EatingWell January/February 2022

As you pick up this issue some of you are wondering, why oh why is EatingWell showing raw beets on the cover? Why not show them in a delicious recipe? When we test our covers before we send them out into the world I hear this feedback. Now it’s not all of you. Many love a glorious, sexy, raw-produce cover as much as I do. But for those of you questioning, here’s a peek into the thought process. Let’s start with why the humble beet to begin with. After all, this vegetable, with its sweet yet distinctly earthy flavor, can be a little divisive, along the lines of Brussels sprouts. But they come in vibrant jewel tones that make them a stellar subject for one of our favorite photographers, Leigh Beisch.…

1 Go Med If you’ve got health goals, get on board with one of the healthiest ways of eating there is: the Mediterranean diet. We have simple meal plans and tasty recipes, like Charred Shrimp, Pesto & Quinoa Bowls (shown). EatingWell.com/Mediterranean 2 Potluck Party Come one, come all! Just bring a dish to share. Find recipes for fun menus—like ramen night—plus tips for pulling it all off at EatingWell.com/potluck 3 20-Minute Meals Easy techniques and RD-approved convenience items get healthy meals on the table fast, so you have more time for all the other things in life. EatingWell.com/20min THE EATINGWELL GOOD-LIFE GURUS The work of these creatives is frequently showcased within our pages. Check out their ’grams for a taste of their talent—and you’ll see why. @judy.kim Whether New York-based food stylist and recipe developer Judy…

It’s impossible to know how Gabriel Sachter-Smith’s life would have turned out had he not, at age 14, learned that bananas do not grow on trees. He turned this new knowledge into a trivia question at school, and everyone pushed back, even his home economics teacher, who said, “It’s my job to know these things—and bananas absolutely grow on trees.” Determined, he came back with an encyclopedia entry that read: Bananas are tree-like, tropical, herbaceous plants. To which his friends responded, “Dude, that was days ago. Nobody cares.” In the 17 years since then, Sachter-Smith has never stopped learning about bananas. Did you know that they are related to ginger and bird of paradise? That there are 100-ish species native to Asia, Africa and Oceania? That all parts of the plant…

1 Avocados (5 g per ⅓ avocado) Avocado toast and guacamole are no-brainers, but New York-based dietitian Frances Largeman-Roth, RDN, author of Eating in Color, likes this sweet pudding option that combines avocados with fiber-rich pumpkin puree: Beat a ripe avocado with an electric mixer until creamy. Add 1 cup unseasoned pumpkin puree, ¼ cup sugar, ½ tsp. pumpkin pie spice and ½ tsp. vanilla extract. Mix until smooth, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. (Makes 4 servings, 5 g fiber each) 2 Beets (2 g per ½ cup) This root veg is a nutrient powerhouse, says Breana Killeen, M.P.H, RD, Test Kitchen manager at EatingWell. In addition to fiber, beets are rich in antioxidants and contain natural nitrates, which can help lower blood pressure. Try them roasted…

Dogs take their role as protectors very seriously—maybe too seriously—warning us about every neighbor, mail carrier and squirrel that ventures too close to home. “Alert barking is something that we originally wanted from dogs when we domesticated them,” says Cathy Madson, a Seattle-based certified dog trainer and behavior consultant with Preventive Vet, an online pet health resource. How much your dog barks could be due to their breed or unique personality, but it may also be caused by boredom, anxiety or loneliness, says Russell Hartstein of Fun Paw Care Dog Training in Los Angeles. Whatever the reason, here are some ways to keep barking at bay. Manage the environment. An obvious—but effective—strategy is to separate your dog from triggers as much as possible. For example, keep your pet away from windows…

KITAZAWA SEED CO. Gijiu Kitazawa, who was born in Japan, started his seed company in 1917 in San Jose, California, to supply other immigrants with seeds for traditional Asian produce that wasn’t available in U.S. markets. Now based in Oakland, the company serves as a distributor for small seed producers in Japan, Taiwan, Vietnam, Thailand and the U.S. In its catalog, you’ll find some familiar staples, like edamame and daikon, plus lesser-known cultivars, including a whopping 10 varieties of perilla, and fresh herbs, including Chinese celery, Japanese parsley (mitsuba) and Vietnamese mint (kinh gioi). (kitazawaseed.com) NATIVE SEEDS/SEARCH This Tucson, Arizona-based nonprofit was originally founded to support the Tohono O’odham Nation in establishing gardens. Today, 70% of the seeds in its seedbank come from some 50 different Indigenous communities. The collection of nearly 2,000…