If you’ve been wanting to make diet changes, it’s time to seize the day — or rather, the season. There’s no wrong time of year to eat nourishing, plant-centric meals, and there’s something special about summer. With local farms and gardens bursting with fresh vegetables and fruit, your search for the freshest, most delicious produce at reasonable prices will likely be rewarded. And a firm body of research links diets high in plant foods to a lower risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and other ailments, including a new study showing that foods that are high in potassium (think spinach, sweet potatoes, avocados, and bananas) can help to lower blood pressure.

There’s plenty of evidence that the standard American diet — high in sugar, meat, and processed food and low in whole plant foods and beneficial fats — can wreak havoc on your health, including new research that suggests it may increase risk of Alzheimer’s disease in people who are genetically predisposed to it. Your heart, brain, and the rest of your body are crystal clear about the foods that help them thrive: colorful veggies, fiber-rich beans and legumes, delicious herbs and spices, and good-for-you-fats from fish, nuts, and olive oils. Get your taste buds in on the action with simple, delicious plant-based stir-fries, soups, and salads. Head to the farmer’s market (or the produce aisle) and get your plant party started!

Tips for eating more fruits and veggies:

  • Visit a local farmer’s market to purchase low cost produce
  • Drink a cold pressed juice to get multiple servings of fruits & veggies
  • Bring hummus with carrots, celery, radishes and peppers to a party
  • When snacking, consider blueberries, baby carrots or sugar snap peas
  • Try a new fruit or vegetable that you’ve never had before
  • Dried fruit is a great snack for when you’re on-the-go
  • Add some peanut butter to an apple, celery or banana
  • Keep a bowl of fruit on your kitchen table or desk at work
  • Add apples, watermelon, grapes or mandarin oranges to your salad
  • Consider vegetables or fruit as a side instead of French fries or hash browns

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