Some people skip it entirely or cram something they can eat one-handed (a piece of toast or a breakfast pastry) into their mouth as they head out the door, gripping a travel mug. (And hope they don’t spill liquid or jam on their clothes.)

A sit-down breakfast might consist of a bowl of sugary cereal or a slice of buttered toast with a cup of coffee and a glass of OJ. Pulling into a restaurant often confronts you with a menu loaded with refined flour and sugar, along with factory-farmed meat, eggs, and dairy.

So what are the alternatives? How can you nourish your health with every morning meal? How ​​can you break your fast in a way that fuels your body, supports your mood, and helps prevent chronic disease?

We figured we’d ask the experts — the health revolutionaries featured in this year’s Food Revolution Summit — and we weren’t disappointed. They shared some delicious, nutrient-packed breakfast recommendations that will help you keep your energy up throughout the day, feel great, and be your best.

7 Healthy Breakfasts From Plant-Powered Health Revolutionaries

We asked some of our 2026 Food Revolution Summit speakers what they eat for breakfast. There’s something for everyone: smoothies, toast, porridge, and scrambles. Whether you have a leisurely hour or just a couple of minutes, want something hot or cold, need a grab-and-go, or can start preparing the night before — you’ll find great ideas here:

1. Dr. Kristi Funk’s Antioxidant Smoothie
2. Dr. Neal Barnard’s Breakfast Tofu Scramble
3. Dr. Joel Fuhrman’s Kumquat Avocado Toast
4. Dr. Robynne Chutkan’s Gutbliss Smoothie
5. Dr. Ayesha Sherzai’s Oat Pancakes With Blueberry Sauce
6. Dr. Brooke Goldner’s Green Smoothie
7. Ocean Robbins’ Blueberry Chia Porridge

Plus, a tribute recipe from our late co-founder, John Robbins. His ‘Veggie & Omegas Smoothie’.

You can try out these healthy breakfast recipes while listening to the Summit Expert Interviews or enjoy making them whenever you want to start your day off right.

The Cancer-Fighting Smoothie Dr. Kristi Funk Enjoys for Breakfast

Kristi Funk, MD, is a board-certified breast cancer surgeon and an expert in innovative, minimally invasive cancer treatments that work.

She co-founded the Pink Lotus Breast Center and authored the bestseller Breasts: The Owner’s Manual. Dr. Funk’s work and research have made her a powerful advocate for using a healthy diet to reduce cancer risk and thrive.

She says: “My go-to breakfast is my Antioxidant Smoothie. I am pretty sure it contains the most cancer-kicking compounds found in one single glass of goodness on Earth!

“This blended smoothie drink combines delicious mixed berries and bananas with leafy green vegetables. It also features plant-based superfoods like flaxseed, aloe vera, amla (Indian gooseberries), and cinnamon.

“You can almost hear cancer cells crying out, ‘Oh no, not more turmeric and blueberries!’”

Download the free Antioxidant Smoothie recipe at Dr. Funk’s website: breastmanual.com.

Dr. Neal Barnard’s Healthy Breakfast Options — for at Home or on the Go

Neal Barnard, MD, is a physician and leader in nutrition and research. He’s the founder and president of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.

Dr. Barnard has written more than 80 scientific publications and 20 books, including the New York Times bestseller Power Foods for the Brain and his latest, Your Body in Balance: The New Science of Food, Hormones, and Health.

How does he fuel all that productivity? He says:

“My favorite breakfast is grilled tofu topped with ginger, nutritional yeast, and soy sauce; steamed broccoli topped with Bragg Liquid Aminos (like soy sauce); and a papaya. Nutritionally, this breakfast packs a high-protein starter (tofu), a mineral-packed vegetable (broccoli), and a vitamin-rich fruit (papaya).”

That’s easy enough, especially if you prepare the tofu the previous day. But surely Dr. Barnard can’t approach this level of delicious healthiness when he’s on the road? What does he do when staying in a motel off the interstate and the only nearby breakfast places are 24-hour diners?

“If I’m traveling and the choices are Denny’s or IHOP, I ask the cook to put some mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, and spinach or asparagus on the grill, along with some unbuttered rye toast. It’s like an omelet without the egg; I call it a Nomelet. It is a wonderful taste combination.”

Check out Dr. Barnard’s Breakfast Tofu Scramble recipe.

The Fruit-Packed Breakfast Dr. Joel Fuhrman Eats

Joel Fuhrman, MD, is a board-certified family physician, an internationally recognized nutrition and natural healing expert, a seven-time New York Times best-selling author, and the host of numerous wildly popular PBS specials. He serves as president of the Nutritional Research Foundation and is on Northern Arizona University’s Health Sciences division faculty.

His breakfasts are simple, with whole ingredients and minimal cooking. He says:

“[For breakfast], I eat berries, cherries, or citrus fruits, including Meiwa kumquats, which I grow myself. I eat avocado, steel-cut oats, chia, hemp, or flaxseeds, and I drink homemade plant milk, such as hemp-almond. I also may have an Ezekiel multigrain bread with berries and almond butter.

“Did you know that eating the skin of citrus fruits (such as kumquats — the Meiwa kumquat tastes the best and is easiest to grow) protects our skin from skin cancer almost better than anything else?

“Eating skins protects our skin — how cool! You can grow your own kumquat tree right in your living room in the winter if you do not live in a warm climate.”

Get fancy with your toast by making Golden Kumquat & Pistachio Avocado Toast.

Dr. Robynne Chutkan’s Gutbliss Green Smoothie

Robynne Chutkan, MD, is a gastroenterologist, microbiome expert, and the best-selling author of Gutbliss, The Microbiome Solution, The Bloat Cure, and The Anti-Viral Gut. She’s on the faculty at Georgetown MedStar Hospital, the founder of the Digestive Center for Wellness in Washington DC, and the host of The Gutbliss Podcast. Her expertise includes the microbiome, autoimmune diseases, and gut disorders in women.

Here’s what she says about her favorite breakfast:

“I start almost every day with a homemade green smoothie. I typically use 2–3 leafy greens — usually kale and collards or spinach and kale or sometimes all three (spinach, kale, and collards), a stalk or two of celery, ginger (which helps with gut motility), pineapple for important digestive enzymes like bromelain, a green apple for more fiber and some tartness, parsley and lemon for flavor, and unsweetened coconut water and ice to make it about the consistency of a pulpy orange juice. I drink 20–30 ounces of that every day — usually in the morning after working out, and sometimes a bit more later in the day.

“My favorite way to start the day is with a sweaty workout — a run outside in the woods or a strength training class at the gym — and then a smoothie in the bathtub. This is especially true in the winter when a cold smoothie is a lot more appealing than a hot bath! In the summertime, I’ll drink the smoothie outside in the sun.

“Not only is this a guarantee of stool nirvana in the bathroom the next morning, but I feel confident knowing that I’ve gotten in at least 3–4 servings of green veggies plus some fruit before starting my day. So even if the rest of the day’s meals aren’t perfect, I know I’ve fed my gut microbes well!”

Get the recipe for Dr. Chutkan’s Ultimate Green Smoothie at her website, Gutbliss, or download her favorite Green Smoothie ideas as a PDF.

Dr. Ayesha Sherzai’s Oat Pancakes With Blueberry Sauce

One of the instructors of FRN’s Healthy Brain course, Dr. Ayesha Sherzai, is a leading neurologist, brain science researcher, and co-author of the best-selling books The Alzheimer’s Solution and The 30-Day Alzheimer’s Solution.

Dr. Sherzai also co-created The NEURO Plan (Nutrition, Exercise, Unwind, Restorative Sleep, Optimize), a customizable program that leverages technology and research to enhance brain wellness.

She had this to say about her top breakfast picks:

“When it comes to breakfast, I like to keep things whole, plant-powered, and packed with nutrients to fuel my day. One of my go-to options is overnight oats loaded with chia seeds, flaxseeds, half a banana, and fresh berries — simple, delicious, and full of fiber and healthy fats. (Chia and flaxseeds are especially rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which help support cognitive function and reduce inflammation in the brain, while antioxidant-packed berries protect our neurons from oxidative stress.)

“Smoothie bowls are another favorite, blending up leafy greens, any seasonal fruit, a couple tablespoons of chickpeas, and a scoop of nut butter for a creamy, satisfying start. (Leafy greens are loaded with folate and vitamins linked to lower rates of cognitive decline, and chickpeas contain B vitamins that help support mood and mental clarity.)

“And if I’m craving something warm, a tofu scramble with turmeric and other spices, sweet potatoes, and sautéed veggies always hits the spot. (Turmeric contains curcumin, known for its potential anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits, and sweet potatoes provide complex carbs and vitamin A.)

“Oat pancakes are another household favorite — I always keep some frozen, ready to be toasted and served with a homemade blueberry chia sauce. (Oats give you steady energy to support focus, and blueberries are famously high in antioxidants that can help protect the brain.)

“No matter what, I make sure my breakfasts are balanced, energizing, and full of real, whole foods that keep me feeling good all morning long.”

Get the recipes for Dr. Sherzai’s Oat Pancakes With Blueberry Sauce and Overnight Quinoa Power Breakfast.

The Hyper-Nourishing Green Smoothie Dr. Brooke Goldner Has for Breakfast

What does Goodbye Lupus and Goodbye Autoimmune Disease author and physician Brooke Goldner, MD, have for breakfast?

“My go-to breakfast every morning is my hyper-nourishing green smoothie.

“I am a medical doctor specializing in disease reversal using supermarket foods, so my approach to health and healing is focused on nourishment that optimizes cellular repair, the anti-inflammatory immune system, and metabolism. I call this high level of nutrition — hyper-nourishment.

“Every cell in your body is programmed to repair itself, but it needs the right ingredients to do so: dark leafy greens, omega-3 fatty acids (found in chia and flaxseeds), and water. When you are malnourished and lacking these nutrients, you develop poor health, a slow metabolism, and will have a slower recovery from injuries and infections.

“While you can chew all of these ingredients through foods like salads and chia pudding, I find green smoothies to be the simplest, easiest, and most enjoyable way to hyper-nourish and enjoy great health.

“Hyper-nourishment reversed my chronic health issues: lupus, blood clots and mini-strokes, and chronic kidney disease over 15 years ago. I was sick with these illnesses for 12 years of my life, since the age of 16. I battled pain and disease while working through high school, college, and medical school.

“Hyper-nourishment on a plant-based diet rapidly reversed all of my medical problems, and I have been completely healthy, pain-free, lupus-free with normal kidney function and normal laboratory tests, off all medications for over 15 years and counting! My amazing recovery drives my dedication to create the same results in my patients and wellness clients, and the incredible results fill me with joy and excitement every day.

“So, while I don’t need to reverse illnesses in my own body anymore, I don’t skip my daily dose of hyper-nourishment to continue my winning streak of extraordinary health and the high levels of energy that fuel my work reversing disease in my patients and wellness clients.”

Here are some of Dr. Goldner’s favorite smoothie recipes.

Ocean Robbins’ Blueberry Chia Porridge

Best-selling 31-Day Food Revolution author and Food Revolution Network co-founder and CEO Ocean Robbins tells us:

“Some people need a filling meal by 7 am in order to have the clarity to meet their day. Others don’t start to get hungry until noon. Every one of us has a unique metabolism. And sometimes, what feels right on one day will feel very different on another day.

“If you engage in a lot of sports or physical activity, you’re more likely to need a good dose of calories in the morning. But if your body starts the day slowly or at a desk, then you might feel better if you eat lightly.

When I eat late at night, I don’t usually wake up hungry the next morning. My stomach seems to gravitate toward having at least 12 hours off, and the clock starts ticking whenever I close up the culinary shop at night.”

Ocean varies his breakfasts a lot, but one of his favorite ways to start the day is with a blueberry chia porridge.

This refreshing porridge is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, protein, fiber, probiotics, and antioxidants. It’s portable. And it’s delicious!

Blueberry Chia Porridge Recipe

Prep Time: 20 minutes, plus 6 or more hours for porridge to set

Serves 2 to 4

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons whole chia seeds

3 cups cold non-dairy milk or yogurt

2 tablespoons maple syrup or other sweetener (optional)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2–3 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Directions:

Place chia seeds in a large glass food storage container with a lid (mason jars work great), and pour in milk, syrup, and vanilla. Shake or stir well and let sit for 15 minutes.

Add blueberries and stir again.

Put the mixture in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.

Remove porridge from the refrigerator, stir well, and spoon into serving containers.

Remember to chew the chia seeds well so your body absorbs their nutrients.

In Memory: John Robbins’ Veggie & Omegas Smoothie

We lost our beloved co-founder John Robbins in 2025, but his wisdom (and his breakfast smoothie) lives on. Here’s how the 2-million-copy best-selling author and Food Revolution Network co-founder liked to start his day, in his own words:

“I don’t generally eat when I first get up. I’ll typically have a glass of water, or maybe freshly squeezed grapefruit juice, and then wait an hour or so for my first real food of the day. And most days, particularly if I’m home, that’s a smoothie.

“We have a Vitamix, a very high-powered blender. To make the smoothie, I’ll typically add kale and arugula leaves, celery or broccoli, and plenty of frozen berries (always wild blueberries and often raspberries, strawberries, or blackberries). If apples are in season, I might add an apple, too, or a banana, and enough water so the concoction will blend easily.

“Then, after blending, I’ll add freshly ground flax and chia seeds (which I grind each day in a dedicated coffee grinder) and blend the whole thing a bit more, and then it’s ready to drink! You have to be careful, though, with the ground flax and chia seeds. Once they’ve been blended into the smoothie, it will thicken pretty quickly. So I blend them in at the end, just before drinking.

“The ingredients in my breakfast smoothies vary from season to season, but there are always greens, frozen wild blueberries, freshly ground flax and chia seeds — and some other fresh fruits and veggies that are in season, we have around, and I enjoy.”

Drink your fruits and veggies like John Robbins did, with this Anti-Inflammatory Smoothie, and if you’d like to honor his legacy, visit Food Revolution Alliance, the nonprofit founded in his memory.

Eat Breakfast Like These Top Health Revolutionaries!

Starting your day with a healthy, plant-powered breakfast can set the tone for improved energy, focus, and long-term well-being. The inspiring breakfast choices shared by the Food Revolution Summit speakers highlight the power of whole, nutrient-dense foods to nourish the body and mind. Whether you prefer a smoothie packed with antioxidants, a hearty tofu scramble, or fiber-rich oat pancakes, there are plenty of delicious and satisfying ways to fuel your morning.

By making mindful choices at breakfast, you’re not just supporting your health — you’re also contributing to a food revolution that promotes sustainability, compassion, and disease prevention. So why not give one of these expert-approved meals a try? Your body (and taste buds) will thank you!

Tell us in the comments below:

• What are your favorite healthy breakfast ideas?
• Which of these speakers’ breakfasts sounds best to you?
• Will you try these breakfast ideas while you listen to the Food Revolution Summit?

Featured Image: iStock.com/Arx0nt

The post 7 Healthy Breakfasts from Food Revolution Summit Speakers appeared first on Food Revolution Network.

Meanwhile, healthcare spending (much of it on treating symptoms of chronic disease) is vastly higher in the US than in any other country on Earth. Yet, the US has significantly lower life expectancy than other similarly developed nations. Increasing levels of food allergies and behavioral disorders are also cause for concern. These conditions and diseases are often highly preventable by addressing diet and lifestyle. Could the difference in food safety standards be a factor in these troubling trends?

To understand why the US allows ingredients banned elsewhere, we’ll explore what makes these substances controversial, how they’ve been regulated abroad, and what this reveals about US food policies. By examining the ingredients banned abroad but still permitted in the US, we can better understand what might fuel America’s growing health crises — and what you can do to protect yourself and the people you care about.

How Countries Regulate Food Safety

When it comes to food safety regulations, countries take diverse approaches that reflect their particular priorities, values, and governance systems.

The European Union (EU) operates under a “precautionary principle.” Essentially, it takes a proactive stance, implementing strict regulations on food and chemicals to safeguard public health even when scientific evidence about potential harm isn’t conclusive.

If there’s a hint of risk, the EU will likely ban or heavily restrict the ingredient or additive until its safety can be established. If they aren’t sure, it is better to err on the side of protecting people from potential harm.

Meanwhile, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States follows a very different philosophy. It relies on regulatory impact analysis to determine whether a particular ingredient should be allowed. When considering regulation, benefits and downsides are measured against costs and savings.

This means that those who point out potential danger have the burden of proof. They need to provide concrete evidence of harm before any bans or restrictions are implemented. This is why some additives banned in Europe remain in US food products — they’re considered “safe” within certain usage thresholds because the financial burden of replacing them is deemed more significant than any negative health consequences.

These contrasting approaches reflect bigger-picture priorities. The EU leans toward protecting public trust and erring on the side of caution, while the US gives food and drug companies the benefit of the doubt. Unfortunately, in the US, this means consumers often need to do their own research, read labels carefully, and make informed choices about what they put on their plates.

Check out How to Read Food Labels: Your Complete Consumer Guide for more comprehensive advice on what to look out for.

The Problems With FDA Regulation

As much as we would like to believe that everything on grocery store shelves is safe to put in our bodies, the truth is sometimes different. The food supply in the US (and in many other nations, too) is full of chemical flavorings, additives, colorings, and other questionable ingredients.

But before we look at what foods you should stop eating, let’s explore why the US government lets this happen in the first place.

Generally Recognized As Safe

The answer lies in the FDA’s regulatory process — or lack thereof — for approving food additives. Through a system known as “Generally Recognized As Safe” (GRAS), food companies can use new chemicals and food additives without FDA oversight or approval. GRAS was first implemented in the 1950s, and little has changed in its requirements since then.

What are the requirements for a substance to be considered GRAS? So long as “the substance is generally recognized, among qualified experts, as having been adequately shown to be safe…,” new ingredients are fair game.

Any lawyer reading that quote is probably hyperventilating right now at the vagueness of the terminology. What makes someone a “qualified expert,” for example? And how do those experts “generally recognize” anything?

In practice, food and chemical companies often convene their own “expert” panels to decide whether an ingredient will pose harm. Many of these panels contain scientists with financial ties to all manner of industries — even the tobacco industry (“experts” who may have, at one time, recommended that cigarettes were safe!). Based on a panel’s recommendations, companies may decide to share the results of the panel’s assessment with the FDA. But by law, they’re not required to do so.

Most of the chemicals and additives on the GRAS list have never been tested on humans for long enough to produce meaningful data. Therefore, they can’t be guaranteed safe under the FDA’s requirements. So, it’s no surprise that some GRAS-approved substances have not withstood the test of time.

Take trans fats, for example. By​​ the time the FDA started using the GRAS classification, they were grandfathered in as GRAS. They were marketed as cooking oils and added to foods like frozen pizza, peanut butter, packaged snack foods, and margarine. Unfortunately, we later learned that trans fats were causing upwards of 500,000 deaths per year from associated heart disease.

In 2015, the FDA finally decided that trans fats, or partially hydrogenated oils, were unsafe. It gave food manufacturers a few years to remove them from the food supply. Since the ban, many food companies have replaced trans fats with ingredients like palm oil, which has its own set of concerns.

The reason that many banned foods are still allowed in the US often comes down to money. Companies producing or using ingredients banned abroad may lobby to keep these substances on the market, arguing that restrictions would harm economic competitiveness or innovation. Additionally, these industries often resist stricter labeling laws that could inform consumers about potential risks, citing fears of decreased sales.

So, what can you, as a consumer, do? For one thing, be aware of this list of banned foods that are still in the US food supply.

11 Banned Foods That Are Still Widely Used in the US

Below are some of the most commonly used food ingredients and industry practices allowed in the US but banned or highly regulated elsewhere.

1. Bleached Flour

In the United States, bleached flour is widely used in baked goods such as breads, cakes, cookies, and pastries and sold directly to consumers for home baking. The bleaching process involves treating flour with chemicals like chlorine gas or benzoyl peroxide (which you may recognize from TV commercials for some over-the-counter acne medications — yum!) to achieve a whiter color, softer texture, and finer grain. While this process may enhance the flour’s look and feel, health concerns have been raised due to potential chemical residues and byproducts remaining in the food.

Cake flour, in particular, may retain chemicals due to the bleaching process. One study found trace amounts of alloxan in 24% of chlorine-bleached flour samples tested. Alloxan is used in laboratory settings to induce diabetes in animal models for research. (Our view on animals in medical research is here.) Studies show it can damage the pancreas’ insulin-producing beta cells. The concern is that chronic exposure, even at low levels, might contribute to insulin resistance or impact pancreatic function, particularly in people with existing metabolic dysfunction.

Yet despite the damage they may pose, these chemical bleaching agents are on the GRAS list in the US. In contrast, the EU banned chemical bleaching agents, including chlorine, bromates, and peroxides, in the 1990s. Similarly, the United Kingdom and China prohibit benzoyl peroxide and other chemical whiteners in food products.

For more on flours, including plenty of non-bleached flours, check out our article, Is Flour Healthy? Sifting Through 24 of the Most Popular Types of Flour.

2. Dough Conditioners

Some of the chemicals used to bleach flour are also dough conditioners. Potassium bromate and azodicarbonamide are often used to improve the strength and texture of bread dough used in white breads, rolls, and “egg breads.” However, they may also pose a serious health risk.

Potassium bromate is classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as a category 2B carcinogen, meaning it’s “possibly carcinogenic to humans.” (Their report cites studies showing carcinogenicity in rats, mice, and hamsters.) Exposure to dough conditioners like azodicarbonamide may also cause respiratory disorders like asthma and other breathing difficulties.

Based on this evidence, potassium bromate is banned in China, India, and Brazil, among other countries. Azodicarbonamide is banned in Australia and Europe. Recently, a few US states have also taken action to protect their citizens from these chemicals. In 2023, California became the first US state to ban potassium bromate (along with brominated vegetable oil (BVO), propylparaben and red dye no. 3 taking effect in 2027). The New York State Legislature is actively considering the “Food Safety and Chemical Disclosure Act” (S.1239C / A.1556C), which aims to ban potassium bromate along with other additives from food products sold in the state.

3. Propylparaben

In the United States, propylparaben is used as a preservative in a variety of packaged and processed foods to prevent spoilage. It’s also used as a stabilizer in water-based cosmetics, although the use of parabens in personal care products has recently been restricted in the US and EU.

Animal studies have shown that propylparaben may affect male sex hormones. In a 2002 study, researchers found that it significantly lowered sperm counts in rats. Cornell University research indicated that exposure to parabens may also be linked to breast cancer.

Environmental Working Group senior scientist Johanna Congleton, PhD, reports, “It is of great concern to us that the use of an endocrine-disrupting chemical in our food is considered safe by our own government… Studies show that chemicals that disrupt hormone signaling can lead to developmental and reproductive problems.”

In 2006, the European Food Safety Authority banned the use of propylparaben in food and limited its use in cosmetic products. Although it’s on the FDA’s GRAS list, propylparaben is another food additive that California banned starting in January 2027.

4. BHA and BHT

Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) are popular artificial antioxidants used to preserve dry mixes, cereals, dehydrated potato products, and dry pet foods to increase their shelf life. They’re also found in product packaging, where they can leach into food.

BHA and BHT are endocrine disruptors — meaning that they can alter the normal function of your hormones, especially thyroid hormones, and lead to disease. The IARC also lists BHA as a class 2B carcinogen — “possibly carcinogenic to humans.”

Most countries have at least Allowed Daily Ingestion (ADI) levels for both BHA and BHT, which set amounts that are considered acceptable (although not necessarily safe) in food. The European Union also has a partial ban on the use of BHA and BHT in food and beverages for infants and young children. 

5. Synthetic Food Dyes

Synthetic food dyes, such as blue 2, yellow 5, and red 40, are used to enhance the coloring of certain foods and ingredients to make them more appealing to consumers. Some foods commonly containing food dyes include beverages (like juices, sports drinks, and sodas), candy, and glazes used in baked goods and sweets. They’re even used in seemingly trivial cases: making mustard more yellow, salmon more pink, and jarred pickles the perfect shade of yellow-green. (Again, the food industry maximizes profit rather than focuses on human well-being.) And don’t even get me started on maraschino cherries, which get their vibrant hue from a chemical derived from petroleum distillates or coal tar!

Research has linked the consumption of certain synthetic dyes to an increased risk for numerous health conditions, like kidney, brain, and bladder tumors and hyperactivity in children. Studies show the FDA’s acceptable daily intake for using these dyes in food and beverages may be outdated, leaving children at increased risk.

It’s not like all our food was gray or beige until someone invented artificial colors. US food manufacturers used natural food dyes until the mid-19th century when they turned to cheaper chemicals that turned food into even brighter colors.

Some synthetic food dyes are banned in the UK or highly regulated in Europe and Australia, where more natural coloring compounds are used. In most of the world, for example, the beverage Fanta contains actual fruit juice and is dyed naturally. However, American Fanta is colored with petroleum-derived artificial dyes like red 40 and yellow 6.

Promisingly, some US states are beginning to take matters into their own hands regarding food dyes. Once again, California is leading the charge, banning six synthetic food dyes from schools: red 40, yellow 5, yellow 6, blue 1, blue 2, and green 3. Numerous other states have legislation in the works as well. And in January 2025, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a ban on the use of Red Dye No. 3 in all foods and ingested drugs.  Enforcement of this ban is scheduled to begin on January 15, 2027, for foods and January 18, 2028, for ingested drugs.

6. GMOs

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs), also known as bioengineered (BE) foods, have been around since the 1980s to allegedly “improve beneficial characteristics in plants such as increased yield, drought tolerance or improved taste, for example.”  But the reality has been much different for farmers — and for the health of farmworkers and consumers.

One of the most common herbicides used with GMOs is glyphosate, the primary active ingredient in the weed killer Roundup. Glyphosate exposure and consumption are linked to cancer. Several people won cases alleging that glyphosate caused their cancer. Bayer, the manufacturer of Roundup, is currently fighting cancer lawsuits in multiple states. California alone has over 4,400 Roundup cases.

GMO crops are widespread in the US — most US-produced soy, sugar beets, corn, canola, cotton, and alfalfa are GMO crops. But many European countries and others have banned or regulated them due to public safety concerns. The only GMO crop cultivated in the EU is a type of corn used for animal feed.

In total, 64 countries around the world require GMO labeling. And there are bans or major restrictions in place in Algeria, Austria, Belize, Bhutan, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Ecuador, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malta, the Netherlands, Peru, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Slovenia, Turkey, and Venezuela.

For more in-depth information on GMOs and pesticides, read our article, What Are GMOs or Bioengineered Foods? And Are They Safe?

7. Antibiotics

In the 1940s, it was discovered that antibiotics promoted growth in cattle and other meat-producing animals. Farmers included antibiotics in feed to increase yields for saleable meat. Although the USDA banned antibiotics as growth promoters in 2017, their usage has not been tracked. They are still allowed to prevent and treat illness in livestock.

Concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) often give animals antibiotics to control the disease resulting from overpopulation and overcrowded environments. Antibiotics also function as growth promoters, which could be a bonus to encourage their use.

Ractopamine is an antibiotic used in the US for pigs, cows, and turkeys. It has been banned in 122 countries, including Russia, mainland China, Taiwan, and many European states. In addition to promoting antibiotic resistance, it has been linked to reproductive and cardiovascular damage in humans, as well as chromosomal and behavioral changes.

The EU, Mexico, and New Zealand also have blanket bans on antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs) for livestock.

Unfortunately, as with other drugs given to animals, these chemicals don’t just go away when the animal is slaughtered. Some of them make their way into the meat sold in stores. But getting a side of drugs along with your meat isn’t just a one-time problem. The overuse of antibiotics, whether prescribed directly by a doctor or ingested through our food supply, can have serious consequences. The more antibiotics are used when they’re not necessary, the more likely it can lead to the development of antibiotic-resistant superbugs.

For more on antibiotics in food, see our article, The Surprising Truth About Antibiotics, Factory Farms, and Food Recalls.

8. Herbicides, Insecticides, Fungicides

Herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides are widely used on crops in the US food system to keep them free of bugs and diseases. However, many pesticides harm people, insects, animals, and the environment.

Organophosphate pesticides, including chlorpyrifos, are particularly problematic. Initially developed by the Nazis for chemical warfare, these compounds were later adapted for agricultural use. Numerous studies over the years have connected prenatal exposure to chlorpyrifos and other organophosphates with lowered IQ and attention deficits in children.

Chlorpyrifos was recently banned in the EU and several other countries because of its neurotoxic effects, especially on children. And the US EPA banned it in 2021. However, a US federal court reversed the ban in 2023, and it is still widely used on US crops.

Fungicides like carbendazim are also banned in the EU and Australia but still permitted in the US, even though they are associated with reproductive toxicity and endocrine disruption.

The continued use of these chemicals in the US is largely due to lenient regulations, lobbying by the Big Ag industry, and a focus on cost-benefit analysis. While these substances may provide short-term benefits for farmers, their potential long-term health risks and environmental impacts highlight the need for stricter oversight and alternative farming practices.

For more on pesticides, check out these articles:

The US Still Uses Many Pesticides Banned in Other Countries

Pesticides in Food: What You Should Know and Why it Matters 

EPA Identifies Three Common Pesticides Pushing Endangered Species to the Brink

9. Olestra

Olestra, or Olean, is a cholesterol-free fat substitute created by Procter & Gamble (P&G) in the 1990s. Its creation was to “address one of our nation’s most important health goals — our need to reduce dietary fat intake…” according to Suzette J. Middleton, P&G’s senior nutrition scientist at the time. It’s still used in snacks like fat-free potato chips, prepackaged popcorn, and french fries in the US.

But over the years, Olestra has been known to cause extremely unpleasant digestive reactions, like diarrhea and leaky bowels, because it’s not meant to be digestible. Consuming a lot of it can also lead to deficiencies in fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K, as well as carotenoids.

Olestra’s use in food is banned in Canada and Europe.

10. Synthetic Hormones

Synthetic hormones like rBGH and rBST are widely used in the US dairy industry. The primary reason for this is to increase milk production in dairy cows. However, rBGH and rBST increase IGF-1 levels in humans and may increase the risk of developing cancer. Additionally, cows treated with rBGH are more likely to develop mastitis, an udder infection requiring treatment with antibiotics.

The use of growth hormones in food is banned in Canada, the EU, and other countries.

11. PFAS

PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are synthetic chemicals with grease, water, and heat-resistant properties. PFAS have been used in fast-food wrappers, microwave popcorn bags, and takeout containers. But their resilience comes at a cost. PFAS are also known as “forever chemicals” because they persist in the environment (including drinking water) and human bodies. Ingestion of these chemicals is linked to severe health issues, including cancer, immune dysfunction, and developmental problems.

The European Union, Denmark, and Canada have banned or are phasing out PFAS, reflecting a more precautionary approach to public health. However, in February 2024, the FDA announced a major milestone — the voluntary phase-out of PFAS-based grease-proofing materials in food packaging. This move addresses a significant source of dietary exposure. While progress is being made, PFAS are still allowed in limited applications like cookware and food processing equipment.

The good news is that, as of 2024, at least 12 states, including California, New York, Connecticut, and Washington, have implemented statewide PFAS bans.

What You Can Do

The question you might be asking right now is, what can I do to protect myself? While you can’t immediately control what food companies are choosing to put in their products, you don’t have to eat them. And there are steps you can take to make healthier, safer food choices wherever you live.

Here are some tips on how to make sure the food you eat is as safe as possible:

1. Read all food labels carefully. Familiarize yourself with the aforementioned banned ingredients and their alternative names, and look for them on packaged food labels. For advice on how to read food labels, check out this comprehensive guide.
2. Eat minimally processed or, even better, whole, organic foods as much as possible. Fruits, vegetables, legumes, and grains won’t have the long list of ingredients that packaged and processed foods often do.
3. Cook at home as much as you can. This way, you have more control over the food you’re eating. You’ll know what ingredients are being used and can decide to eat the foods that best align with your values. For cooking tips and tricks, check out our How to Cook series of videos.
4. Support more local, regenerative, and organic farmers.
5. Sign petitions. This is a great way to get involved in public policy, and you don’t even have to leave home. One of my favorite places to find and sign petitions is the Center for Food Safety website.

The good news is that you don’t have to wait for the US FDA or USDA to change policy to make informed choices about what you eat and feed to your family. Every bite you take is a chance to take a stand for a safer and healthier life.

Tell us in the comments:

• How concerned are you about dangerous, banned chemicals in the food supply?
• Do you think the US should adopt a more rigorous review process of chemicals in food?
• Are there any foods or ingredients you won’t eat because you’re concerned about their safety?

Featured Image: iStock.com/happy_lark

Read Next:

• These Harmful Chemicals Are Banned From Organic Food Products
• Common Food Additives in Natural & Organic Foods: Are They Safe?

The post 11 Banned Foods Americans Should Stop Eating appeared first on Food Revolution Network.

While parsley might just look like another leafy green, don’t let its simple appearance fool you. It’s rich in essential vitamins, minerals, and disease-fighting chemical compounds. Imagine adding a simple, flavorful ingredient to your meals that can even help fight cancer!

Curious about how this common kitchen herb can give your health a boost? In this article, you’ll uncover the impressive benefits of parsley and learn how to incorporate it into your diet. Whether you’re a seasoned cook or just looking to add some easy nutrition to your meals, parsley has got you covered. It might be time to transform this humble garnish into your new favorite superfood!

What Is Parsley?

Parsley is a leafy herb in the Apiaceae family, known as umbellifers, which also includes carrots, dill, and celery.

Although it’s now found around the world, parsley is native to northwest Africa and the Mediterranean.

There are three main types of parsley you’re likely to encounter:

• Neapolitanum (flat-leaf or Italian parsley) is used more in cooking due to its stronger flavor.
• Crispum (common or curly-leaved) is often used as a garnish.
• Tuberosum (Hamburg or turnip-rooted) is grown for its edible roots and leaves.

You can find parsley in many European, Middle Eastern, and American cuisines. Its sharp, peppery, and grassy flavor goes well with a wide variety of foods.

Parsley Nutrition

Nutritionally, parsley is a powerhouse. Like other leafy greens, it’s an excellent source of vitamin K, which is crucial for bone health and blood clotting. Believe it or not, parsley has more vitamin K1 than kale, with just two tablespoons of raw parsley containing more than double the recommended daily amount for women and 100% of the amount for men.

Additionally, when combined with regular sunlight exposure, parsley can help your body synthesize CoQ10, an important antioxidant.

This potent herb is also a source of calcium, potassium, and magnesium and provides a good amount of vitamins A and C, as well as folate. These nutrients, as well as antioxidant compounds like apigenin, contribute to its myriad health benefits.

But as you’ll see, parsley shines in one area in particular.

Parsley and Cancer

Apigenin, a flavonoid compound found in parsley, has repeatedly been shown to have strong anticancer properties. In fact, more than 1,400 PubMed-indexed journal articles relate to the compound’s role in cancer prevention and treatment.

In research published in September 2015 in Oncotarget, scientists identified for the first time how apigenin is able to effectively slow down or stop an undesirable enzyme called IKKA, which plays a role in cancer progression. Their conclusion: Apigenin has the potential to significantly reduce cancer progression.

The researchers also showed that apigenin stops tumor growth and lowers the growth rate of dangerous cancer cells in mice (our view on the use of animals in medical research is here).

However, this research is not alone in identifying parsley’s potential anticancer abilities.

• A 2015 study showed parsley extract prevented DNA damage and stopped the proliferation of breast cancer cells in vitro.

• A 2021 study in Nutrition and Cancer used a parsley methanol extract on glioblastoma (a type of brain cancer) cells and found it had antioxidant and antiproliferative properties against the cancer.

• Apigenin has also been studied as a complementary treatment to chemotherapy in leukemia, inducing cell death in cancer cells and improving the sensitivity of certain chemotherapy drugs without additional side effects.

How to Take Advantage of the Anticancer Compounds in Parsley

Dried parsley — with 13,000 mg per 100 grams — is one of the most abundant sources of apigenin. But fresh parsley has a decent amount, too, with around 215 mg per 100 grams.

To get a 10 mg dose, as used in a study on colon cancer by Professor Harald Hoensch of the University of Frankfurt, you would need to take one tablespoon of fresh chopped parsley per day. Or you could sprinkle a small amount of dried parsley into your food.

Other sources of apigenin include grapefruit, peppermint, thyme, raw celery, and rutabagas, as well as chamomile flower tea.

When you begin to add parsley to your meals, here’s a tip: much of the vitamins and volatile compounds are lost during cooking, so eat it raw or add it at the end of cooking, right before serving.

Parsley’s Other Health Benefits

Parsley has some powerful cancer-fighting potential, but its healthful properties don’t stop there. Not even close.

Parsley and Bone Health

Parsley‘s high vitamin K content makes it a beneficial food for your bones. A meta-analysis published in the medical journal Medicine highlights the role of vitamin K in preventing bone fractures. Upon examining five different studies, researchers found higher dietary intake of Vitamin K1 resulted in a 22% lower risk of fractures.

Vitamin K1 is also essential for activating osteocalcin, a protein that binds calcium to bones, contributing to bone mineralization and strength. This activation process is crucial because it ensures that calcium, a primary component of bone, is utilized to maintain bone density and prevent fractures.

Parsley Supports Overall Immunity

Parsley’s rich antioxidant properties, attributed to plant compounds like apigenin and quercetin, play a crucial role in enhancing immune function. These antioxidants help reduce oxidative stress and inflammation, which are key factors in maintaining a robust immune system.

One 2024 study in the journal Molecules noted parsley’s effectiveness in alleviating dermatitis symptoms and muscle cramps, both of which can be linked to immunity. For instance, a reduction in issues like redness and scaling indicates parsley’s ability to support skin health, a vital aspect of the body’s first line of defense against pathogens.

Another study on parsley essential oil extract showed high anti-inflammatory, antifungal, and antibacterial potential. This was largely due to its myristicin content, a natural insecticide that’s also found in nutmeg.

Brain Benefits of Parsley

A study on the therapeutic effects of parsley as a functional food highlighted parsley’s potential to boost brain health and alleviate anxiety and depression. Although it was conducted on mice, the research showed that parsley extract reduced depressive behavior and anxiety as the mice explored more and reacted less to stress.

The study highlighted parsley’s strong antioxidant properties, which are attributed to polyphenols like apigenin and quercetin. These antioxidants combat oxidative stress, which is also a factor in mental health issues.

Apigenin, in particular, may play a role in parsley’s brain-boosting superpowers. An earlier 2015 study found that apigenin could strengthen the formation of neurons and connections between brain cells.

The findings suggest parsley could be a natural and safe way to help manage anxiety and depression, offering benefits with fewer side effects than traditional medications.

Bonus benefit: Eating a bit of fresh parsley after your meal will also freshen your breath naturally.

Parsley Precautions and Downsides

Parsley can cause photosensitivity, whether ingested or if the oils get on the skin, leading to skin reactions upon exposure to sunlight. This is due, at least in part, to psoralen, which is a compound found in parsley that can increase skin sensitivity to UV light.

Some individuals may also experience allergic reactions to parsley, including skin rashes, hives, or respiratory issues. Those with known allergies to plants in the Apiaceae family should exercise caution when including it in their diet. Cross-reactivity with birch pollen may also occur in sensitive individuals.

Additionally, high consumption of parsley can stimulate uterine contractions. If you’re pregnant, you should probably avoid large amounts of parsley to prevent potential pregnancy complications.

Parsley may also interact with certain drugs. A 2023 study showed how apigenin can affect the metabolism of drugs like dasatinib, a medication used for leukemia treatment. The study found that apigenin inhibits certain enzymes in the liver, which can alter the drug’s effectiveness and increase the risk of adverse effects.

How to Use Parsley in Recipes

Whether you choose to consume parsley for its cancer-fighting prowess or other impressive health benefits, it’s a versatile herb that can be used in a variety of recipes for flavor and nutrition.

Flat-leaf or Italian parsley works well when cooked in dishes like grain bowls, pasta dishes, and soups. Its bright green color and mild, peppery taste shine when mixed into marinades and dressings or blended into pestos and chimichurris.

Raw, you can throw it into any type of salad, like tabbouleh or potato salad, for a zesty, herbaceous flavor.

Curly parsley is more frequently used as a garnish, but don’t leave it sitting on your plate! It’s just as good for you as the flat-leaf variety and can also be incorporated into raw or cooked dishes — with a milder flavor.

Dried parsley, like other dried herbs, has a concentrated flavor. You can add it to soups, stews, and sauces during the cooking process to impart its flavor. Dried parsley is also a convenient option for marinades and dips when you don’t have fresh leaves on hand.

When substituting dried parsley for fresh, use one-third the amount, as dried herbs are more potent. As for which is better, it mostly comes down to how you’re going to use it. But, there is some evidence that drying herbs may reduce the potency of essential oils as well as chlorophyll content.

Parsley Recipes

Ready to infuse your meals with fresh, vibrant flavors? Here are three tasty and healthy plant-based recipes that showcase parsley as a star ingredient! Each dish highlights the herb’s bright, herby taste and its numerous health benefits, from being rich in vitamins A, C, and K to its powerful detoxifying properties. Whether you’re looking for a refreshing juice, a flavorful grain dish, or a zesty condiment, these recipes are sure to delight your taste buds and boost your nutrition with parsley.

1. Italian Gremolata

Parsley truly shines in the traditional Italian recipe for gremolata. This vibrant green herb not only adds a splash of color but also delivers a fresh, herby flavor that brightens any dish. When paired with aromatic garlic and tangy lemon zest, it creates a fresh burst of flavors that enhance every bite. Sprinkle this zesty condiment over your favorite savory dish to transform any meal into a delightful culinary experience. Parsley’s natural freshness and vibrant taste make every dish it touches simply irresistible!

2. Detox Juice

An ultra-nourishing green vegetable juice, our detox blend boosts your body’s natural detoxification system through a wealth of nutrients and natural hydration. Crafted with cucumbers, celery, lemon, and parsley, it is both refreshing and revitalizing. Parsley, celebrated for its potent detoxifying properties, is rich in vitamins A, C, and K and packed with antioxidants that enhance your body’s detox pathways. When combined with the hydrating benefits of cucumbers and celery, along with the zing of lemon, this juice becomes an invigorating, cleansing, and refreshing way to enjoy parsley and other delicious greens!

3. Yummy Tabbouleh Salad

Parsley, parsley, and more parsley! Our tabbouleh salad is all about packing in as much fresh, herby flavor as possible. Parsley takes center stage, bringing not only a refreshing taste but also plenty of nutrients. Rich in vitamins A, C, and K and full of antioxidants, parsley supports your immune system, skin health, and detoxification. This salad is perfect as a hearty main dish or a flavorful side to your favorite plant-based proteins. Enjoy the vibrant, nutritious boost in every bite!

Parsley Is More Than Just a Garnish

So, the next time you see that sprig of green on your plate, think twice before pushing it aside. Embrace parsley for the health-boosting superfood it is, and enjoy the myriad benefits it brings to your table. Whether you’re looking to explore parsley’s cancer-preventative activities, improve your bone or brain health, or improve your general immunity, parsley deserves a special place in your diet. Start incorporating this humble herb into your meals today and experience its powerful health benefits for yourself.

Tell us in the comments:

• Were you aware of parsley’s anticancer superpowers?

Featured Image: iStock.com/OlgaLepeshkina

Read Next:

The post How to Stay Healthy and Fight Cancer with Parsley appeared first on Food Revolution Network.

But jackfruit is already a staple food in many traditional dishes across South and Southeast Asia. One jackfruit tree can produce up to three tons of food from this huge and utterly unique fruit per year, providing an almost miraculous source of nourishment and income for people in India, Thailand, and Malaysia, among others.

So, if you’re curious about jackfruit — or have seen jackfruit tacos and pulled jackfruit BBQ popping up in stores and on menus — read on to find out what’s so great about jackfruit. And why you might want to consider giving it a try.

What Is Jackfruit? Where Does It Grow?

Jackfruit (scientific name Artocarpus heterophyllus) is a species of tree in the fig, mulberry, and breadfruit family. Although they are close relatives, jackfruit is not the same as breadfruit — another spiky tropical fruit beloved in the Pacific and Caribbean islands with some similar characteristics. Jackfruit is much larger than breadfruit and is higher in natural sugars and fat.

Other names for jackfruit include kathal (in Hindi), Phanasa (in Marathi), kanun (in Thai), nangka (in Indonesian and Malaysian), jaca (in Portuguese), or “tree mutton” in the Caribbean.

The jackfruit tree originated in southwest India, where it grows abundantly. Throughout history, jackfruit spread to other tropical and subtropical areas, including additional regions of India, Southeast Asia, the East Indies, the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia.

It also grows in Africa and is relatively popular in Brazil, Australia, and Suriname. In the US, jackfruit is primarily grown in Florida and Hawaii and can sometimes be found in grocery stores (especially Asian markets) and natural food stores, either fresh, frozen, dried, or canned.

The largest tree-borne fruit in the world, jackfruit can weigh up to 100 pounds and grow up to three feet long. (The average size of the fruit is 10–25 pounds.)

The huge trees produce massive, green, oblong fruits with a bumpy, fleshy exterior. On the inside, jackfruit is filled with many pale yellow plump bulbs, which are edible and joined at the core. The seeds can also be cooked, eaten on their own, or ground into flour.

A ripe, unopened jackfruit has a strong, smelly odor — like a combination of fruit and onions. But the pulp of the opened fruit smells sweet.

What Does Jackfruit Taste Like?

When eaten ripe, the taste of jackfruit is similar to pineapple, mango, and banana. When it’s unripe and green, the jackfruit has more of a neutral vegetable-like flavor, similar to a potato, and works well in savory dishes.

One great thing about green jackfruits is that they don’t have a strong flavor on their own, so they’re able to soak up herbs, spices, and other flavorings. This allows the fruit to be made into plant-based versions of shredded chicken, pulled pork, or other meat-like meals.

Jackfruit can be made into a wide variety of dishes, both sweet and savory. And the seeds are often boiled or roasted and eaten as snacks, with a taste that’s similar to chestnuts.

For more on what to do with jackfruit, including how to cook it, check out our companion article, How to Eat Jackfruit: 7 Delicious Plant-Based Recipes to Try.

Jackfruit Nutrition

Jackfruit isn’t only a fun and meatless way to add something new to your usual meals. It’s also rich in nutrients, including fiber and antioxidants.

Jackfruit’s nutrition is impressive. One researcher even called it a “miracle” food because it provides so many nutrients.

A one-cup serving of jackfruit contains 143 calories and boasts the following lineup of vitamins and minerals:

• Fiber: 2.3 grams
• Protein: 2.6 grams
• Carbohydrates: 35.1 grams
• Thiamin (B1) 13% of Recommended Daily Intake (RDI)
• Vitamin B6: 29% of RDI
• Folate (B9): 9% of RDI
• Vitamin C: 23% of RDI
• Magnesium: 10% of RDI
• Potassium: 14% of RDI
• Copper: 13% of RDI

Jackfruit seeds are especially nutritious as they’re high in protein, potassium, calcium, and iron. They’re also a source of resistant starch that has prebiotic activity in the gut.

Jackfruit Benefits for Your Body

There aren’t a lot of studies on jackfruit, especially in its whole-food form. But these are just a few ways it may benefit your health:

Diabetes and Jackfruit

Recent studies reveal jackfruit’s promising role in managing type 2 diabetes. One study demonstrated that incorporating jackfruit flour into the diets of individuals with type 2 diabetes significantly improved markers of blood sugar control, including reductions in HbA1c as well as both fasting and postprandial glucose. This result indicates that jackfruit flour could serve as an effective component of medical nutrition therapy for diabetes.

Another investigation focused on the blood sugar-lowering properties of jackfruit seeds. This study used animal models to show that jackfruit seed extract could significantly reduce blood glucose levels and possibly enhance the effects of diabetes medications. (Our view on the use of animals in medical research is here.)

Even jackfruit leaves may have medicinal qualities. In Indian Ayurveda tradition, consuming hot water extracts of (jackfruit) kathal leaves is said to help treat type 2 diabetes.

Collectively, these studies and traditional uses suggest that different parts of the jackfruit — be it the flour, seeds, or leaves — could be beneficial in the dietary management of diabetes.

Jackfruit and Eye Health

Jackfruit is a rich source of phytochemicals, especially carotenoids. Both provitamin A carotenoids like beta-carotene and non-provitamin A carotenoids like lutein and zeaxanthin are found in jackfruit. These plant compounds are known for their eye health benefits, with the latter two accumulating in the macula of the eye, which protects against age-related macular degeneration.

Jackfruit’s Heart Benefits

Jackfruit’s antioxidant content may have beneficial properties for your heart. Oxidation in the body can contribute to inflammation and even elevate blood cholesterol and blood pressure. The antioxidants in jackfruit work to combat oxidation and free radicals, preventing their accumulation in cells and organs like the heart.

The soluble fiber content of jackfruit may also have a cholesterol-lowering effect. Higher amounts of fiber intake are associated with lower overall cholesterol levels as well as lower LDL cholesterol.

Anticancer Benefits of Jackfruit

There’s a lot of controversy over so-called “antinutrients” and whether or not they’re good for you. But researchers have found they serve a protective purpose for plants — and people.

Jacalin, a lectin found in jackfruit flesh and seeds, may be particularly beneficial for the immune system and staving off cancer. One study tested jackfruit’s phytochemical activity against human colon cancer cells. The study’s findings showed that jackfruit had an impact on both normal and cancerous cells, mainly through its impact on the immune system and its antioxidant activity.

Another study took this evidence further by demonstrating jacalin’s ability to modulate macrophages (an important type of white blood cell), effectively initiating the elimination of tumors in the body.

Saponins can also stop cancer cells from replicating. In one study, 35 mg/mL of jackfruit seed extract showed evidence of angiogenesis prevention, stopping the creation of new blood cells in tumors.

A Sustainable Choice for a Growing World

With its huge size, impressive nutrient density, and crowd-pleasing taste, jackfruit could be one of the most promising solutions for sustainably feeding the world.

Amazingly, one jackfruit tree can grow about 100–200 fruits in a year. That’s up to a ton of fruit per year, from one tree!

Compared to the intensive land and water resources necessary to produce meat, jackfruit is far more efficient as a global food source.

Danielle Nierenberg, president of Food Tank (which promotes healthy and sustainable agriculture) told The Guardian this about jackfruit:

“It is easy to grow. It survives pests and diseases and high temperatures. It is drought-resistant. […] It achieves what farmers need in food production when facing a lot of challenges under climate change.”

Some jackfruit producers, such as The Jackfruit Company, are also working to produce the fruits with regenerative agriculture and help secure organic certifications for farmers.

Crudely nicknamed the “poor man’s fruit,” researchers are aiming to increase jackfruit consumption in India, where the food has mostly fallen out of favor and often goes to waste. Making jackfruit a favorite staple food again could help feed millions of people who are facing food insecurity. It could also help boost the income of farmers, due to the many marketable products derived from jackfruit trees and fruit.

Jackfruit in the US

While jackfruit is a sustainable food choice in Southeast Asian countries, the sustainability of jackfruit is more complex in the US, Canada, and Europe because of transportation. While some jackfruit is grown in Hawaii, Florida, and Mexico, the majority of jackfruit in North America and Europe is imported from India, Vietnam, and Thailand.

Shipping jackfruit long distances involves significant food miles, contributing to carbon emissions and energy consumption. This diminishes some of the environmental benefits.

However, researchers also tell us that when foods are shipped, the carbon footprint of the shipping, while real, is less significant than the carbon footprint of packaging or of the food itself. In other words, from a climate change perspective, it’s probably much better to eat jackfruit from the other side of the world than beef from next door.

Disadvantages of Jackfruit

While jackfruit has many potential benefits and applications, there are also a few downsides to consider.

Latex Allergies

Jackfruit contains a sticky, white sap in its skin and core that has proteins similar to latex.  As such, it can cause reactions in those sensitive or allergic to latex. Contact with its sap during the handling and preparation of fresh jackfruit can lead to skin irritation or, in rare cases, more severe allergic reactions like anaphylaxis.

If you have a latex allergy, it’s crucial to take precautions such as wearing gloves while cutting the fruit or, in some cases, avoiding the fruit altogether to prevent any adverse reactions.

Medication Interactions

As we saw when examining its health benefits, jackfruit can lower blood glucose levels, especially when it’s consumed in large quantities. However, this effect might complicate blood sugar management for individuals with diabetes. For those taking diabetes medications, such as insulin or sulfonylurea drugs, hypoglycemia could occur with excessive jackfruit consumption.

Additionally, because jackfruit is high in potassium, it can have an effect on certain medications, such as beta-blockers. These drugs are used to treat heart conditions by blocking beta-receptors that control signals in the sympathetic nervous system, regulating essential systems like your heartbeat. But beta-blockers also block potassium channels, causing an increase in serum potassium levels. Excess dietary potassium intake can increase the risk of hyperkalemia, causing an imbalance in electrolytes. Moderation may be key here, especially if you have a preexisting health condition.

Anyone taking medications for either of these conditions should consult with a health care provider before incorporating significant amounts of jackfruit into their diet to ensure there are no adverse interactions.

The Final Word on Jackfruit

Jackfruit is a remarkable fruit that offers a multitude of benefits for health, sustainability, and culinary versatility. Depending on whether you eat it unripe and green or ripe and yellow, it can be savory and “meaty” or a sweet and delicious fruit. As a sustainable crop that grows in huge quantities, it holds promise as a food security solution in tropical regions. Its nutritional profile and potential health benefits make it a worthy addition to most dietary patterns.

It also offers an interesting way to expand culinary horizons around the world — especially as a plant-based meat substitute.

You can eat the whole fruit as is or choose frozen, canned, or dried jackfruit pieces. Many processed jackfruit products also exist that do most of the preparation for you, but may also include excessive sodium and undesirable food additives and other ingredients. Like most foods, eating jackfruit closest to its whole form will give you the most health benefits.

Tell us in the comments:

• Have you eaten jackfruit? Why or why not? What did you think?

Featured Image: iStock.com/bhofack2

Read Next:

• What Is Tempeh? How to Include This Fabulous, Fermented Food in Your Diet
• From Beef to Beets: Plant-Based Recipes for Meat Lovers

The post What Is Jackfruit? The Tropical Food That’s Turning Heads appeared first on Food Revolution Network.

However, this pursuit is not without its pitfalls. The use of certain chemicals in many mainstream beauty products has raised concerns, with studies linking them to serious health issues such as cancer, hormone disruption, and other problems. And while there are “clean beauty” alternatives, the lack of regulation in the beauty industry makes it difficult to assign a universal definition to the term.

It’s also worth noting that the approach taken by many beauty treatments tends to be, quite literally, skin-deep, addressing only the outward symptoms without tackling the underlying causes. Sometimes, beauty treatments don’t even work — or require risky procedures. This mirrors the way Western medicine tends to treat disease symptoms, often failing to address the root cause of health issues. And, in many cases, failing to resolve the issue entirely (or causing more problems in the process).

Remarkably, often it’s preventative care, or nourishing your body from the inside out, that turns out to be the most effective. There are things you can do to prevent premature wrinkles and brittle nails, just as there are things you can do to stave off chronic disease.

While there are no guarantees in life, there are natural strategies that not only promise to enhance your appearance but also contribute to your overall well-being. You can feel good, live well, and by extension, look better, too. By approaching beauty and vitality from a holistic point of view, one that encompasses both diet and lifestyle, you can forge a path toward inner health and outer radiance.

7 Expert Natural Beauty Tips from Food Revolution Summit Speakers

Let’s explore some natural beauty tips from some Food Revolution Summit speakers, including doctors, nutritionists, and best-selling authors with deep expertise in eating well, feeling good, and looking good. Read on to hear what they had to say.

1. Dr. Shayla Toombs-Withers Uses Food Internally and Externally for Radiant Skin and Hair

Shayla Toombs-Withers, DO, is a family physician and the founder of Essence of Health Wellness Clinic in Chattanooga, TN. She combines her deep knowledge of medicine, plant-based nutrition, and athletic training to provide comprehensive care to her patients.

When asked about the diet and lifestyle choices she utilizes in her own life and recommends to her patients to support healthy skin, hair, and teeth, she focused in on coconut oil.

While coconut oil has been called a “miracle cure” for a myriad of ailments, Dr. Toombs-Withers sets the record straight. “Coconut oil goes in your hair or on your skin, not in your mouth. Coconut oil is high in saturated fat, and we know that this can contribute to cardiovascular disease. Oily foods can also contribute to acne.”

“However,” she went on, “Coconut oil is light and moisturizing and is wonderful for soothing the skin and giving your hair a nice healthy glow.”

(To find out more about the health effects of eating coconut, read our article Is Coconut Good for You?)

So what foods does Dr. Toombs-Withers recommend to help you shine from the inside out?

“When it comes to what we do put in our mouths, it’s important to consume foods with a sufficient amount of vitamins C and E for healthy skin. Some great ways of getting these nutrients naturally in the diet are by starting your day with a smoothie. I like to add frozen pineapple to my smoothies as it serves as a natural sweetener and is high in vitamin C. I also like to add dark leafy greens like spinach or kale, which are great sources of both vitamins E and C.”

For more on vitamin C’s health and beauty benefits, check out this article.

And to read more on vitamin E, click here.

2. This Protein Is What Dr. Joel Kahn Credits for His Youthful Appearance

Dr. Joel Kahn has triple board certification in internal medicine, cardiovascular medicine, and interventional cardiology and is widely known as “America’s Healthy Heart Doc.” He is the founder of the Kahn Center for Cardiac Longevity and a clinical professor of medicine at Wayne State University School of Medicine.

“After exclusively eating a diet of whole plant foods for over 46 years, I am proud to have a crop of dark hair on my head and fairly tight, youthful skin. I credit this in part to understanding collagen synthesis, the backbone of hair, skin, and even blood vessels,” Dr. Kahn tells us.

Both “vitamin C and the amino acid lysine are needed to manufacture collagen in the body,” says Dr. Kahn.

“Vitamin C is easy, as I eat 3–4 servings of fruits daily and lots of greens.

“Lysine is an essential amino acid that we cannot manufacture. Fortunately, legumes, nuts, seeds, and leafy greens are great sources of lysine. Dried seaweed is actually the highest source of lysine, and I enjoy snacking on it as a treat. Pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, and pistachio nuts are the next highest in lysine, and you will find these in the super salad I eat daily. Chia seeds, flax seeds, and soybeans are also great sources and part of my daily diet.

“With those foods in my diet, I feel like a collagen machine spitting out healthy hair, skin, nails, and blood vessels. You can get some delicious recipes using these foods in my book The Plant-Based Solution.”

Collagen supplements don’t help your body build collagen. To find out what does help, read our article on How to Build Collagen Naturally.

3. Dr. Apple Bodemer Uses These Diet and Lifestyle Strategies to Promote Skin and Hair Health

Apple Bodemer, MD, is board-certified in dermatology, integrative medicine, and lifestyle medicine. Her mission is to educate people to take care of their skin and hair through a healthy diet and lifestyle.

According to Dr. Bodemer, “Our food choices are perhaps the most powerful ways that we can promote health, well-being, and vitality (not to mention beauty!).

“I am a fiber fanatic, and there are so many reasons that high-fiber diets are good for our skin. Fiber helps promote a healthy gut microflora which impacts general inflammation, including inflammation of the skin.

“Fiber also increases GI transit time (yes, I am talking about poop!), which helps maintain a healthy hormone balance by removing old, used-up hormones so they can’t be recycled and sent back into circulation. Hormones play a variety of roles in skin and hair health, and when they are out of balance, we start to see issues including hair loss, dryness, dull skin, inflammation, and blemishes.”

For more on the relationship between fiber and hormones, check out our article here.

Diet is not the only way to protect your skin, however.

“What we expose our skin to also impacts the function and appearance of skin. UV radiation is the strongest external promoter of the aging process. I happen to be fair-skinned, so I am especially sensitive to the effects of UV radiation. I wear sunscreen (mineral-based) when it is necessary, but I view sunscreen as a backup plan and focus on timing my outdoor activities, looking for shade when I can, and wearing protective clothing as my primary UV protection tools.”

Find out How Food Can Naturally Protect Your Skin From the Sun.

Additionally, Dr. Bodemer recommends managing stress for better sleep, as both play a role in skin function and appearance.

4. Nutritionist Andy Bellatti Nourishes His Skin by Eating These Foods

Andy Bellatti, MS, RDN, is a Las Vegas-based dietitian with a plant-centric and whole-food focus who takes an interest in food politics, deceptive food marketing, sustainability, and food justice. He also founded and was the strategic director of Dietitians for Professional Integrity — a group that advocated for ethical and socially responsible practices within the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

As a dietitian, food is the number one health and natural beauty tip Andy swears by.

“Leafy greens are full of nutrients that support skin health, including vitamin A, folate, and vitamin C (which stimulates collagen synthesis). They’re also an excellent choice for bone health due to their calcium and vitamin K content.

“Foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids (flax seeds, hemp seeds, chia seeds, and walnuts) are also my go-tos to help maintain skin elasticity.”

For more on leafy greens, check out our article Leafy Greens: How to Source, Wash, Store, & Prepare Them.

And for a guide to fatty acids, check out Omega-3s: Why Are They Important — And What Are the Best Sources for Your Health?

5. Prioritize Good Food, Exercise, and Sleep with Dr. Vanita Rahman

Vanita Rahman, MD, is the clinic director at the Barnard Medical Center and Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, where she leads clinical research, educates medical students, and provides patient care with an emphasis on plant-based nutrition. Dr. Rahman believes nutrition and lifestyle play a crucial role in the prevention and management of many diseases, and that it is important to treat all aspects of a patient’s health, including diet, exercise, sleep, and stress management.

“What is my secret to maintaining healthy skin, hair, and vitality? That’s easy: minimally processed plant-based foods, regular physical activity, and eight hours of sleep every night.

“I love to start my day with a workout, which varies between weight lifting, running, and yoga. I follow that with a wholesome breakfast, such as a whole grain waffle topped with peanut butter, bananas, and loads of berries or no-cook muesli. For lunch, I usually pack something that keeps well at room temperature, such as a couscous salad with chickpeas, tomatoes, and cucumbers. One of my favorite dinners is tofu curry with corn, carrots, and a side of sticky rice.

“I make it a point to dim the lights and turn off all ‘screens’ an hour before bedtime and get to bed on time. When I sleep enough, eat well, and exercise, my skin glows from the inside out — and I feel energetic and ready to take on the day!

You may find the recipes for these meals and more in my cookbook, Simply Plant-Based.”

6. Food Revolution Network CEO and Summit Host, Ocean Robbins, Utilizes Cold Plunges for Health and Vitality

Ocean Robbins was born in a log cabin built by his parents and grew up eating food they grew on the land together. At age 16, he co-founded an organization called YES! (Youth for Environmental Sanity) that he directed for the next 20 years, and now serves as cofounder (with his dad, John Robbins) and CEO of Food Revolution Network.

While some people utilize heat therapy in the form of saunas and steam rooms, Ocean’s recommendation for outer radiance has a very chilly source!

“When I was growing up, my family had a custom that after every shower, we would wrap up in a towel, run outside the house, and ‘plunge’ in a plastic wading pool — no matter the season. Sometimes, in the winter, we’d break up the ice with a hammer. And sometimes, in the summer, we’d plunge just as a way of cooling down on a hot day.

“Recently, my wife and I took the next step in this family tradition, by getting a proper refrigerated and self-cleaning ‘plunge’ tub. I go in it pretty much every day now.

“We have studies telling us that cold plunges can enhance mood and focus, reduce inflammation and muscle soreness, improve recovery and physical performance, support immune function, improve resilience, and accelerate metabolism. And perhaps most important for this conversation — a cold plunge can trigger collagen production.

“Collagen, as we know, is critical to skin elasticity. And more collagen reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Cold immersion might also lead to the temporary constriction of blood vessels, which can lessen swelling and impart a vibrant youthful radiance to the skin.”

7. Time-Restricted Eating Keeps Susan Peirce Thompson, PhD, Looking and Feeling Young and Healthy

In the 1990s, Susan Peirce Thompson, PhD, went from a drug-addicted teenager to a food-addicted young woman. In a quest to reclaim her life, she got clean, stopped eating sugar and flour, and went from size 16 to size 4. Now, as a professor of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, president of the Institute for Sustainable Weight Loss, and CEO of Bright Line Eating, she and her team are on a mission to help one million people achieve long-term, sustainable weight loss by 2030.

As part of Susan’s science-backed program for weight loss and food freedom, she not only focuses on what to eat but also when to eat.

“Research shows that when I eat has huge implications for autophagy, the healing and repair of each cell and organelle in the body. And when deep, cleansing, cellular repair is happening each and every day, my skin, hair, nails, eyes, and organs all stay young and healthy.

“Autophagy kicks in when the body is fully fasted, so here’s the structure I follow: I eat three abundant meals a day — breakfast, lunch, and dinner — and I don’t snack in between. I also aim to eat dinner on the earlier side (usually around 4 or 5 pm), which leaves a nice long fasting window before breakfast. I heard recently that snacking between meals is like putting more clothes into the washing machine in the middle of a laundry cycle, and I love that analogy.

“Never eating after dinner also ensures that all the digestive organs are aligned with the brain’s central body clock, making for a robust circadian rhythm. This results in deep beauty sleep every night and brilliant energy all day long. It’s so simple, and so powerful: Eating three bountiful meals a day is a huge key to beauty, health, and vitality!”

Recipes to Help You Shine from the Inside Out

Tap into the internal “fountain of youth” with these mouthwatering recipes inspired by the natural beauty tips from our Food Revolution Summit speakers. Each one is filled with plant-powered ingredients designed to enhance your cognitive function, promote restful sleep, and provide the energy you need to thrive throughout your day — the wholesome way. The cherry on top is that each of these recipes is also crafted to boost the health of your skin, hair, and nails, allowing your natural radiance to glow from within!

1. Buckwheat Muesli

Buckwheat Muesli is a breakfast our FRS speaker Dr. Vanita Rahman is sure to love. Filled with protein-packed buckwheat and nourishing nuts and seeds that are great for your skin, brain, and overall health, this wholesome breakfast is the ticket to natural radiance and vitality. It’s also quick to prepare (though the buckwheat does need presoaking). Regardless, Buckwheat Muesli is a wonderfully nourishing start to the day that’s fueled by the power of plants!

2. Nutty and Seedy Kale Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette

Nutty and Seedy Kale Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette is brimming with nutrients that are great for your skin, specifically vitamins C and E, which are abundant in nearly every ingredient in this superfood salad. What’s more, this salad is also rich in vitamin A in the form of beta-carotene from kale (it’s true what they say — kale is a superfood!). This colorful dish will keep your skin, body, and mind looking youthful and feeling vibrant with ingredients that support collagen!

3. Tofu and Broccoli Stir-Fry

Tofu and Broccoli Stir-Fry is a protein-packed and phytonutrient-rich dish you’ll be enjoying time and time again. The crunchy-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside tofu, and slightly sweet and spicy stir-fry sauce are the perfect complements to the crisp broccoli. With plenty of vitamins C, K, and A, as well as folate, potassium, iron, manganese, and calcium, this savory dish is full of the essential nutrients you need to harness natural beauty and vitality. Plus, this powerhouse meal is one of the most nutritious (and delicious) stir-fries around!

4. Blueberry Chia Oat Crumble

We, like Dr. Apple Bodemer, are also superfans of fiber. And this Blueberry Chia Oat Crumble is packed with wholesome fiber, omega-3 fatty acids, and plenty of anti-inflammatory ingredients to help your gut thrive and your skin shine. Enjoy this fruity crumble as an energizing breakfast to begin your plant-powered day!

5. Strawberry Pistachio Iced Matcha Latte

If you don’t have the ability to take an icy cold plunge (and even if you do), our Strawberry Pistachio Iced Matcha Latte can go the extra mile to help support healthy, glowing, and radiant skin. Matcha, strawberries, and pistachios offer triple anti-inflammatory support, plus aid in healthy collagen synthesis to help slow down the signs of aging. Teeming with plenty of antioxidants, including vitamins C and E, this creamy, fruity, and naturally sweet latte has plenty of plant power to keep your skin, hair, and nails looking youthful, healthy, and vibrant!

Treat Your Body Well to Stay Youthful and Radiant!

Turning to natural beauty and vitality is an invitation to rethink our approach to personal care. Guided by the wisdom of Food Revolution Summit speakers, we can see the connection between our dietary choices, lifestyle practices, and the health of our skin, hair, nails, and overall radiance.

The key to unlocking this natural beauty is nurturing our health from the inside out — and utilizing techniques that focus on optimizing our bodily systems. By considering how our daily habits impact our overall health and appearance, we can adopt a more health-focused approach, and foster a sense of wellness that radiates from within.

Tell us in the comments:

• Do you have a beauty routine?
• What is your approach to beauty and vitality from the inside out?
• What are your favorite collagen-boosting foods?

Featured Image: iStock.com/supersizer

Read Next:

• 8 Healthy Breakfasts from Food Revolution Summit Speakers
• How to Take Care of Your Hair and Nail Health
• Clean Skincare: Nature’s Top 10 Most Effective Anti-Aging & Longevity Ingredients to Use on Your Skin

The post 7 Natural Beauty Tips for Radiant Skin appeared first on Food Revolution Network.

In the modern world, with more ways to communicate than ever, thanks to technology, you might think that feelings of connection between people should be at an all-time high. But even though we have the ability to reach people at any time with tools like email, social media, and text messaging, many people feel deeply unsatisfied with the quality of social connection in their lives.

Worldwide, people are reporting feeling lonelier than ever. A 2023 Meta-Gallup survey taken across 142 countries found 24% of people ages 15 and older reported feeling lonely. And in the US, the Surgeon General’s office even put out a special report, “Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation,” to address this dire issue and make it a national health priority.

According to the US Surgeon General report, a lack of social connection can increase disease incidence, making us more susceptible to cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, infectious diseases, and depression and anxiety, as well as impacting mortality rates.

But why do we as a society feel so alone, and what can we do about it?

In a quest to find the answers, we turned to Dr. Janina Scarlet, a San Diego, CA-based clinical psychologist who wrote the recently released book Unseen, Unheard, Undervalued: Managing Loneliness, Loss of Connection and Not Fitting In. After her own struggles and experience with loneliness, Dr. Scarlet sought to share what she had learned about loneliness and how to navigate this uncomfortable emotion.

We sat down with her to examine the impact of loneliness on our lives, how you can feel more connected, and the ways in which you can help others feel less lonely, too.

Defining Loneliness and its Universality

FRN: Thank you for being with us. Loneliness is such an isolating emotion, which makes it hard to know if we’re truly alone or not. Can you tell us, is loneliness normal, and does it affect everyone equally?

Loneliness does not mean being physically alone in space. It means feeling emotionally disconnected from other people. And it is something that everyone who is capable of feeling emotions is able to feel.

Dr. Janina Scarlet, Clinical Psychologist and Author

Dr. Janina Scarlet: Loneliness is absolutely normal. I just think most of us don’t talk about it or might not know what it is. Loneliness is a universal emotion, much like joy and sadness and fear. Loneliness does not mean being physically alone in space. It means feeling emotionally disconnected from other people. And it is something that everyone who is capable of feeling emotions is able to feel.

FRN: What are some of the causes of loneliness? You mentioned a little bit about emotional disconnection from people, and maybe physical, too; but what else beyond that?

Dr. Janina Scarlet: Grief, trauma, bullying, being made to feel like the “other.” So, any discrimination, racism, sexism, xenophobia, homophobia, all of those can greatly increase our feelings of loneliness — when we feel like we don’t belong, when we feel like we are the other, or when we are made to feel like we are the “other” by society, or when we’re invalidated about how we’re feeling.

For example, when we’re going through chronic illness other people might tell us to “get over it.” So, in many of those situations, people are likely to feel misunderstood by others and, therefore, lonely and emotionally disconnected.

FRN: Why do you think that older adults are particularly at risk for loneliness?

Dr. Janina Scarlet: I think for many older adults, if they’re, for example, not able to express what they’re going through, when they’ve maybe lost loved ones to either death or illness or distance, or maybe they don’t feel like they have a safe place to express what they’re going through, even if they’re around other people — even if they’re living with other people — they’re more likely to feel lonely.

The Interplay of Loneliness and Health

FRN: Do you think experiencing chronic pain or illness plays into it as well?

Dr. Janina Scarlet: Absolutely. People who are going through chronic illness are a lot more likely to feel lonely. And especially when folks have been taught to “suck it up,” they’re more likely to pretend to be okay, whereas inside, they might be really struggling.

And it’s when they meet other people who might be going through it, too, that their masks are more likely to come down. And they’re more likely to find that sense of belonging.

In 2020, before the pandemic started, the United States Surgeon General was estimating that the rate of loneliness in the United States was about 25%. The current loneliness estimates in the United States are now at about 50%.

And in places like the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and, I believe, Australia, where loneliness has been studied in emergency rooms, it was estimated that about one in every four to five emergency room visits had to do with loneliness.

FRN: That’s so sad. Well, going along the lines of health, then, why is it that human connection is so important to good health, not just mental health, but even disease prevention?

Dr. Janina Scarlet: Absolutely. We as humans are wired for connection, not only psychologically but also physiologically.

When we’re around other people, especially people that we like, people we trust, our bodies produce this very special hormone called oxytocin. And oxytocin is something that makes us feel better, not only emotionally but also physically. It strengthens our immune health, and it strengthens our cardiovascular health as well.

Individuals who have a steady supply of oxytocin, if you will, through meaningful social connections, are actually less likely to even develop things like the common cold because their immune system is stronger.

FRN: That’s really incredible. It also makes me think about — what is it — broken heart syndrome, too. So is that the same idea?

Dr. Janina Scarlet: Absolutely. So, broken heart syndrome is a physiological phenomenon where somebody dies, usually from a heart attack, within a year of a painful loss, such as the loss of a spouse or a child. However, we find that when individuals who are bereaved have a significant support system where they feel truly seen and supported and safe to express their pain, the risk of broken heart syndrome is significantly reduced.

Food and Loneliness

FRN: Yeah. I feel like most people don’t really think about the impact that their emotions really can have on their health in the short term, but in the long term, too.

Besides health — I don’t know if you can speak on this — but what role does food and connecting over food have in preventing loneliness?

Dr. Janina Scarlet: I think many cultures worldwide connect over different activities, whether it’s food or making food. For some, it’s cleaning together. For some, after disasters, it’s people getting together and helping to rebuild.

So, I think when people have some tradition or purpose that brings them together, that sense of belonging increases, and that oxytocin development really spikes, making us healthier.

So, of course, we know that ideally, we want to eat healthy; we want to exercise. But it seems that a sense of belonging is just as important as a healthy diet and exercise. So, if we can bond over activities like walking together or eating together, I imagine that we can be even healthier.

A sense of belonging is just as important as a healthy diet and exercise.

Dr. Janina Scarlet, Clinical Psychologist and Author

FRN: Yeah, totally. What if people around you aren’t necessarily eating the same diet as you or the same types of foods? Do you have any tips for navigating that situation to still connect with people?

Dr. Janina Scarlet: I don’t think it matters what people are eating so long as everyone is welcoming. I think that when people have dietary restrictions or they, for whatever reason, might need to have a different eating plan, the most important thing is that everyone is accepting of whatever that person needs to eat.

So, for example, I have certain food allergies, and when I go somewhere where people are eating things that I’m not able to have, it doesn’t bother me so long as folks are inclusive. For example, when I went to my in-laws’ Thanksgiving dinner, they were very kind in terms of asking me what foods I was able to have and made me a separate dish within my allergy restrictions. And that made me feel included, even though there were certain things they were eating that I wasn’t and vice versa.

So I don’t think it’s about eating the same food. I think it’s about folks respecting each other’s differences that really matters.

Dr. Scarlet’s Experience with Loneliness

FRN: I agree. If you are comfortable, could you share how you’ve experienced loneliness in your own life and what helps you connect with others?

Dr. Janina Scarlet: Yeah, absolutely. So, I grew up in the former Soviet Union. And the mentality was that if you’re feeling lonely, you’re simply not being grateful. So, the assumption was that you just have to remember all these wonderful people that are in your life — for example, your mom or your dad or whoever, or your cat — and that should magically make you feel better. Only, when I received this advice from my family members and teachers, I felt even more alone because I felt even more misunderstood about my experience.

So for me, fictional characters helped me feel more seen. You see, my family and I lived through the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986, but not before being exposed to radiation. When I came to the United States, I experienced painful bullying, with many children in school asking me if I was “radioactive” or “glow-in-the-dark.”

But seeing how fictional characters dealt with loneliness in terms of people who have been discriminated against, let’s say the X-Men [Editor’s Note: A group of fictional comic book characters who are mutants with superhuman abilities], allowed me to see a stronger representation of my feelings than I was able to meet in real life. And because I was able to find even fictional characters to connect with, I felt less lonely.

When I became a psychologist, I started using fictional metaphors or fictional characters to invite folks to find someone who shares their experience. When they were able to resonate with a fictional character, they were often able to feel less lonely and more understood. And if they were able to, for example, join a support group where there were other folks who had similar experiences, they were able to feel less lonely in that regard as well.

So for me, it was finding someone, even a fictional character, who shared my experience that really helped me to manage loneliness. So that’s something I try to do even to this day.

And then my other strategy has been journaling, to become my own witness to my experience, and that’s something I encourage folks to do on a regular basis as well.

Giving Ourselves What We Need

FRN: That was actually what I was going to ask you next. What are some strategies or techniques that someone could use to help validate their own feelings and experiences?

Dr. Janina Scarlet: One exercise I really like to invite folks to do is an exercise I developed that’s called journaling in two parts. So, in this exercise, we split the page in half by drawing a line down the middle. And on the left-hand side, we write about how we feel — for example, that we feel misunderstood or invalidated by other people. And on the right-hand side, we write a compassionate response as if we’re talking to a friend.

So if we wrote a bullet point on the left-hand side about our struggles, on the right-hand side, we write a point-by-point response. Or if we wrote it as more of a narrative, on the right-hand side we write a narrative compassionate response. And a lot of folks report feeling significantly less lonely after practicing this exercise.

FRN: What do you think it is about that exercise that resonates with people?

Dr. Janina Scarlet: I think it’s about bearing witness to our experience so that we know what we’re going through, and then providing that compassionate wisdom that we really seek in others. Sometimes, we might fail to get this kind of support from other people because of their lack of skills in offering support. But we know what we need to hear, so through practicing journaling in two parts, we’re able to give ourselves exactly what we need.

And then, once we are able to do that, we might even be able to advocate for ourselves. We might say to, for example, our partner or our friend, “Hey, could you maybe use this statement with me? Could you, for example, tell me, ‘Hey, I see you when you’re in pain, or I hear you.’”

And I think that once we are able to advocate for what we want, we’re more likely to get our needs met and feel significantly less lonely with folks who are willing to meet our needs in that way.

Resiliency and Loneliness

FRN: That’s great. Can you explain the concept of resiliency and building resiliency and how that might relate to loneliness as well?

Dr. Janina Scarlet: So, resilience has to do with getting back up after we feel down. It has to do with the willingness to do something difficult, to come out of something that we’re struggling with. It doesn’t mean not feeling bad. It doesn’t mean that things won’t get us knocked down. Instead, it means getting up and standing up for what we believe in.

And for many folks, I think a lot of times when we get knocked down, let’s say through something painful such as a friendship breakup, we might be really heartbroken about it. So many folks wait to feel better before they start making other friends. But that could take a long time.

So, what I often recommend instead is starting to take action even before we feel ready, because emotions follow actions, not the other way around. When we start taking action, even if it’s outside of our comfort zone, even before we feel fully ready, then we start feeling better faster. It doesn’t mean ignoring our feelings, it means finding that balance between taking action and maybe not pushing ourselves beyond our limits. It means starting to honor what’s really important to us before we feel fully healed, if that makes sense.

FRN: Do you think that resiliency also plays into the health side of loneliness, too, and how that impacts your health? The more resilient you are, the better your body is able to navigate that?

Dr. Janina Scarlet: I do. Many people think resilience is a personality trait, and I don’t. I think resilience is a choice. And what it means is that, again, we might take action because of what’s important to us, even when we still feel unheard, even when we still feel heartbroken.

And I think that the more of these actions we take to start forming meaningful connections — to maybe go to a therapy support group or a grief support group or something like it — the more likely we are to feel more supported, more understood, and over time, perhaps less lonely.

And I want to be very clear. Loneliness doesn’t mean we’re doing something wrong. Loneliness means our needs are not being met. And if we can take a moment to figure out what needs need to be met, then we can better advocate for those needs.

Helping Others Feel Less Lonely

FRN: So going off of that, then, how can we help other people feel less lonely?

Dr. Janina Scarlet: I think one of the best things we can do is to check in with curiosity in terms of, “Hey, would it be okay for me to check in with you? How are you really feeling today if you’re open to talking about it? And what are some ways I can meet your needs?”

I often talk about love languages, not only in terms of romantic couples but also in terms of friendship love languages. I often recommend that people talk to their friends: “Hey, when you’re feeling down, what are some ways that you would like to be supported? And what are some ways that you would like for me to show up for you? And here are some ways that I would like to be supported, and I would like for you to show up for me.”

I think when we’re checking on our friends, asking them for specific guidance is important.

If our friends are, for example, grieving or really overwhelmed, giving them a couple of choices can be really helpful. For example, if I have a friend who is grieving, and I know they’re feeling lonely and overwhelmed, I might ask them, “Hey, what would be the most supportive thing I can do for you right now? Would you like me to come over, or would you like some space right now?” So, I give them a couple of options, and I also let them know, “You don’t have to respond if you don’t want to.”

So in doing that, I’m allowing my friend to not respond at all. I’m letting them off the hook there, and I’m giving them a couple of choices. So they can say, “Yes, please come over,” or, “Can we schedule a call?” or, “You know what, I need a few days of space.” And I find that many people really appreciate choices.

Resources to Help You Feel Less Lonely

FRN: Yes, totally agree. Do you have any resources related to loneliness that you could share?

Dr. Janina Scarlet: Absolutely. I put a lot of them into my book, Unseen, Unheard, and Undervalued. I do think Dr. Vivek Murthy, who’s the current US Surgeon General, his book Together is a really good book that talks about the research behind loneliness.

I do recommend that folks consider either working with a therapist or maybe a support group for whatever they’re going through at that moment. For example, a holiday support group, or for many individuals who, say, had parents with addiction, ACA (Adult Children of Alcoholics) is a free support group that’s available worldwide, even on Zoom, phone, and in-person that a lot of folks don’t know about. So there are many support groups for just about anything that folks are going through that are either low-cost or free that people might be able to attend even from their homes.

FRN: What about if someone has chronic loneliness — a chronic feeling of just being alone?

Dr. Janina Scarlet: It might be helpful in that regard to consider looking into either therapy or, again, either like a local support group or even starting one. Some folks might not realize that they can start their own support group. And you don’t have to be a therapist — so long as you’re not charging or pretending to be a therapist — to just start a loneliness support group. I’ve actually had clients who did that.

I had a student who started a support group in her high school where students would meet once a week for an hour and just talk about their feelings and talk about loneliness and talk about what they were going through.

Other folks might think about what are some ways that they can help other people who are also feeling lonely. This is called post-traumatic growth, when we’re able to make meaning out of what we’re going through and support other people.

So, for example, if I’m feeling really lonely and really disenchanted with something, I’ll send 12 of my friends a message like, “Hey, I love you. I appreciate you. I’m thinking of you. I hope you have a wonderful day.” I never expect a reply. But to me, sending a loving, caring message to other people allows me to feel a stronger sense of belonging.

And then, if I do hear back, that’s lovely, but that’s never the expectation.

I also often encourage people to either volunteer or support other people in those moments when they’re feeling especially alone.

What to Do When Connection Is not Reciprocated

FRN: That’s great advice. Because sometimes I feel like in order to feel connected, we have to connect. And I think some people struggle with that because maybe they always feel like they’re the ones reaching out. But at the same time, I think that’s just what we have to do sometimes.

Going off of that, what do you do if it’s not reciprocated?

Dr. Janina Scarlet: Well, again, when I’m sending out those messages of love, I don’t expect anything in return. But if our needs are chronically not being met… For example, if we have a friend that maybe we reach out to, and we ask for support, and that friend is frequently not reciprocating and not giving us the support that we’re looking for, then we might have a conversation with that friend. Like, “Hey, I’ve noticed maybe we haven’t fully been aligning. Here are my needs. What are your needs? How can we make this friendship work?” And if that friend is not willing to have that conversation or isn’t validating, or is defensive, then we might need to rethink and reevaluate our friendship.

I often say that there are friends we have that are friends of convenience, friends that we’ve had for a long time because we’ve met them in school or at work. And then there are real friends. And real friends are ones that will be willing to have the hard conversations. They might not always be skillful, but for the most part, they’re going to be willing to have conversations and make the friendship work. Whereas friends of convenience are ones that we’ve just known for a while, but they might not be real friends.

So after a while, we might need to think about, do we need to think about these friends as more of acquaintances and change our expectations of them, and maybe invest in some new friendships? So if our needs are chronically not being met, we do need to reevaluate what those needs are and communicate them. And if nothing’s changed, then we need to change something.

Unseen, Unheard, Undervalued

FRN: Okay, great. I’d love for you to talk a little bit about your book and what it’s all about.

Dr. Janina Scarlet: My book, Unseen, Unheard, Undervalued, is about the different aspects of loneliness. As I mentioned, loneliness does not have anything to do with being physically alone. It’s about that emotional disconnection.

And I break it down into those three categories: feeling unseen, for example, ignored by other people; feeling unheard, so invalidated, for example, by other people or gaslit; and feeling undervalued or devalued by other people. So that’s where we’re made to feel like the “other.” So those are the three subtypes.

So the first part of the book breaks loneliness down into those three subcomponents and gives lots of examples and case studies of those three subtypes of loneliness and also research studies to support some of these findings.

And then the second half of the book talks about how we can first practice seeing, hearing, and valuing ourselves, how we can practice self-compassion, for example. And then how we can advocate for ourselves in friendships. For example, by talking about love languages, or our needs, whether it’s with our friends, with our partners, or with our coworkers. And also how we can set boundaries if somebody is not meeting our needs, or if somebody isn’t validating us. And then also how we can continue cultivating the friendships or relationships that do work, such as, for example, by sending out the “just because” text messages.

So, research studies that came out last year (in 2022) have actually found that when we send out the “just because” text — “Hey, I was thinking about you. I hope your day is going well” — people who send those greatly underestimate how significant those messages are to the recipients. The recipients who get those texts report being significantly more moved by those messages than people who send them have anticipated.

I provide some examples of messages that folks can send out and different gratitude practices that folks can do, such as sending a letter of gratitude to somebody who influenced them or supported them. And then imagining what maybe somebody else might say to them if they received a letter of gratitude.

The intentionality of the book is, first and foremost, to validate folks who have been through some of these painful experiences. And second of all, to provide folks with some skills that they’re able to use to support themselves, to advocate for themselves, and then also to deepen significant relationships that they already have.

FRN: Thank you. I’m really excited to read it.

Dr. Janina Scarlet: Thanks. I’m really excited, too. It’s probably one of the most personal books I’ve written. So it definitely has a bit of my autobiographical stuff and also a lot of case studies from a lot of different folks who very courageously contributed their stories to this book.

You Are Not Alone in Your Experience

FRN: Is there anything else that you want to say about loneliness specifically or anything related to it?

Dr. Janina Scarlet: I think the main thing I just want to add is, for anyone who’s feeling lonely, who’s feeling invalidated or unseen, who’s feeling disconnected, please know that you’re not alone in this experience. And if you’re feeling that way right now, chances are at least four or five other people you know personally are going through this right now, but they might not think to tell you.

So, if we go about our day with the assumption that most people around us are going through the same level of loneliness as we are, I imagine we might be more willing to connect with people. And maybe we might reduce how much we’re masking. And maybe through doing that and through having conversations about loneliness, we can eradicate the stigma about this universal experience once and for all.

FRN: That was so good.

Dr. Janina Scarlet: Thank you so much for interviewing me.

—–

Dr. Janina Scarlet is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist, author, and a TEDx speaker. A Ukrainian-born refugee, she survived Chernobyl radiation and persecution. She immigrated to the United States at the age of 12 with her family and later, inspired by the X-Men, developed Superhero Therapy to help patients with anxiety, depression, and PTSD.

Dr. Scarlet is the recipient of the Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Award by the United Nations Association for her work on Superhero Therapy. Her work has been featured on Yahoo, BBC, NPR, Sunday Times, The New York Times, Forbes, and many other outlets. She regularly consults on books and television shows, including HBO’s The Young Justice.

Dr. Scarlet is the Lead Trauma Specialist at the Trauma and PTSD Healing Center. She’s authored twelve books, including Superhero Therapy, Harry Potter Therapy, Dark Agents, Super-Women, It Shouldn’t Be This Way, and her latest, Unseen, Unheard, Undervalued.

Tell us in the comments:

• Do you ever feel lonely?
• What strategies have you used to combat loneliness and feel more connected?
• How do you help others feel less lonely?

Featured Image: iStock.com/Ponomariova_Maria

Read Next:

• Do Your Food Choices Leave You Feeling Lonely?
• The Emotional Heart: How What You Feel Impacts Heart Health

The post Navigating Loneliness in the Age of Connection: An Interview appeared first on Food Revolution Network.

Some people are motivated to eat this way for health reasons — looking to nutrition to prevent or heal chronic conditions and diseases. For decades, nutritional pioneers like Drs. T. Colin Campbell, Caldwell Esselstyn, and Dean Ornish have shown that diseases like cancer, heart disease, and diabetes can be prevented and even reversed with the help of a whole food, plant-based diet.

And, in fact, study after study has shown the incredible healing power of whole plant foods loaded with antioxidants, phytonutrients, fiber, and other disease-fighting compounds.

At the same time, we’ve discovered the harmful effects of a diet high in factory-farmed animal products, which lack these good-for-you chemicals. Instead, they can contribute to disease in the body, wreaking havoc on your cells and even speeding up the aging process.

In addition to health, there are other reasons that people are gravitating toward plant-based eating. Factory farming inflicts massive damage on the environment. Experts agree that consumers can reduce their carbon footprint dramatically by eliminating beef from their diets, or even reducing it by 25%. And moving away from industrialized meat can also save millions of animals from living in cruel conditions before being slaughtered.

Whatever your reason for considering (or continuing) a plant-based diet, good recipes can make everything easier — and more delicious!

While you can surely find a variety of recipes on the Internet, investing in a few good vegan or plant-based cookbooks can really set you up for success. Cookbooks are a great resource for finding real, kitchen-tested recipes that are healthy and tasty. Many of them include suggestions for pantry staples to have on hand, plant-based substitutions for dairy, or where to find specific ingredients you may be unfamiliar with. You might also find suggestions for cooking tools and even playlists to cook to.

But as plant-based diets continue to rise in popularity, so do the number of cookbooks to choose from. That’s why we’ve rounded up a collection of some of our favorite plant-based cookbooks. These selections will help put you on the fast track to health and good nutrition, while also making a positive impact on animals and the environment.

Get Your Hands on 12 of the Best Plant-Based Cookbooks

Having a good vegan cookbook on hand can make all the difference. Whether you’re looking to go fully plant-based or you’re flexitarian or veg-curious, these cookbooks will have you preparing mouthwatering vegan meals in a jiffy. From culturally specific recipes to eating plant-based on a budget to creating plant-based meals for specific health conditions, there’s a little something here for everyone.

1. Real Superfoods: Everyday Ingredients to Elevate Your Health by Ocean Robbins and Nichole Dandrea-Russert, MS, RDN

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Yes, you read that right. Food Revolution Network released its first physical cookbook in 2023, coauthored by cofounder and CEO, Ocean Robbins, and Nichole Dandrea-Russert, RDN, FRN’s Lead Dietitian Nutritionist.

Unlike the heavily marketed version of superfoods that are trendy, inaccessible, and expensive, this comprehensive and beautiful cookbook unveils the essence of what makes a “real” superfood. Instead of exotic and hard-to-find ingredients, Real Superfoods features foods that are readily available, budget-friendly, and nutrient-dense. And when you know what to do with them, Real Superfoods are also delicious — which is why it’s a cookbook!

You’ll get everything you’ve come to expect from FRN recipes, along with all the research-backed info on what makes these superfoods great. Plus, enjoy practical tips and techniques to seamlessly integrate these foods into your daily diet and improve your health — one bite at a time!

2. Plant-Based on a Budget Quick & Easy: 100 Fast, Healthy, Meal-Prep, Freezer-Friendly, and One-Pot Vegan Recipes by Toni Okamoto

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Blogger Toni Okamoto of Plant-Based on a Budget provides valuable advice for eating nutritious food on a budget, proving that you don’t need to spend your whole paycheck on whole foods. In her latest cookbook, Plant-Based on a Budget Quick & Easy, she shows how you can prepare and enjoy healthy, nutritious, and affordable meals without much muss or fuss. It’s the perfect meal companion for parents or anyone who finds themselves strapped for time or money.

Toni’s recipes are accessible and fun, with personal anecdotes and commentary sprinkled throughout the book. Although some recipes verge on less healthy versions of “comfort” food, you can omit any oils or sweeteners if you like. Best of all, many of these whole food, plant-based recipes can be made in under 30 minutes.

This cookbook also gets the seal of approval from Food Revolution Summit speaker (and fellow cookbook author) Michael Greger, MD, who wrote the foreword.

3. The How Not to Die Cookbook: 100+ Recipes to Help Prevent and Reverse Disease by Michael Greger, MD

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Speaking of Dr. Michael Greger, the New York Times best-selling author’s How Not to Die Cookbook puts all of the science-backed research from his companion book, How Not to Die, into action with over 100 disease-fighting recipes.

Because Dr. Greger’s approach to plant-based eating is research-based, you’ll find specific examples of nutrition-related findings that correspond to a variety of diseases. You’ll also learn more about Dr. Greger’s Daily Dozen: the foods he recommends eating daily for optimal health.

All of Dr. Greger’s plant-based recipes have a note at the bottom to indicate which of his Daily Dozen foods are included. And each recipe is accompanied by gorgeous food photography and a difficulty level to help guide your culinary exploration.

Dr. Greger also provides free access to nutritional information through his website, NutritionFacts.org.

4. Sweet Potato Soul: 100 Easy Vegan Recipes for the Southern Flavors of Smoke, Sugar, Spice, and Soul by Jenné Claiborne

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Southern cooking never looked so healthy with food blogger and personal chef Jenné Claiborne’s Sweet Potato Soul cookbook. Sweet Potato Soul not only transforms soul food favorites into plant-based masterpieces but also offers a unique look into the history and culture of soul food in the African-American experience. She even weaves in interesting insights on how specific foods became ingrained in African-American culture.

Whether you eat soul food in your daily life already or you’re new to the cuisine, Jenné includes essential tools and ingredients you should have on hand when creating vegan soul food dishes. Each recipe also includes a short backstory into its inspiration or a personal insight into what makes that recipe particularly good for you.

5. The Fiber Fueled Cookbook: Inspiring Plant-Based Recipes to Turbocharge Your Health by Will Bulsiewicz, MD, MSCI

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Best-selling author Dr. Will Bulsiewicz partnered with plant-based chef and registered dietitian Alexandra Caspero on the companion cookbook for his bestseller Fiber Fueled. Inside you’ll find an impressive array of fiber-filled recipes designed to improve the health of your gut. The cookbook also has Dr. B’s signature down-to-earth style and is packed to the brim with easy-to-understand information.

Along with providing microbiome-friendly recipes, The Fiber Fueled Cookbook is also a program of sorts, helping you get to the root of and heal your tummy troubles. You’ll get insight on FODMAPs and histamine and how to work with food intolerances. And there are even food lists and guidance on how to ferment and sprout plant-based staples.

6. Vegetable Kingdom: The Abundant World of Vegan Recipes by Bryant Terry

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Vegan chef and food justice activist Bryant Terry will have you looking at plants in a new light with his critically acclaimed cookbook Vegetable Kingdom. His Afro-fusion recipes take a gourmet approach to plant-based eating, covering the gamut from fancy toasts to gumbos and curries.

Throughout the cookbook, Bryant frequently mixes unexpected ingredients and flavor combinations, as he encourages readers to also experiment and play with their food. Each recipe even comes with a recommended soundtrack to cook to. Ultimately, as its name suggests, Vegetable Kingdom is a foray into familiarizing yourself with vegetables and their versatility — and a reminder that you don’t need meat or dairy, or their analogues, to create flavorful and appealing plant-based meals.

7. PlantYou: 140+ Ridiculously Easy, Amazingly Delicious Plant-Based Oil-Free Recipes by Carleigh Bodrug

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Many whole food, plant-based eaters choose to cook without oil since it’s actually a refined or processed food. But it can sometimes prove challenging to know how to do this effectively without sacrificing flavor or consistency. Luckily, Carleigh Bodrug of PlantYou is here to show you the way to create oil-free plant-based recipes. Her highly anticipated first cookbook was an instant New York Times bestseller and has positioned her as a trusted influencer in the plant-based cooking space.

PlantYou is a virtual treasure trove of oil-free recipes, whether you’re looking for entrées, salads, sauces, or desserts. Plus, each recipe has a visual representation of its ingredients to make shopping a cinch, along with simplified and easy-to-follow instructions. Bonus: It has a foreword and seal of approval from Dr. B (Will Bulsiewicz, MD)!

8. The Korean Vegan Cookbook: Reflections and Recipes from Omma’s Kitchen by Joanne Lee Molinaro

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One of the most highly regarded vegan cookbooks in recent history, The Korean Vegan Cookbook is the James Beard Award-winning debut by home chef Joanne Lee Molinaro. The Korean Vegan Cookbook is a deeply personal look at the food and associated memories that helped shape Joanne’s family history — and how she has sought to keep those memories alive with her vegan interpretations of these traditional and family recipes.

Each Korean Vegan recipe is accompanied by stunning food photography that really elevates the overall reading experience. The cookbook is also organized into culturally appropriate categories like banchan (side dishes) or kimchi and salads. Whether you’re already a Korean food fan or are curious about how to make plant-based Korean recipes, this cookbook is a must-have.

9. The 30-Day Alzheimer’s Solution: The Definitive Food and Lifestyle Guide to Preventing Cognitive Decline by Dean Sherzai, MD, and Ayesha Sherzai, MD

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Neurologists and FRN Healthy Brain Masterclass collaborators Drs. Dean and Ayesha Sherzai are experts when it comes to brain health. And after decades of research studying neurodegenerative diseases, they’ve released The 30-Day Alzheimer’s Solution, a cookbook and guide designed to help prevent cognitive decline at any age.

You’ll discover the Sherzais’ NEURO Plan approach to Alzheimer’s prevention, and find out what plant-based foods made their list of the Neuro Nine: foods that will help to keep you sharp and free from disease. As rates of Alzheimer’s continue to rise, this is an essential (and delicious!) resource that could save your life or the life of someone you love.

10. Black Rican Vegan: Fire Plant-Based Recipes from a Bronx Kitchen by Lyana Blount

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Bronx native Lyana Blount draws from her African American and Puerto Rican heritage in the Black Rican Vegan. You’ll find veganized versions of traditional Puerto Rican dishes like mofongo and chicharrones, along with New York foodie favorites like birria and BCEs (bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches).

Since Lyana uses oil in some of her recipes, along with meat and dairy analogues, this cookbook is best for those just transitioning to a plant-based diet. Although not all ingredients are whole foods, you can always leave any problematic ones out or replace them with whole-food alternatives such as lentils instead of vegan beef or homemade nut-based butter instead of store-bought vegan butter. Ultimately, the Black Rican Vegan encourages the re-creation of recipes, hoping to change perspectives on what plant-based cooking can be.

11. Power Plates: 100 Nutritionally Balanced, One-Dish Vegan Meals by Gena Hamshaw

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With a food system that’s calorie-dense but nutrient-poor, many people are not getting the nutrition they need. As a result, blogger and registered dietitian nutritionist Gena Hamshaw created Power Plates, a cookbook that helps people understand good nutrition and how to get it. Focusing on the macronutrients of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins, Gena guides the reader through creating nutritionally balanced plant-based meals that won’t leave them hungry.

As Gena prefers savory flavor profiles, you won’t find many sweet recipes (there’s no dessert category, either). But you will find loads of whole-food ways to bring variety and nourishment to your diet.

12. Seed to Plate, Soil to Sky: Modern Plant-Based Recipes using Native American Ingredients by Lois Ellen Frank, PhD

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James Beard Award-winning author and chef, Lois Ellen Frank created this cookbook out of a desire to encourage Indigenous communities to eat more plants. Although many Native American tribes included meat and fish in their traditional diets, the majority of staple foods were native plants. However, a lot of the original tribal foodways were lost with the introduction of the reservation system and the implementation of colonizer foods through the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR). 

Lois’ cookbook, Seed to Plate, Soil to Sky focuses on “The Magic Eight” essential plant-based foods that Native peoples (particularly from the American Southwest) gave to the world. Each section of the cookbook focuses on one of these foods, and includes recipes for sides, appetizers, mains, soups, desserts, beverages, and more. She also gives a brief timeline and history of Native American cuisine and the important cultural context that reclaiming these foods has on tribal sovereignty and sustainability.

Seed to Plate, Soil to Sky is a beautiful and practical dedication to Indigenous food wisdom that’s beneficial to all, Native or not.

Tell us in the comments:

• Where do you look for meal inspiration?
• What are some of your favorite plant-based cookbooks?
• What are some of your favorite plant-powered recipes?

Featured Image: iStock.com/Rawpixel

Read Next:

• How to Cook: How to Read a Recipe
• FRN’s Reading List: Plant-Based Books to Encourage & Inspire You

The post 12 of the Best Plant-Based Cookbooks to Fast-Track Your Health appeared first on Food Revolution Network.

In the United States, the Animal Welfare Act is intended to protect animals from cruelty. However, it specifically excludes “farm animals used for food, fiber, or production purposes.” Unlike dogs, cats, and hamsters, the law treats farm animals as unprotected commodities. The fact that they are, like all animals (including humans), capable of a broad spectrum of emotions, including affection for other beings, is considered essentially irrelevant.

But just outside Los Angeles, there exists an oasis of compassion and hope for farm animals. Founded by Ellie Laks in 1999, The Gentle Barn stands as a resolute response to the way society tends to treat animals in the modern industrialized food system.

The Gentle Barn is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the rescue and rehabilitation of abused and neglected animals, especially farm animals. The organization is based in Santa Clarita, California, and they have two additional locations in Nashville, Tennessee, and St. Louis, Missouri.

In addition to giving animals a safe and loving home, The Gentle Barn offers educational programs and therapy to help children and adults heal from trauma. Individuals can participate in cow therapy, horse therapy, or barnyard therapy (with pigs, sheep, and other smaller farm animals). And The Gentle Barn also offers private tours for groups of up to 30 people, as well as field trips for schools.

Open to the public every Sunday, The Gentle Barn welcomes nearly 750,000 visitors per year.

We sat down with founder Ellie Laks to find out what makes The Gentle Barn such a draw for so many, and how they’re working towards a more healthy, ethical, and sustainable world for all (farm animals included!).

How The Gentle Barn Got Started

FRN: Could you tell me a little bit about how The Gentle Barn got started and what kind of work you do here?

Ellie Laks: The Gentle Barn was a dream of mine since I was seven. I loved animals and noticed that the people around me didn’t see them the same way that I did. And so I kept saying, “When I grow up, I’m going to have a big place full of animals, and I’m going to show the world how beautiful they are. And all the hurting people of the world can come and heal with us.”

So I procrastinated for a really long time because I had no idea how to do it. And then, 25 years ago, I lived in a little house with a half-acre backyard, and I discovered a petting zoo I’d never seen before. And to make a long story short, the animals were suffering terribly. I tried to leave, and blocking the exit was a very old goat who looked me in the eyes, stopped me in my tracks, and asked me for help.

So they wouldn’t let me have her. I stayed there for 12 days. Finally, they let me have her; and I brought her home, fixed her, and realized how rewarding that was. I went back for more animals. And then, one day, I looked out my little picture window to a backyard that was full of animals and said, “Holy crap. I just started my dream.”

We’re now home to horses, cows, pigs, sheep, goats, chickens, turkeys, peacocks, llamas, emus, and dogs. And we’ve specifically taken animals that have nowhere else to go because they’re too old, too sick, too lame, or too scared. They’re just not adoptable. We bring them in and take them through a very extensive recovery program.

And then once they’re happy and healthy, if we can find them a home and family of their own, we do. If not, then they stay here for the rest of their lives. And then, when they’re ready, we partner with them to heal people with the same stories of trauma, and connect to the love and magic of animals.

Rescuing Animals from the Jaws of Death

FRN: Do you rescue specifically from factory farms? What kind of state are they in when you get them?

Ellie Laks: Yeah, absolutely. So one of the brilliant things that my partner and cofounder of The Gentle Barn, Jay, does, is he strikes up really good relationships with owners of slaughterhouses, stockyards, and auction houses. And so when they have a downed animal that they can’t produce into a profit, or when they have an animal born on the kill floor, instead of doing away with it, they call us and give us an opportunity to save them.

So Jay has gone around the country going into the darkest places on this earth, pulling animals out of the jaws of death, bringing them home to me to heal. He’s rescued cows from veal crates, every kind of animal from the slaughterhouse, gone into auction houses and been able to prevent the slaughter trucks from buying those animals.

When they come in, they’re all very sick, and they’re all very scared — that’s a given. They’ve seen the worst of humanity. They know what was about to happen to them, and they’re in shock. And so we have to go to great lengths to really show them that people can be kind and the world can be good.

Sometimes we can prove that to them in a few months. Sometimes it takes years. And still other times, the only time I touch or embrace these animals is on their deathbeds. And I can finally show them love. We’ve rescued so many animals in that way.

John Lewis the Cow

Ellie Laks: My favorite story is about the cow I got to raise in my house. He was born inside the slaughterhouse. And we have an arrangement with the owner of the slaughterhouse that when someone’s born there, he’ll allow us to have the baby and the mom because the chance of a baby’s survival without the mom is very bleak.

But in this scenario, there was a logistical reason and a health reason why they wouldn’t let us have the mom. And even though she was on death’s door, they processed her anyway, which really should tell people who they’re eating.

There is no difference between any of the species other than our perspective of them.

Ellie Laks, Founder of The Gentle Barn

So he was left orphaned and extremely sick with pneumonia at a week old. And we brought him into The Gentle Barn and brought him into our healing center, where we started the recovery process with great vet care, medication — the whole nine yards.

And we realized that it was so hot outside that we couldn’t lower his temperature in order to save his life. And so Jay and I looked at each other and said, “We got to bring him in the house into the air conditioning.”

So we brought him into the house. I was with him 24/7 for the first six months until he was finally cleared to start interacting with the other cows and having playdates with them.

And then, at nine months old, I came to pick him up after a playdate, and he said, “No, I don’t want to go. I want to stay with the cows.” So he moved in with the cows, and I cried all the way back up to the house.

I think the reason this is my favorite story is, number one, I had a cow in my house. I’m the luckiest person in the world.

Number two, it’s really easy to go, “Oh, well, but it’s a cow; it’s not a dog.” Or, “It’s a pig, not a cat.” And there are all these boxes that people like to put animals in: These are animals worthy of love, affection, and protection. These are animals that we eat; these are animals that we wear. These are wild animals that we don’t understand and that are dangerous. We have all these boxes, and it’s just not true.

And so what I love about the time I got to spend with John Lewis [the cow] in our house is it really once and for all proved there is no difference between any of the species other than our perspective of them. We’re judging them as different, so they show up differently.

But the minute you see a cow like a dog, he’s a dog. John Lewis, to this day… He’s now three years old. I still give him a bottle of warm water and some chlorella algae superfood in the morning to boost his immune system. And I sing him his morning songs. And I kiss him all over, and we spend time together.

But he comes to me when I call his name. He walks on a leash like a dog. We’ve even taken him to hiking trails. He slept on a dog bed. He had toys. It really broke those barriers once and for all. And so I love sharing John Lewis and his story with people — because if we could just erase those lines and just accept that we’re all the same, we just look different, what a world this could be.

The Recovery Process at The Gentle Barn

FRN: Wow. So what do some of the recovery processes look like? Is it the same for every animal?

Ellie Laks: More or less. The general protocol is that animals come in and do a 30-day quarantine with us, during which time we’re making sure that they’re not sick, so they don’t bring in a disease to our existing family. But we’re also reading to them, meditating with them, singing to them, playing musical instruments for them, coming and going so that they can get used to us and start to trust us.

At the same time, we’re collecting fecal samples, making sure they don’t have parasites, and putting nutritional supplements in their water to boost their immune systems.

And most of the time, for the first time in their lives, they have a soft bed; they have shelter; they have fresh food, clean water, kind humans; and they start recovering physically and emotionally — slowly.

When their quarantine is over in 30 days, the next step is to introduce them to other animals of their kind. And with some animals like horses, pigs, chickens, and goats, the process is very slow because the animals’ first instinct is to reject newcomers. But slowly they get used to each other, and they become family.

With cows, that process is very quick. Because we can put a new cow in anywhere, anytime, at any of our locations, and the other cows are like, “Oh, hi. Come on in.”

But once they’re acclimated to other animals of their kind, then we need to see what is left over. So they might still be sick or lame or old. They might still have trust issues with people. And so we continue their recovery, their rehabilitation, and their treatments until they don’t need it anymore. Some animals that come in need ongoing care for the rest of their lives.

Adopting Out Animals

FRN: So the ones that are adopted out, where do they go? Do they go to other sanctuaries or individual people, or what does that look like?

Ellie Laks: Yeah. Every once in a while there’ll be somebody who has a ranch or a farm or a giant backyard, and they’ll invite a farm animal to live with them. And we’ve adopted out turkeys, chickens, goats, sheep, horses, and dogs. The only animal that we’ve never adopted out is a cow. I’ve never had a person say, “Can I please have a cow?” Which is weird because I think everyone should have a cow. They’re the most misunderstood and the most magical animal.

[The animals] all have healing for us. They all have life lessons for us. Like practicing confidence and leadership skills with a horse is unparalleled. Practicing empathy and compassion with smaller animals that we’re cradling in our arms is unparalleled.

But I think, as a tribe, cows are everything that we’re supposed to be. They’re matriarchal; they’re vegan. They meditate every single day. Family and connection is the most important thing. So they really lift each other up and support each other. They celebrate life. They celebrate death. They face their challenges head-on, and they’re 100% inclusive.

They’re a beautiful community, and they’re very, very gentle on Mother Earth. They harm no one. They’re that feminine, beautiful, nurturing energy. They’re everything that we will be one day. I have to hope.

Saving Buddha the Cow

FRN: Yeah. How did you discover that the cows were able to give that to you, and how did the cow therapy evolve?

Ellie Laks: So when I started The Gentle Barn, I found out that there was a miniature cow breeding program up in Washington State. I called the guy, and he explained, “Oh, miniature cows are easy to raise and easy to kill, and you can have household food for a year or take their milk.”

So half of me was sorry I asked. But then he started talking about how gentle and kind they are. And he had a beautiful cow, and his grandkids raised her, and she was so sweet. But, unfortunately, she couldn’t get pregnant and earn her keep, so she was going to slaughter.

By the time I had hung up with him, I knew that this cow was coming home to me. So I asked him, “Can I have her?” He was like, “Well, you’re going to have to pay what I would get for her.” And I was like, “Hold off on her slaughter. Give me time.”

And this was very early on at The Gentle Barn, where I really didn’t know how to raise money. So I literally put my son on my hip, my year-old son, and I went door-to-door to my neighbors. And I told them what was happening and how I wanted to save her, and asked if they would chip in. And I thought for sure they were going to slam the door in my face, but they didn’t. And they wrote checks. And I raised the money to save her.

FRN: That’s amazing.

Ellie Laks: I know. It’s crazy. And I knew she [Buddha] was special right off the bat; because that very first open-to-the-public Sunday, she immersed herself right into the center of a big crowd of people, lay down, and invited them to hug her, brush her, and pet her. And I watched with my jaw dropped.

The Evolution of Cow Hug Therapy

Ellie Laks: So then my ritual, then and still now, is every single night before I go to bed, I go out to the barnyard. I make sure all the chickens and turkeys are safely on their roosts. I tuck the pigs in with blankets. I give treats to the goats, sheep, horses, and cows. And I make sure everyone’s safe and feeling good before I go to bed.

So on this particular night, I think it was the day after that Sunday, I went out to do my barnyard check. And I said goodnight to everybody. And everybody was in the barn, all roosted and stuff. And I was walking back through the yard, back to the house. She was lying down in the yard, the last animal that I went to say goodnight to. And I was going to pat her on the head and tell her that I love her, but something made me stop. There was something about the way she shifted her body. She was like, “Sit with me.”

So I sat down at her shoulder; I leaned against her body because she’s giant and cuddly and fuzzy. And the next thing she did changed my life. She wrapped her neck around me and held me, and she didn’t let go.

And I was so astounded by her love of me, by her nurturing of me, by that gesture of kindness and connection, that I started weeping into her shoulder. It’s one of those things where you don’t know you’re stressed out, but then all of a sudden you realize how stressed out you are.

And so those nightly hugs became a must, and she would help me wash away the day. She would help me have strength and hope for the next day. She would help me get out of my head and my to-do list and be more centered and grounded.

And early on in those hugs, I remember thinking, “I have got to find a way to give the world these hugs.” So part of the original design was that we would rescue animals and then partner with them when they’re ready to heal hurting people.

So I opened the phone book, and I started calling probation camps, drug and alcohol rehab centers, domestic violence shelters, foster agencies, homeless shelters, war veteran centers, and said, “Look, I know that you have people who are hurting. I know that some of those people are not responding to traditional therapy. Bring them to me.” And they did.

And we would always start with Buddha by putting their faces down on her side and closing their eyes and just breathing in and out and feeling her energy — and she would crack them wide open.

They came cold, defensive, and hardened by life, and she melted them into little kids. And she helped them become vulnerable. And it’s only in vulnerability that you can heal. And then they would go back to their therapy sessions; and all of a sudden they’re talking, and they’re relating, and they’re healing. And during her lifetime, Buddha gave out 300,000 hugs.

She taught me everything I know. She taught me to meditate. She taught me to be grounded and centered. She taught me what these animals are capable of — the healing that they’re capable of. She showed me how to connect these hurting humans with these hurting animals, and I owe her everything.

And so she is the creator of Cow Hug Therapy, and she’s the reason why we do Cow Hug Therapy for people now.

Becoming Vegan

FRN: Wow. So our site mostly deals with plant-based eating, nutrition, and health. So I was just curious — because plant-based eating is becoming more popular and more mainstream — have you seen any change in the support of what you do or the number of visitors because people are more interested in where their food comes from, or the impact of factory farming on animals, or just plant-based eating in general?

Ellie Laks: Yes. I have a lot to say about that.

I became a vegetarian when I was 11. I met a chicken. I realized that was chicken and rice. And I was done.

Volunteers were coming to check The Gentle Barn out, and somebody said, “Are you vegan?” And I said, “No, I’m American.” And he said, “No, I mean, do you eat animals?” And I was like, “Oh, no. I went vegetarian when I was 11.” He said, “Yeah, but what about dairy and eggs?” And I said, “Well, it doesn’t hurt anybody.” He told me the truth. I went vegan on the spot. That was 24 years ago. I’ve been vegan ever since.

I became a vegetarian when I was 11. I met a chicken. I realized that was chicken and rice. And I was done.

Ellie Laks, Founder of The Gentle Barn

But it’s funny because, in the beginning of The Gentle Barn, I didn’t really know the word vegan, which is so silly to think of now. The word vegan was not mainstream, and the word vegan was almost a dirty word. And so we grappled with how we present it. How do we talk about it? How do we make sure that we’re not threatening to people? Because The Gentle Barn is not just gentle to animals. It’s gentle to people.

So we wanted people to come in and look these animals in the eyes, hug them, hold them, cuddle with them, hear their stories of resilience, and realize that we’re just basically all the same. But we didn’t want to offend anybody. We want it to be a gentle experience. So we were like, “God, can we even say the word vegan without upsetting people?”

Now, 24 years later, vegan is mainstream. Do you even realize how many vegan options there are at Disneyland? All stores, all major chains, most fast-food restaurants… You can go anywhere. Nowadays, small town, big town, it doesn’t matter. You literally can go anywhere and say, “What’s vegan on your menu?” And the waiter will have some modicum of awareness of how to guide you. It’s incredible.

Plus, 24 years ago, when I opened The Gentle Barn, plant-based eaters were 0.5% of the population. We are now at 7%. Huge progress.

Facing Grief as an Animal Sanctuary

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FRN: Have you faced any challenges or obstacles with your rescue efforts?

Ellie Laks: Huge. Nobody does anything good unless you have a lot of challenges. So I started The Gentle Barn, like I told you, in my little half-acre backyard using my first husband’s paychecks. My first husband was not amused and soon left.

In came Jay as a volunteer, and later we fell in love and joined forces. But during those early years, moving from that half-acre to where we are now and growing into a national organization, there were a lot of financial challenges.

The other challenge for a sanctuary is dealing with the level of loss. Obviously, humans tend to have a longer lifespan than animals. So those of us who love animals tend to have to say goodbye at some point. At The Gentle Barn, with 200 animals — and over the last 24 years, we’ve rescued thousands — we have loved so many, and we have said goodbye more times than I could possibly calculate.

And so there was a time early on in The Gentle Barn when I was so brought down to the ground with my grief that I said, “I made a mistake. I can’t do this. I’m not strong enough. This is going to destroy me.” And I had to figure out how to stay with it and how to survive and have me not go down with the ship.

And so I had to really examine compassion fatigue, grief, and loss. And that’s a very large part of what I talk about in my [next] book, Cow Hug Therapy, about what the animals taught me about death, how they grieve, and how life and love are eternal.

And so that process from grief to gratitude, I had to work out.

How You Can Support The Gentle Barn

FRN: I think when I first heard about you guys, you were doing a fundraiser. I am just curious: Besides the visits and the fundraising, how else can people support you?

Ellie Laks: There is so much more that goes into taking care of farm animals other than hay, water, and shelter. There’s preparing for fire season every year and having the trailers and the trucks be able to evacuate. In this changing climate, we’re much hotter than we used to be: How do we keep them cool? We’re much colder than we used to be: How do we keep them warm?

I think the first thing that I would say in answer to your question is there are so many people who love animals, but very few of us can open our own sanctuaries. We need people to partner with us. We need people to fund our endeavors and to become our partners so that we’re rescuing animals together. Because they can’t do it without us, but we can’t do it without them.

The other thing that I would invite people to do is to follow us on social media. We’re on all social media platforms: The Gentle Barn on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, and Twitter/X. See these beautiful videos and stories of the animals and their recovery and what they teach us, and learn about being connected to animals. It’s beautiful.

And if you live close enough, find a Gentle Barn either in St. Louis, Nashville, or Los Angeles; and come and visit and hug a cow, hold a chicken, cuddle a turkey, and give a pig a tummy rub. And look in the eyes of these magical animals, and realize that we’re here to protect them, defend them, love them, and listen to them.

And then the last thing that I want to mention is the biggest way you can help is by adopting a plant-based diet.

Every single person who goes plant-based saves 200 animals a year. So in effect, by going vegan, they are opening a sanctuary; because they’re saving 200 animals just with their knife and fork. Modeling that for others, being part of the solution, being part of gentleness and nonviolence.

—–

Ellie Laks is the founder of The Gentle Barn Foundation, a national organization that rescues and rehabilitates unwanted animals and heals people with the same stories of abuse and neglect. She invented her own “Gentle Healing” method that allows old, sick, injured, and terrified animals to fully recover. She is the creator of Cow Hug Therapy and has hosted hundreds of thousands of people who have come to The Gentle Barn seeking healing and hope.

Ellie is a powerful speaker, celebrated animal welfare advocate, humane educator, animal communicator, and the author of My Gentle Barn: Creating a Sanctuary Where Animals Heal and Children Learn to Hope and the upcoming Cow Hug Therapy: How the Animals at The Gentle Barn Taught Me about Life, Death, and Everything in Between.

Tell us in the comments:

• Has an animal ever taught you something about life or yourself?
• Were you aware of The Gentle Barn before reading this interview?
• What other animal sanctuaries or animal welfare organizations should we know about?

Read Next:

• Unhealthy Conditions for Farm Animals are — No Surprise — Bad for Humans, Too
• What You Eat Can Impact Climate Change! See 9 Foods That Harm the Planet and 11 Foods That Can Help Save It

The post Changing Lives Through Compassion: The Gentle Barn appeared first on Food Revolution Network.

Food waste is a monumental problem for people and the planet, losing valuable calories that are directly linked to world hunger, and contributing to greenhouse gas emissions as decomposing organic waste releases methane gas. But growing food from scraps helps reduce food waste while also providing a relatively easy and economical way to supplement your diet with more fresh produce. Even if you don’t have a particularly green thumb, regrowing vegetables and fruit takes minimal effort and, in some cases, doesn’t even require soil!

In this article, you’ll learn how to regrow vegetables and fruit from scraps to reduce waste, save money, and build self-sufficiency.

Can You Regrow Anything from Scraps?

If the idea of regrowing vegetables and fruit from scraps excites you, that’s great! But before you start trying to put any old fruit or vegetable scrap in soil or water, there are some things you need to know.

Not all scraps from produce will produce a new plant or growth. Typically, you need a stem or other piece of a plant that can grow roots in order for it to start growing again. You can also grow some fruits and vegetables from leftover seeds or pits.

But some produce purchased from a grocery store may not grow from its seeds or other scraps at all. Fruits and vegetables found in grocery stores may be subject to irradiation, which is done to prevent sprouting or delay ripening. Irradiation may prevent a plant from rooting or make seeds sterile.

Also, if the food was picked before it was ripe, the seeds may have not fully matured and may not be viable. You can test seeds by placing them in water and seeing if they float or sink (you want them to sink) or by performing a germination test.

How to Regrow 12 Fruits or Vegetables from Scraps

Want to try your hand at regrowing produce from scraps? These 12 foods are a good place to start. For the majority of them, all you need are glass jars or other upcycled containers, water, and a little bit of soil.

1. Tomatoes

Tomatoes are often cut and deseeded for recipes. Instead of composting their messy insides, try saving the seeds. By placing seeds in water and allowing them to ferment, you will break down seed coats and kill off many of the germs that may prevent the seeds from starting. When the seeds sink and separate from the pulp, you can strain, wash, and dry the seeds.

Here’s a video of this process from GrowVeg:

Next, plant the dried seeds in a pot or upcycled container filled with potting soil. Once the sprouts are a few inches tall, transplant them outdoors. Be sure to plant the tomatoes in a sunny area and water a few times a week.

How to use regrown tomatoes:

Tomatoes are extremely versatile and can be used in a number of different cuisines such as Mexican, Italian, and American.

Use regrown tomatoes in sauces, salads, pasta dishes, casseroles, and on top of veggie burgers, tacos, and sandwiches.

Check out our article on how to grow tomatoes for more growing tips and our article on tomato benefits, downsides, and uses.

2. Basil

To regrow basil from store-bought plants, select a four- to six-inch piece and cut about one inch under where a leaf is growing. Then, you’ll want to strip any leaves that are at the bottom of your stem to prevent them from becoming submerged in water and rotting. Put the stem in a jar of water and place it in a sunny (but not too hot) location. Change the water every other day. You’ll soon notice new roots forming along the stem.

When the basil roots grow to about two inches in length, plant the stems in a pot or upcycled container. Keep the pot in an area that gets at least six hours of sunshine each day, and water the basil plant regularly. Harvest leaves when the plants grow to at least six inches tall and produce six to eight leaves per stem.

How to use regrown basil:

Genovese basil is typically used in Italian dishes. But other common varieties are Thai basil, which can be used in Asian cuisines, and holy basil, which is a medicinal herb.

Use regrown basil leaves in pasta and noodle dishes, sauces, rice bowls and stir-fries, or dried and brewed as a tea.

Our guide to herbs and spices has ideas on how to use fresh and dried herbs like basil in your meals.

3. Strawberries

First off, it’s best to use locally grown strawberries since not all varieties will grow across all climates. Secondly, you’ll likely want to use organic strawberries when possible, since they’re one of the most pesticide-contaminated produce items.

To reuse your strawberry scraps, put the overripe, whole strawberries, or strawberry tops, in a blender with water and blend for 15–20 seconds. Leave the mixture to settle. The seeds that won’t germinate will float to the top, so you can skim those off and discard them. Then, pour the remaining strawberry mixture through a sieve to leave just the viable seeds. Plant the seeds as you would normally to grow strawberry plants in your climate.

You can also try planting strawberry tops or slices directly in the ground, as long as some of the seeds are still intact.

How to use regrown strawberries:

Strawberry is native to the Americas and is primarily used in American, French, and English desserts.

Strawberries can be eaten on their own, preserved as jams, or used in baked goods, salads, and smoothies.

Learn more about strawberries and other berries and discover their health benefits and uses.

4. Celery

To regrow celery stalks, you’ll want to keep about two inches of the butt end of the vegetable. Rinse off the base and place it in a small bowl or glass. Fill the container with warm water and place it in a sunny area. After changing the water every other day, you should start to see new growth around day five. Celery leaves will regenerate from the base, as well as a few small stalks.

After about a week, you can plant the celery base in soil, making sure to leave the leaf tips and stalks uncovered. As celery is mostly water, you’ll want to keep the plant nice and moist. You can start harvesting as soon as your celery plant has at least 10 stalks, and they will continue to grow throughout the season.

How to use regrown celery:

Celery is popular in French and Cajun American cuisine. Leaf celery is also used in Thai and Chinese food.

Eat celery on its own or use it in soups, stews, chilies, salads, stir-fries, and to make celery juice.

Check out our article on how to grow celery for more tips and a cheat sheet.

5. Carrots

While you can’t regrow a full carrot from scraps, you can regrow and use carrot greens. Instead of defaulting to tossing carrot tops and greens in the compost, give them a second life!

Cut off the top of the carrot, and the existing carrot greens if they’re still intact. To regrow carrot greens, it’s best if you have a little bit of green stem still attached to the top. Place the carrot top or tops in a bowl, cut side down. Fill the bowl with about an inch of water so the top is halfway covered. Place the dish on a sunny windowsill, and change the water every day.

The carrot pieces will eventually sprout green shoots on the top and roots on the bottom. When they do, you can plant the tops in soil, careful not to cover the shoots. Harvest the greens to taste. (Some people prefer the baby greens; others prefer them fully grown.)

How to use regrown carrot greens:

Carrots and their greens are used worldwide and are popular in French, Middle Eastern, Indian, American, and Japanese cuisines.

Enjoy carrot greens in salads, smoothies, sauces, and stir-fries, and as a side dish.

Find out what’s so great about carrots in our in-depth article.

6. Ginger

Ginger is a valuable spice for its health benefits and culinary uses. But as it’s so potent, you often only need a small piece for a recipe, leaving the rest to go to waste. Instead of throwing away or composting the leftover ginger, you can regrow the root and replant it, harvesting only what you need when you need it.

If you’ve had a ginger root for a while, you may start seeing little sprouts start to show. These are prime regrowing pieces to use. To regrow ginger from scraps, cut off one of these sprouted pieces and place it in water until roots start to grow. Once you have roots, place the piece of ginger in potting soil with the roots facing down and the sprouts or shoots pointing up. The ginger piece will produce new roots or rhizomes, which you can harvest in full or just remove a piece at a time.

How to use regrown ginger:

Ginger is often used in Asian cuisines such as Japanese, Indian, Indonesian, and Thai. It’s also used in baked goods across Europe and the US.

Use ginger as an ingredient in sauces, dressings, soups and stews, noodle dishes, rice bowls, stir-fries, and in teas, juices, and mocktails.

Learn more about the health benefits and uses of ginger.

7. Green Onions

Green onions are one of the easiest foods you can regrow from scraps because they often still have bits of the roots attached when you buy them.

Save the white ends of your green onions and put them in a jar of filtered water. Place the jar on a sunny windowsill and change the water every day or so. In about a week, you should have new green onions to add to your supper.

You may want to transplant the green onions into soil once the roots have grown longer. Harvest the green ends when fully grown — just make sure to leave the roots in the water or soil if you want your plant to keep producing.

How to use regrown green onions:

Green onions are another versatile veggie that’s also used as an herb or topping. Use it in Mexican, Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese food, among others.

Try green onions in savory pancakes or as a topping for dips, soups, stir-fries, rice bowls, and noodle dishes.

8. Mushrooms

Be a fun-guy or gal and grow your own mushrooms from scraps. Mushrooms are one of the more complex (and expensive) produce items to grow, so this is one way to do it if you don’t have access to mushroom spawn. You can grow white button mushrooms in this way as well as oysters.

While you can eat both the caps and stalks of a mushroom, some people choose to only use the caps in recipes. But there’s no reason to let those stalks go to waste! You can combine mushroom stems with wet cardboard substrate in an airtight container to create your own mushroom spawn. This guide by GroCycle gives you step-by-step instructions on how to grow mushrooms with the stem butt method, as well as common problems you may encounter.

How to use regrown mushrooms:

Fungi exist on every continent and can be found in almost every type of culinary fare. Chinese, Italian, Japanese, French, and Nordic cuisines are all mushroom-loving cuisines.

Use mushrooms in soups, pasta dishes, grain bowls, stir-fries, and sauces, stuffed as appetizers, and on toast.

Growing mushrooms, even from scraps, is not an easy task for beginners. But if you want to give it a try, the health benefits of mushrooms are pretty substantial.

9. Onion

There are two different ways to regrow onions, depending on what scraps you’re working with.

If you have onions that have been sitting around for a while and have started to sprout green stalks, instead of cutting off the stalks, you can use them to grow new onion plants. The stalks have formed from bulbs inside the onions, so you just need to cut open the onions and remove the bulbs with the stalks attached. Place the bulbs in a jar of water to allow them to root and then transfer them into soil.

The other way to grow onions is from the discarded bottoms that are cut off when you slice into an onion. You want the calloused-over piece that may still have some stringy pieces of dried root attached. Let the cut bottom dry for a couple of days and then place it directly into soil. As the onion grows, you can harvest the green shoots or just wait for the onion to form underground into a full bulb before harvesting.

How to use regrown onions:

Yellow, white, and red onions are widely used vegetables. French, Ethiopian, Indian, Russian, and many South American cuisines use onions in various dishes.

Try onions cooked in soups, stews, curries, chilies, sauces, dips, and casseroles, or raw in salsas and salads, or on veggie burgers and tacos.

Learn more about the disease-fighting superpowers of alliums like onion.

10. Pineapple

While it can take up to two years for a replanted pineapple top to bear fruit, the satisfaction of growing your own pineapple is well worth the wait.

To regrow a pineapple from scraps, remove the top of the pineapple, ideally by twisting it off (doing so will preserve the parts needed for regrowth). Peel back any leaves around the base so the bottom layers are exposed. And cut off just the tip of the base, being sure to remove any excess fruit.

Next, poke three or four toothpicks into the pineapple base right above the area where you peeled back the leaves. Use the toothpicks to suspend the pineapple top over a glass container. Add enough water to the container to cover the base of the pineapple top. Leave your suspended pineapple top in a sunny area, change the water every few days, and watch for roots to grow.

In about a week, roots should begin to form and the green leaves should be longer and wider. When the roots fully form, plant the pineapple top in a pot (or directly in the ground if you live in a warm climate). Make sure it’s exposed to plenty of sunlight, and water it regularly.

How to use regrown pineapples:

Pineapples grow in the tropics and are associated with cuisines from warm climates, such as Hawaiian, Indian, Malaysian, Thai, and Caribbean cuisines.

Eat pineapple on its own, in fruit salads, mocktails, smoothies and smoothie bowls, stir-fries and rice bowls, salsas, curries, and even on pizza if you dare!

Learn more about pineapple benefits, downsides, and uses.

11. Potatoes

To grow your own potatoes from scraps, it’s best to use pieces that have eyes (red or white bumps), which is where they sprout from. It’s even better if the eyes have already started to sprout. If they have, that means the potatoes have not been irradiated, which, as was mentioned earlier in this article, can prevent new growth.

Cut the potato into pieces, making sure each piece has at least one to two eyes. Let the pieces sit at room temperature overnight or for a few days until they’re dry to the touch. Once the potato halves are dry, plant them about one foot apart in eight inches of soil. Or you can also plant the pieces in five-gallon buckets. After a few months, the potatoes will be ready to harvest and use in recipes.

How to use regrown potatoes:

Potatoes are a popular vegetable used in Russian, Indian, Irish, German, and American dishes, among others.

Avoid frying potatoes and instead, bake, boil, or steam them. Use in stews, curries, casseroles, or as a side dish.

Discover if potatoes are really healthy or not, in our in-depth article.

12. Lettuce

Like celery, you can also save the base of a romaine heart and place it in water. After a few days, you’ll start to see new leaves growing from the middle of the base. Keep the bowl in a sunny area and change the water every day.

Plant the lettuce directly in soil once it grows roots, or you can continue to grow it in water. However, it may not produce a full head of lettuce this way. If you like the taste of baby greens, you can pinch off the outer leaves as the lettuce grows. Otherwise, harvest romaine leaves when they’re around six to eight inches tall.

How to use regrown lettuce:

Lettuce is popular in American, Vietnamese, Italian, Chinese, and Mexican cuisine.

Lettuce is mostly eaten raw. Use it in salads, smoothies, noodle dishes, tacos, and on sandwiches and veggie burgers.

Find out more about why you shouldn’t underestimate the benefits lettuce has to offer.

Get Growing with Food Scraps!

With a little preparation and luck, you can regrow the 12 different fruits and vegetables in this article, including basil, pineapple, celery, and more. Regrowing produce from scraps is a great way to reduce food waste and save money on groceries.

And although it’s not possible to regrow all fruits and vegetables from scraps, especially if they were purchased from a grocery store, you can experiment with the various types of produce in this article to see what will grow for you.

As the saying goes, one person’s trash is another person’s treasure. But by reusing your food scraps regularly, you can avoid them ever becoming trash in the first place. It’s a win-win for everyone! And that’s something we can all treasure.

Tell us in the comments:

• Have you ever tried regrowing food from scraps?

• How do you reuse food scraps in your home?

• What’s your favorite way to reduce food waste?

Featured Image: iStock.com/elenabs

Read Next:

• How to Use Food Scraps to Reduce Kitchen Waste
• What Is Upcycled Food & Should You Buy It?

The post 12 Foods You Can Regrow from Scraps appeared first on Food Revolution Network.

While the monthly arrival of menses can be a joyous occasion for some, having a period isn’t always a positive experience. Many people who menstruate struggle with period symptoms that are uncomfortable, and in some cases debilitating, for multiple days every month.

One US survey found that 85% of girls and women experienced painful periods. And two in five surveyed said they used painkillers to relieve their symptoms. Similar results have been seen in other high-income countries like Japan and Canada as well as in the Middle East.

But what if someone doesn’t want to rely on pharmaceuticals for pain relief? Are there more natural ways to deal with period pain and other menstrual symptoms, possibly even stopping them before they start?

Why Do Periods Hurt?

Period pain is thought to be the result of uterine contractions and is medically referred to as dysmenorrhea or primary dysmenorrhea. Pelvic and period pain is also sometimes caused and made worse by underlying medical conditions like endometriosis, adenomyosis, or fibroids, in which case it’s known as secondary dysmenorrhea.

Aside from pain, symptoms of dysmenorrhea can include nausea, vomiting, headache, dizziness, and diarrhea.

What causes these uterine contractions and uncomfortable physical symptoms?

Prostaglandins, chemicals found naturally in the lining of the uterus, have a hormone-like effect that causes the muscles and blood vessels in the uterus to contract. Prostaglandin levels are higher at the start of a period and gradually decrease through the duration of menstruation.

The production of prostaglandins is intricately connected to your body’s inflammatory and anti-inflammatory responses. As inflammation builds it triggers prostaglandin synthesis, causing increased levels of pain.

One important way to manage inflammation, and therefore the type and amount of prostaglandins in the body, is through diet. When the body is getting proper nutrition, baseline levels of prostaglandins are produced and can help fight inflammation. In theory, lower overall levels of prostaglandins in the body translate to lower instances of dysmenorrhea. In other words, an anti-inflammatory diet translates to fewer and less intense menstrual cramps.

Foods to Avoid on Your Period

Given that diet is one of the top lifestyle adjustments that can help control inflammation and balance hormones, it’s important to look at what to include (more on this below) and what to leave out when it comes to minimizing dysmenorrhea.

Especially leading up to and during your period, it’s a good idea to consider avoiding foods that trigger inflammation and interfere with the balance and production of hormones. These kinds of foods can make period symptoms more uncomfortable and last longer.

Some of the foods and beverages you might want to avoid before and during your period are:

• Processed foods that contain preservatives, hydrogenated oils, flavorings, and refined carbohydrates. (Eating refined carbs before your period can make symptoms of dysmenorrhea worse).
• Fried and fast foods increase menstrual irregularity and are more likely to be associated with negative PMS symptoms.
• Caffeine has been linked to an increase in period flow and an increase in dysmenorrhea.
• Alcohol may increase the risk of negative PMS symptoms.
• Red meat has been linked with an indicator of inflammation, breast and prostate cancers, heart disease, and myriad other diseases, as well as having been shown to promote insulin resistance linked to type 2 diabetes.
• Dairy and meat can lead to an increase in estrogen levels, a contributor to a thicker uterine lining and higher prostaglandin levels.

What to Eat on Your Period

Luckily, there are plenty of delicious and satisfying foods that help fight inflammation, lower prostaglandin levels, and ease period symptoms.

Some of the top nutrients and foods that help fight pain and inflammation during menstruation are:

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

While not foods in themselves, omega-3s are found in a variety of healthful foods. Omega-3s are a type of polyunsaturated fatty acid considered to be essential — something our bodies can’t produce on their own. These fatty acids are found in flaxseeds, chia seeds, walnuts, and algae — as well as in seafood. (See our article on fish for more on the pros and cons of eating seafood.)

Diets rich in omega-3s, and especially with an optimal balance of omega-3s to omega-6s, are anti-inflammatory. Yet, people eating a modern, industrial diet are more likely to consume too many omega-6s relative to omega-3s, which leads to more prostaglandins and more severe dysmenorrhea. So, what’s the ideal ratio of omega-3s to omega-6s? Research shows your omega-6 to omega-3 ratio should be somewhere between 1:1 and 4:1.

In addition to eating a diet rich in omega-3s, you might want to consider supplementation. Complement Essential is a complete multivitamin for people eating a vegan diet. It has eight critical vitamins, minerals, and sustainably-sourced plant-based omega-3s in a convenient capsule.

See our article on omega-3 fatty acids for more about these essential fats.

Magnesium

An essential nutrient, magnesium has many benefits that help us maintain normal blood pressure, regulate heartbeat, and maintain bone strength. And a lack of magnesium can make dysmenorrhea worse.

How does magnesium help with period pain? Magnesium blocks calcium, helping blood vessels relax and stay open, thus keeping uterine muscles relaxed. Magnesium is actually used as a natural muscle relaxer and not only helps with cramping but may also help with menstrual and non-menstrual migraines, back pain, foot pain, depression, irritability, and abdominal pain.

Luckily, there are lots of different plant-based foods that contain magnesium — nuts and seeds, spinach, plant-based milks, beans and legumes, avocado, potatoes, whole grains, tofu and tempeh, bananas, and cauliflower — just to name a few.

And, if you’ve ever craved chocolate during your period, magnesium may be part of the reason: Dark chocolate is a very good source of the mineral. One square of dark chocolate (80% or higher) has about 15% of your recommended daily dose of magnesium. Nichole Dandrea-Russert, RDN, Food Revolution Network’s lead Dietitian and Recipe Developer — and former chocolate company entrepreneur — encourages people to try eating dark chocolate regularly as a support for brain and hormone health.

Those looking for an extra boost of magnesium can check out Purality Health’s Micelle Liposomal Magnesium, a vegan supplement that uses a cutting-edge, patented formulation that has been found to increase bioavailability by up to 185x.

You can read more about this important mineral in our article all about magnesium.

B Vitamins

This group of eight different vitamins is sometimes referred to as the “B-complex.” They help convert food to energy, create new blood cells, and maintain skin cells, brain cells, and other body tissues.

B vitamins help regulate hormones naturally and can help manage dysmenorrhea. In fact, many of the B vitamins play different supportive roles for hormones and menstruation. It has also been shown that they influence the metabolism of neurotransmitters which may affect mood. For example, Vitamin B1, or thiamin, is particularly important as it may reduce both physical and mental symptoms of PMS. Similarly, adding B2, or riboflavin, primarily from food sources was found to mitigate the risk for PMS symptoms. And B6 has been shown to be effective at reducing depression symptoms related to PMS.

Not sure where to start with incorporating foods rich in B vitamins into your diet? Many different kinds of food, including nuts, seeds, tofu, whole grains, mushrooms, avocado, leafy greens, oranges, and bananas contain B vitamins. A diet rich in fresh, whole foods will help to ensure you’re getting adequate levels of most B vitamins.

If you’re having trouble getting (or absorbing) enough B vitamins from the food you’re eating, Purality Health’s Micelle Liposomal Active-B Complex could help you to absorb the optimal levels of essential B vitamins.

For more information, see our article on B vitamin benefits and the best vegan sources.

Anti-Inflammatory Herbs and Spices

Some of the best ingredients for fighting period pain may be sitting in your spice cabinet right now.

What’s the best of the best when it comes to anti-inflammatory herbs? Try fenugreek, fennel, and chamomile, which have been shown to have a positive effect on painful periods. And ginger, a member of the turmeric family, may also be an especially effective food to ease heavy periods.

Like ginger, regular consumption of cinnamon can help with the pain and reduce the amount of bleeding during menstruation. Plus, cinnamon works quickly to bring pain relief. One study found that supplemental cinnamon during the first 72 hours of menstruation worked better than a placebo in reducing pain.

Turmeric is also a potent anti-inflammatory food that, when consumed regularly, can relieve inflammatory concerns. This is largely due to curcumin, which modulates gene expression and prevents a host of diseases. Combine turmeric with black pepper to maximize the benefits of the antioxidant curcumin.

If you’re interested in an anti-inflammatory supplement, Purality Health’s Curcumin Gold, which contains curcumin, ginger, and the DHA form of omega-3, is our top pick.

And for more anti-inflammatory herbs, spices, and other foods, check out our article on eating an anti-inflammatory diet.

Period Food Recipes to Try This Month

Balance your hormones with ease (and enjoyment) as you dive into these culinary delights. Whether you choose sweet or savory, each recipe has a good variety of colors and nutrients to support you from day one of your cycle! Get ready to crush cravings and make period symptoms more manageable the plant-based way.

1. Apple Walnut Oatmeal Bake

This comforting dish is full of healthful, anti-inflammatory ingredients to help soothe during menstruation. Walnuts and chia seeds are excellent sources of omega-3s and are also chock-full of B vitamins and magnesium. Warming spices like cinnamon pack a tasty punch of pain-reducing, anti-inflammatory tasty delight.

2. Barley Salad with Tofu, Mushrooms, and Pineapple

With a tasty blend of earthy, savory, and tart flavors, this hearty salad is rich in B vitamins and healthy fats to support hormones and mood. Ginger — which reduces symptoms of nausea and pain — complements the sweet pineapple with a pleasant, warming kick.

3. Energizing Kale and White Bean Soup

Made to satisfy, this dish is colorful, flavorful, and full of nutrition to help keep your hormones happy all month long. Iron from the beans will help combat tiredness during your bleeding. Kale and tomatoes supply important B vitamins and antioxidant vitamin C. Balanced spices and just enough comforting carbohydrates will energize and warm you to your bones. Grab a spoon and dig in!

4. Cherry Chia Cacao Pudding Parfait

Craving chocolate? This parfait will be your new best friend. Full of anti-inflammatory omega-3s from chia seeds, antioxidants from cherries, and brimming with delicious, magnesium-rich cocoa, a few bites of this sweet treat and you’ll be saying “goodbye” to low mood and painful cramps.

5. Ginger Turmeric Pineapple Lemonade

Craving something refreshing? Try this healing lemonade. A great source of anti-inflammatory and anti-nausea ginger and turmeric, this drink may soothe your tummy, relieve bloating, and calm cramps and inflammation. A bit of black pepper enhances the warming quality of this drink and boosts the anti-inflammatory properties of curcumin in turmeric. When possible, use fresh ginger and turmeric for extra zip and pep. Not a fan of cold beverages during your period? Try it as a warm, comforting tea!

Diet Matters for Period Relief

Painful and even debilitating periods are something that many individuals have to deal with. Period pain can come from an excess of prostaglandins, a natural chemical that’s part of the body’s inflammatory response, which causes the necessary contraction of the muscles in the uterus.

While NSAIDs help with the pain, they bring cardiovascular and gastrointestinal downsides. Fortunately, there are natural options to not only treat the pain but also to prevent it. Lifestyle changes, including changes in diet to incorporate anti-inflammatory and period-healthy foods, like fresh fruit and vegetables, herbs and spices, and omega-3-rich nuts and seeds, can help to balance hormones and minimize negative symptoms.

By making sure you’re avoiding problematic foods and eating anti-inflammatory ones, you can help reduce period pain and inflammation — and support your overall health.

Tell us in the comments:

• Did you know there were so many pantry-staple herbs and spices with anti-inflammatory properties?
• How do you best manage your period pain?
• What are your favorite sources of omega-3 fatty acids?

Featured Image: iStock.com/urbazon

Read Next:

• Fight Disease With An Anti-Inflammatory Diet + 7 Foods That Fight Inflammation
• How to Balance Hormones Naturally with Diet & Lifestyle

The post What to Eat on Your Period: How Diet Can Help Prevent Pain appeared first on Food Revolution Network.

In many places, pumpkins have also become synonymous with the Halloween and Thanksgiving holidays. Some people even believe a Thanksgiving meal isn’t complete without a piece of pumpkin pie for dessert (Guilty!). And in the US, pumpkins are carved and turned into jack o’ lanterns, although the tradition actually started with the carving of other root veggies like turnips, potatoes, and beets.

In the Celtic tradition of Samhain (pronounced “sow-win”), people carved scary faces into vegetables to ward off demons and evil spirits. Upon immigration to the United States, many Celts began using pumpkins instead because they were bigger and sturdier than the vegetables they traditionally carved. Over time, these sources of protection became standard Halloween decorations.

While they may or may not protect you from evil spirits, pumpkins can help protect you from chronic disease. These edible gourds have a number of health benefits and are an easy and affordable way to boost your health and add color to your meals.

In this article, we’ll explore the health benefits of pumpkins and how to use them in a variety of sweet and savory dishes.

Types of Pumpkin

Although they’re known for their vibrant orange color, pumpkins actually come in a variety of hues, including orange, yellow, green, blue, white, black, pink, and even multicolored stripes.

Pumpkins also come in a number of shapes and sizes beyond the typical jack o’ lantern style types you might see at the grocery store or pumpkin patch. They can range in size from a few inches across for mini pumpkin varieties to a few feet across like the giant pumpkins that are typically seen at state fairs in the United States.

There are four main species of pumpkins: Cucurbita moschata, Cucurbita argyrosperma (formerly mixta), Cucurbita pepo, and Cucurbita maxima.

Cucurbita moschata

The Cucurbita moschata pumpkin variety also includes butternut squash. These are the types of pumpkins that are frequently used to make canned pumpkin. Fun fact — 85% of the world’s commercially produced pumpkin puree is made using Nestlé’s own brand of Dickinson pumpkins called Libby’s Select. Other typical C. moschata pumpkins include Crookneck, Seminole, Calabaza, and Buckskin.

Cucurbita argyrosperma

Cucurbita argyrosperma are also known as cushaw pumpkins. Their shape is more oblong than other pumpkin varieties, and many are green or striped rather than orange. Varieties of C. argyrosperma include Calabacita, Green Striped Cushaw, and Hopi Green.

Cucurbita pepo

Cucurbita pepo is the most common type of pumpkin and the one you’re likely the most familiar with. They’re also known as field pumpkins because they are often grown in corn fields as part of intercropping methods. Field pumpkins typically have smoother skin and are ideal for painting or carving. Some of the most popular varieties are Baby Bear, Munchkin, and New England Pie.

Cucurbita maxima

Finally, there’s Cucurbita maxima, which includes some of the widest diversity of pumpkins and squashes. This is where you’ll get the most color variety and the largest pumpkins. The world record for the largest pumpkin ever recorded was 2,703 lbs from a Cucurbita maxima variety called Werner. Other varieties of this species include Big Max, Dill’s Atlantic Giant, and Cinderella, so named because of its resemblance to Cinderella’s pumpkin-turned-carriage from the Disney film.

Pumpkins Have Been Used for Survival and Medicine

Pumpkins were essential to North American Indigenous diets beginning thousands of years ago. They were one of the earliest cultivated vegetables, with beginnings in the Oaxacan region of Mexico. In addition to the flesh, pumpkin seeds were also eaten and used for their health benefits.

When the Pilgrims came to America, pumpkins became a critical and nutritious food for them, as well. Without pumpkins, many of the early settlers might not have survived.

One of the first American folk songs has these lyrics: “We have pumpkins at morning and pumpkins at noon; If it was not for pumpkins we would be undoon.”

Most parts of the pumpkin plant, especially the seeds, flesh, and yellow blossoms, are still used in traditional systems of medicine today. And many people in the Global South consume pumpkin regularly as a staple food to get a significant amount of the energy and nutrients they need to survive.

Are Pumpkin Seeds and Pepitas the Same Thing?

Pumpkin seeds and pepitas are often used interchangeably, but they’re actually slightly different foods.

Pumpkin seeds are what you might find when you dig into a carving pumpkin or most pumpkin varieties sold at stores. They’re the pumpkin seeds that are sold with their white shells intact.

Pepitas, on the other hand, are a type of pumpkin seed only found in specific varieties of pumpkin originating in the Styrian region of Austria. You can find pepitas in oilseed pumpkins (also known as naked seed pumpkins), which are usually of the Cucurbita pepo variety. These shell-free (they grow that way) pumpkin seeds are used to make, you guessed it, pumpkin seed oil. But the seeds themselves are also a highly regarded snack food and are often found in Mexican cuisine.

Pumpkin Nutrition Facts

Both pumpkin flesh and pumpkin seeds are potent sources of nutrition. Pumpkin fruit is an excellent source of B vitamins and vitamin E, as well as minerals like iron, magnesium, and phosphorous. Pumpkins are rich in phytochemicals like cucurbitacins, saponins, carotenoids, phytosterols, and polyphenols. They also contain vitamin C, potassium, and the carotenoid and antioxidant beta-carotene, which gives orange pumpkins their color.

In one cup of cooked pumpkin, you’ll find the following nutrients:

• Calories 49 kcal
• Protein 1.8 g
• Carbohydrates 12 g
• Fat .2 g
• Fiber 2.7 g
• Vitamin A 245% DV
• Vitamin C 19% DV
• Vitamin E 10% DV
• Riboflavin 11% DV
• Copper 11% DV
• Magnesium 6% DV
• Potassium 16% DV
• Iron 8% DV

And in one ounce of pumpkin seeds you’ll find:

• Calories 146 kcal
• Protein 9.2 g
• Carbohydrates 3.8 g
• Fat 11.8 g
• Fiber 1.1 g
• Vitamin K 17% DV
• Riboflavin 5% DV
• Copper 19% DV
• Magnesium 37% DV
• Phosphorus 33% DV
• Iron 23% DV
• Zinc 14% DV
• Manganese 42% DV

Surprising Health Benefits of Pumpkins & Pumpkin Seeds

Some varieties of pumpkin are gourds, and others are squash. Gourds have a harder outer shell and little edible flesh on the inside, while squashes are more tender and have softer flesh. Believe it or not, a pumpkin is technically a fruit because it starts from a flower, much like a tomato or pepper. But most people consider it a vegetable because of its squash-like flavor, although there are sweeter varieties of pumpkin out there.

Whether you consider it a fruit, vegetable, or both, the fact that it’s either is enough to know pumpkins are good for you. Daily consumption of fruits and vegetables, including pumpkins, is associated with lower mortality rates and chronic disease prevention. But what are the specific health benefits of pumpkins and their seeds?

Let’s take a look at why they deserve so much more culinary attention than just as a holiday pie filling.

1. Pumpkin and Brain Health

The carotenoids in pumpkin flesh may have a powerful impact on your brain.

One in vitro study demonstrated that pumpkin pulp could be protective against mycotoxins crossing the blood-brain barrier, as is seen in Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. Pumpkin carotenoid extract was used on cells treated with mycotoxins, and the cells showed a reduction in multiple markers of inflammation. It’s possible this may be because pumpkins contain the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which is found in much lower levels in people with neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.

2. Pumpkin and Overactive Bladder Disorders

Urinary dysfunction is a common concern with increasing age. Pumpkin seed oil may help with overactive bladder disorders, specifically nocturia (or waking up to use the bathroom at night). One 2014 study in the Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine showed improved bladder function and a reduction in the severity of self-assessed symptoms within 12 weeks when the participants took 10 grams of pumpkin seed oil per day.

Another study on the effect of benign prostate enlargement and urinary retention also showed improvement with pumpkin seed oil. Although you may not want to include oil in your diet, you may still be able to reap these benefits by consuming whole pumpkin seeds with their natural oils intact.

3. Is Pumpkin Good for Your Eyes?

The beta-carotene and other carotenoids found in pumpkin, like lutein and zeaxanthin, are important for eye health.

According to the National Institutes of Health, ½ cup of canned pumpkin contains more than 100% of your recommended daily intake of vitamin A — which aids vision, particularly in dim light.

The lutein and zeaxanthin in pumpkin also protect your eyes from oxidative stress and have been studied for their protective effects on macular degeneration and cataracts.

4. Antimicrobial, Antibacterial, and Antiparasitic Effects of Pumpkin

Pumpkins may also have antibacterial and antimicrobial properties that can help protect against infectious diseases. One 2017 in vitro study found that pumpkin peel and puree extracts showed evidence of preventing the growth and division of bacteria. (They also had the same effect on cancer cells, which we’ll talk more about in the next section). Other in vitro studies also showed pumpkin extracts were effective against specific strains of harmful bacteria, including staph, E. coli, and salmonella.

Pumpkin seeds and seed extract have also been recommended as home remedies for deworming and parasitic infections in both people and animals. Multiple studies have tested the effectiveness of pumpkin seeds and their extracts and shown a reduction in the number of parasitic worms and their eggs. (Our view on the use of animals in medical research is here.)

5. Pumpkin and Cancer

Pumpkin seeds and flesh are packed with antioxidants, and eating both of them often may help treat or reduce the risk of many types of cancer.

One in vitro study on cancer cells of the breast, prostate, and colon found that pumpkin seed extract inhibited cancer cell growth by up to 50% and may be a potential treatment for hormone-related cancers. A similar study on thyroid cancer cells also showed pumpkin seed extract initiated cancer cell death and may also work in conjunction with the chemotherapy drug paclitaxel.

Pumpkins contain cucurbitacin, a type of phytochemical unique to the Cucurbitaceae family of plants. To demonstrate the powerful anti-inflammatory effects of this compound, extracts of Cucurbita pepo were used on colon cancer cells. The result was a reduction in the amount of inflammatory cytokine secretion, which has been associated with cancer cell proliferation and metastasis.

6. Is Pumpkin Good for Diabetes?

Eating pumpkins and pumpkin seeds can have a variety of beneficial effects for people with type 2 diabetes and blood sugar problems.

In one study on critically ill diabetes patients, pumpkin was shown to help reduce high blood sugar levels quickly. Each subject was given five grams of freeze-dried powder from the C. maxima pumpkin species for three days. In those three days alone, blood glucose decreased by an average of 36 mg/dL total. That is a significant amount considering one unit of insulin will drop blood sugar by 50 mg/dL.

A 2013 animal study published in the Journal of the Formosan Medical Association also found that raw pumpkin seeds’ tocopherol content mediated blood sugar levels and improved oxidative stress status and pancreatic markers.

How to Use Pumpkin & Pumpkin Seeds in Recipes

Although they’re convenient, you may want to avoid canned pumpkin or pumpkin pie mixes. Many of them contain added sugars, natural flavors, and other additives. The cans may also have BPA linings, which can leach into the food. If you do want to use canned pumpkin for a recipe, make sure to read the ingredients and look for BPA-free cans.

If a recipe calls for canned pumpkin, you can use fresh pumpkin instead (although you may need to steam or boil it first to get the right consistency).

You can also use substitute pumpkin puree for butter or oil in baking recipes. Using pumpkin in baked goods will give them a moist texture along with a subtle pumpkin flavor (unless you also add pumpkin pie spice to the mix).

Though they’re edible, it’s best not to use the large variety of pumpkin — the orange jack-o’-lantern pumpkins — for baking because this variety is stringy, with less flavor. But you can save their seeds, roast them, and use the flesh in stews and curries as you might use white and sweet potatoes.

The smaller and sweeter “pie pumpkins” or “sugar pumpkins” are best for baking and most recipes. (In the northern hemisphere, you can usually find these in grocery stores from late September into December.)

Pumpkin seeds and pepitas can be eaten on their own as a healthy snack or sprinkled over salads, oatmeal, chia pudding, and plant-based yogurt. You can also use them as a garnish for soups, chilis, and grain bowls. Or bake them into homemade crackers, muffins, and other baked goods.

You can store many uncut pumpkins in a cool, dark place for up to two months after harvest. Once cut, you can store pumpkin in the fridge for four to five days in an airtight container.

What About Pumpkin Spice & Pumpkin Flavored Food?

Come September, many grocery stores and coffee chains start offering pumpkin- or pumpkin spice-flavored products. The pumpkin spice craze seems to have started back in 2003 with the introduction of Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Latte (or PSL as it’s often abbreviated). The PSL’s popularity launched a thousand pumpkin-flavored ships with everything from pumpkin spice coffee creamers to the junk food abomination that nobody asked for — Pumpkin Pie Spice Pringles.

While jumping on the pumpkin spice bandwagon might seem like a fun way of getting into the fall season, the reality is that most of these foods are processed and full of added sugar, dairy, flavorings, and colorings. Even if you ask for a dairy-free PSL, without whole milk and whipped cream, Starbucks’ pumpkin spice mix is made with condensed milk.

To add insult to injury, the majority of pumpkin-flavored products don’t even contain any actual pumpkin. Instead, they add caramel coloring (which is made from high fructose corn syrup) and pumpkin pie spices. Even Starbucks didn’t start including real pumpkin in their drink recipe until 2015.

This is not to say that you can’t enjoy pumpkin and the flavors of fall at all. There are plenty of ways to make dairy-free and whole food versions of pumpkin-spiced food and drinks, including the PSL. Below, you’ll find a few delicious recipes made with real pumpkin and pumpkin seeds that are healthy and affordable.

4 Healthy Pumpkin Recipes for You to Try

We love pumpkin, yes we do, we love pumpkin — how about you? In case that didn’t make things obvious, we are delighted to share with you some of our favorite pumpkin recipes.

Starting off with superfood pumpkin seeds, Pumpkin Seed Poppers burst with nutrients, textures, and flavors. Enjoy them solo as an easy and scrumptious appetizer or on top of pasta, salads, or your favorite Italian-inspired grain bowl.

Pumpkin lends a slightly sweet and earthy flavor to an already savory, nourishing bowl of plant-based comfort in our Hearty Pumpkin Chili.

And our Pumpkin Spice and Amaranth Smoothie Bowl is an exciting twist on the traditional fruit-based smoothie bowl. Delicate pumpkin, warm pumpkin pie spice, and crunchy amaranth will have you falling in love with the versatility of pumpkin in no time!

Pumpkin Millet Granola takes a slight departure from the granola you might be used to, but this highly craveable snack (or breakfast) will be all the rage among die-hard pumpkin spice lovers everywhere!

1. Pumpkin Seed Poppers

Get creative in the kitchen with Pumpkin Seed Poppers. These bite-sized appetizers come with plenty of fiber, magnesium, and tryptophan, plus lots of flavor. Pumpkin seeds bring even more to the party since they are a rich source of zinc, B vitamins, and protein. What’s more, these tasty poppers are very fast to prepare when you have leftover brown rice or quinoa, as well as some roasted red peppers on hand.

2. Hearty Pumpkin Chili

Hearty Pumpkin Chili checks all the chili boxes, plus it goes the extra mile by including nutrient-rich pumpkin. Pumpkin’s sweet flavor and smooth texture stack up well to the heartiness of the beans and the robust acidity of the tomatoes. If you’re a chili lover like us, you’ll appreciate the bold spices, rich texture, and, of course, the surplus of plant-powered nutrients! Go ahead and savor every wholesome, nourishing, delicious, and satisfying bite!

3. Pumpkin Spice and Amaranth Smoothie Bowl

Pumpkin takes center stage in this perfectly spiced Pumpkin Spice and Amaranth Smoothie Bowl. Its beautiful vibrant orange color will have you on the edge of your seat as you dive in for the signature taste of the autumn season. This may sound like the perfect smoothie bowl for the fall season (and it is!), but it can certainly be enjoyed year-round. Pumpkin is chock-full of beta-carotene, B vitamins, and vitamin E, as well as minerals like iron, magnesium, and phosphorus to prime you for whatever the day brings.

4. Pumpkin Millet Granola

Loaded with oats, pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, and a touch of pumpkin pie spice, you’ll love having this granola on hand for healthy plant-based breakfasts and snacking. Plus, satisfyingly sweet and crunchy Pumpkin Millet Granola is packed with zinc and magnesium, fiber, B vitamins, and protein. Happy nibbling!

Make Pumpkin Part of Your Meals in a Healthy and Affordable Way

Pumpkins are valuable functional foods with an abundance of health benefits. They’ve been used medicinally and culinarily for thousands of years and across cultures.

Although pumpkin- and pumpkin spice-flavored foods are seemingly everywhere in the fall, it’s best to stay away from the pumpkin-flavored Pringles, Pop-Tarts, and store-bought pumpkin spice lattes. They are all high in sugar and flavorings and may not actually contain any pumpkin at all. Instead, enjoy pumpkins and pumpkin seeds in their whole food form to reap the benefits of their protective nature and scare away chronic and infectious diseases.

Tell us in the comments:

• Do you know of any other health benefits of pumpkin?
• Do you have any creative or unique ways to use pumpkin?
• What are your favorite healthy pumpkin recipes?

Featured image: iStock.com/fotokris

Read Next:

• Top Health Benefits of Squash + How to Prepare and Eat It
• 10 Vegan Halloween Recipes That Are Surprisingly Healthy (and Delicious!)

The post Health Benefits of Pumpkin and Pumpkin Seeds appeared first on Food Revolution Network.

From black beans to chickpeas and from cannellini to kidney, beans and other legumes (like lentils and split peas) provide an easy and affordable way to get many of the critical nutrients you need to thrive. Beans and other pulses have often served as a primary source of calories and other nutrients for thousands of years — and across cultures. Including them in your diet is also a great way to help you cut down on animal protein and enjoy more plant-based protein (they’re full of it!).

So what exactly makes beans so great? What are the healthiest types of beans? What about some of the downsides and controversies surrounding them? And what are some of the best ways to use beans in your daily meals?

Types of Beans

There are over 16,000 members of the bean family, although only a small number of those are edible. And, in fact, only 16 (.1%) of those bean plants are regularly consumed on a global basis — at least, according to data compiled by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Some of the most commonly known and eaten types of beans are actually all different varieties of the same species. The common bean species (Phaseolus vulgaris) encompasses green beans, Anasazi beans, navy beans, black beans, great northern beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, and cannellini beans.

Other popular types of beans include:

• Lima beans
• Soybeans
• Adzuki beans
• Mung beans
• Cowpeas
• Peas
• Chickpeas
• Broad beans
• Lentils
• Pigeon peas

Bean Nutrition: What Are the Healthiest Beans?

According to research by Dan Buettner, author of The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer from the People Who’ve Lived the Longest, beans are one of the foods most associated with longevity.

For optimal health, Buettner recommends eating a cup of beans each day. Few people in industrialized nations today, however, consume anywhere near that amount.

Yet beans can be one of the best sources of clean, whole food, plant-based protein and fiber. For people who might need to boost their protein intake, such as athletes and seniors, eating beans at most meals can be a great boost nutritionally. Cooked soybeans, for example, contain almost 30 grams of protein per cup! And beans don’t have the harmful health effects that animal protein brings, because they don’t have the pro-inflammatory compounds found in meat like arachidonic acid, saturated fat, and carnitine.

Then there’s fiber, a nutrient that many don’t get enough of. Cooked split peas and lentils have approximately 16 grams of fiber per cup!

To put all of this into perspective, many nutrition experts believe that a 150-pound person requires about 54 grams of protein and 40 grams of fiber per day. Most people in developed nations today consume an excess of protein, yet get only about 16-24 grams of fiber per day.

In addition to being excellent sources of protein and fiber, some beans also contain nearly a full day’s worth of iron, and many other vitamins and minerals, too. Black beans, for example, are also good sources of B vitamins like thiamine and folate as well as a variety of micronutrients like magnesium, phosphorus, manganese, and copper. Plus, all beans contain potent phytochemicals that are power disease fighters.

All beans seem to be good for your health. But which beans come out on top in terms of nutrition and antioxidant superpowers? According to NutritionFacts.org, black beans and lentils are two of the healthiest types of beans or legumes, beating out kidney beans, split peas, pinto beans, and chickpeas by twice or even 20 times as much antioxidant activity (in the case of chickpeas).

The Health Benefits of Beans

Now let’s dive deeper into some of the specific health benefits of beans and why they deserve a place in your diet.

Beans and Cancer

There is no guarantee against cancer, but a large percentage of cancer risk is due to dietary and lifestyle causes. Beans and legumes can help reduce the risk of many types of cancer in several ways.

One way is through the fiber they contain. Beans and legumes are among the foods richest in dietary fiber. Fiber is essential to help shuttle excess hormones and carcinogens out of the body. Without adequate fiber, these waste products continue to circulate over and over again, potentially causing cancer.

In a study published in the Journal of Nutrition, participants consumed a low-fat, high-fiber, high-fruit-and-vegetable diet, and researchers focused on the recurrence of colorectal adenomas (polyps) — which are a precursor to colon cancer.

After adjusting for all the commonly considered variables, the one factor that made the biggest difference in whether or not participants had a recurrence of adenomas was the number of bean servings they consumed.

Participants that were least likely to have a recurrence of polyps consumed 31 to 233 grams of beans per day.

Beans also contain a compound called phytic acid (phytates). Although phytates have gotten a bad rap in Paleo circles, many researchers believe that dietary phytates may be one of the reasons that people eating a plant-based diet rich in beans and other legumes tend to have lower rates of certain forms of cancer, including breast, prostate, and colon cancer.

Beans and Heart Health

Beans also have proven cardiovascular effects. And many medical associations, including the American Heart Association, recommend beans as part of a heart-healthy diet.

In a study published by Public Health Reports, people without legumes in their diets were at quadruple the risk of suffering from high blood pressure.

And in another randomized control trial published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, researchers gave participants just a half cup of pinto beans per day. After eight weeks, their total cholesterol dropped an average of nearly 20 points, and their LDL cholesterol levels dropped 14 points — as much as the level induced by the leading prescription cholesterol drugs!

Are Beans Good for Weight Loss?

If you’re looking to lose a few pounds or just maintain a healthy weight, beans and legumes are one of the best foods you can add to your diet.

A study in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition found that people who ate beans regularly had a 22% lower risk of obesity and were more likely to have a smaller waist than people who didn’t eat beans.

One possible explanation for this is that beans are high in soluble fiber, which slows digestion and makes you feel full longer.

A systematic review and meta-analysis also concluded that the inclusion of beans in your diet may be a modest weight loss strategy and lead to weight loss even without calorie restriction. Because beans are low in dietary fat but high in protein (unlike meat and dairy products, which are also high in saturated fat), their consumption may reduce body fat percentage.

Beans and Blood Sugar

Beans are also low on the glycemic index despite being high in carbohydrates and starches. Unlike simple carbohydrates that may spike blood sugar, beans contain slow digesting starch that triggers a sustained release of glucose that keeps blood sugar balanced.

This was originally known as the Lentil Effect. But it’s now known as the Second-Meal Effect and is the reason the consumption of beans is often recommended for people who have type 2 diabetes, as well as for those who want to prevent it.

Eating beans for type 2 diabetes is supported by dozens of research studies, including a systematic review of 18 randomized control studies. The conclusion reached from the review was that the inclusion of beans and legumes provided improvement in type 2 diabetes markers across the board, including fasting glucose, insulin, and HbA1c.

The Hispanic Paradox

The Hispanic Paradox is an example of the powerful effect of beans. In comparison to national averages, Hispanic people living in the US have lower access to health care, a higher poverty rate, and lower levels of education — all of which are typically linked to worse health outcomes. So you might expect the Hispanic population to also have a lower life expectancy. But remarkably, on average, Hispanic Americans live substantially longer than both white Americans and Black Americans.

Hispanic Americans have a 24% lower risk of premature death — with typically the lowest rates of lung cancer and lower rates of bladder cancer, throat cancer, and colorectal cancer, for both men and women.

Scientists have studied why this might be the case and have determined that diet has something to do with it. Although Hispanics only represent 18.7% of the US population, they eat one-third of the beans consumed. So a high bean consumption may be one of the reasons Hispanics live longer than white and Black Americans.

Bean Side Effects & Controversies

While beans have a number of health benefits, they may not be for everyone. Here are some things to consider when choosing whether to eat certain types of beans or increase your intake.

Soy — The Controversial Bean

Although accusations of soy possibly causing breast cancer or the feminization of male breast tissue abound, the evidence actually suggests otherwise. In fact, soy, like other beans and legumes, appears to have an anticancer effect on the body and can contribute to good health and longevity.

The Okinawan centenarians that live in one of the Blue Zone regions eat soy foods regularly as part of their traditional diet. And the consumption of moderate amounts of traditional soy foods like tofu, tempeh, miso, soy sauce, and soy milk has actually been shown to be protective against certain forms of cancer, including breast cancer.

For example, in a study published in Cancer Causes & Control, the consumption of soy milk was shown to be associated with a 70% reduction in the risk of prostate cancer.

Similarly, in a study published in the Journal of Clinical Nutrition, women who consumed the most soy had a 29% reduced risk of breast cancer and a 36% reduced risk of recurrence.

And despite many claims to the contrary, soy has not been found to cause the feminizing effects for which it is sometimes erroneously blamed. There are, however, high levels of actual estrogen in dairy, eggs, and meat, and these have been linked to the early onset of puberty, as well as to fertility issues and cancer.

GMO Soy

Some people are also concerned about soy and GMOs. While it’s true that most of the soybeans grown in the US today are genetically modified, the majority of these soybeans go to livestock. The rest may make their way into soy protein isolate, soy oil, and other highly processed soy foods.

If you’re interested in saying no to GMO soy, it might be best to avoid eating meat and processed foods, and instead opt for organic tofu, tempeh, soymilk, and other USDA-certified organic soy products.

For more on separating the soy facts from fiction, check out our article on soy here.

Antinutrients in Beans

Lectins are proteins present in many plants and concentrated in beans, whole grains, and certain fruits and vegetables. Some people are concerned about lectins, referring to them as antinutrients or even poison. One of the lectins found in kidney beans, for example, called hemagglutinin, can make people sick if consumed raw.

But I don’t know anyone who’s actually in the habit of eating raw kidney beans, do you? It turns out that for most people, lectins and lectin-containing foods are not the enemy. In fact, research shows that lectins may even have health benefits like helping treat digestive cancers.

Phytates are another so-called “antinutrient” in beans you may have heard of. Like lectins, phytates are naturally occurring compounds in plant foods like beans. Phytates are often talked about because they chelate or bind to important minerals like calcium, zinc, and iron, making them less bioavailable to the body. The concern is they could contribute to nutrient deficiencies. But the evidence shows that they, too, actually have a number of health benefits and may help protect us against chronic disease.

Finally, there are also phytoestrogens in soy and other legumes. Phytoestrogens are often brought up in the arguments against soy because there’s a misconception they act like our body’s naturally occurring estrogen. But phytoestrogens, or plant estrogens, are weaker than normal estrogen and can actually bind to or block excess estrogen in the body rather than increase it.

For most people, then, “antinutrients” like lectins, phytates, and phytoestrogens are not a cause for concern when consuming beans. And, in fact, their very existence may contribute to the health superpowers of legumes. However, if you’re still concerned about antinutrients in beans, you may be happy to know that sprouting, cooking, fermenting, and soaking all help significantly reduce their antinutrient levels.

GI Effects of Beans

Although bean-induced tooting is the subject of a lot of jokes (and family anecdotes), some people do have trouble digesting beans. This is one of the reasons that it’s best to soak beans for 24–48 hours (rinsing twice per day) before cooking them. With every rinse, you’ll be draining off oligosaccharides, which are a leading cause of flatulence.

If you do this and still find your digestion less than optimal, you may want to try introducing beans to your diet slowly, starting with one-quarter cup at a time and adding more every day or two to see how your body responds.

Some people also find that lentils and split peas are a bit easier to adjust to than other legumes while offering similar nutritional benefits. Another thing you can try is to take a digestive enzyme with your legumes. A daily probiotic might also be helpful as your body adjusts to them.

Cooked vs Dried Beans

When buying beans you typically have two options, dried beans or cooked beans. So which is the better choice? The answer is — it depends. Cooked beans are usually more convenient because they’re ready to add to recipes. So cooked beans can be a great way to easily add beans to your diet. However, some types of cooked beans have additional issues.

Canned beans sometimes come with added sodium, making them a less healthy choice than dried beans, especially for people with high blood pressure. Fortunately, you can buy canned beans that have no salt added.

Canned beans may also come in cans with BPA linings. BPA is a toxic, plastic-derived chemical that can leach into your food. As of 2020, about 95% of canned foods were made without BPA linings, but it’s unclear if the alternatives are any better for you.

However, canned beans are not the only source of cooked beans anymore. You can also buy cooked beans in non-toxic packaging like Tetra Paks, recyclable cartons, and glass jars, which are better for both you and the environment.

Cooked beans are more expensive than dried beans — about three times as expensive. So it’s much more economical to buy dried beans and cook them yourself. But the trade-off is that dried beans take much longer to cook, which can be challenging with already busy lives. Of course, this can be solved with a little planning ahead.

Ultimately, dried beans are cheaper and, when properly cooked, healthier than canned beans. But if you don’t have time to cook your own, don’t let that stop you from eating beans! Cooked beans, especially in non-toxic packaging, also have health benefits and can still make a fabulous contribution to a healthy, balanced diet.

How to Prepare Dried Beans

If you do decide to buy dried beans and prepare them yourself, here are step-by-step instructions for how to cook beans.

1. First, soak beans for 12–48 hours prior to cooking by placing them in a pot and covering with lots of water — enough to cover by two inches. Discard soaking liquid, rinse, and resoak 2–3x/day, and then rinse and cook thoroughly until tender in fresh water. (Soaking is not necessary with lentils, as they cook relatively quickly.)
2. Cook beans using my favorite method, a pressure cooker. They come out perfectly every time. Pressure cookers save time and energy. The pressure also penetrates the tough exterior of beans, making them more easily digestible. But, if you don’t have one, don’t worry. A simple pot or slow cooker can work well, too.
3. Add a bay leaf or a strip of dried kombu (a sea vegetable) when cooking beans. Doing so not only adds flavor, but the kombu can help reduce flatulence from eating beans. Kombu contains alpha-galactosidase, which helps break down the oligosaccharides in beans that are responsible for their gastrointestinal effects.
4. You can also add spices, such as fennel, cumin, caraway, ginger, epazote, asafoetida, and turmeric to help make beans more digestible.

How to Use Beans in Recipes

Beans are versatile foods that work well as both a plant protein source and a vegetable.

Reap the benefits of beans and legumes by using them in:

• Soups, stews, and chilies
• Blended into dips, spreads, or sauces
• In breakfast scrambles
• As a filling for tacos, burritos, and other Mexican dishes
• Mixed into veggie burger patties
• Mixed into salads
• In hot or cold pasta dishes
• In casseroles, stir-fries, or power bowls
• Desserts like brownies or puddings

3 Delicious Plant-Based Bean Recipes

If you haven’t already begun your love affair with beans and legumes, we have a few recipes that we think might help!

Cowboy Caviar brings beans to new heights. This flavorful dish is best described as a fusion between bean salad and veggie salsa. Bean salsa? Sign us up!

Looking for a new bean to try? One-Pot Butter Bean soup is a quick and easy way to get in your one cup a day. If you have never tried butter beans before, we recommend you don’t miss out on this recipe (not to mention all of the healing veggies that accompany these beans).

Last but not least, Everyday Lentil Lunch is now one of our favorite go-to lunch recipes (and we love to share it as often as we can), thanks to the delightful combination of lentils, grains, herbs, and spices. With so many ways to use beans and legumes, we’re certain you’ll find your favorite go-to ways to enjoy them!

1. Cowboy Caviar

The beauty of beans is that you can transform them in a variety of ways to satisfy any craving, pallet, or nutritional need. Cowboy Caviar can best be described as a fusion of bean salad and veggie salsa. They come together for a gorgeous and colorful bowl of plants that is teeming with fiber, protein, phytonutrients, and of course plenty of flavors. Enjoy it as a taco filling, use it as a salsa, or top it on avocado toast.

2. One-Pot Butter Bean Soup

One-Pot Butter Bean soup is a quick and easy way to get in your one cup a day! Butter beans (also known as lima beans) are not often highlighted as a bean of choice in many dishes (unless you live in the South), so we are giving this bean its chance to shine. Butter beans have a starchy yet buttery texture (hence the name), and are a great source of folate (and other B vitamins), copper, magnesium, phosphorus, manganese, iron, protein, and of course fiber! With the addition of carrots, onion, and Swiss chard, you’ll have a super nourishing soup with plenty of potent phytochemicals to help keep you healthy.

3. Everyday Lentil Lunch

Everyday Lentil Lunch is one of our favorite go-to lunch recipes, and we love to share it as often as we can! Lentils are a gold mine of nutrition. They have approximately 16 grams of fiber and about 18 grams of protein per cup. Plus, when you consider the nutritional value — the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective effects lentils have — you can see why we’d advocate for a cup of these health-promoting legumes a day. What’s more, this delicious dish comes together easily, has a variety of bright flavors, and is super satisfying. We’d recommend preparing extra lentils and brown rice to have on hand, as this could become your new lunchtime staple every day of the week.

Beans Are Good for You!

Most people I know are looking to save some money. And we all know that grocery costs can add up. Centering meals around beans can be a simple, affordable solution to eating healthier. Plus, you’ll get all the benefits of beans described above.

At just a couple of dollars per pound for most organic dried beans, it’s easy to feed even a large family a healthy, affordable meal featuring the lovable legume. Beans are also convenient. It’s easy to keep a variety of dried and canned beans in the pantry for making a broad range of bean recipes. There are so many exciting ways to prepare beans and reap their benefits.

We hope we’ve given you a few new ideas to incorporate more beans and legumes into your plant-powered diet and lifestyle.

Tell us in the comments:

• What are your favorite ways to prepare beans and legumes?
• What new bean recipe do you want to try next?
• What do you think about the health benefits of beans?

Read Next:

• Why Is Fiber Good For You? (And How To Get Enough Fiber!)

The post The Benefits of Beans: Why They Deserve a Place in Your Diet appeared first on Food Revolution Network.