Greetings health and food enthusiasts!

This is the blog of Janet and Lacey Althouse, a mother/daughter duo who follow a plant-based diet. In this blog we will share with you resources that outline the many health benefits of this diet. We will also share our recipes, personal stories, cookbook and restaurant reviews, our favorite health products, and all of our easy shortcuts.

Plants Run Deep In Our Family

“I loved my talking lima beans. I couldn’t leave a man behind!”

When I was a little girl, my Mom, did the cutest thing with lima beans. She'd dish out a side and see what I would eat. When I left a few beans still on the plate she would fork them up and they would talk to me. "Lacey, can I go in your belly too with all of my friends?" I loved my talking lima beans. I couldn't leave a man behind!

Between my Mom's adorable antics, and our retired neighbors who shared the bounty from their own garden, I was a little young lady, who ate her fruits and vegetables! However, in the Standard American Diet, these delicious foods are our side dishes. The scene-stealers are our proteins, which are often positioned as our source of strength. I strongly encourage you to learn the most current scientific information on our protein needs and the link between animal protein and disease. In short, there are problems with meat and the more you read about food you will find there are problems with dairy, processed foods, sugar, oils, preservatives, etc. And there are problems at large with chronic illness in America with obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and a host of other issues where poor nutrition plays a role in disrupting the quality of life for many Americans.

So what Janet and I have tried is a plant-based diet, where our old sides are now the main part of our diet and revamped to be even more delicious and nutritious. We eat robustly of wonderful foods that work for our bodies instead of against them and this is remarkably freeing.

Why Food Choice Is Important

“It is important to examine the fuel that we consume and why we think it is healthy.”

Since we eat so frequently, 3 meals a day, each day, we feel it is important to examine the fuel that we consume and why we think it is healthy. Remember, a lot of people who care about what you eat who are not looking out for your best interest. There is huge money in the meat, dairy, and processed food industries, and even the health magazines that you may trust are influenced by the pricey ads they sell to Dannon and Lean Cuisine. A pharmaceutical company wants your doctor to prescribe an expensive cholesterol-lowering medicine rather then encourage you to change your diet. In a capitalistic society, who is invested in providing us acurate information where there is no financial stake in our decision?

For me, it was my family. My Mom wanted me to eat my lima beans when I was 6. My father, who is now also plant-based, encouraged our family to become vegetarian when I was 14 years old. My boyfriend avoids meat in order to save the environment from the alarming damage caused by cattle farming. He also is a deeply talented website manager and makes this blog possible! So we are starting a family blog to continue to question the validity of the status quo and share new information with you, our extended family.

For many, many reasons, a plant-based diet is a loving diet for oneself, each other and for the earth. So grab your fork and try it for yourself!