Pura and simple
When Team TMN found out about a new meal delivery service that promises to provide healthy results through clean eating, we couldn’t wait to put it to the test…
What: Pura – Clean food, clean body meal delivery programme.
Where: Delivered to your door
When: Meals delivered the day before consumption, at a pre-selected time slot
The Promise: “Founded by best friends and avid chefs Colm Carmody and Gavin Gleeson who, between them, have worked in five star hotels and michelin-starred restaurants, Pura began as a fusion of Gavin’s love of fitness and Colm’s passion to create healthy, tasty food. All plans are personalised to provide maximum results.”
Did it Deliver? The process for signing up to Pura is not a massively short one, but it does ensure that all dietary requirements are taken into consideration, leaving you with a highly personalised meal plan. Following a quick phone call from a representative to discuss our meal plan options, Team TMN were presented with a form to fill in which asked questions about diet, aims for the programme, intolerances and preferences. We proved a fairly fussy bunch, requesting a mainly plant-based diet with some fish, no dairy, no mushrooms and no aubergines. After the form was submitted, a menu was drafted and sent across to us for approval.
When our first box of food turned up, containing multiple containers and meals, it was a bit like a healthy, foodie Christmas. There was a massive amount delivered, all super fresh and colourful in appearance. The volume of food that arrived was a little intimidating at first, but when this was broken down into the portions and meals specified by our meal plan, it seemed a lot more manageable and exciting – the prospect of a healthy eating programme that encouraged us to eat was a massive bonus for Team TMN!
Overall, our meals were incredibly tasty. Pura’s focus on macronutrients, as opposed to calorie-counting, means that ‘clean’ ingredients are chosen for their nutritional value and positive impacts as opposed to calorie content, which kept everything fresh and flavoursome, and feeling a whole lot more sustainable than the average diet plan which relies on depravation and will power alone. The protein pancakes for breakfast, with fresh blueberries, proved a particular hit with Team TMN, so much so that we are still craving them. Each meal contains protein, carbohydrate and fat elements – for example, white fish comes with a side of fibrous veg and coconut oil – and all of these were served in perfect portions so we were left feeling full without feeling like we’d overdone it.
By the end of the month-long meal plan, we felt considerably lighter and more energetic. The fact that our mid-sections were thinning out was a massive bonus, considering that health and fitness were our initial goals, as opposed to weight loss. With phone calls from Pura every week to see how we were doing, alongside emails to check our progress, the combination of automated and personal service allowed us to make any changes without skipping a beat. We were inspired to continue a clean eating lifestyle and can still feel improvements! The plan has definitely helped Team TMN on our health kick and it’s a great all-rounder for people who want to feel better about themselves and their bodies by creating a sustainable lifestyle that’s a lot more convenient than others on offer. We also loved the fact that the individual meals were ready to go, so all we had to do was carry our coolbag with us and we were set for the day!
The Verdict: Pura is a fantastic option for people with a genuine interest in being healthy and treating their body well. The macro nutrient focus of the meal plans means that meals are individually tailored to help you meet goals without feeling deprived or starved. Quality of ingredients and regularity of meals makes Pura a considerably better investment than a lot of other plans or ‘detox’ programmes, and we would definitely recommend this to our gym loving friends, as the meals on offer can be specifically designed to perfectly accompany different levels of exercise. The way Pura meals are designed and delivered also makes them perfect for professionals looking for a health-kick, as they require nothing in the way of food prep and can be carried around for the whole day – allowing you to eat well-sized portions of healthy, clean food while not having to slow down.