24 JANUARY 2023 A nother year, another time to re- focus on health. In January, most people want to get rid of holiday weight. My biggest tip is to shift your thinking from weight loss to improving your health and preventing disease. Forget about counting calories and fad diets, and start eating strictly to fuel your body with nutrients that make you feel vibrant, ward off disease, and make you glow. Strive to eat more plant-based, and you will reap the rewards. (P.S. my four-week Zoom class on Preventing Alzheimer’s is coming up in February. Grab a spot before they are gone!) Start with these five tips: • Stop drinking empty calories. Commit to avoiding fancy Starbucks drinks, sodas, and limit alcohol to weekends. There is no benefit to the sugar, additives, and unhealthy ingredients you are swishing down. Nutrient-dense liquids like fresh celery juice, turmeric ginger shots, green smoothies, fruit or veggie- infused water, herbal teas, and kombucha all give you a mega dose of vitamins and minerals. • Eat oatmeal with fresh fruit for breakfast. Buy organic, rolled oats and make a batch for the week, so you have it ready to eat. Top it with plant-based milk and fresh fruit. Oats are full of essential minerals that help with weight loss, sleep and mood. They help lower cholesterol and balance blood sugar. Plus, they are full of resistant starch to feed our good gut bacteria, which speeds up metabolism. Oats will keep you full all morning and set a healthy direction for the day. • Cook more at home. Shoot for dining out for only two meals per week. Even if you choose healthy options at restaurants, there will always be more oil and salt than you would use at home. Each week, make a list of what you will be making, get the ingredients, and stick to it. Double the recipes, so you have leftovers. I have suggestions on my Instagram! • Stock your fridge with fresh produce for snacking. Fall back in love with raw veggies and fresh fruit. Make homemade hummus to dip veggies in, and buy non- dairy yogurt to have with fruit. Organize your fridge with glass containers so you can see what you have. Don’t leave snacking to chance. Every time you eat, including snacks, is a time to supply your body with disease-fighting nutrients. • Make a big pot of soup on Sunday. Soup is a great way to pack in lots of veggies for minimal calories. Heat up some for lunch, pair it with a salad for dinner, or eat it as a snack to hold you over. Here are a couple of healthy side dishes to try in 2023. Since black-eyed peas are known to give us luck for the coming year, I have included them in one of the salads: Move over, 2022 – we’ve got new recipes ahead! Mediterranean Orzo Salad SERVES: 4-6 Potato and Leek Soup SERVES: 6 1. Cook orzo, rinse and drain. 2. Combine everything and toss! 1. Heat the oil in a large pot and add the leeks, garlic, and celery. Cook for 10-15 minutes stirring frequently. Add some broth to the pan if it gets dry. Add the potatoes, broth, water, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 30 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. 2. Blend some of the soup with an immersion blender or stand-up blender, but leave some chunky. 3. Add the nutritional yeast and spinach. Simmer for five minutes and stir. 4. Top with scallions or chives and serve. • 1 cup uncooked orzo (I use organic whole wheat) • 2 roasted red peppers, sliced • ¼ cup jarred sun-dried tomatoes (make sure to dry off oil) • 1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained • 1 container grape tomatoes, halved • ¼ red onion, sliced • 1-2 cups arugula • ¼ cup fresh basil • 1 tbsp. avocado oil • 1 large leek, chopped • 4 cloves garlic • 2 stalks celery, chopped • 6 Yukon gold potatoes, diced • 4 cups vegetable broth • 2 cups water • 1 tsp. salt • 1/2 tsp. pepper • 1/3 cup nutritional yeast Directions Directions Ingredients Ingredients Texas Caviar Salad SERVES: 4-6 1. Combine all ingredients. 2. Whisk dressing and toss over salad. • 2 cans black-eyed peas, drained • 1-½ cups frozen, cooked fire-roasted corn • 1 English cucumber, diced • 1 red pepper, diced • ¼ red onion, diced • 1 large tomato, diced • 1-2 avocados, diced • ½ cup cilantro, chopped Ingredients Directions • 3 tbsp. olive oil • 3 tbsp. Braggs vinegar • 2 garlic cloves, minced • 1 tsp. cumin • 1 tsp. pink salt • ¼ tsp. pepper • 2 tbsp. olive oil • 2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar • Juice of 1 lemon • 1 tsp. each: garlic granules, pink salt, pepper Dressing Dressing Owner of YouCare- SelfCare, a private wellness practice specializing in plant- based lifestyle and disease prevention. youcare-selfcare.com BY MIRIAM HAHN Plant - based Wellness

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