Happy Earth Month!

In addition to a month of homage to our shared planet, April also signals the turn of the season from winter to glorious spring — ripe with the promise of fairer weather and fresh foods.

What a perfect time to appreciate “eating green” by eating greens (and reds, blues, oranges, blues, and… you get the idea).

For the planet, eating green could be a great thing, since plant foods don’t typically require copious natural resources to grow.

For your health, eating green is consistent with the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010 recommendation to eat a plant-based diet.

According to the Guidelines, plant-based diets are linked to lower levels of obesity and a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease — two chronic conditions that often exist together and that exist far too often in the U.S

A plant-based diet doesn’t have to be a vegetarian diet, but it is one that is firmly focused on a variety of veggies and other plant foods such as whole grains, nuts, seeds, fruits, herbs and spices.

How are you celebrating Earth Month?

I’ll be celebrating by mixing and matching simple, wholesome, single-ingredient plant foods in every meal and snack I enjoy.

It doesn’t get simpler than an ingredient list that’s 1-ingredient long! Some simple ideas for getting more plants into the diet are in the table below:

For more of my food (and drink!) tips, all with great savings, check out my Healthy Living for Less section.