I find that sometimes the more nutritious the foods we eat, the harder being healthy seems. We can’t just run thru our favorite fast-food restaurant and get a quick healthy meal, which makes it hard for people on the go. It takes a little more planning and food prep, so it might be beneficial to take a cooking class.  Locally, check out our health food stores for their offerings or check in with a local health coach who has training in Ayurveda or other whole life living styles.

In our feature titled “Veggies for the Win: Five Reasons to Choose a Plant-Based Lifestyle,” by Kiki Powers, we find that plant-based eating is about proportionately choosing more foods from plant sources. The benefits of making this dietary shift include disease prevention, clean eating, anti-inflammatory properties, environmental sustainability, and improvements in mental and emotional health.

In our March Wise Words, by Noelle Citarella, titled “Terry Wahls on Managing Autoimmune Disease With Lifestyle Interventions,” Terry Wahls, M.D., has used her personal battle with multiple sclerosis as a platform to research ways to help others. The Walls Protocol and accompanying cookbook are groundbreaking dietary and lifestyle recommendations that alleviate autoimmune disease symptoms. Learn more about her protocol and the exciting new research she is conducting in MS that is connecting the effects of diet on brain volume and quality of life.

The March Conscious Eating section titled “Loving Our Kidneys: Edible Allies, Integrative Treatments and Lifestyle Tips,” by Marlaina Donato, looks at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that one in seven adults are diagnosed annually with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Managing CKD requires a multilevel approach, including lifestyle and diet changes. Adding whole, plant-plentiful goodness to our plates and embracing an alkaline diet are key measures in the prevention of CKD by lowering the risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

Other go to sources when getting started on a healthy eating path include Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) or naturopathic and functional medicine practitioners, personal chefs and meal services, integrative wellness professionals, diabetes specialists, juice companies, schools that offer certification courses and registered dieticians and nutritionists.  These professionals can help us get started and guide us on our way to living a healthful lifestyle.

To conscious living,

Pamela Gallina, Publisher