January is a time of contemplation where people may think about resolutions and changes that they would like to make. 

These are often soon forgotten and leave us with feelings of guilt and failure, so why not choose something that is really easy to do, lots of fun, exciting and the beginning of a journey to better health?  How would you feel about pledging to increase the variety of foods in your diet this year?  Broader diets have more nutrients which is essential for good health and well-being.  There is another benefit to eating many different types of plants that you might not have heard of…it creates an excellent environment for your gut microbiome, and research shows that eating at least thirty plant-based foods is the best way to support this little herd of beneficial bugs.

This resolution is easy to do…why not choose some dishes you haven’t tried before?  Perhaps vegetable curry; fishcake with teriyaki noodles; baked field mushroom with lentils, sweet potato and feta cheese; and vegetable gratin.  Amazingly, choosing these four dishes will give you over thirty different plants hitting your target without even trying!  These meals are all delicious and full of fresh, local vegetables, which means that you’re also supporting the local producers in our community.  The exciting question is, where will your discovery of new foods take you next?

Happy New Year!

Joe