3 Reasons to Add More Plants to Your Diet [RECIPES INCLUDED]

Research has shown that plant-based diets have a positive impact on your health. Incorporating more plants into your diet can ::

1. Lower bad cholesterol

2. Reduce the risk of diabetes

3. Assist with weight management

While there are benefits to increasing the amount of plants in your diet, you must choose the right fruits and vegetables for you and your family by ::

• Knowing your and your family’s food allergies and sensitives. Food allergies are easy to diagnose as your body has a very noticeable reaction to allergens. Food sensitivities are much harder to diagnose as they show up as bloating, skin irritations, headaches or fatigue. You can determine your, and your family’s, food sensitivities by taking keeping a food diary for at least a week (I recommend two weeks) and noting how you feel emotionally and physically after each meal or by taking a food sensitivity test.

• Choosing the best fruits and veggies for your health situation. There are some fruits and vegetables you should stay away from depending on your health situation. Those with autoimmune disease, inflammatory bowel disease or leaky gut syndrome should steer clear of nightshade vegetables, which include white potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant and peppers.* Those with diabetes or who struggle to manage their sugar levels should manage their intake of grapes, bananas and starchy vegetables like white potatoes and corn. These are just two examples. The idea is that each person should honor their bioindividuality by knowing their body well enough to make good decisions on what foods to incorporate or not incorporate into their diet.

  *Get a full list of nightshade vegetables here.
  

• Purchasing fruits and veggies that are in season. Purchasing fruits and veggies that are in season are usually less expensive, taste better and have more nutritional value. Check out this guide to buying fruits and veggies by month.
  

Recipes:: A curated list of recipes that are plant-based, healthy and full of flavor.

• Zesty Lime Shrimp and Avocado Salad (if you have an allergy to shellfish, skip the meat)

• Whole 30 Steak Bites with Sweet Potatoes and Peppers (consider using purple sweet potatoes and red onions for a different flavor and added nutritional beneifts)

• One Pot Spinach Rice (consider using healthier rice options like brown rice or wild rice and replacing pinto beans with your favorite beans)

• Stir-Fried Collard Greens

• Fried Purple Cabbage

• Greek Kale Salad with Lemon and Olive Oil Dressing

• Fruit and Nut Breakfast Cups

• Gran’s Granola Parfait

• Lemon Breakfast Parfait

• Sweet Broiled Grapefruit

• Blueberry Cantaloupe Salad

• 5 Breakfast Smoothies (consider adding granola, flaxseed or chia seeds to your smoothies)

Find more fruit recipes here.

Follow Friday :: Plants, Veggies and More

During this week’s Kombucha, Wine & Chill Virtual Game Night Demetria Cox, a gardner, health-eating & plant-based advocate and vegetarian chef shared tips on how to grow veggies from scraps four low-maintenance indoor plants that can improve your quality of life. See below for information on both and make sure you follow her on Instagram @deeveggiechef.

Growing Fruits and Veggies from Home

If you’ve ever been interested in growing your own food, now is a great time to start. You don’t need to run out and stock up on gardening supplies either. You can start a small in-home garden with organic scraps from your kitchen. You don’t need much - just seeds or roots from your fruits or veggies, fertilizer and a container (can be a glass or cup that you already have).

See below for links and videos to help guide you.

10 Foods that Regrow with Water

Growing from Food Scraps :: 37 Kitchen Scraps You Can Regrow

14 Store-Bought Veggies and Herbs You Can Grow at Home

Low-maintenance plants for your home

Kaizen. It’s a Japanese business approach to creating continuous improvement based on the idea that small, ongoing positive changes can reap major improvements. When implemented, kaizen promotes small steps to improvement - like very small. Using a wellness example, someone looking to lower their A1C would first think about the change. That’s step one. Step two would be to research the things needed to make the change. You get the idea?

Using kaizen as a guide to improving your personal health, means making small changes toward that goal. Want to boost your immunity and improve your mood? Try plants. Check out the benefits of having plants in your home.

The infographic below shares information on four plants that can be used to jumpstart your wellness journey.