Health and nutrition topics for vegan, plant-based, flexitarian, and reducetarian eaters
Webinar: Healthy vegan meal planning with protein, iron, and calcium in mind
Are you and your loved ones are getting all the nutrients you need on a plant-based diet? Are you concerned about protein, iron, and/or calcium? Join Brigitte Gemme in this free webinar where she'll guide you through the essentials of composing nutritious, balanced...
Lifestyle and mindset shifts for a blissful menopause: Conversation with Anna Pelzer, vegan menopause coach (podcast)
Can there be such a thing as a blissful menopause? Every woman's experience will be different, but certain lifestyle and mindset shifts will make it a smoother ride. My guest on the Vegan Family Kitchen podcast today is Anna Pelzer, a vegan menopause coach, has some...
How to fit all the nutrients you need in everyday plant-based meals (talk and Q&A replay)
Have you ever wondered if you can truly get all the essential nutrients from everyday plant-based meals? You're not alone. Many people question whether a vegan or plant-based diet can fully satisfy their nutritional needs. Can a plant-based diet provide every nutrient...
Experimenting with our food choices (and more!) with Helen C. Giles (Subscriber spotlight)
Why not try something different, pay attention to the results, and take it from there? This Vegan Family Kitchen Podcast episode's guest, Helen C. Giles, is a colleague, cooking friend, and meal plan subscriber. Her story will encourage you to embrace experimentation...
Life after breast cancer: An interview with Nic Bathurst, dietitian and nutritionist specializing in mid-life women’s health
Nic Bathurst, a dietitian and nutritionist, and mom of four kids, thought of herself as a healthy and fit person with good habits. Then, at age 48 she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She underwent a mastectomy and started digging into the literature about breast...
Protein for vegans and plant-based eaters: my point of view as a meal planner, woman, and mother
Protein for vegans and those who eat a predominantly plant-based diet: should we be worried or is this all overblown? Those are questions I have been asking myself since starting to cook mostly plant-based food in 2013 and going vegan in 2015. The question is all the...
Calcium for vegans: my point of view as a meal planner, woman, and mother
Calcium for vegans and plant-based eaters: should we be worried? Americans and Canadians, and some Europeans, have repeatedly been told that we need to drink milk and consume dairy products for bone health. Going vegan can feel like a rebellion against the established...
Plant-based in public health: An interview with Dr. Charlyn Black, MD, ScD, Professor at the UBC School of Population and Public Health
Charlyn Black trained as a family doctor more than forty years ago, but most of her career has been as a scholar dedicated to understanding the social determinants of health for over three decades. She is now a Professor at the UBC School of Population and Public...
Practicing mindfulness to tame food addiction: A conversation with Karen Steiner
How can the principles of mindfulness and compassion support a transition away from overeating and food addiction? I had the good luck of exploring this topic with Karen Steiner in conversation for the Vegan Family Kitchen Podcast. Listen to the episode: Watch on...
From Nepal to the Midwest and back: an interview with Babita Shresta, author of Plant-based Himalaya and Vegan Nepal blogger
Babita Shresta thought she had landed on another planet when she first visited a grocery store in Minnesota. Coming from rural Nepal, where as a child she learned to cook fresh vegetables and simmer lentils alongside her grandfather, she had never seen packaged...
Soy and cancer: should we worry? Here’s what the recent literature says.
When a client says “I am concerned about including soy products in my plant-based diet because of the cancer risk,” this is the information I can provide them. In short: no, you should not avoid eating soy for fear of increasing your cancer risk. Quite the opposite!...
Can fertility improve with a plant-based diet? Exploring Dr. Jenny Lee’s journey toward better reproductive health
Can fertility improve with a plant-based diet? Research certainly seems to be on the side of a reduction in meat intake having a positive effect. Generally, healthy plant-based diets focused on whole foods also have the potential to improve many of the factors that...
Iron for vegans: my views as a meal planner, woman, and mother
Iron for vegans and plant-based eaters: should we be worried? Iron is a common concern of well-meaning friends and relatives, upon learning that a loved one is going vegan or committing to eating more plants (and fewer animals). Since most people still think of meat...
Workshop: Plant-based Nutrition Hacks
Plants have all the nutrients we need to sustain good health and prevent disease. How can we make the most of what they have to offer without spending our whole days in the kitchen? How can plant-based eaters increase their odds of getting all the iron, calcium,...
Getting in shape after having kids: Plant-based personal trainer Amy Kakebeeke shares her best tips
How do you get into shape after having kids without spending hours in the gym? Amy Kakebeeke is the queen of squeezing short yet effective workouts in-between the many commitments of her busy life as a working mom. Get ready to be inspired to hop off the couch and...
Healthy vegan and plant-based tool kit for organized people who cook at home
The best way to nurture your own health and that of the planet is to eat a healthy plant-based vegan diet consisting mostly of home-cooked foods. If you are just getting started with this healthy vegan plant-based lifestyle, it can be overwhelming. There is so much to...
Dreena Burton’s 20 years as a vegan cookbook author and parent
Dreena Burton has published six vegan cookbooks and raised three children in 20 years. That elevates her to superhero status to me. Her recipes take nutrition, appeal, and ease into consideration all at the same time, and she keeps on showing up to inspire us with...
Plant-based doctors at home: An interview with Dr. Jimisha Patel and Dr. Nina Hourmouzis of the Columbus Prevent and Reverse Health Clinic
Traditional medical education makes very little room for nutrition and disease prevention. As a result, "health care" often ends up looking more like "sick care." But the tide may be turning and the number of plant-based doctors is growing. Thanks to the efforts of...
Should we cook with oil? A pragmatic approach to deciding what to do.
Should we cook with oil? Opinions differ wildly on that topic within the plant-based community, and there are many people out there who avoid all oils as much as they can. As a result, as a professional meal planner, I often get asked by prospective clients whether my...
Should I supplement B12? (No affiliate links.)
Should I supplement B12? My answer is straightforward: yes. This is probably true regardless of one's dietary choices, but even more so if vegan or even just a part-time plant-based eater (flexitarian). This article is required reading for all Vegan Meal Plans...
Why quit coffee? 10 years into a personal experiment
In April 2011, I quit drinking coffee. This was an unexpected move for me because I loved coffee. Back in the mid-1990s, I had a blog and many posts were about the art and pleasure of coffee making and drinking. My espresso machine was my most beloved appliance. I...
Nutrition for plant-based runners: an interview with Kayla Slater, registered dietitian and running coach
I came to plant-based eating for environmental reasons, and decided to go 100% vegan for the animals. But fitness was also on my mind: would I continue to perform well as a vegan runner, or even improve? I'm no elite athlete: just a happy age-grouper aiming to keep...
Vegan meal prep for health: Katie heals her gut (subscriber spotlight)
What if committing yourself to doing some vegan meal prep on the weekend, using only whole foods plant-based ingredients, could mean something as profound as healing yourself from a disease that's been dogging you for over 20 years? That's what happened to Vegan Meal...
How a vegan pediatrician feeds her family – An interview with Doctor Yami Cazorla-Lancaster
Dr. Yami is a busy plant-based pediatrician but she still finds the way to eat mostly home-cooked meals throughout the week. Read more about her simple meal planning, weekend prep, and cooking routines, plus her best tips for parents with picky eaters.