Why This $200 Celeb-Approved Detox Is Actually Worth the Cost
If you’re into detoxes and clean eating, you’ve probably heard of Sakara Life, a go-to organic meal delivery for celebrities including Gwyneth Paltrow, Chrissy Teigen, Lily Aldridge, Adriana Lima, Lena Dunham, and Hilary Duff. Its monthly Level II Detox ($400) (which we tried and survived) may not be feasible for your life, whether it’s due to the cost or intensity. That’s why the founders of Sakara Life, Danielle DuBoise and Whitney Tingle, created an all-new, more affordable program called The 10 Day Reset ($195).
The 10 Day Reset box is filled with Sakara Life’s signature Beauty Water and Detox Water Concentrates, a daily probiotic blend, Detox Bars, Energy Bars, Life Source Powder, Detox Tea bags, and the 10 Day Reset Guide and Recipe Book. The best thing about the program is that unlike meal delivery services, nothing is perishable, so you can start when you feel like it.
As a bonus, it’s actually encouraged to pause and give yourself a little break on the weekend. Tingle and DuBoise tell Brit + Co, “As with our Organic Meal Delivery, we leave our weekends open to indulge, live life, and listen to our cravings. We do that with confidence, because we have a toolkit (aka Sakara Life) as our foundation, and we know what makes us feel really really good. The intention behind the 10 Day Reset is to create a lifestyle shift and longer-term change, not just a quick fix or crash diet.”
We love this mindset and found the 10 Day Reset to be much easier to do and maintain than the Level II Detox and other programs we’ve tried. We didn’t experience any headaches or bedridden days. And at the end, we saw a difference, felt healthy, and still find ourselves using the 10 Day Reset recipes and methods on the reg. Here’s everything you need to know about the rules, what an average day of eating looks like, and whether or not it’s worth your money.
10 Day reset RULES
Similar to other Sakara meals and programs, the 10 Day Reset encourages clients to load up on organic fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, leafy greens, fresh high-quality cold-pressed fats (like olive, avocado, and coconut oil), natural probiotics (like fermented foods as in kimchi and sauerkraut), and nutrient-dense superfoods (a la hemp seeds, chia seeds, turmeric, and spirulina).
You are advised to avoid meat, dairy, alcohol, caffeine, gluten, hydrogenated/ trans-fats, artificial flavors and colors, preservatives, sodium nitrate (found in cured meats), potassium bromate (found in white flour), refined sugars (like high-fructose corn syrup) and artificial flavors (like aspartame and sucralose), antibiotics, hormones and steroids, toxic pesticides and herbicides, and GMOs (like corn, soy, and wheat).
Grocery Shopping
You get the groceries for your smoothies, lunches, and dinners; everything else is included. The guidebook has easy-to-follow recipes that don’t require a ton of culinary skills. “They’re designed to be simple, easy, nourishing, and delicious— [It’s] not necessary to be a pro chef by any means. We were strategic in recipe development, so you can find these items at your local grocery or Thrive Market / Amazon Fresh,” Tingle and DuBoise say. Be warned, you will find yourself grocery shopping a lot, which can add up if you don’t have many of the staples on hand.
Exercise
The 10 Day Reset keeps your on-the-go life in mind and encourages movement. Tingle and DuBoise clarify, “This Reset is anything but restrictive or depleting, so you will feel energized and inspired to get moving! Sweating is one of our body’s natural forms of detoxing, so it complements this reset quite nicely. The energy bars and Life Source powder make excellent pre or post-workout snacks.” We found this to be very true; the Reset diet is substantial enough that it could fuel barre, hot yoga, and even circuit training classes without causing us to crash and burn.
A DAY ON THE PLAN
Wake Up: Start each day with a glass of Beauty Water Concentrate and one Daily Probiotic Blend. The Beauty Water is made up of 72 “deeply hydrating trace minerals,” which supports your metabolism, digestive functions, and regularity. It also hydrates you on a cellular level, and its rose extract helps calm inflammation and reduce bloat. We found it does work, and we still use this product daily. The probiotic has 11 strains of bacteria and digestive and systemic enzymes. This basically gives you a healthy gut, which in turn helps with digestion, hormone balance, clear skin, and energy.
Breakfast: Breakfast always consists of a Life Source Smoothie, and we found them to be yummy! The kit provides the protein powder, and you add half of a frozen banana, a handful of spinach, a healthy fat like nut butter, seeds, or coconut oil, and some ice cubes. You also can add some raw honey or maple syrup if you like it sweet. And to avoid growing bored of the same smoothie every day, the recipe book offers suggestions for a minty, tropical, or chai take.
The Life Source powder is really the standout here. Unlike most protein powders, its flavor isn’t overwhelming. It contains 12 grams of clean plant protein, alkalizing greens, probiotics, and digestive enzymes. According to Sakara Life, it helps to enhance the texture and appearance of the skin in two weeks with daily use. And we really did see an improvement in our skin. Best of all, the smoothie will actually keep you full until lunch.
Mid-Morning: Time for one cup of Detox Tea to help curb your craving for that morning cup of coffee. This organic, caffeine-free herbal tea is made with red rooibos, lemongrass, and rose to help relieve bloat and inflammation. After the 10 days, we noticed we weren’t constantly snacking in between meals, and when we did eat, we required less food to feel full.
Lunch: Lunch and dinner you cook on your own, following the recipe book. Tingle and DuBoise encourage, “Be creative with it! The idea is we’ve given you a starting place to be inspired and understand how to create something incredibly nutrient-dense and healing, but you have the freedom to eat and create the meals any way that fits your life or your mood. No rules here!”
The lunch recipes are very tasty; we’re still making the Lemon and Kale Detox Ceasar. It’s hands down the best vegan Caesar dressing we’ve ever had (a tough task). The Kale and Green Goddess Dressing and Zucchini Linguini With Walnut Oil Vinaigarette (pictured above) are other favorites from the list.
Making fresh lunches and dinners every day can be costly and time-consuming and seemingly impossible if you don’t work from home. To save money and time, repeat your favorite recipes or even make batches of them in meal prep. This way you don’t have to drive yourself crazy making new recipes for every lunch and dinner.
Late Afternoon: We found the combo of a Detox Tea and Detox or Energy Bar to be a great afternoon pick-me-up. Of the two bars, we preferred the Detox Bar flavor-wise (it’s more vanilla-y, while the Energy Bar is dark chocolate-y). Unfortunately, it’s not very photogenic, so you’re just going to have to just trust us on that!
Dinner: Dinner follows the same pattern as lunch; don’t miss out on the Sakara Classic Veggie Burger With Avocado Smash (pictured). This veg-heavy baked burger reminded us of an Impossible Burger. The avocado mash topping, a blend of avocado, nutritional yeast, chia seeds, lemon juice, EVO, and salt has a cheesy, savory flavor that works well on toast (post detox of course).
Bedtime: The evening ends with Detox Water Concentrate and one Capsule of Daily Probiotic Blend. We loved this routine on the Level II Detox. The Detox Water concentrate has 72 deeply hydrating trace minerals with chlorophyll and magnesium. It works so well because this blend helps with digestion as it pulls heavy metals from the body, removes toxins, and releases bloat, which you definitely feel. These supplements gave us a good night sleep night after night. You may find that you wake up refreshed with a flat stomach.
LIFE AFTER THE 10 Day Reset
While $200 does feel like a big investment (and that doesn’t even include the amount you’ll spend on 10 days on groceries), this program is worth it if you consider it will empower you to develop healthy habits for yourself. Plus, you’ll have a lot of leftover water concentrates and some extra bars to keep up with some of the program.
If you’re still not convinced, Sakara Life is currently working on a cookbook, though they are keeping mum on the details. But once it does come out, it will be an even more budget-friendly option for those interested in rejiggering their eating habits. In the meantime, if you have the cash to burn and time to cook, we highly recommend trying the 10 Day Reset as an investment in yourself.
What are some of your favorite detox recipes? Tell us about it on Twitter @BritandCo!
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(Photos via Sakara Life and Gabi Conti / Brit + Co)
