It Started with Family

Meg Donahue and Lisa Lorimer never thought they’d start a family business in their fifties, especially after bringing home their new baby daughter, Annie. Shortly thereafter, Meg’s 80-year-old mother, Millie, was released from the hospital for hospice care, in the end stages of congestive heart failure with only 10 percent heart function. 

While the doctors told Meg and Lisa all they could do was make Millie comfortable, they sought out stories of people who’d survived heart disease nonetheless. Eventually, they discovered doctors and scientific studies outlining the benefits of whole food plant-based diets. They signed up for a four-week plant-based eating challenge – figuring they could do anything for one month. It turned out to be the adventure of a lifetime.

Within weeks of changing their diet, Meg’s autoimmune issues and macular degeneration cleared up. Lisa’s blood pressure went from its usual 155/110 to 127/80. And most importantly, Millie’s numbers dramatically improved, with her heart function (ejection fraction) shooting up to 55 percent! 

Needing to know the why behind their remarkable transformation, Meg enrolled in the T. Colin Campbell Center’s Plant-Based Nutrition program to get a foundation in the science behind a plant-based diet. She came to understand the critical role food has in preventing and reversing common chronic illnesses like diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. 

What followed was a profound epiphany! Meg realized her mother’s recovery, while astounding, wasn’t a miracle — the miracle is so much illness can be avoided by switching from foods that hurt to foods that heal.

A business was born…

Happy health outcomes aside, changing their diet wasn’t always easy. Whole food plant-based eating requires a lot more time in the kitchen chopping. Meg and Lisa loved the way they felt but didn’t love the prep. And Millie was more inclined to eat plant-based meals if they tasted familiar. They searched for a company that could prepare and deliver plant-based comfort foods made with wholesome ingredients without preservatives or chemicals. Their search came up empty.

So, in 2016, Meg and Lisa launched MamaSezz to solve their own problem: a whole food plant-based meal delivery company that produces ready-made and delicious food. MamaSezz products arrive at your door ready to heat and eat or add your own flair and create your meal. We wanted to make it easy for other people to live their healthiest lives well into old age, like Millie – who, by the way, is now 90 years old and still going plant-strong! 

MamaSezz’s chefs curated thoughtful plant-based meal bundles to meet people where they are, from the “plant curious” to those seeking sustainable weight loss to even endurance athletes. One of the most surreal parts, being endorsed by and collaborating with some of the very doctors who inspired their plant-based transformation, such as Dr. Michael Klaper and Dr. Michael Greger.

“The good news is we have tremendous power over our health, destiny, and longevity. The vast majority of premature death and disability is preventable with a plant-based diet and other lifestyle behaviors and the weight loss comes off effortlessly,” says Dr. Greger.

Healthy people, healthy planet…

Early on, Meg and Lisa also found eating this way isn’t just good for the body; it’s good for the planet. MamaSezz is committed to zero waste, taking extensive steps to optimize its supply chain, reduce waste, and improve energy and water efficiency. All packaging is 100 percent recyclable. MamaSezz orders are delivered directly to customers with a prepaid return label to return all the empty materials so MamaSezz can reuse or recycle. 

High quality and sustainable ingredients are a top priority, too; MamaSezz only works with local farmers and suppliers who share their enthusiasm for environmentally sound agricultural practices designed to preserve the land and our natural resources for future generations.

By Meg Donahue, co-founder of MamaSezz

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