Are Meal Delivery Services Worth It? My Sakara Review Review
Sakara is a meal kit delivery service that’s all about the power of a good detox. It’s a premium, high-quality, and plant-based platform that puts health and well-being at the heart of everything it does.
Sakara meals have all been approved by doctors and nutritionists with the goal of resetting your gut, balancing out your metabolism, and bringing out your peak performance. All of the dishes are dairy-free, gluten-free, grain-free, and vegan.
Sakara is firmly positioned at the top-end of the meal kit delivery market and will set you back a hefty $70 per day to access its menu. However, it justifies the price tag by covering a very niche service that’s not catered to by other platforms.
What is Sakara ?
Sakara is a meal delivery service focused on balanced metabolism. You can sign up for the health-focused detox plan for just five days and see how good you feel afterward, or choose to make it a weekly subscription and continue your health journey. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are provided for each day you’re on the detox, and you can supplement your meals with additional snacks. There are different levels of detox, each one eliminating certain food groups from your diet, including coffee, nuts, and soy.
Sakara Pros & Cons
- Very healthy meals
- Caters to vegetarian and gluten-free diets
- The meals are delicious
- Premium quality ingredients
- Tasty handmade dressings
- Each meal comes with interesting facts and nutritional information
- Recipes are very creative
- Minimum prep work required
- It’s expensive
- The diet is very restrictive
- You can’t select your meals
Who is Sakara Good For?
Detoxers – If you’re sick and tired of feeling lethargic from eating junk food, a week or two on Sakara might be all you need to rest your gut and have you feeling tip-top
Adventurous eaters – With so many dietary restrictions in place, the Sakara chefs have had to get pretty inventive with the ingredients they’ve got. This has led to some really interesting and super tasty combinations
People that want to dip their toes into healthy eating – The number of health fads and diet plans out there means many of us are confused about where to actually get started. This is a great chance to try out a service to see if it makes a difference to your well-being. If you like it you can continue the service, or at the very least, you’ll be inspired to create some new culinary delights yourself in the kitchen
Environmentally-conscious dieters – Everything about Sakara is designed around sustainability. All the ingredients are sourced from organic farms, all packaging is recyclable, and any unused ingredients are donated to food banks or composting services
Who Isn’t Sakara Good For?
People on a tight budget – With meals costing $70 per day per person, this definitely isn’t for you if you’re on a budget. This is higher than you’d find in even a good quality restaurant and won’t be sustainable in the long term
People that like freedom of choice – With the diet being so strict here you don’t actually get a say in what goes into your weekly box. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are fixed and assigned a week in advance
Fussy eaters – If you’re a fan of the classic meat and two veg or big juicy burgers, this isn’t the service for you. The eclectic mix of ingredients will discourage fussy eaters from signing up
How Sakara Works?
You can opt to sign up for a one-week detox plan or continue your subscription on a weekly basis for as long as you wish. Those looking to take their detox to the next level can sign up for the tier two diet which offers an even more restrictive version of the plan. On top of the level one restrictions, this also cuts out caffeine, alcohol, nightshade vegetables like potatoes, dairy, nuts and all forms of sugar, including fruits. So make sure you know what you’re getting into before you sign up. Plus, there are limited spaces on the level two plan, so you’ll need to sign up early if you’re interested.
Nutritionally designed for results
Ready to eat – Delivered
Customizable weekly schedule
Sakara Website and App
The website is fairly straightforward to navigate with information about the company and its ethos alongside what’s coming on next week’s menu. However, unless you’ve signed up for an account and confirmed your first order, you won’t actually be able to view the menu items or learn any nutritional information about them, which is somewhat inconvenient though reasonable. There’s no app at the moment so you’ll need to manage your account via the website.
Creating an account / Sign-up
Creating an account is very simple and is as easy as entering your email address and zip code. Everyone has access to the level one plan from the get-go, but anyone interested in the level two detox will need to sign up for the waiting list to see if they can get next month’s box.
Sakara Meal Plans and Meal Selection Options
Meal plans come in two tiers, level one and level two detox. You’re assigned weekly meals by the platform and don’t get to choose the individual menu items yourself.
Level one detox – Get breakfast, lunch, and dinner provided for either two, three, or five days each week. This is a standard, gluten-free and vegan diet. You can choose a one-off detox or renew your subscription weekly
Level two detox – Level two is a much more restrictive version of level one that removes nuts, soy, dairy, caffeine, alcohol, nightshade vegetables, and all forms of sugar. This is more expensive than level one, is offered only once per month, and has a limited number of spaces
Sakara Meal Types
Sakara really shines when it comes to the inventiveness of its dishes. While you may not be able to choose what you’d like, you’re sure to love what’s on offer. Upcoming treats include:
Breakfast
Strawberry maca shortcake pancakes with coconut milk
Cherry tea cake with fruit jam
Banana protein bread with ruby red berries
Lunch
Fennel and fresh herb medley with green spring hummus
Wild rice and miso salad
Prosperity phad thai with kelp noodles and creamy sesame dressing
Dinner
Protein power plate with green lentils and roasted cauliflower
Black garlic BBQ burger with superseed avocado salad
Golden pineapple unfried rice with sweet and sour tempeh
Choosing Sakara Recipes
You don’t choose your dishes at Sakara as every day has a fixed menu. You’re advised to stick rigidly to the diet to get the most benefits from it. Luckily, there’s very little prep work to do and most meals can be heated through quite quickly.
How Much Sakara Cost?
Sakara can get a little pricey, with meals averaging between $23 – $26 depending on which plan you choose. Shipping is always free.
|
Servings and Recipes/Week
|
Total Cost
|
|---|---|
|
3 meals per day for 2 days
2 people, 6 recipes per week |
$23.33/serving ($279.96 total + FREE shipping = $279.96/week)
|
|
3 meals per day for 3 days
2 people, 9 recipes per week |
$23.33/serving ($419.94 total + FREE shipping = $419.94/week)
|
|
3 meals per day for 5 days
2 people, 15 recipes per week |
$23.33/serving ($699.9 total + FREE shipping = $699.9/week)
|
Diet Friendliness
The Sakara plan is designed to be the ultimate diet-friendly meal delivery service, catered to getting your gut health in top shape. That being said, it’s a very restrictive diet and won’t be suitable for everyone. Every meal here is vegan-friendly, but you won’t be covered if you’re into other diets like keto and paleo.
It might help aid weight loss, but Sakara doesn’t actually provide calorie counts, and instead, bases its recipes entirely on the nutrition provided in each meal.
Add-Ons
You’ll find quite an eclectic mix of add-ons and extras here, but much like the signature meal plan, things can get a bit pricey. Some interesting extras include:
Metabolism super powder packs
Protein powders
Probiotic formula
Extra minerals to add to your drinking water
Probiotic chocolates
Energy bars
Granola packs
Detox tea
Prices can range from anywhere between $16 and $75 each for these items, so keep an eye on what you’re spending.
Sakara Customer Service
The Sakara helpline is open between 9 am – 6 pm EST, Monday through Friday, and you usually won’t have to wait long to speak to an agent. If you prefer, you can get in touch via the online contact form or send an email directly.
Plus, there’s a ton of FAQs on the website that should provide answers to most queries you might have.
Sakara Cancellation Policy
If you signed up for a one-off detox plan, you don’t need to do anything and you won’t be charged for any more deliveries. For those on a recurring subscription, there aren’t any long-term contracts and you can cancel at any time. Just make sure to submit your cancellation by midnight on Wednesday the week before your next delivery is due.
Sakara Alternatives
If Sakara is just a bit too pricey for you, or you’re not sure you’re ready for the restrictive diet on offer, you might want to try out some other meal kit services first.
|
Meal Kit
|
Price / Serving
|
Minimum order
|
Meal options
|
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Factor75
|
$11
|
8 Servings
|
4-18
|
|
Nutrisystem
|
$9.29
|
5 Servings
|
4-4
|
|
Purple Carrot
|
$9.99
|
4 Servings
|
2-4
|
|
Dinnerly
|
$4.69
|
6 Servings
|
3-6
|
Summary
It might be best to think of Sakara as more of a lifestyle change than a simple meal-delivery plan. If you’re serious about improving your health and significantly boosting your daily nutritional intake with high-quality ingredients, you should consider giving this a try. While it might be expensive, you can choose to sign up for a one-week detox and see the results for yourself. If you like what you see, you can start to adopt some of the principles into your daily eating habits.
That being said, this won’t be for everyone. The price point and restrictive nature of the plan mean a lot of people will be put off before they consider trying it. If this is the case, you might want to hunt down one of the cheaper meal kit services that cater to a wide variety of tastes.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Are All of Sakara’s Food Sources Organic?
The vast majority are, but due to managing a complex supply chain, the platform can’t always guarantee this 100%.
Is Every Sakara Meal a Salad?
No, you’ll actually find a surprisingly wide range of different cooked dishes on offer here too, including soups, curries, and baked goods.
Are Sakara Meals Filling?
While the platform doesn’t provide a calorie count, each meal has been carefully prepared to meet all of your nutritional needs to keep you full until the next meal. If you do get hungry, you can supplement the meals with a range of snacks.
Can I Lose Weight With Sakara?
This isn’t specifically a weight-loss program, but many clients have found they’ve been able to shed the lbs after a few weeks on the diet.
Can My Kids Try the Sakara Program?
Yes, the meals are designed to be nourishing for both adults and children, but the level two program isn’t recommended for kids under the age of 18.
