Mindful Plant-based Eating

By MANNA | Sacred Meals - leading the way in mindfully incorporating plant-based eating into your everyday

 With Vancouver’s Planted Expo nearing, the need to talk about the benefits of eating a plant-first diet is at its peak. British Columbia is the province with the highest share of vegetarians and vegans and we know meat and dairy alone account for 14.5 percent of global annual greenhouse gas production—so it’s no surprise that for a while now, Canadians have shown interest in cutting back on meat. Committing to eating less meat however is easier said than done. It’s time-consuming to figure out how to best create a well-balanced, nutritious meal. 

My name is Marie Grapé and I am co-founder of Manna Sacred Meals. As a Filipino-Canadian woman, I grew up being used to a heavy animal-based diet. When I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, I took a step back to consider how my food habits were affecting my health. I felt compelled to defy traditional medicine and normalize my disorder so that everyone moving to a plant-based diet for health reasons can do so easily while enjoying the same breadth of variety in flavours and textures as everyone else. 

The first challenge is that the change seems really daunting when the majority of us have been conditioned to have meat with each meal. A second challenge is a process by which people shift. Often people shift overnight and end up blaming the lack of nutrients on the plant-based lifestyle. This is why we launched Manna, we take the burden away and allow people to fall in love with the benefits and flavour of great plant-first meals!

Manna comes from this perfect storm of identifying interest in ready-made meals, and a growing need for making the health and social benefits of a plant-based diet more accessible. The key thing to note is that “ready-made” bit. All components for each meal come cooked in vacuum-sealed packaging for you to heat up, assemble and enjoy. Manna is for everyone, not just vegans. Our niche is anyone slightly curious to explore how diverse and delicious plant-based can be. We believe plant-based meals are better for both our individual health, the planet, and life on it. Manna also makes eating plant-based meals incredibly easy and convenient. Manna’s meals are nutritionally balanced to ensure each portioned meal provides a third of your DRA so that whether you are fully plant-based or plant-forward, you are properly fueled. You spend 10 minutes heating it up and you’re set! 

Other things that make Manna unique aside from the “ready-made” and convenient aspect to it is that it is a women-led business and a member of the Recycling Council of BC. We worked hard to reduce our packaging while still offering our customers the most convenient and safe reheating experience. Manna also gives back. We have a partnership with Charitable Impact where 5 percent of subscription fees are donated to a Canadian charitable organization of the customers’ choice. Lastly, we are an industry leader, disrupting the collective perception of plant-based meals, and making it easy for people to jump on board and do their part in reducing the immense carbon footprint that comes from food.

We help our subscribers save at least 40 hours a month by taking the cooking off their hands! Our meals are great for anyone looking to incorporate more plants into their diet, anyone working from home balancing out childcare and work with no time to cook, and anyone who is just busy—period. The need is endless and we are here for you!

Check us out at www.mannamenu.com and give us a try today!