What is a plant-based diet? There are different interpretations, but except for the vegan diet, which is exclusively plant, most plant-food diets are centered on plant foods, especially vegetables, using only small amounts of animal products as “condiments.” At Beyond Health, we recommend limiting animal proteins to 2-3 ounces a day, and not every day. Although on Thanksgiving, we enjoy organic turkey, we don’t overdo it. Instead, we make a feast of a beautiful salad with our delicious Beyond Health Olive Oil and Beyond Health Balsamic Vinegar and several favorite vegetable dishes. We then have a little turkey on the side. Here are two treasured vegetable recipes from our friend Bette Acuff, visual artist and artist-of-life, who brings beauty, balance and taste to all of her endeavors. CREAMY CAULIFLOWER SOUP WITH GREENS  1 tablespoon Beyond Health Olive Oil, plus more for drizzling 1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup) 4 cloves of garlic, chopped Selina…

Malnutrition is the leading cause of disease in America, and children’s diets are usually worse than even our malnourished adults.  As a result, sub-clinical nutrient deficiencies are common, and show up as behavior problems, learning difficulties, obesity, anxiety, and depression. More and more children are developing cardiovascular risk factors as early as age three and are suffering from diseases that used to be reserved for older folk, like type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, and cancer. No sane parent would deliberately give their child heart disease or cancer. Yet this is exactly what we do by feeding our children disease-causing “foods” like sugar, white flour, milk, ice cream, cookies, candy, cakes, fruit juice, sodas, pizza, breakfast cereals, French fries and various processed foods.  Unfortunately, the same kinds of so-called “foods” are served in school cafeterias, contributing to poor school performance and impaired social skills. Optimal development and fun…

You probably associate getting enough fiber—the non-digestible “roughage” we get from plant foods—with good elimination. You may also know that fiber helps maintain a healthy weight by filling you up so you eat fewer calories, or even that fiber helps to maintain good cholesterol levels. But how can eating fiber strengthen your immunity?The answer is that fiber nourishes the trillions of beneficial bacteria (probiotics) that live in our intestines, where they are a crucial part of our immune systems. Anywhere from 60-80% of immune system activity takes place in the intestines, where probiotics attack pathogens with powerful antimicrobial substances. These substances are often as powerful as the strongest antibiotic medications, but they don’t kill off good gut bacteria as is done by antibiotic drugs.According to Rachel Begun, MS, RDN, quoted in a recent issue of Environmental Nutrition, various aspects of modern life have altered gut microflora, damaging immunity and leading to signifi…