Disclosure: I have partnered with Hungryroot to review their products on my Instagram grid and Stories. This post is not a part of that partnership, but I wanted to share it with my blog audience as well. Use code MISSMUSTARDSEED40 to get 40% off your first Hungryroot order, which is the biggest discount currently available!
There is a personal project I’ve been working on behind the scenes for a few months. In January, I went to my primary care physician for a yearly check-up and to follow up on a few lingering issues. The issue at the top of my list was my heart. I had been experiencing arrhythmia for a couple of years, but it was becoming more noticeable and intense at times. My heart rate was often pretty high and racing at unusual times. After brushing it off for a couple of years, it was time to look into it and, at the very least, get a baseline for the health of my heart and hopefully alleviate my growing anxiety about it.
I saw a cardiologist and they ran some tests. My heart is functioning fine and the arrhythmia is benign, but we are still following up and keeping an eye on a few things. The real issue was I had gotten woefully out of shape after breaking my foot and my cholesterol was high for the first time in my life. I was so out of shape that walking a mile was hard.
If you’ve followed my blog for a long time, you know I’ve been “dieting” for years. I’ve written several posts over the years sharing my efforts to be healthy and fit. My weight has always been a struggle. Even at my skinniest, I was curvy. Even at my skinniest, I didn’t feel skinny enough. Even when I was incredibly fit and spent over four hours in the gym each day, I didn’t feel skinny enough. After 30 years, I was pretty weary of abusing myself to try to attain a body type that wasn’t possible to attain in a healthy way. Being skinny wasn’t a good enough reason any longer to log my food and calorie burn.
But, the bloodwork was a wake-up call. This wasn’t about being skinny, but about being healthy. Losing weight would be an inevitable byproduct of exercise and eating healthy, but it didn’t have to be the main motivation. In March, I started walking daily, eating about 80-90% whole foods, and logging my food so I was more aware of my portions and choices. I now walk three miles every day and try to increase my activity on top of that. It’s pretty typical for me to have 13,000-15,000/day now.
My average resting heart rate has dropped from over 80 bpm to 68! In addition to that, pretty much every stat tracked on my Apple Watch has improved over the last five months.
And, it’s been slow and steady, but I’ve lost 28 lbs so far. In addition to fitting into clothes that are a smaller size, I’ve had to sinch in my watch band on the next notch, and I can wear an heirloom ring again that was getting too tight. I still have more fitness and health goals to reach, but I am well on my way and in a good routine.
I haven’t had my bloodwork done, yet, but the cardiologist gave me six months to lower my cholesterol naturally so I think they will be testing it again soon.
The only downside is I do get in a bit of a rut with meals. I don’t mind it too much, but Jeff and the boys like having a bit more variety, and something like a meal service can make it easy! I had actually seen a few Hungryroot ads and was looking into subscribing when they reached out to me about receiving a box to review and share on my Instagram. With a focus on healthy eating and living, Hungryroot fits with my current path and goals. What I also learned is that it is a lot more than just a meal service.
I’ve been a subscriber of meal services before, specifically during busy seasons of life, but I was overwhelmed at the number of options available through Hungryroot not only for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but for snacks, groceries, supplements, and more. There are also numerous ways to customize your options and selection to fit your tastes, preferences, health goals, allergies, and eating restrictions. Hungryroot really does offer choices that would suit anyone from a gluten-free vegan, to someone on a meat-heavy low-carb diet, to picky eaters who want familiar favorite foods. Unlike other meal services I’ve used, you can even make swaps and substitutions to individual meals. You can also select to have meals that you make or ones that are pre-made and ready to heat and eat. I like to eat vegetable-forward meals made with mostly whole foods and I don’t mind doing cooking and prep and Hungryroot offers meals, snacks, and groceries that fit perfectly into that plan.
What I like best is having an easy way to try new recipes, brands, flavors, and foods. One reason why I get stuck in a meal rut is because it’s easy. I don’t have to think too hard about the shopping list or make sure I have all of the ingredients or try to put a meal plan together for the week. I just have our staples on hand and I make the usuals. Everyone was excited about the new foods and meals to try when the box arrived. No one in our house is gluten-free, so I’ve never tried cauliflower linguine and I wouldn’t be likely to buy it at the store. This gives me a chance to add something new to the meal rotation and see how we like it.
Since dinner is the hardest meal for me, I mostly ordered dinners and then added in some groceries and snacks. The fresh mango spears were a favorite and we also enjoyed trying out a few of the treats I selected like dark-chocolate dipped banana bites. I was surprised that all of the snacks and treats were either entire servings or full-sized boxes or bags. I was expecting sample sizes, but everything was generously portioned.
I ordered a lot of fresh vegetables, fruit, and snacks in our box and was impressed with the quality and flavor of everything. (The cantaloupe was from a local farmstand.)
The Hungryroot meals we’ve made so far have been delicious and easy and I like that there are so many options so we can reorder our favorites or have a completely different menu each week. And, just like shopping at the local grocery store, we can adjust how much and what we want in our box. If you want all groceries, you can order all groceries. if you want all convenience meals, you can just order those. You can completely customize what works for you and your family each week. It is a weekly subscription, but you can skip boxes anytime if you’re traveling or already stocked up.
This was the cauliflower linguine with alfredo sauce, turkey meatballs, and asparagus. Aside from smelling like cauliflower when you cooked it, I found the pasta to be a great alternative to traditional pasta. It had a nice tooth and texture to it.
This is the honey mustard chicken with roasted creamer potatoes and asparagus and that was a definite favorite. Again, it was easy, tasty, and fit with the way we want to eat.
The big question I ask myself whenever I accept a partnership and review a product is – would I be a customer of this brand? In many, many cases, I am still a customer of brands I’ve promoted as part of a paid partnership. In the case of Hungryroot, the answer is yes. I will be ordering from them as a customer. Not only did I like everything I ordered and have tried so far, but I thought the value was comparable to what I would pay at the grocery store for similar products. In a $200 box, I got five meals (with four servings each), snacks, groceries, and some fresh produce.
You can see everything that came in the box in this Instagram Reel…
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If you’re interested in trying Hungryroot, use code MISSMUSTARDSEED40 to get 40% off your first order HERE.
I’ve been a little hesitant to share about my weightloss and health here on the blog, but I know it’s something that would be an encouragement to some, so I’ll share some follow-up posts with more details. Let me know if you have any questions about it. Also, have any readers tried Hungryroot? Do you have any favorite meals/products to share or anything to add to my review?
23 Responses
I wish you the best on this health journey. I walk everyday and eat a mostly healthy diet but in the last 3 years I’ve found myself on osteoporosis, blood pressure and cholesterol medication. I so dislike taking all the drugs. It’s a constant battle. I’m going to research Hungryroot
Yes, there is hereditary high cholesterol in my family, so it’s possible that I’ll have to go on medication even with exercise, weight loss, and eating well. I just want to do everything I can to avoid medication if possible. There are times when it’s necessary, though.
Greetings from Virginia! I have not heard of Hungryroot, but after reading about your positive experience, I am going to research their website. Thank you for sharing. Congratulations on your wonderful progress toward increased wellness. Nudges me in the right direction.
I’m so glad!
The thing that never gets talked about is how weight gain, rising cholesterol, fatigue, achy joints etc are all part of menopause and related to hormone changes that can start up to 12 years before actual menopause. reading books and listening to podcasts on the subject has been a real eye opener. So is the fact that even our female docs get very little training in med school about it or how to support women going through it. So very frustrating. So far I’m learning the 5 pillars are focusing on sleep, eating for nutrition not weight, strength training (because we lose muscle mass and bone density) stress reduction and hormone replacement therapy. It’s now been proven that the original study that said women shouldn’t be on hormone replacement has been totally debunked. Sounds like you’re on the right track. Doing all of this for your health and not for some unattainable mythical “skinny” body is the way to go. I’ve been curvy and muscular from childhood and never did fit the mold even when I was a “thin” 117 pounds as a 15 year old.
Amen to that. Menopause and hormone changes don’t seem to be taken as seriously as it should.
The last time I lost a lot of weight was when you went on Whole 30. You were. Great inspiration and following you was easy.
Oh, thank you! I’ve thought about sharing more, but I really just needed to do it for myself for a while and have some success behind me. I’ll share more about what I’m doing, some whole-food meals I’ve really enjoyed, my walking playlist, etc.
When you mentioned ‘arrhythmia’ my sister (72 years) had to go to the emergency room to be evaluated. (First time in her life) She was put on meds and is feeling better. Her Dr. also recommended she stop taking fish oil vitamins. There was a medical study that was found to cause rapid heart rate. She took that vitamin for 40 years. She threw them away. Of course this may not impact all people. I wanted you to know her experience.
Hope you are feeling better, you sound like you are.
I still have the arrhythmia almost daily, but it’s less worrisome knowing they’ve seen it (I was on a heart monitor for two weeks) and it’s not harmful to me at this time. I actually have a follow-up appointment where we’ll discuss medication to control it since it happens almost daily. I have looked into possible things that cause arrhythmia and I don’t consume any of the main culprits.
I have started on a health journey this year as well. It’s hard now that I’m in my late 50s, but I have been focusing on intermittent fasting and whole foods with plenty of protein. Lost 13 pounds since February which seems forever, but that’s weight I haven’t been able to lose. Still need to work on activity and strength building. Please share whatever you can. I’m sure it would be very encouraging. Great job. My chloresterol has gone down as well. Small changes help.
Kudos to you Marian for taking control of your health! Your 28 lb. loss is a wonderful achievement! I look forward to your posts every day and marvel at your stamina to accomplish so much daily! I am in my 80s, widowed, and don’t enjoy cooking much anymore, but I do love to eat, so I’m going to try HungryRoot, just signed up for my first order! Thanks for the 40% off! You are a daily ray of sunshine, thanks for sharing your life with us!
Oh, good for you! I think this might be a nice way to try new things and have healthy dinners without having to cook too much. I find I enjoy cooking more when it’s all in the fridge and I don’t have to plan it all out.
Well done! I’m impressed with your dedication to changing your eating and exercise habits and the pay off you’re receiving. Inspiring!
Thanks for sharing this. Congratulations on your great progress! I am intrigued by Hungry Root.
As I’ve gotten older, it has become clearer that we can never stop moving. Good for you for kicking it all up a notch, it is the best thing one can do for themselves. I don’t know how old you are, but increased cholesterol and irregular rapid heart rate are common symptoms of perimenopause which can start to hit in your 40s.
It sounds like Hungryroot is working really well for you. I’m curious how it fits with your diabetic son’s diet?
Thanks for sharing about your efforts to get healthier and thanks for the information and discount code for Hungryroot. I have tried so many of these food service companies but this one sounds different in a good way! I wish you much success in your efforts to become healthy. I had supraventricular tachicardia (SVT) for years. I was on two medications to control it but still had breakthrough SVTs which often made me briefly faint. Eventually, I began to be concerned when I was driving. About 10 years ago I saw a cardiac electrophysiologist and he was able to do an ablation. I haven’t had an arrhythmia since. Not all arrhythmias are equal and I’m glad yours is nothing to worry about.
Good to know! I experience two different types of arrhythmia and one of them is SVT. Yes, it can be pretty intense at times, but I haven’t felt like I’m going to pass out or anything. I’m following up to see if medication is a good option or if we should just keep an eye on it.
Great encouragement, Marian! I had found that I had become much more sedentary since Covid, leaving me with little energy. We recently moved to a retirement community and Ive joined a senior exercise class two days a week and I do a water aerobics class two days. I was so surprised about how much of a workout I got in the water! There are programs online that you can follow. Cooking is one of the retirement problems that you don’t think about. Used to, when my husband got home from work, he would eat what I had prepared, now, he’s home all day and has more of an opinion on what we eat. We find ourselves eating out more often, which is definitely not good for us. Meals from Hungryroot sound like just the ticket. Also, be sure they check your thyroid for symptoms of arrhythmia. Love you and your blog!
I have SVT , Supraventricular tachycardia. I often starts for women in there 30’s and 40’s. It has taken me to the ER on a few occasions to stop the rapid heart beat, as much as 190 BPM. I was on one medication for years and another was added because of another ER incident. It is benign but it is also a PITA! Glad you got checked out and you know it is benign. That helps with the anxiety of what is going on! Good luck on your health journey. You will inspire many
Oh dear, that tachycardia must be hard. High cholesterol is indeed a family thing. Darn, menopause contributes a lot. We humans need to move, and COVID was no help. Hungryroot is not available here, and meal boxes are not cheap, not dairy-free, gluten-free, or vegetarian options. Now I love to cook but my then-teens were of no help. Meh, all the way. My cooking is mostly Asian food, which works perfectly. Since all my kids live in dorms, my cooking became beloved again. I like to eat it myself, I don’t have to go for baked potatoes or pasta anymore, and nobody complains. Yay, an upgrade overall XD
I am 71 and also have had arrhythmias and for awhile just like you, had them daily. About 10 years ago I happened to read an article about supplements that talked about arrhythmias being caused by magnesium deficiency. I started by taking oral doses but that caused stomach upset, so I switched to a cream which I apply every day after showering. Result is that I consider myself cured. I almost never have them now. It’s always worth the effort to do your own research…even if it makes our betters frown!