“More plants, less Uber Eats.” In a nutshell, that is the advice our doctor gave to my husband and me. Having our kids back home during the last couple of years made meal planning more challenging and with everyone eating on different schedules, getting food delivered was an easy solution. But now that the nest is empty (again), we are eating at home and incorporating more salads at lunchtime. The trick for us is having easy-to-prep options stocked and ready to go. 

“For people that aren’t ready to experiment with plant-based cooking themselves, vegan and vegetarian meal-delivery services are popping up,” says Carrie Jackson in our feature article Plant-Based Foods Go Mainstream: Healthy Eating Gets Easier with Innovations [page 18]. I’m all for making meal-time quick and easy. We use a meal delivery service that specializes in organic meals making meal planning a breeze. The service even offers healthy ready-made options, but there are still meals to be made at home. In the article Easing into a Vegan Lifestyle: Clever Meat Substitutes that Please the Palate, Priyanka Naik, a self-taught Indian vegan chef and cookbook author, advises to gradually start a plant-based diet with one meat-free day per week and then increase. This is a great idea to ease into the paradigm shift.

We’ve replaced many dairy products over the years with alternatives and I now prefer oat-milk creamer. “With alternatives such as oat, almond and even potato milk touting sustainable credentials, as well as a creamy texture, plant-based dairy is having a surge,” shares Jackson.

This issue is packed with inspiration for healthy eating. See how buying local can boost health in The Bounty of Farmers Markets: Buying Local Boosts Health, the Economy and the Planet [page 26] and discover local markets in our online Farmers Market Guide. Find help for pediatric eating disorders in Beyond Picky Eating: Help for Pediatric Eating Disorders[page 28]. Explore how to shop for the healthiest pet food in Beyond Kibble: How to Shop for the Healthiest Pet Food[page 30] and enjoy tips to reset and find balance in Burnout Recovery: Ways to Reset and Find Balance[page 32]. I hope this issue inspires your healthy eating imagination.

Here's to easy healthy meals! 

Kris Urquhart, Publisher