Written by: Natalie T. Steger | Photo courtesy of Sakara

Who doesn’t love healthy, delicious food and cleansing? In beautiful packaging, Sakara does fully-cooked meals and plans are good for your body, mind, and spirit. In 2021, part of my self-care journey was finally to try out Sakara for myself, cleanse, reset, and shed a few pounds if it happens. Last year I signed up for the Level II: 5 Day Detox, and here is what happened. 

the detox details: 

It is a 5-day detox that eliminates gluten, meat, dairy, sugar (including fruit), nuts, soy, pesticides, GMO, nightshades, alcohol, and caffeine from your diet. If you don’t know what nightshades are, they are typically white potatoes, bell peppers, eggplant, tomatoes, and chili peppers. You would think they are healthy for you, but these plants can cause inflammation of the body and aggravate arthritis. One of the reasons I did this is to detox and reset my body. The pandemic had me indulging in bad habits in terms of food, and I did gain quite a few pounds. Some people can experience very likely weight loss, and I lost 8 lbs. However, the goal of the detox is to reset the body while improving gut health, reducing sugar cravings, and increasing energy, not losing weight. 

The first thing I fell in love with was the thoughtful packaging – it’s well thought out and gorgeous. I am a sucker for pretty packaging. You receive a small pamphlet in the box that gives you tons of information and prepares you to start the program. It provides you information on how you feel during the detox program, expected side effects, and an explanation of the benefits and exactly what to expect of the detox program itself. 

The detox in itself was not easy, and there were a few times I wanted to veer off the program. If you are looking for a weight loss program, this program doesn’t prioritize weight loss. It is an overall holistic and physical reset. Sakara’s philosophy believes that plants are medicine, a whole-food cleanse that eliminates common inflammation triggers and fuels your body with plant nutrition.

Utilizing dietary principles like ketosis and intermittent fasting, Level II will help heal the gut, restore the metabolism, and release years of toxic build-up. It is like hitting the reset on the body’s systems, complete reboot. 

the breakdown: 

Day 1-3: You start the day with a tall glass of water with Sakara’s beauty drops. The beauty drops contain 72 trace minerals that are hard to get through diet alone—followed by breakfast which consists of a nutritious meal like a veggie hash or squash frittata. Then you take your morning supplements. Before lunch, you drink a cup of Digestive Tea, which has peppermint, meadowsweet, and gentian. I liked the tea.

Lunch is a salad of some kind, and you would expect lots of greens as part of this detox program. You drink their coconut kefir drink in the afternoon, which was my favorite part of the detox. I continue to have now kefir part of my daily routine. I love Sakara’s, but sometimes it is just easier picking up one at the store. Usually, I get plain and blend it with a fruit of my choice. 

Though this was not always my favorite thing to consume each evening for dinner was the medicinal broth. I preferred it hot, but sometimes I just drank it cold. I found it filling, but it was the least exciting part of the program. Before bedtime, you take more supplements that support gut health and magnesium. One of my favorite rituals was drinking my water that mixed Sakara’s Detox (chlorophyll) Drops; I felt it was nice closing to the day. 

On the second and third days, I felt light-headed or had minor headaches. I was unsure if it was the elimination of sugar or caffeine, but it was not as bad as others described their headaches. However, by the third day, I found my focus clearer, and I had a lot more energy. The worst part was being hungry, so I drank water to trick myself into feeling full. 

Day 4: You drink liquid only, consisting of two green juices, a carrot, ginger soup, coconut kefir, and medicinal broth. Not having solid food was the most challenging day as I always find satisfaction in chewing or eating something; it was probably a mental comfort thing to feel like I had to chew food, but I powered through. 

Day 5: Whole Food Returns

You have a whole food breakfast, lunch, and dinner along with your medical grade detox supplements and probiotic Coconut Kefir, beauty water and detox water drop routine, and the digestive tea. 

I enjoyed the whole foods elements and eating plant-based food. The food was delicious and filling. I did feel a reset, and it was a healing experience. I believe in supplements and enjoy the easy, no thinking process of healthy eating and routine. Also, as part of the program, they provided you a dry brush with the detox to use before showering each day. Dry brushing helps with lymphatic drainage and exfoliation. I didn’t always have time to do this as a mom of two, but when I did, I enjoyed the process of self-care. 

Overall I lost 8 pounds, felt I had a lot more energy, my mind felt clear, and my skin was glowing. I would recommend doing this again for those who eat relatively clean. If not, I would start with one of the shorter detox programs prior and build-up to this. The detox gave me the reboot I needed, and after, I felt I was much more aware of what I consumed and used some of the provided recipes with my order. I can say likely for the start of 2022, and I will be ordering another Level II: 5 Day Detox again.