Ocean Robbins

We’ve known for a long time that mushrooms are good for our physical health. They support immune function and can help fight cancer and slow aging, among many other benefits. We’re now discovering that mushrooms can also help alleviate depression and anxiety, and can even reduce symptoms of PTSD and help recovery from addiction. Can common button mushrooms and traditional adaptogens help us to live happier, more fulfilled lives? Here’s what the research says about mushrooms for mental health.

Most plants manufacture compounds to protect themselves from predators. Some of these chemicals act by limiting the plant eater’s ability to fully absorb the rest of the plant’s nutrients. Called “antinutrients,” they’re the subject of heated controversy. Should we avoid foods that contain antinutrients, or do those foods offer more and greater health benefits than potential downsides?

People around the world love Chinese food, especially stir-fried dishes served over noodles or rice. As traditional Chinese cuisine was adapted to appeal to Western tastes, however, many Chinese restaurants in the US ended up serving stir-fried dishes high in animal products, oil, sugar, and salt. The good news is, you can quickly and easily create stir-fries in your kitchen that are not only healthier than most takeout, but are also more delicious.

The industrialized food system is great at providing cheap commodity items at scale — until something threatens global supply chains. It’s great at employing millions of people — but gives them little or no voice in company policy. It’s great at shipping goods around the world — but terrible when it comes to compensating local growers and producers fairly. For all these and many other reasons, food co-ops are a valuable, community-based, principled alternative. But what is a food co-op? What does co-op stand for? And why might you want to join (or shop at) one?

Prunes and plums have vastly different reputations, despite being the very same fruit. Many people associate prunes and prune juice with constipation, which doesn’t exactly bring captivating culinary delights to mind. And considering how delicious fresh plums are, they’re surprisingly not nearly as popular as many other fruits. In this article, we'll answer common questions about plums vs prunes: What are prunes? Where do prunes come from? What are the benefits of eating plums and prunes? Plus, we’ll look at whether prunes and plums deserve to be part of your diet and some ways to enjoy them that you may not have considered.

Growing a vegetable garden is a great way to enjoy delicious, fresh, healthy produce that can nourish you and your family. But those same plants can also nourish insects that would like nothing better than to beat you to those flavors and nutrients. Instead of giving up or poisoning your crops with commercial insecticides, try these natural homemade sprays to keep the pests from stealing your harvest.

Vitamin A is crucial to life and health, and most of us can synthesize all we need from orange and yellow fruits and vegetables and leafy greens. Despite that, it’s often portrayed as a nutrient best sourced from animals or via a supplement. What does vitamin A do in the body? What are the best sources for it, how much do we really need, and what happens when we get too much or not enough?

Smoothies can be a convenient and delicious way to get our daily fruit and veggie allotment, but they can also fill us with harmful quantities of sugar and unhealthy additives if we’re not mindful of what’s in them. In this article, you’ll discover how to have the best of both worlds — delicious, chilled sweetness, as well as smoothie ideas and all the health benefits of a diet rich in whole plant foods.

If we played a word association game and I said “vegetable,” chances are your response wouldn’t be “artichoke.” That’s a pity because the beautiful globes are not only glamorous but delicious and very healthy as well. Once you get to know artichokes and discover how easy they are to prepare, you might just wonder how you ever got along without them.

Adopting and maintaining a plant-based diet is one of the most powerful things we can do for our health, the environment, and the animals who share our planet. But it’s not always easy. And there are plenty of societal forces encouraging us to keep eating the modern industrialized diet. To help you get started on, or stick with a plant-powered path, we’ve put together a list of potent plant-based diet books from trusted allies that can guide, support, and educate you on your journey.

In a world of expensive medical diagnostic tests, there’s a free and convenient way to gain insight into your digestive (and possibly overall) health — paying attention to the frequency, size, consistency, and color of your poop. If your poop wouldn’t currently win any “best in show” awards, certain diet and lifestyle changes could make a world of difference — and give you healthier and more pleasurable bowel movements.

For many people, hiking is one of the great joys of life. During a hike, you immerse yourself in the natural world and can boost both your physical health and your emotional well-being. But a lot of traditional hiking food undermines both reverence for nature — producing a lot of waste and contributing to environmental deterioration — and personal health. In this article, we’ll explore healthy, convenient, and delicious plant-based hiking food options.