One of the questions I am often asked when we talk about healthy eating is if I can recommend any good recipes or food websites? Once you start searching for healthy recipes or whole food plant-based recipes, vegan recipes or vegetarian recipes – you find many great resources. Be aware that just because something is “vegan” or even “plant-based” – doesn’t mean that it’s healthy. French fries fried in oil and doused with salt are vegan and plant-based but are certainly not health-enhancing. Same with processed vegan foods. They may be healthier for the animals who are not eaten but they are not necessarily healthy for you. Use these sparingly if at all. A whole food, plant-based diet has been proven again and again to be the best overall diet (it’s really a lifestyle) for enhancing health and longevity. Some of the sites I mention in this blog contain this research.
Some of these sites are strictly vegan/plant-based, some have a combination of plant-based recipes and recipes with animal protein and some may have healthy recipes mixed in with other options. Most recipes will also be labeled for special dietary concerns like gluten free, dairy free, grain free, nut free, oil free, low/no sugar, low/no salt, etc.
Many non-US-based cuisines are a great source of “healthier” plant-based options, especially when you can make them from scratch. Some of our favorites include Middle Eastern/Mediterranean, Indian, and various Latin cuisines but there are many others that contain wonderful options. Tonight, in fact, we’re going to try a new recipe for Domoda (Gambian Peanut Stew). It’s fun to try new dishes with different ingredients and spices – and then you can adjust the ingredients based on your preferences.
Many of these sites contain videos and their creators also have significant social media presences on YouTube, Pinterest and Instagram.
We don’t have any financial gain in recommended these sites. We recommend them because we truly think they have good things to offer.
Here are some of our favorite websites for sourcing delicious, healthy, whole food plant-based recipes:
minimalistbaker.com – Much more than “baked sweet goods”. Many great and creative recipes here. Their theme is 10 ingredients or less, 1 bowl, or 30 minutes or less to prepare. They do a great job of sorting by dietary needs
loveandlemons.com – Nourishing, fun, and delicious cooking with seasonal fruits and vegetables. This site is mostly whole food plant-based with lots of gluten free options.
forksoverknives.com – All whole-food plant-based recipes here with other resources including meal planning, articles on health and wellness through nutrition and success stories on how eating a WFPB diet has been life changing.
simple-veganista.com – Easy to make whole food plant-based recipes that are deliciously healthy.
nutriciously.com – Lots of great whole food plant-based recipes here for beginners and that are family friendly.
mrsjoneskitchen.com – Internationally-inspired, family friendly dishes. Some plant-based, some with animal protein. A good place to see examples of cuisines from around the world. The recipe I mentioned above, Domoda, is from this site.
bluezones.com – I mention the Blue Zones often. Why? Because they are the places on Earth where people live the longest and healthiest lives. What can we learn from these people to incorporate into our own lives? On their website they go into detail on what the healthiest people in the world eat and their recipes are based off these principles: the Blue Zone’s Guide For Longevity. At the foundation they stress to make your diet 95-100% plant-based. A lot of other good reading here on health and longevity.
fullofplants.com – More family-friendly all plant-based recipes. Features cuisines inspired from around the world. There are creative choices. Watch for seitan/wheat gluten suggested for a few recipes where this is used to simulate meat. If you are on a gluten-free diet seitan is definitely something to avoid.
plantbasedcooking.com – A whole food plant-based source for recipes, along with tips on adapting this lifestyle successfully. Lots of good cooking tips and meal planning ideas.
nutritionstudies.org – Exclusively whole food plant-based recipes from The T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies. This organization was established to extend the impact of Dr. Campbell’s life changing research findings. In their words “For decades, T. Colin Campbell, PhD, has been at the forefront of nutrition education and research. He is the coauthor of the bestselling book, The China Study, and his legacy, the China Project, is one of the most comprehensive studies of health and nutrition ever conducted.” Lots of good articles on health and wellness as well as sustainability and environmental protection of the earth and its inhabitants – human and animal.
And lastly – we are developing our recipe page at vistanaturalwellness.com with recipes that we’ve created (and a few that we turn to often) so please check us out from time to time to see what’s new.
I hope these resources help inspire you to see that a healthy lifestyle can include delicious and nutritious food that people of all ages will love. You really are what you eat!
Wishing you good health and a great life –
Sheryl
