This Healthy Recipe App Was The Summer Reset I Needed

I love summer travel as a way to break out of my routine and embrace new cultures, explore nature, and indulge in the amazing local food and drink. Yet I take the indulge part to heart. As soon as I take off, my healthy routine at home flies out of the airplane window. I am not a coffee drinker but in Europe? I indulge in cappuccinos and a sugary ciambelle fritte every morning. Gelato is on my daily meal rotation. And it’s all totally worth it (after all, there’s all that walking!).

But there’s always the need to reset when I return. After a few recent trips, I needed some motivation to kick off my healthy summer reset of eating better, working out more routinely, and reducing my sugar intake (my weak spot). Enter Lifesum to the rescue.

I recently discovered Lifesum, an app that makes healthy eating so easy with tailored meal plans, delicious recipes, and a goal setting feature that motivates you to do the activities you love – all while tracking your progress.

The app is super intuitive, beautifully designed, and it helped me set a personal health plan within minutes. I set my fitness goal and the app recommended a low-sugar meal plan for me that was SO delicious. (Other meal plans include 16:8 Fasting, Keto Burn, Vegan For A Week, Hormonal Balance, and more). Here’s how my first week (and still going strong!) went using Lifesum.

My Week With Lifesum

Kicked Off My Workout Routine

I started using Lifesum on a Monday. I set up the app to sync with my Health app and track my activity. The app suggested a 30-minute workout a day doing whatever feels good to me – I love to run, hike, and bike along the trails here in Sonoma, CA. I roped my mom into an early morning bike ride along the bike path. Most days I’ll just do a leisurely 10-15 minute run and call it a day but having a goal of 30 mins made me push myself a little harder and it felt amazing.

Mom (right), my healthy sidekick

Broke Out of My Recipe Comfort Zone

Lifesum suggested breakfast, lunch, and dinner recipes, plus snacks based on my goals. I also tracked my water intake easily by clicking on one of the 8 glass icons, reminding me I needed to refill more often. What I loved about the recipes I chose was that they introduced me to new flavors and ingredients I don’t normally use. I was excited to break out of my usual (read: boring!) cooking routine. The recipes totally stand out as unique but accessible. I plan to keep many of them in my regular rotation.

Breakfasts included recipes like Scrambled Eggs with Smoked Salmon and Toast, smoothies, and berries + oats. I forgot how much I love steel-cut oats. I let them steam while I caught up on my morning emails, then poured in coconut milk, loads of berries, almonds, and a sprinkle of cardamom. I made a double portion since this was a perfect to-go breakfast as I was heading to San Francisco the next morning.

I also made a Green Curry Chicken (sub for tofu) for the first time – and it was so easy! I made it a couple more times during the week. That’s what was great about shopping for the week based on Lifesum recipes – I could repeat recipes easily so there wasn’t a ton of effort to stay healthy.

The Salmon and Carrot Salad with Mint Dressing was so fresh and simple. I never would have thought to put greek yogurt on salmon but it was the perfect cool-to-hot treat and it only took 20 minutes total to prepare. I started to play with ingredients from my shopping list without following recipes and felt like I was gaining more confidence to make healthier choices.

Satisfied My Cravings

What I loved about my “Sugar Detox” meal plan was that the food was actually more filling than what I usually eat, which can lead me to mindlessly reach for sweets and unhealthy snacks all day long. I never felt deprived of foods that I love and because Lifesum’s recipes were all nutritious and healthy I felt energized without the late afternoon slump. I realize a lot of my daytime snacking while I WFH has to do with stress or boredom. I no longer felt the craving for sugary, processed foods and instead felt like I was literally nourishing my body, mind and soul.

Motivated Me With Weekly Stats

Each week, Lifesum sent me my weekly stats that shared my progress and cheered me on to keep going, which I did! I also received new recipes like Lemon & Thyme Grilled Fish (yum!) and motivating tips that helped me focus on healthier habits.

Helped Me Avoid Processed Foods

I am loving this app – it’s helping me do exactly what I wanted to do on my own but couldn’t find the motivation. I’m eating whole foods and avoiding highly processed foods by following the recipes. It’s helping to track my sleep too so I’m motivated to do the things that help me sleep better (eat well, skip the scroll, journal…). I am also waking up with less belly bloat. I’m even making healthier choices out of the house by bringing along suggested snacks and leftovers, and just generally choosing healthier options when I dine out.

Now that I have a bit more balance in my life, I’m finding that I’m enjoying the things that I love to do while maintaining a healthy eating schedule – and I’m feeling and looking more like my best, which feels great!

Lifesum is a free app but if you want to try a 3-, 6-, and 12-month subscriptions then it’s 50 percent off!