‘I Tried Daily Harvest Smoothies For A Week To See If They're Worth The Hype’
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I know I'm not exactly making a groundbreaking statement when I say that I'd like an easy and delicious way to be healthy. Hey, the world would be a happier place if all of us had chefs whipping up tasty, nutritious meals for us on the reg. And since that's not the case (for most of us), I have turned to meal delivery and prep services frequently throughout my life.
My first experience with a meal delivery service was straight out of college—I was new to New York City and besides the fact that I didn't want to lug bags of groceries up my fourth floor walk-up, I also found that I was spending a ton of time and money ordering takeout or trying to meal prep before a busy week of work. I dabbled in a few, and found that they were either too expensive or simply offered food that really just didn't taste good. And if the food was priced well and tasted good, it usually didn't have much nutritional value. Enter the holy trifecta of value, taste, and health: Daily Harvest.
What is Daily Harvest?
Chances are that you've seen the brand's aesthetically-pleasing branding and iconic smoothies all over your Instagram feed, but they're so much more than that. The brand was founded in 2015 because CEO Rachel Drori was desperate for healthy, convenient food. She quit her job to make smoothies in her kitchen, and seven years later the brand makes so much more than those smoothies. They make some of the best soup I've ever had in addition to flatbreads, lattes, and even ice cream—all of which are plant-based and crafted by chefs to pack in as many fruits and veggies as possible.
All meals come individually packaged and frozen (they freeze all their ingredients at peak ripeness within 24 hours of harvest to lock in flavor and nutrients—that also eliminates their need to use any preservatives). When you're ready to eat, pop the smoothie ingredients in a blender, put the soup in a microwave, or add some hot water to the pre-made lattes. Yah, they really nail the convenience part. And, everything is made the intention to pack as many fruits, vegetables, and nutrients into one meal as physically possible. They're also really big on transparency, so all ingredients lists come proudly, largely labeled on the front of every container.
I had tried the meals and snacks here and there over the past several years, but this time, I did nothing but eat Daily Harvest meals for a full week (under the supervision and approval of my nutritionist). Here are my honest thoughts on the meal delivery service.
Is Daily Harvest actually healthy?
This is a fair question, and it was the first question I asked before committing to doing this for a week straight. I mean, it only takes about two minutes of scanning the aisles of any grocery store to know that a lot of products are marketed as "healthy" when they may not truly be nutrient-dense. And while you should, of course, always listen to what your body's unique needs are, I turned to registered dietitians to get their input.
"Daily Harvest fits many different eating ethos and lifestyles by providing a foundation of fruits and vegetables," says dietitian Jenn LaVardera, RD. "It’s so important to include nourishing plants into your day, no matter what your lifestyle is, and Daily Harvest makes it easy and delicious."
Dietitian Dawn Jackson Blatner, RDN, agrees and told me that even though she doesn't usually recommend meal delivery services, Daily Harvest is actually the exception for her. "I do recommend my clients keep Daily Harvest food in the freezer for days on which they may need some help getting more nourishing fruits and vegetables in delicious ways like smoothies, bowls, bites, and flatbreads."
How much does Daily Harvest cost?
Nothing is ever going to be as affordable as buying ingredients and cooking them on your own, but with Daily Harvest, you're paying for nutritionally-dense, chef-crafted, prepared meals that'll save you time. That said, compared to other meal delivery services out there, I actually found this to be relatively affordable at $7 to $12 per meal. Here's the price breakdown per meal:
Smoothies: $8.50
Harvest Bowls: $10
Harvest Bakes: $12
Flatbreads: $10
Soups: $8.50
Forager Bowls: $7
Scoops: $9 per pint
Lattes: $6 per two lattes
Simply choose if you'd like a small, medium, or large box with nine, 14, or 24 items in it, respectively. That'll come down to around $80 to $180 per week depending on the items you choose. The lattes are obviously much cheaper than what you're likely getting at your local coffee shop, but I also feel the forager bowls and soups are a great deal for the quality you're getting.
The smoothies are definitely a bit more pricey, but one single morning smoothie sometimes filled me up till really late in the afternoon, almost till 2 p.m. occasionally. Each smoothie is packed with at least four different fruits and/or vegetables. I simply added in a scoop of protein powder if I was extra hungry. The harvest bakes, the priciest item on the list, are so filling that I often couldn't finish the whole thing. And at $12, that's less expensive than any restaurant I'll go out to (at least here in NYC).
The great thing is that since these meals are frozen, you know you'll never waste food by throwing away something that's gone bad. I used to end up having to do that with past meal delivery services if I unexpectedly ended up eating out more than I thought I would, or had to travel out of town last-minute. All in all, what I'll say is that if you're really working on a budget, I'd stick to the soups, smoothies, and forager bowls.
How easily can you prep Daily Harvest meals?
Prep looks a bit different for each type of meal, but each one only requires one step. For example, smoothies come in a cup with cut fruits, vegetables, and (sometimes) seeds in them. Simply decant that into a blender with water, coconut water, milk, or even coffee if you'd like, and then blend and put it back in the container it came in. For soups, just add water and pop it in the microwave. Flatbreads and harvest bakes just need to be put in the oven.
The only additional prep work that may come up will be if you'd like to personalize your meals. For example, not every smoothie or soup has protein in it, and as someone who prefers a high-protein diet, I ended up adding some tofu, beans, or protein powder to a few meals.
Do Daily Harvest meals taste good?
The short answer is that yes, these meals are surprisingly delicious considering the ingredients in them. Every ingredient listed is a fruit, vegetable, or mineral—they're even pretty low in salt yet somehow delicious. My personal favorites were the soups and flatbreads, though I did admittedly always add some vegan cheese to the latter to make them taste more pizza-like. I've tried meal delivery services before in which dishes are hit-or-miss, and I've struggled to get through a meal.
With Daily Harvest, I don't have that issue at all. I simply like some meals more than others, but I have tried almost everything once at this point, and I haven't disliked a single meal. That said, they come up with new meals so often that I can barely keep up—a great plus for anyone who gets bored easily and likes variety in their diet.
Below are the dishes I loved so much, I'll keep them stocked in my freezer at all times.
Smoothies:
Banana + Almond
Banana + Greens
Cold Brew + Almond
Ginger + Greens
Cold Brew + Cacao
Cucumber + Greens
Flatbreads:
Portobello + Pesto
Tomato + Cremini
Artichoke + Spinach
Soups:
Carrot + Coconut Curry
Cauliflower + Leek Stew
Mushroom + Miso
Forager Bowls:
Cremini + Miso Oat Bowl
Is Daily Harvest worth it?
I love Daily Harvest and am likely going to be a loyal, lifelong fan—there's no doubting the high quality you're getting for the price, which I happen to think is aggreat value. There’s no gluten, dairy, gums, fillers, refined sugars, GMOs, or anything artificial in any of their food. Our health and fitness director Jacqueline Andriakos feels the same way, too.
While I loved having the ease of eating these delicious meals all day every single day for a full week, I will also say that the pricing for doing that is likely a bit much for me to commit to long-term. What I, and most users I spoke to, tend to do is order a small box every couple of weeks (they make it very easy to pause or cancel your subscription so you'll never get a surprise—thank god) to ensure that healthy meals are always on-hand when needed in a pinch.
When I don't have time to pack my lunch for work and want to make sure I'm eating a nutritious meal that won't make me feel sluggish, I love popping one of the soups into my tote. On a Monday morning when I don't have time to meal prep or hit the grocery store, I always know I can rely on a delicious green smoothie to be in the freezer.
But, I also love that I'm supporting a business that's doing good when I pay for my Daily Harvest meals. The brand is all about building a regenerative food system, working directly with farmers to help increase their biodiversity, resulting in healthier soil that doesn't just provide more nutrient-dense foods, it also makes for less carbon in the atmosphere. And, of course, they're supporting local farmers. All considered, I guarantee that when you give Daily Harvest a try, at least two of the crave-worthy smoothies will become standbys in your freezer for years to come.
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