So, What is the Vegan Best Meal Delivery Service of 2021?
Sakara Life: 100% Plant-Based, Organic and Ready to Eat Meals
If there is one thing that the 2020 pandemic and quarantine has taught me it is that our health cannot be taken for granted. Good health physically and mentally is carrying us through this pandemic and in my books that means treating your body with the nourishment and respect that it deserves. With that said it has been amazing to see so many people adapt their fitness regimes to indoor workouts, try healthy new recipes, start a new hobby or even spend more time with family during this pandemic. We are getting back to the BARE basics of taking care of ourselves. During this time myself, the trainers of Bare Health and a few clients of Bare Health have also invested in our health and have tried what we think is the best vegan meal delivery service of 2020 and that is Sakara.
For those on the go, and those wanting to avoid trips to the grocery store given the pandemic, Sakara can is definitely worth a try. More importantly whether you are vegan or NOT this meal delivery service offers the highest quality of fresh foods that you can possibly get. Their emphasis on clean, fresh foods creates a guilt-free plan of meals- breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, teas and even vitamins- delivered right to your door, impeccably packaged. All of their foods come organic, plant-based, gluten-free, dairy-free, non-GMO, and without refined sugar, which is especially great for anyone with certain intolerances. On a weekly basis you will nourish your body with over 90 different varieties of vegetables, fruits and micronutrients. Some meals come with wildflower honey or bee pollen for their health benefits, but if following a strict vegan lifestyle be sure to opt out of those.
The Creators of Sakara, Nutrition and Sustainability
The Sakara Life founders and Co-CEOs are Danielle DuBoise and Whitney Tingle. Danielle worked in modeling and acting to put herself through medical school and Whitney worked in finance. Their careers and lifestyles began to negatively impact their health, which led them both searching for a change. Whitney’s diet of rushed lunches and after work cocktails resulted in a weight gain of 15 pounds and cystic acne. Danielle was constantly dieting and even attempted a 7 day fast that landed her in the hospital with pneumonia. They decided they had enough and began focusing on health. Danielle switched from medical school to nutrition school and they began creating meals with that knowledge in mind, coming up with 9 pillars of nutrition as a focus for each meal. They noticed a positive impact on their health, as well as that of friends and family brave enough to try it and so they created a meal delivery program that took off.
The meals that they have developed are backed by cutting edge nutrition science and traditional healing wisdom to give your body what it needs to thrive. To ensure peak nutrition, freshness and deliciousness, Sakara sources all of their ingredients from trusted suppliers and organic farms that use healthy, sustainable agriculture practices. Additionally, their meals are crafted from classically trained chefs that are inspired by global flavors to provide one of the most important nutrients of all—pleasure. Additionally, Sakara is continuously working on becoming a more sustainable brand. Some of the practices already in place are: planning and buying food amounts accurately though advance ordering in order to reduce waste before it is produced, donating and composting, sourcing imperfect foods to help others reduce food waste and using all recyclable boxing materials.
Sakara’s 9 Pillars of Nutrition
- No Calorie Counting- nutrient dense foods can be high calorie, and low calorie foods aren’t always the healthiest (diet soda). Also, calorie counting can be more stressful than helpful.
- Plant Protein- focus on quality of protein over quantity. The World Health Organization recommends 0.5 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight for good health. Eating a variety of whole plant foods will allow for plenty of protein and will come with nutrients (fiber, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals) versus the sodium and saturated fat that comes with animal proteins.
- Eat Your Water- many fruits and veggies are made up of over 90% water, but are also filled with fiber, vitamins and minerals, allowing for the slower absorption of water. This allows our bodies to stay hydrated longer and helps prevent too many trips to the bathroom, where nutrients may get flushed out in the process of hydrating through water alone.
- Greens- they are full of iron, calcium, protein, and fiber so aim for 4-6 cups of greens daily for optimal health.
- Good Fats- getting enough good fats is important: cold-pressed, organic, non-processed, vegetable-based fats. These include avocado, nuts and seeds. They are full of fatty acids our brain needs for optimal health.
- Eat The Rainbow- the colors in food symbolizes the nutrients involved. Different colors tend to contain different sets of nutrients, so eating a variety of colors also ensures a variety of nutrients are being taken in. For instance, a red tomato will have more lycopene and vitamin C, while green spinach has more magnesium and zinc.
- Nutrient Density- make each meal as nutrient dense as possible by mindfully selecting produce and superfoods (a food high in nutrients for its size) like goji berries, herbs and spirulina.
- Sulfur-Rich Veggies- Sakara meals come with 2-4 cups of sulfur rich veggies per day, like cabbage, cauliflower, mushrooms, and garlic. These specific kinds of veggies contain minerals that help with collagen production, blood vessel health, nourish mitochondria and cells, and also aid the body in eliminating toxins.
- Body Intelligence- fuel your body to run smoothly and stay balanced. Eating organic foods is one way to avoid ingesting neuro-toxins like pesticides that can disrupt the body’s ability to communicate
“Some calories are addictive, others healing, some fattening, some metabolism-boosting. That’s because food doesn’t just contain calories, it contains information. Every bite of food you eat broadcasts a set of coded instructions to your body—instructions that can create either health or disease.”– Dr Mark Hyman, M.D., Medical Director, Cleveland Clinic
A Full Day of Eating Sakara Food
Two of our trainers at Bare Health tried the Sakara plant-based meal service delivery and the verdict? “We were pleasantly surprised!” (I mean how could you not be pleased with these aesthetically pleasing food pictures!). We’ve tried a few meal delivery services before, and quit on them due to the poor quality of ingredients, lack of plant-based, vegan options, and unappealing flavor in the meals. All the Sakara meals we tried were full of flavor, really fresh, and quite diverse. Some we liked better than others, but it mainly came down to personal preference and tastes. All the meals can be eaten right away, cold, but can be easily heated as well. Here’s what we tried:
Breakfast: Lemon Poppyseed Donuts- One of the best gluten free donuts we’ve tried! The tart lemon notes and the natural sweeteners, maple and applesauce, made it very moist and nicely balanced. It came with a citrus creme to drizzle over, (we opted out because of the honey) and some fresh, juicy cherries.
Lunch: Eat-the-Rainbow Wrap – This lovely lunch dish included a rice wrap filled with brown rice, green lentils and veggies like carrots, radishes and beets. The dipping sauce included added a nutty, flavorful kick as it was a white miso and sunflower butter base. The heartiness of the wrap was complemented by a tart, bright salad of heirloom greens, edible flowers, cucumbers and strawberries covered in an extra virgin olive oil, lime juice and tamari dressing.
Dinner: Margherita Flatbread- This buckwheat flatbread had a decadent flavor and texture as it was topped with a macadamia nut “ricotta”, micro basil pesto, and juicy cherry tomatoes. Very aromatic and delicious! It was accompanied by a fresh salad of heirloom greens and confetti flowers tossed with an extra virgin olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, and lemon juice dressing.
All in all Sakara has been a breath of fresh air for a vegan meal delivery service! We are looking forward to the upcoming meals and can’t wait to share more with you all. If you are interested in trying Sakara for yourself follow the link tagged here and use our discount code of : XOTESSA to receive 20% off your first purchase!
Authors: Tessa Mini, Carla Castro and Armando Castro
