When I saw this month’s cover image my mind conjured bread that was colored green with food dye for Saint Patrick’s Day. After a closer look, I realized the creativity employed by using avocados as a bun replacement for this artful plant-based dish. As a young child, I imagined that vegetarians only ate boring salads with iceberg lettuce and tomatoes day after day. During the last twenty years through my immersion in the natural health community and work with Natural Awakenings I have discovered that plant-based eating incorporates a wide variety of foods, spices and delicious options for any palate.

“Plant-based chefs have plenty of kitchen hacks for making food prep and planning fun and easy,” says author April Thompson in our feature article The Roots of Good Health [page 22]. Incorporating more plant-based dishes into your diet is easier than it has ever been. Today’s access to recipes, tips and advice makes it simple to share the journey with others. Local groups that support a plant-based lifestyle are banding together and enjoying social outings [page 25]. If you are curious about making a change, it may be a great place to start.

Plants also play a starring role in other important aspects of our lives. Discover the healing powers of a popular hemp-based oil in CBD’s New Frontier: Help for Mental Health [page 28]. Find out how hemp fuels high hopes among farmers, agricultural researchers, manufacturers and consumers for its use in a host of fiber-based products and its potential to combat climate change in Hemp Gets Hot: Meet the Hardest Working Plant on the Planet [page 36]. Also, in this issue, enjoy pointers on pet diets [page 30] and inspiring words from Meg Lundstrom about “synchronicity” and how we can encourage the sometimes life-changing “coincidences” that can have a profound influence on our lives [page 38]. Plus, Hypnotherapy for Lasting Change shares how the subconscious mind can inform behaviors and habits [page 26]. This spring show your body some love and enjoy nature’s bounty by trying a new plant-based dish!

Here’s to a new kind of “green” this Saint Patty’s Day,

Kris Urquhart, Publisher