She’s a mother, nurse, marathon runner, and Navy veteran…and now Briana Jones is hoping to add another title to her impressive résumé: vegan champion. After being introduced to CrossFit through a Groupon deal, she quickly fell in love with the sport and joined the Vegan Strong Plantbuilt team, a diverse group of bodybuilders and other strength athletes on a mission to demonstrate the power of a cruelty-free diet. At 2022’s Mr. America competition, Vegan Strong Plantbuilt scored a total of 18 medals. This year, they plan to top that stellar performance as they take the stage October 6–8 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. We chatted with Jones—who will be competing in the A.C. Fitness Throwdown event at Mr. America—about why she chose a plant-based diet, what she eats before and after workouts, and why she thinks her team will outshine the rest in this year’s competition.

Why did you adopt a whole-food, plant-based diet?

Briana Jones: In high school, I eliminated a lot of meat from my diet. As I learned about inflammation, I started to eliminate dairy because I have asthma. I fully adopted the diet after watching the Forks Over Knives documentary, and I noticed my asthma improved almost immediately.

What do you like to eat before and after workouts?

BJ: I usually eat an apple and oatmeal with flax and hemp seeds before I work out. Sweet potatoes are my go-to. I’ll snack on them throughout the day when I’m competing. After I work out, I’ll have a big grain bowl with beans for protein (chickpeas are my favorite) and cucumbers and tomatoes for hydration. I’ll eat that and an acai bowl with bananas, strawberries, and blueberries.

What sets the Vegan Strong Plantbuilt team apart from other Mr. America competitors?

BJ: What separates us is the recovery aspect. Now that I’m plant-based, I recover a lot better, and the food I’m eating is actually nourishing my body. When I’m recovering between events, I’m eating sweet potatoes and I’m watching other people eat gummy bears. I know I’m getting instant energy and nutrients to get me through the next event. I’m not going to have a high and then crash. That makes a huge difference.

What would you say to someone who’s interested in a plant-based diet?

BJ: Do a little research and go for it. In a week, you’ll notice a significant difference in your body that will motivate you to continue on—more energy, better sleep. Take it a day at a time, adding one plant-based meal to your day for a week, then two the next week, and three the next. Before you know it, you’ve adopted a lifestyle that is going to give you a lot of energy and feel rewarding.

What are you most looking forward to at this year’s Mr. America competition?

BJ: We’re excited to go out and show our strengths. Our goal is to represent what it looks like to eat a plant-based diet and be healthy and strong. When you’re plant-based, people think you can’t build muscle, you can’t be strong, that you’re going to be skinny. We want everyone to see that, “Hey, these plant-based athletes are competing and they’re doing well.” It’s all about leading by example, and it’s nice to be able to demonstrate that to the world in a positive way.

To learn more about a whole-food, plant-based diet, visit our Plant-Based Primer. For meal-planning support, check out Forks Meal Planner, FOK’s easy weekly meal-planning tool to keep you on a healthy plant-based path.

The post Vegan Strong Plantbuilt Team Heads Back to the Mr. America Competition with New Member Briana Jones appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

Hash Browns

“My two favorite breakfasts are easy: oatmeal and hash browns. The great thing about both of these breakfasts is their versatility—by changing the toppings, I can have a completely different meal. Bananas, blueberries, a little brown sugar, and plant milk are my favorite toppings for my morning oatmeal. For hash browns, I cook them on a nonstick pan (no oil, of course) and enjoy them with fresh salsa I make with tomatoes, onion, jalapeño, cilantro, garlic, and lime.” —Heather McDougall, CEO, The McDougall Program

Breakfast Beans

“I love breakfast beans. Chop half of a yellow onion and sauté it in a saucepan over medium heat. Add 3 strips of tempeh bacon and cook until brown, breaking them up a bit. Add ¾ cup vegetable broth, ½ cup tomato sauce, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, and a 15-ounce can of beans (black, pinto, or kidney), rinsed and drained. Stir occasionally for 10 minutes and season to taste. Turn off the heat and let the beans thicken in the pot for about 15 minutes. Enjoy over toast or rice.” —Cleodia Martinez, author of Ay Sus!: Whole Food Plant-Based Global Filipino Cuisine.

Fruits & Applesauce

“If it’s just another day working from home, I usually eat fruit for breakfast, which is typically a couple of bananas; handfuls of raspberries, blueberries, or grapes; and some applesauce. Being vitamin-, mineral-, and antioxidant-rich, as well as energy- producing and hydrating, fruit is my preferred breakfast food to eat on its own or to add to another meal, like oats, potatoes, or cereal.” —Robert Cheeke, bodybuilder, founder of Vegan Bodybuilding, and coauthor of The Plant-Based Athlete

Overnight Oats

“I simply mix together a 1:2 ratio of oats to dairy-free milk with about a tablespoon of ground flaxseed (per serving) and let it sit overnight. In the morning, I add fresh, seasonal fruit.” —Ashley Madden, CHNC, B(Sc)Pharm, ACPR, author of The Plant-Based Cookbook

Avocado Toast

“You can never go wrong with avocado toast, in my opinion. An avocado has 5 grams of fiber, not to mention healthy fats, protein, and vitamins. Toast up some whole grain sourdough and put a drizzle of balsamic vinegar on it. Scoop some avocado onto the toast and mash it down. Add the toppings of your choice. For me, that’s garlic, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, smoked paprika, a little sea salt, and black pepper. Many times, I’ll add a few slices of fresh heirloom tomato or a little mound of home-grown broccoli sprouts.” —Will Bulsiewicz, MD, MSCI, board-certified gastroenterologist and author of Fiber Fueled

Giant Smoothie

“My typical breakfast when I’m trying to maintain weight or during periods of normal training is a giant smoothie: 2 ripe bananas, 1 cup frozen mixed berries, 1 cup frozen mango, a big handful or two of baby kale, 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed, 2 tablespoons raw walnuts, and 2 to 3 cups water, depending on desired consistency. Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender until smooth. This makes enough for one giant smoothie to sip all morning long, or two normal-size smoothies.” —Matt Frazier, ultrarunner, founder of No-Meat Athlete, and coauthor of The Plant-Based Athlete

The post Plant-Based Pros Share Their Favorite Quick Breakfasts appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

As one of the world’s most iconic sports festivals, the Mr. America competition calls to mind images of top-tier athletes with tan, oiled skin holding angular poses that show off their perfectly ripped bodies. Now, a team of elite athletes is determined to transform the world-famous competition into a platform for plant-based excellence.

Enter the Vegan Strong PlantBuilt team—composed of 26 members from around the world—which will take the stage Oct. 7–9 in Atlantic City and represent the sports of bodybuilding, Olympic weightlifting, powerlifting, kettlebell sport, and CrossFit.

“Dani Taylor and I formed the PlantBuilt team in 2015 with one mission: to once and for all dispel the myth that vegans are weak and scrawny,” says co-founder Giacomo Marchese, who will compete in the Men’s Open and Masters 40+ bodybuilding divisions.

Taylor and Marchese reached out to friends in the community to gauge their interest in participating, and the first Vegan Strong PlantBuilt team was born. At the Naturally Fit Games, a multisport expo in Austin, Texas, they commanded the stage in 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2017.

“While we represented 10 percent of the competition, PlantBuilt managed to take home 80 percent of the trophies,” Marchese says. Sara Lee broke a world record in kettlebell; Kody Kowalowski placed first in CrossFit; Torre Washington won the overall in bodybuilding, beating out every bodybuilder in every division; Marchese and Daniel Austin had perfect scores in powerlifting, and both placed first in their weight classes. “Records were broken in several sports, and there were many more gold, silver, and bronze placings across the board over the years,” he says.

Since then, the team has competed at two additional events, expanding its team to include more strength-based athletes—and always spreading the message of cruelty-free muscle.

Setting a Precedent

“We are headed to the Mr. America All-American Sports Festival to set a precedent and take home as many medals as possible,” Marchese says. “Our goal is to demonstrate that athletes can be competitive and compassionate at the highest level of sports, fueled solely by plants.”

Jenny Harrison, who will be competing in the bikini bodybuilding professional division, says the team serves as a public display of vegan strength and athleticism. “There’s this preconceived notion that vegans are weak and frail,” she says. “We want to show the world that you can build muscle just like the strongest animals that roam the earth.”

After losing her father to a heart attack 11 years ago, Harrison became interested in learning how to live a healthier lifestyle. “Veganism kept coming up again and again, and that was around the same time the Forks Over Knives documentary came out,” she recalls. “It was kind of this perfect storm that made me think, Oh, I gotta go vegan.”

Plants Have All the Protein You Need

Despite their impressive form and athletic achievements, members of the Vegan Strong PlantBuilt team report facing the same query that many vegan athletes and vegans in general hear: “Where do you get your protein?”

“This one doesn’t seem to be able to be put to bed,” Marchese says. “I get it. As with any dietary shift, there will be some fear and uncertainty. The truth is, you can get more than enough protein to meet your needs as a highly competitive bodybuilder or strength athlete from plants. Once you are familiar with plant-based foods, it’s actually quite easy. Plants have all the protein you need.”

In fact, ditching meat and dairy may provide athletes with a competitive edge. Whole plant foods offer not only dense nutrients but anti-inflammatory properties that help fight injuries.

“Strength comes from being able to perform, recover, and train consistently,” Marchese explains. “When I went vegan 18 years ago, my recovery time improved. Even when I’m deep in competition prep for my next bodybuilding season, I can easily train upward of seven days in a row while still recovering well. In the off-season, I can train up to two weeks in a row without rest.”

The team’s ultimate goal, he says, is to “represent for the animals, for the environment, and to show what compassionate, healthy bodies can truly do. We are fueled by the healthiest foods… and for the right reasons.”

Results

The Vegan Strong PlantBuilt team scored a total of 18 medals at the 2022 Mr. America competition: eight first-place, five second-place, and five third-place.

• Breaking the Australian masters bench press record, Noah Hannibal pressed a whopping 182.5 kg (402.34 lb.) in the 125 kg Men’s Masters Bench Only Raw to take first place.
• Americans Nick Squires and Ndem Nkem won their respective divisions in the 100 kg and 140 kg Men’s Open Raw category.
• Powerlifter Katya Gorbacheva earned second in the 75 kg Women’s Open Raw
• Brittany Billings earned second in the 82.5 kg Women’s Open Raw.
• Daniel Austin placed third place in the 82.5 kg Men’s Open Raw.
• Kettlebell competitor Scott Green earned two first-place wins in the 5-minute long cycle and the 5-minute snatch.
• Kettlebell competitor Kelly Green won first in the 5-minute snatch.
• Sally Anderson took first place in the women’s masters division of CrossFit.
• Sophie Brock took second place in the Women’s RX.
• Kody Kowalowski earned third in the Men’s RX in CrossFit.
• Nadege Corcoran earned first place in both the Women’s Bikini Open and the Women’s Bikini Masters.
• Ed Bauer earned second place in the Men’s Physique Master
• Tiffany Burich placed second in Women’s Figure Masters.
• Giacomo Marchese took home two bronze medals in Men’s Bodybuilding Open and Men’s Bodybuilding Masters.

Photo by Doc List Photography

The post World’s Largest Team of Vegan Strength Athletes Set to Compete at 2022 Mr. America Competition appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

“What’s good for one is generally good for the other,” study co-author and environmental scientist at the University of Oxford, UK Michael Clark told Nature.com. “You don’t have to make a choice that’s good for the environment but might negatively impact your health.”

Previously, it was difficult for consumers to figure out which products were more or less sustainable, since they often consist of a number of different ingredients. Clark and his team set out to develop a method to solve this issue. “We have information on the environmental impacts of commodities like wheat and soybeans,” Clark said. But, “if you’re walking into your local food shop, you’re not just purchasing wheat.”

Clark and his team used an algorithm to calculate the volume of various ingredients contained in thousands of products found in UK supermarkets, assigning each item an environmental-impact score out of 100—with 100 being the least sustainable. Factors examined included greenhouse gas emissions, land use, water stress, and eutrophication potential (the nutritional enrichment of soil or water).

The findings? Products containing lamb and beef were the worst environmental offenders, scoring three times higher than those containing poultry. Desserts and pastries scored in the intermediate category. Low-impact foods included items made with plants, grains, fruits, vegetables, and bread products.

They then compared nutritional data to the environmental-impact score. “Many [items] were win-wins and were more nutritious and sustainable, [including] fruits, vegetables, salad, breakfast cereals, some breads, and meat alternatives,” the study authors wrote. “Conversely, there were numerous lose-lose [items] with nutrition and environmental impacts above the median, [including] cheese, chocolate, savory pies, and quiches.” There were a few exceptions to the trend, such as nuts, which were found to be high in nutritional value but also somewhat high in environmental impact, and sugary beverages, which are nutritionally poor but—because they’re composed primarily of water and refined sugar—have a low environmental impact.

But on the whole, the researchers found that healthier, more plant-forward diets tended to be better for the environment, leading them to conclude that “replacing meat, dairy, and eggs with plant-based alternatives could have large environmental and health benefits in places where consumption of these foods is high.” They noted that there are “multiple ways to achieve this dietary change, including direct and large substitutions (e.g., beans instead of beef), or smaller transitions between like-for-like products.”

Clark hopes that consumers can leverage these findings to make savvier food choices.

“There are large differences between foods, and we can start making choices that really improve our health and environment in a substantial way,” Clark says. “This sort of study can help us find our way there.”

In recent years, several large-scale studies have implicated meat as a key driver of greenhouse gasses. Learn more here: How Does Following a Vegan Diet Help the Environment?

The post Huge New Study Finds Healthy Foods Are Better for the Environment appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

The scientific review, conducted by Hematologic Oncologist Urvi Shah, MD, and Medical Oncologist Neil Iyengar, MD, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, explored the connection between food and cancer focusing on two popular dietary patterns: WFPB diet and ketogenic.

“There is currently no evidence to suggest that a particular diet on its own can treat cancer,” Iyengar explains. “However, growing evidence suggests that dietary interventions can reduce side effects from cancer treatments and could possibly help cancer treatments work better.”

Although the concepts behind a WFPB diet (which emphasizes whole, unrefined, or minimally refined plant foods and excludes or minimizes meat, dairy, and eggs) and a ketogenic diet (a low-carb, high-fat approach that tends to rely on animal foods) are diametrically opposite, Shah says examining the research to understand the differences is helpful.

In their review, Iyengar and Shah included 46 keto diet trials and eight plant-based diet trials. The studies included interventional studies—in which participants were assigned to a diet for a set period of time, with researchers measuring their biomarkers before and after each trial period—as well as epidemiological (population-based) studies. After reviewing the data collectively, they found that diets rich in whole plant foods were consistently associated with a reduced risk of developing and dying of cancer.

Clearing Up the Confusion

“Many of our patients ask about these two diets,” Shah says. “Patients sometimes question: ‘Are sugars bad? Do sugars cause the cancer to get worse?’ That’s why a keto diet may appeal to some patients. We also get many questions about a plant-based diet, as there is more awareness of the health benefits of plant foods, especially the importance of fiber, which is only derived from plants.”

Iyengar says there is a growing awareness of how lifestyle interventions, such as diet and exercise, can help fight diseases. “Most of the available data support a whole-food, plant-based diet over a ketogenic diet for reducing the risk of cancer,” he says. “The keto diet can be effective for weight loss. While weight loss is one important strategy for reducing cancer risk, there are many other variables that contribute to cancer risk—such as diet quality, fiber intake, and the bacterial composition in our gut. A plant-based diet is an effective strategy for addressing most of these variables in addition to weight loss.”

Following a cancer diagnosis, Iyengar says a WFPB diet still appears to be superior to keto. “Growing evidence suggests that dietary interventions can reduce side effects from cancer treatments and could possibly help cancer treatments work better,” he says. “There are ongoing clinical trials testing whether dietary interventions can help patients feel better while improving response to standard cancer treatments. In our paper, we call for more research in this area and we provide recommendations for designing successful trials.”

A Simple Rule

Hearing about different diets and food as medicine can be confusing and overwhelming. When in doubt, Shah recommends keeping a simple rule in mind: If a food is derived from plants and not processed, it will have beneficial effects on one’s overall health and risk of obesity, diabetes, and cancer.

“It is best to prioritize these foods, which include legumes, seeds, nuts, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, and make them the bulk of your meals,” Shah says.

Want to try a plant-based diet but don’t know where to start? Visit our Beginner’s Guide.

The post New Study: Plant-Based Diet Beats Ketogenic Diets for Cutting Cancer Risk, Improving Outcomes appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

The AHA also published an updated Life’s Essential 8, a checklist for measuring and monitoring cardiovascular health. The list is composed of eight health behaviors and factors: diet, physical activity, nicotine exposure, body mass index, cholesterol, blood sugar, average blood pressure, and the newest category, sleep duration, which was not included in the AHA’s Life’s Simple 7 checklist, introduced in 2010.

“These data represent the first look at the cardiovascular health of the U.S. population using the AHA’s new … scoring algorithm,” says Donald M. Lloyd-Jones, MD, ScM, FAHA, the president of the AHA and lead author of the study.

Cardiovascular health was calculated by adding scores for all categories on the checklist and then dividing by eight to come up with a final score that ranges from 0–100. Scores of less than 50 were deemed as indicating “low” cardiovascular health, 50 to 79 were regarded as “moderate,” and 80 and above were considered to have “high” cardiovascular health.

Concerning Results

These measures revealed the concerning state of Americans’ cardiovascular health, as 80% of participants had low to moderate cardiovascular health. U.S. adults scored the lowest in the categories of diet, physical activity, and body mass index. “Overall, the cardiovascular health of the U.S. population is suboptimal, and we see important differences across age and sociodemographic groups,” Lloyd-Jones says.

For example, adult women had higher cardiovascular health scores, with an average of 67, compared with men, who scored an average of 62.5. Asian Americans had higher average cardiovascular health scores than all other racial/ethnic groups. Non-Hispanic white participants had the second-highest average cardiovascular health score, followed by Hispanic (non-Mexican), Mexican, and Non-Hispanic Black individuals.

“Analyses like this can help policymakers, communities, clinicians, and the public to understand the opportunities to intervene to improve and maintain optimal cardiovascular health across the life course,” Lloyd-Jones says.

The AHA also released a report earlier this year that noted 1 in 4 American adults are at increased risk for heart disease due to fatty liver disease, a condition that often goes undiagnosed.

Heart disease—the leading cause of death in the United States—has been strongly linked to lifestyle factors, particularly diet. A number of studies, including one published in The Journal of the American Heart Association in 2019, have found that people who eat more plant-based foods and fewer animal products are less likely to develop and die of heart disease.

To learn more about a whole-food, plant-based diet, visit our Plant-Based Primer. For meal-planning support, check out Forks Meal Planner, FOK’s easy weekly meal-planning tool to keep you on a healthy plant-based path.

The post 4 out of 5 Americans Have ‘Suboptimal’ Heart Health, American Heart Association Says in New Report appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

Erectile Dysfunction

If you or your partner are having trouble achieving and/or maintaining an erection, it may be an early sign of heart disease. When arteries harden, blood flow throughout the body becomes compromised. Erectile dysfunction and heart disease are both caused by endothelial dysfunction, a condition in which large blood vessels are not functioning properly, which restricts blood flow to the heart and penis. “When I have a patient in his 40s or 50s with erectile dysfunction, the first thing I do is put him through a full ischemic workup for coronary disease,” says Anthony C. Pozun, DO, FACC, a board-certified interventional cardiologist at Modern Vascular.

Jaw Pain

Do you feel like you have a toothache but can’t locate which tooth is hurting? Vague soreness in your jaw or neck can be a byproduct of cardiac pain that is radiating upward from the heart. This is especially true if the discomfort worsens when you work out or physically exert yourself and then subsides when you stop. If you experience any of these sensations, make sure to mention it to your doctor.

Leg Discomfort

Chronic pain, cramping, or numbness in your legs can indicate a more serious condition. Peripheral vascular disease (PVD) affects circulation and blood flow to your limbs, and atherosclerosis—the accumulation of harmful plaque in the arteries—is common in people with PVD. Much like jaw pain, PVD can flare up when you walk or exercise and cease once you relax. Approximately half of Americans ages 45-84 have atherosclerosis and don’t know it, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Sleep Apnea

When people think of sleep apnea, they tend to think of obstructive sleep apnea, a respiratory condition in which the upper airway periodically collapses during sleep, causing difficulty breathing, disrupted sleeping, and high-decibel snoring. OSA can be a contributing factor to heart disease, as the irregular breathing strains the heart and triggers systemic inflammation that may lead to high blood pressure. But there’s a lesser-known, quieter type of sleep apnea that is just as important to be aware of when it comes to heart health: central sleep apnea. In CSA, the airway is clear, but the brain and muscles that control breathing aren’t working as they should. CSA can be a sign (and also a cause) of congestive heart failure. In addition to pauses in breathing during sleep, symptoms of CSA include frequent waking at night, early morning headaches, and extreme daytime fatigue. If you suspect you might have OSA or CSA, talk to your doctor about screening options.

Yellow Bumps on the Skin

Yellow bumps that appear near your eyes or on the hands, feet, elbows, or knees may be an accumulation of fat that indicates high levels of cholesterol in the body. “Those are actual lipid deposits, so there is too much LDL [i.e., bad cholesterol] being produced,” Pozun explains. Over time, high cholesterol causes atherosclerosis: fatty deposits in the blood vessels that impede the flow of blood, heightening the risk of sudden cardiac death, stroke, and damage to the heart muscle. If you notice the development of yellow bumps, talk to your doctor.

The post Don’t Overlook These 5 Sneaky Signs of Heart Disease appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

Often used in scientific and medical fields, an expert consensus statement indicates the collective agreement of a panel of experts on a particular issue, thereby providing guidance and best practices.

The ACLM expert consensus statement is the first of its kind to endorse diet as the major strategy in obtaining long-term diabetic remission, without the use of medication or surgery. Many medical organizations already promote a balanced diet as part of diabetes management, but nutrition is still not widely recognized as a key treatment for Type 2 diabetes remission.

Internists, cardiologists, family physicians, endocrinologists, nutritionists, dietitians, and lifestyle medicine specialists from organizations such as the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology comprised the 15-person expert panel, which “agreed upon substantial aspects of using a whole foods plant-based dietary intervention to achieve disease remission,” with a focus on foods such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, seeds, and legumes. The statement noted that the guidelines “should help clinicians who manage adults with Type 2 diabetes in reaching shared decisions regarding remission as an optimal treatment outcome, the role of dietary intervention in facilitating this goal, and the specific aspects of diet and lifestyle that are most likely to result in success.”

More than 37 million people in the United States have diabetes, while around 90% to 95% of them have Type 2 diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Type 2 diabetes has been linked with heightened risk for heart disease—the leading cause of death worldwide—as well as eye damage, sleep apnea, kidney disease, nerve damage, and stroke. It ranks as the most expensive chronic condition in the U.S., with $1 out of every $4 in health care costs going toward caring for people with diabetes.

The ACLM’s expert consensus statement is co-sponsored by the Endocrine Society and backed by the American Association of Clinical Endocrinology and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

“The consensus statements will not only empower clinicians and patients to use a plant-predominant diet as ‘food as medicine’ for achieving remission of Type 2 diabetes, but will facilitate shared management decisions based on current best evidence and structured expert consensus,” says Richard Rosenfeld, MD, MPH, MBA, DipABLM, lead author of the expert consensus statement and senior liaison for medical society relations at ACLM.

To learn more about a whole-food, plant-based diet, visit our Plant-Based Primer. For meal-planning support, check out Forks Meal Planner, FOK’s easy weekly meal-planning tool to keep you on a healthy plant-based path.

The post Major Medical Association Endorses Plant-Based Diet as Primary Treatment for Type 2 Diabetes appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

Here are five of our favorites to fit a range of budgets, needs, and tastes.

Farmbox Direct

Price range: $44–$69 per box

Having grown up in a family of farmers, Farmbox Direct Founder and CEO Ashley Tyrner is an expert in fresh and local food. As a result, she personally handpicks every farm and vendor with which her company deals. You can subscribe to receive weekly boxes of all fruits, all vegetables, or a mix of both. Their menu changes every week to include the freshest and most in-season produce, and subscribers are allowed to make up to five substitutions per week.

The Fruitguys

Price range: $25–$43 per box

This family-owned and -operated company’s mission is twofold—to fight hunger and support small farms. Visit the website and enter your ZIP code to find out what seasonal and regional fruits and vegetables are available for the choosing. Offerings include the well-rounded “Harvest” boxes, which often feature more than a dozen different items, and “Staple” boxes, which focus on a few seasonal essentials. You can also donate to FruitGuys’ FoodWorks Fund to assist people who are experiencing food insecurity. 

Imperfect Foods

Price range: $11–$43 per box

Each year, approximately 20 percent of all produce gets thrown out as a result of cosmetic imperfections. But oddly shaped and off-color fruits and veggies have found a welcome home at Imperfect Foods, where being quirky is celebrated. The company uses a subscription model to deliver fresh, seasonal, farmers-market-quality produce to subscribers on a weekly basis, helping them to eat better while being part of the food-waste solution. Subscribers are able to customize their box each week, swapping out items to their preferences. 

Melissa’s Produce 

Price range: $43–$57 per box

If you’re searching for hard-to-find items, look no further than Melissa’s, the largest distributor of specialty produce in the United States. Purchase one type of produce, or a curated box of seasonal offerings (depending on your location). Fresh fruits and veggies abound and run the gamut from standard fare to exotic, such as Pinkglow Pineapples, Ojai Pixie tangerines, and Okinawan sweet potatoes. Melissa’s also offers an array of fruit baskets, and their website features lots of recipes and cooking tips from pro chefs. 

Miami Fruit 

Price range: $47–$377 per box

When you’re craving hard-to-find tropical fruit—think fresh cacao pods, finger limes, breadfruit, and dragonfruit—Miami Fruit sources these splurge-worthy goodies from farms around South Florida and ships nationwide. Their banana box features a variety of exotic bananas not typically found in U.S. grocery stores. Customers can make a one-time purchase or subscribe and receive a discount.

To learn more about a whole-food, plant-based diet, visit our Plant-Based Primer. For meal-planning support, check out Forks Meal Planner, FOK’s easy weekly meal-planning tool to keep you on a healthy plant-based path.

The post 5 Produce-Delivery Services that Bring the Farmers Market to You appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

Step 1: Purge Unhealthy and Expired Foods

As food and wellness blogger Kristen Hong of Hello Nutritarian explains, it’s important to be mindful of how you stock your refrigerator: “Ask yourself, Does this serve my health goals? You want to put your best fridge forward,” she says. 

The first step toward surrounding yourself with healthy food is to make room for it by ridding your refrigerator (and freezer) of unhealthy items. If you’re new to the whole-food, plant-based way of eating, remove all animal products (cheese, milk, yogurt, butter, eggs, meat, poultry, and fish), oils and oil-containing foods (such as salad dressings and margarines), and highly processed items (including highly refined sweeteners). “Read the labels, eliminate everything that’s not compliant, and start fresh,” says FOK chef and culinary projects manager Darshana Thacker. 

Check all expiration dates and toss out anything past its prime. An easy place to start is with condiment shelves—the land of expired bottles and ingredients for recipes never made. “If you have a bunch of specialty condiments you use once in a blue moon, that space could be better utilized,” says Hong. “Give them to family members or neighbors.” 

Decoding Expiration Dates

Here’s what various expiration dates actually mean, according to the USDA. 

• “Best if used by/before” indicates when a product will be of best flavor or quality. It is not a purchase or safety date.
• “Sell by” tells the retailer when it’s time to rotate a product off store shelves. It is not a safety date.
• “Use by” is the last date recommended for the use of the product while at peak quality. It is not a safety date except for when used on infant formula.
• “Freeze by” indicates when a product should be frozen to maintain peak quality. It is not a purchase or safety date.

Step 2: Deep Clean Shelves and Drawers

Now that you’ve purged the unhealthful stuff, it’s the perfect time to give your fridge a deep cleaning. Remove everything that remains, take out the shelves and drawers, scrub them down with warm soapy water, and dry them off.

“Pay attention to where the airflow is in your fridge and make sure there aren’t any obstructions [in front of the vent],” Hong says. “Every model is different. You want as much airflow as possible, so remove any frost that has formed in that area.” Deep cleanings should take place once every three months—you can time it with the change of the seasons—and be followed up by a weekly wipe-down with a damp rag.

Step 3: Organize Everything That’s Left 

Having your fridge arranged in an organized manner goes a long way in helping you stay on a healthy track. “The whole-food, plant-based way of eating often involves making your own food,” Thacker says. “To save time, it’s better to have ingredients in the refrigerator that are prepped and ready to cook with.”

Glass storage containers make it easy to see what you have (and they’re dishwasher safe). The budget-friendliest option is wide-mouth Mason jars, which are available in various sizes and can be purchased in bulk online or at retail stores. “I like to replace the two-piece metal lids with reusable plastic tops,” Hong says. “It’s easier since I deal with opening and closing the jars daily.” Quart-size jars are ideal for soups and salad bar prep, while pints and half-pints are good for dressings, hummus, dips, and smaller portions.

If you want to invest more down the line, Hong recommends rectangular and circular glass snap-lock lid sets from Pyrex and Snapware. “I am a big advocate of glass storage containers in the fridge because they extend the shelf life of produce.”

Step 4: Prep and Store Fresh Produce for Easy Access

Once you return home from your weekly grocery trip, get ready for produce prep. “You want to plan so when you open your fridge, you should easily be able to identify your next three to five meals,” Hong says. “An in-fridge salad bar and a big batch of soup are two items I recommend because they make it easier to get a lot of vegetables in during the week. Have the salad items ready to go so when you’re making one for work or dinner, all you have to do is shake them out of the jars.”

You don’t have to spend a lot of time, but prechopping items such as cabbage, cucumber, onions, broccoli, carrots, and celery and placing them in jars will expedite your cook and prep time during the week. Fresh herbs should definitely be dealt with the same day: Simply trim the stems, place in a Mason jar with water, and cover with a plastic bag you can wash and reuse.

“Ideally, you should store prepared food at eye level,” Thacker says. “It’s good to have it accessible so there’s a better chance of using it.” She also suggests stocking the freezer with frozen fruit and vegetables, pizza crusts, whole wheat bread, and tortillas. “Place a piece of waxed paper between the tortillas so you can use a few at a time and they won’t be stuck together,” she says.

Roasting veggies that are just a bit “less than” is a great way to utilize aging foods. “Sometimes if I have a rogue bell pepper and the skin is starting to get saggy, I’ll roast it with lemon juice, tahini, and herbs,” Hong says. You can also make a “cleaning out the fridge” veggie soup or Buddha bowl.

Finally, make sure to label your jars—what they contain and when the food was prepped or cooked. Look for freezer labels or freezer tape; they adhere well and are easy to remove. Or try painter’s tape: Bright green FrogTape and a black Sharpie make a winning combination. Most WFPB ingredients can be stored in the freezer for two to three months.

“If your fridge is disorganized and you have containers of old, rotting food in the front and fresh vegetables in a drawer somewhere, it doesn’t make sense,” Thacker says. “You’re going to be making your own food, and with time constraints, you want to know where everything is.”

Ready to get started? Check out Forks Meal Planner, FOK’s easy weekly meal-planning tool to keep you on a healthy plant-based path. To learn more about a whole-food, plant-based diet, visit our Plant-Based Primer.

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