sedentary job. Danielle had her own body-image difficulties as an actress and model, which are some of the hardest industries to work in when you’re dealing with weight fluctuation and negative body-esteem.

After following Sakara’s amazing growth and success over the past several years, I finally tried their meal delivery program myself.

Is it worth the $20+ per meal price tag?

Do the meatless meals fill you up?

And most importantly, does the food actually taste good?

What’s Inside the Program

I signed up for the three meals a day, five-day program. I got a total of two deliveries containing breakfast, lunch, and dinner for two and three days, respectively.

A week of Sakara meals ships in two installments so your food stays fresh. It comes in a shippable cooler that is also recyclable. Each plastic container the food comes in is also compostable.

You get three breakfasts, three lunches, and two dinners in the first shipment, and the rest of the meals in the second.

Along with your meals, you also receive 5 Sakara detox bars, 10 detox tea bags, and a bottle of Sakara’s detox and beauty water concentrates. All of these items are available for purchase online at Sakara’s Clean Boutique.

The Menu

As someone who eats oatmeal EVERY SINGLE DAY for breakfast, it was a nice change of pace to try some new breakfast meals. No cooking required.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

But when I unpacked the first shipment and saw the size of the Upside Down Pineapple protein bar and the Spiced Apple Cider muffin, I was a bit skeptical these meals would fill me up.

I eat a lot, and I love a big breakfast. I told myself I’d eat the food and if I got hungry again, I’d make a smoothie.

Surprisingly though, both kept me full until lunch. The only other thing I had after breakfast was a matcha tea with almond milk.

​​My favorite breakfast was the chia seed power bowl, which had an amazing texture. I also LOVED the beet pancakes. The pistachio butter topping tasted like frosting.

Lunch and dinner were heavy on the greens, but I wouldn’t exactly call them salads. The greens to me simply added density to the meal. I found the lunches and dinners SUPER filling. I couldn’t finish some of the lunches because they were so big.

For reference, the week of my Sakara meals, I was running 25+ miles a week and weight-training. The amount of food I received was enough that I only supplemented my day of meals with one snack a day.

Lessons Learned

Lesson #1: Rotate your greens is good advice. Do it.

I’ve definitely heard the phrase “rotate your greens” before, but I never paid much attention to it. Sakara gave me an assortment of different greens each day: arugula, kale, romaine, spinach, and mixed greens, to name a few.

Usually, I get sick of eating greens because I buy a huge box of spinach and eat it every day. Mixing up my greens on Sakara, I enjoyed every leafy green and never got tired of it.

Lesson #2: I don’t like cooking and that’s okay.

For a long time, I berated myself for not being a natural, everyday cook. All the healthy Instagrammers I follow create amazing, home-cooked healthy meals. I believed I would never achieve my peak healthy lifestyle until I reached a higher level of cooking status. But in reality, I don’t always love cooking.

During my Sakara week, not cooking was a blessing. I looked forward to every meal, and I didn’t sacrifice any time doing prep or clean-up.

Lesson #3: Quiet time while eating is nice.

Sakara sent me a list of guidelines for the week, and one of them was to stay mindful while eating. Aka not scrolling your phone or watching Netflix during meals.

The first day, I found it rather painful and boring. I stuck with it though, and over the course of the week, I really enjoyed slowly eating my food and gazing out the window, or simply zoning out and letting myself think. I chewed slowly and took my time.

The end result was feeling fuller and happier after each meal, rather than sad it was over. (Empty plate sadness is real though.)

The Bottom Line

I love eating my vegetables. I get excited when a bakery has refined sugar-free vegan desserts. A week of plant-based healthy eating was not a huge adjustment for me. That being said, Sakara tasted delicious. I felt amazing in mind and body while eating it.

The only downside is the high price point. For NYC peeps, the 5-day plan is an average of $23/meal. In New York City, that’s not crazy, but it’s still more than you’d normally pay for the average breakfast or lunch.

If you have the economic means and you want a mind-body eating reset, I say try it. Sakara reminded me how much healthy food can truly improve how I feel, both mentally and physically.