Sandi Kaplan, MS, RD, Associate Director, Clinical Development & Support:

I was out walking with a friend of mine that I had not seen for a while when she told me about an organic, whole foods program she had participated in for three weeks during the spring. She is mainly a healthy eater, but she had begun to feel like she had fallen into what she called a “sugar rut” and was feeling less energized than she would have liked. She decided to try a three-week meal delivery program centered on whole foods which included meals and snacks. She shared how much she had enjoyed the food and how much more energized she felt at the end of the three weeks. She dared me, her dietitian friend, to give it a try – the program is also gluten free (perfect for me with my celiac disease), sugar free (but with no artificial sweeteners), and vegan (there was also an animal protein option).

I was intrigued but also resistant. So I made a list of pros and cons.                                                                            

Pros:

• Meals and snacks just for me will be delivered to my door for three weeks – a working mom’s dream come true.
• This summer has been a very busy season at work, and I have been grabbing chocolate far too regularly during my 3pm meetings. My health will benefit from less sugar.
• I have been cooking less and eating out more (including summer ice cream stops) so I know that a whole foods diet would feel really nourishing right now. I have a long history of eating healthfully but never as healthfully as I will for the next three weeks.
• The end of summer and beginning of fall is a great time to recalibrate health and I am always up for a challenge.

Cons:

• I am not good at feeling deprived. My friend said she felt consistently satisfied with the delicious food, but will I feel differently? I don’t want to end up bingeing on cookies at the end of the three weeks (or after week 1).
• Will social events feel awkward? We have a good number of those coming up in the next three weeks.
• Will it feel strange to eat differently from the rest of the family? Or will this just inspire me to get back to more cooking so the family is eating more healthfully too?

Thanks to my friend’s encouragement (and my curiosity), the pros won out and I placed my order. I have a summer birthday and so my husband and I agreed that this would be my birthday present. I know he’s thinking that a more energized wife is a great present for the whole family!

And now it’s Monday morning and my first food delivery will arrive before noon. The program starts with dinner tonight. I am apprehensive and excited. We are going to our neighbors’ house for dinner this evening and they looked at me a little strangely when I told them that I would be bringing my own food. I am tempted to eat chocolate all day…you know that “last supper” phenomenon…but then I remind myself that this is not a diet but a way to support my health and re-inspire my desire to eat whole foods on a consistent basis. My goal is to emerge from this three weeks having fewer sugar cravings and feeling excited about a healthier diet.

PS: The product I happen to be trying is Delicious Planet in Seattle, but there are other organizations out there such as Paleta in Los Angeles and Eat Like the Pros in Chicago. Also, check out sites like Local Harvest to discover where you can pick up fresh, local, organic produce yourself.