Author: Annie B. Kay

Life can be confusing and so it is with food. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) nearly 70% of our food is refined, yet we are told processed food is bad — unhealthy, right?

Spring has finally sprung, and with it a desire to lighten up. Going with the seasonal flow means leaning toward fresh bitter greens, herbs, plant proteins and spring vegetables.

Neither animal nor plant (though related to both), mushrooms occupy their own special place in culinary, nutritional and plant medicinal use and lore.

Featured prominently in the Mediterranean eating pattern (the diet with the greatest scientific research support), enjoying seafood should be a no-brainer.

When we find ourselves on the cusp of fall, it’s back-to-school and life seems to speed up, buckle down and get more serious again. Fall’s harbinger comes as the first crisp wind. We transition from outside to in and think of soup and tea.

Lighten up with nutrient-dense, plant-based eating this spring.