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Please take this brief 4-question survey about what you want most and your health goals for now and The New Year. Let us know if you’d rather focus on overall health, more energy, disease prevention, weight loss, or learning to meal prep and save time and money.

When you take the survey, it will give you a sneak preview of what we’re working on. Then we will give you early access to what’s coming. Your responses are anonymous, and we won’t contact you about them. It’s important for us to know what you want so we can create plant-based programs, meal plans, cooking courses, and customized content just for you.

Let’s work together to live a healthy lifestyle together, now and in the year to come!

Please click here to take our brief survey and help us tailor the content perfectly to you!

The post Please Take This Brief Survey & Help Us Cook Up Fresh Content Just for You! appeared first on The Beet.

If we want to elongate life on our planet, switch out the animal protein for plant protein like legumes, and chickpeas make a great snack and salad staple.

For the sake of learning more about food systems on this planet, scientists and astronauts are sending chickpea plants into space as researchers are hoping to find out more about how to grow plants more efficiently here on Earth. Space gives us a unique opportunity to do that.

Space teaches us about how to grow on Earth

“As climate change continues and Earth’s population increases we will need to find a way to grow more using fewer resources. Plant control is a promising way forward. By controlling the plants we can tell them to grow faster or slower depending on the demand and available resources,” says lead researcher on project Space Hummus Yonatan Winetraub, an instructor at Stanford University who holds a Ph.D. in biophysics.

“Space amplifies these issues, as we have very few resources available to grow plants in orbit. If we can grow plants on the moon, we can definitely help world hunger.”

A mini greenhouse is ready for blastoff: Yonatan Winetraub (below) holds a mini greenhouse that is heading to the International Space Station where astronauts will grow chickpeas in zero-gravity in what’s been dubbed, Project “Space Hummus.”

Chickpeas head to The International Space Sation

Chickpeas going to space is a new frontier. Think of the idea of eating hummus on your moonwalk.

When Don’t Look Up was the movie of the month, everyone was trying to talk about the ending without giving it away. Spoiler alert: A small group makes it to Mars and finds a veritable garden of Eden. They intend to “start over” there, with new plants and species.

In reality, there is little life on Mars, and it’s hard to fathom growing anything, so this week, a group of scientists will send chickpeas into space on the shuttle, on the cargo mission bound for the International Space Station. The question they are seeking to answer: Can you grow chickpeas, and other essential plant-based foods and proteins, without Mother Nature’s own sunshine, earth, and atmosphere?

And if any of us live long enough to visit Mars, what will be on the menu, other than astronaut food? And once that runs out, will it be possible to grow, say, a garden salad, or crudites with a side of hummus?

Vegetables in Space

This is not the first time that vegetables and plants have been attempted to be grown in outer space, or for that matter in simulations of lunar and Martian soil. For one thing, Matt Damon did a pretty amazing job of fictionally growing potatoes from spuds while stranded in his Mars module in the movie, The Martian, keeping himself alive for months by eating the offspring crops of 12 potatoes, until he could fix his spaceship and get back to Earth.

Harvesting on Mars is grounded in reality

The first known plants to be grown in Martian soil were simulations, from rocks harvested in the Mojave Desert. (In the movie, Matt Damon uses soil made from his own feces.) In reality, neither desert soil nor self-fertilized soil will be used.

Then in 2014, German astronauts grew lettuce and a few other salad crops in highly controlled environments in space, watered by purified urine, which it turns out is a nifty way to re-introduce nitrates to the soil.

These chickpeas are being grown in a nutrition gel specifically designed for chickpeas. There is confidence among the scientific community that the plants will grow, based on light and soil, moisture, and oxygen in their controlled environment. But in a zero-gravity environment, will the plants grow up to the light? Gravity plays a role in the growth of vegetables. (That is why fiber exists, to help the plants “stand” and reach for the light.)

The other important question is will it act the same way without gravity? The other question the researchers want to answer is: How do you control the growth of the plants once they get them going since you want to make sure they don’t use up all your oxygen or resources once they take hold. So what happens if it is too successful? Can you shut it off?

“Success is affirming that chickpeas can be a viable product grown on Mars or in space, that can be started and stopped at will by scientists and future generations of hummus lovers,” said a spokesperson close to the project. “The goal is to maximize productivity and allow efficient management of resources on future space colonies on the moon and Mars.”

Sabra, the hummus company is as excited as any chickpea lover that this is happening. If you are as amped as they are, you can get in on the action by trying to win a limited-edition T-shirt that they are giving away – co-created with @haveanicedayy_. So, if you want to win one, and celebrate your love of hummus, chickpeas on Mars, and the epic occasion, head to their social posts to find out how to enter for your chance to win.

Vegetables grow in space

So far, scientists have grown nine vegetables in a simulated Martian or lunar soil: Tomatoes, radishes, peas, garden cress, rocket (greens), radishes, rye, quinoa, chives, and leeks. More importantly, the seeds from some of these plants were able to produce new crops, vital to sustaining life on our planet. The only chance humans have of sustainable living is to figure out how to grow generations of food, long after what they bring in their spaceships run out.

Supper on Mars

A recent story in the Daily Mail quotes a study that found nine vegetables can successfully grow on Mars Scientists found nine vegetables that can successfully grow on Mars including quinoa, radishes, and tomatoes. Some of the seeds from the crops can be used to grow a new generation of crops.

Back in 2016, Wieger Wamelink, a plant ecologist based at Wageningen University, hosted a meal at the New World Hotel in the Netherlands, treating his 50 guests to a dinner of foods that had been grown in a simulation of the Mars atmosphere. The dishes included pea puree appetizers, potato and nettle soup with rye bread, and radish foam, followed by a carrot sorbet. If these foods can be grown on Mars, then certainly the mighty chickpea can too.

Fast forward to the latest initiative, called the “Red Thumbs” project at Villanova University in Pennsylvania, where researchers have now added tomatoes, garlic, spinach, basil, kale, lettuce, rocket, onion, and radishes, according to Science Focus. As with every crop, there have been ups and downs, but kale turned out to grow better on the simulated Martian soil than it does on regular soil. The biggest excitement surrounding the success of barley and hops, since the students hoped to be able to grow Martian beer!

Other crops struggled, such as the much-needed and calorie-dense potatoes. It turns out potatoes prefer more loose, uncompacted soil and failed to grow as the simulant soils became heavy and impenetrable when watered, which led to the potatoes being choked out.

Your Space Age Recipe

This Out-of-This World hummus recipe is for your guests as your watch the shuttle take off on Saturday, with the precious cargo of baby chickpea plants on board. Make it any day.

Charred Tomato Hummus on Flatbread 

Ingredients

• 1 Vegan Flatbread or Naan
• 1/2 cup Sabra Classic Hummus
• 1 pint of rainbow cherry tomatoes
• 1/4 cup chermoula
• 2 Tbsp. toasted pine nuts

Directions

• 1. Brush and oil grill thoroughly before heating. Preheat grill on medium heat for 10 minutes or if the grill is already on, place on medium heat.
• 2. Place flatbread or naan on a heated grill and grill on both sides.
• 3. Slice half of the pint of tomatoes into halves.
• 4. Marinate the remaining whole tomatoes in olive oil and salt. Place on grill for 6-8 minutes.
• 5. Spread Sabra® Classic Hummus on grilled flatbread or naan, leaving a 1/2 inch border around the edge.
• 6. Place grilled tomatoes and halved tomatoes on flatbread or naan.
• 7. Drizzle flatbread or naan with chermoula and garnish with toasted pine nuts
• 8. Cut flatbread and serve.

The post Can You Grow Chickpeas on Mars? Plants Are Launching Into Space to Find Out appeared first on The Beet.

Not to be confused with processed white flour used in white pasta, white bread, white rice, or other baked goods, whole grains are foods like oatmeal, whole-wheat bread, brown rice, wild rice, quinoa, and buckwheat or spelt. Essentially a whole grain refers to a minimally processed grain that is as close to the picked plant as possible, with most of the grain intact. Grains are a healthy part of every diet, and you should aim to eat at least half of your total grain intake as whole grains, according to The Whole Grains Council.

What are whole grains?

The term ‘whole grains’ pertains to any grain which retains the entire seed of a plant. The grain is made up of three edible parts:

1. The bran: This is the multi-layered outer skin of the edible kernel which contains important B vitamins, antioxidants, and fiber.
2. The endosperm: The largest portion of the kernel and the germ’s food supply, which contains starchy carbohydrates, proteins, and some vitamins and minerals.
3. The germ: The part of the grain that has the potential to sprout into a new plant, which contains many B vitamins, some protein, minerals, and healthy fats.

Types of whole grains

• Oatmeal
• Sorghum
• Brown Rice
• Wild Rice
• Quinoa
• Buckwheat
• Whole wheat
• Whole-grain rye
• Barley
• Millet
• Bulgar
• Corn
• Spelt
• Whole-wheat bread
• Whole-wheat pasta

Adding whole grains, like brown rice, and quinoa (which is technically a seed), to your diet is beneficial for a number of reasons. Whole grains have been shown to improve healthy cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and help fight obesity. Whole grains have also been shown to help maintain steady blood sugar levels and not cause spikes and crashes.

Whole grains contain valuable antioxidants not easily found in other plant-based foods, such as fruits and vegetables. Whole grains are rich in B vitamins, vitamin E, magnesium, iron, and fiber.

The antioxidants in whole grains include phenolic compounds, such as phenolic acids, flavonoids, stilbenes, coumarins, and tannins. The most abundant phenolic compounds found in whole grains are phenolic acids and flavonoids.

Whole grains have fiber

Fiber is the number one reason to add whole grains to your diet. Take brown rice as an example: It has 3.5 grams of fiber per cup, whereas white rice has .5 grams. So you get seven times the amount of fiber when you eat brown rice as compared with white rice. That fiber slows down the absorption of nutrients and fuel into the body, keeping blood sugar steady and preventing a spike in insulin that instructs the body to store unused calories as fat. If the whole point of food is to fuel you and not leave you feeling energy-depleted or hungry soon after eating, then you want to choose whole grains and choose high-fiber recipes that will help your body feel energized even as you burn fat.

Just by switching from white bread to whole wheat, you can double or even triple the fiber in a slice of bread. When your diet contains more fiber, you keep blood sugar steady, energy levels from crashing, and your body from storing extra calories as fat. Women should aim for at least 21 to 25 grams of fiber a day, while men should aim for 30 to 38 grams a day. Whole grains are a great way to help you reach your daily fiber goals.

How to incorporate whole grains into your diet

Even if you’re short on time, it’s easy to incorporate more whole grains into your diet. Brands like Success Rice offer Boil-in-bag Brown Rice and Tri-Color Boil-in-Bag Quinoa, both of which are 100 percent whole grain and can be cooked in just 10 minutes with very little effort, cutting down the usual cook time for whole grains drastically. Either option is perfect for days when you don’t have a ton of time to meal prep and cook. Brown rice and quinoa are a great boost of protein since brown rice has 5 grams per cup and quinoa has about 8 grams of protein in a cup.

The next time you go to buy whole-grain foods, read the label and seek out the word “whole” preceding the word grain. Ideally, the whole grain should be the first ingredient on the list, indicating that the product contains more whole grain than any other ingredient by weight.

Bottom Line: Whole grains are a part of a healthy, balanced diet.

If you’re looking for a quick way to add whole grains into your day, check out the two vegan recipes below that use Success Brown Rice and Success Tri-Color Quinoa.

Easy Whole Grain High-Fiber Recipes to Make on Repeat

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Vegan Dirty Rice

Serves 3-4

Ingredients

• 1 bag Success Brown Rice
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium eggplant, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 small red pepper, diced
• 2 tsp Cajun seasoning
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

1. Prepare rice according to package directions using broth instead of water. Drain, reserving 1 cup of broth.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet set over medium heat. Cook eggplant, celery, onions, red peppers, and Cajun seasoning for 5 to 8 minutes, or until softened. Stir in tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
3. Stir in rice and reserved broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until vegetables are tender and sauce is thickened. Sprinkle with parsley.

Recipe Tips:
Substitute chopped mushrooms or canned beans for eggplant, if desired.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

This simple quinoa salad is loaded with chickpeas and veggies. Make it using a full head of broccoli and learn a new way to reduce food waste.

Warm Air-Fryer Broccoli Quinoa Salad

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 bag Success® Tri-Color Quinoa
• 1 head broccoli
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 can (19 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup jarred roasted red peppers, sliced
• 1/2 cup basil pesto
• 1 tbsp lemon zest
• 1/4 cup lemon juice

Instructions

1. Prepare quinoa according to package directions.
2. Snap florets from the stem and cut them into small pieces. Trim and discard the tough end of the broccoli stem; peel and cut the remaining stem into bite-size pieces. In a medium bowl, toss together florets, chopped stems, oil, and salt.
3. Preheat air fryer according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Place broccoli, in batches, in the air-fryer basket. Cook at 400°F for 5 to 7 mins or until golden, crispy, and tender.
4. In a large bowl, toss together quinoa, air-fried broccoli, chickpeas, roasted red peppers, pesto, lemon zest, and lemon juice until well combined.

Cooking Tips

• Chopped broccoli stems can also be used in soups, salads, or stir-fries.
• Add peelings from broccoli stems to water when making vegetable broth.
• Alternatively, instead of air-frying broccoli, roast broccoli in a conventional oven onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet with a convection setting at 400°F or regular setting at 425°F for 18 to 20 minutes, or until golden and crispy.

The post Health Reasons You Need to Add More Whole Grains to Your Diet appeared first on The Beet.

Here’s how to start this ritual: Give yourself a little extra time to start your morning for 10 minutes of stretching (even if it means 10 fewer minutes lying in bed after the alarm goes off), since this one simple movement will help you feel lighter, stronger, and calmer and rev up both your digestion and your creativity.

We suggest you follow the ten minutes of stretching with an all-natural organic supplement, such as Laird Superfood’s ACTIVATE Daily Jumpstart with lemon, cayenne, ginger, and lucuma. Just add one teaspoon to eight ounces of hot or cold water and sip.

The practice of stretching can be as simple as standing upright and reaching your arms in a sweeping motion, bringing your straight arms up and out to the side and over your head to touch your fingertips together while reaching as high you can. Stretch for the sky! As you reach up, inhale deeply and deliberately, and then allow yourself to exhale slowly and purposefully as you bring your arms back down, driving all the oxygen out of your lungs to feel the oxygen exchange fully. Repeat this gently 3 to 5 times, in an abbreviated Sun Salute, to get your breathing started and your blood flowing before you go to work and end up sitting for long stretches. Another popular approach is to practice a few simple yoga poses before the day gets hectic. See the three best stretches to do every morning, below.

But before we stretch, know that while people debate the best way to stretch to loosen (but not tear) muscles  (dynamic, static, active, isolated, etc.)  no one doubts that stretching itself has been proven to be beneficial. Here are three convincing studies that explain how static or dynamic stretching enhances your workout, improves your posture, and even helps to strengthen your immune system via improved blood circulation.

1. Stretching Increases Your Range of Motion During Workouts

In order to get the most from a workout, your muscles must achieve a full range of motion so the fibers are fully engaged which burns more calories. Both static and dynamic stretching increases your range of motion and mobility, according to this study.

2. Stretching Improves Posture and Reduces Joint Pain

Most people experience neck, shoulder, and back pain working from home, and certain stretches alleviate stress and take the pressure off these trigger areas. Muscles can become shortened through poor posture, spasms, or contraction, according to this study. Regardless, experiencing tight muscles is painful and causes imbalance and limited motion.

3. Stretching Helps Increase Blood Flow, Boosting Immunity and Circulation

Stretching is linked to a healthy increase in blood flow to the muscles, that’s why most athletes consider stretching before, after, and during their big game. Healthy blood flow means better circulation, which helps your blood cells transport vital oxygen and nutrients to every part of the body, and gives you the best chance to fight off infection and stay strong.

Here Are 3 Helpful Stretches That Will Help You Feel Your Best All Day

Stretching can be as simple as reaching your fingers above your head, towards the sky, or as complex as yoga poses like the firefly pose which has your legs fully extended. But, there’s a handful of stretches that are helpful for opening the joints, relaxing the muscles, and improving circulation at any level. Do these simple poses and then grab a cup of Laird Superfood Jumpstart Activate to help prime your body for the rest of the day.

1. Downward-Facing Dog 

If you do yoga, you’re no stranger to this pose: Open your hip flexors and release any tension in your upper body. This position puts your hips above your heart and your heart above your head, increasing blood flow and improved circulation throughout your body. Breathe into this move and feel the opening of the hips, calves, and shoulders.

2. Warrior ll

This move is the baseline for difficult stretches but is wonderful for improving muscle definition in your legs. Holding this position for more than thirty seconds sends blood flow to your quadriceps, the biggest muscle in your legs, allowing you to flush out any lactic from yesterday’s bike ride or run. Take a calming approach to Warrior ll and don’t overdo it. Your knee should be aligned with your heel.

3. Triangle Pose 

The triangle pose improves digestion, stimulates the abdominal muscles and helps to relieve stress. This pose is especially important for a woman experiencing menopause because it reduces pain in your stomach as you stretch by the waist side and helps you feel cool, calm, and collected. The goal is to make your nervous system relaxed without overheating the body.

This sponsored content is created by the Editors of The Beet in partnership with Laird Superfood. The information in this post is meant to be helpful and let readers discover Laird Superfood’s functional blend created with plant-based ingredients.

Use the code Beet10 to get 10% off Laird Superfood Products.

The post Start Your Morning With Simple Stretches to Boost Circulation and Focus appeared first on The Beet.

Making your daily fitness ritual fun and more doable (and ditching the mind-numbing cardio sessions) means that you get fitter without going for so long that you risk injury. These quick sessions require hard work in short bursts to get results.

New study: 4 seconds is enough to achieve major fitness gains and burn fat

In an encouraging study, reported in The New York Times, volunteers were asked to drink a high-fat shake and then hop on a spin bike and pedal as hard as they could for 4 seconds, then rest for 45 seconds, and then do it again, repeating this sequence (of 4 seconds on, 45 seconds off) five times.

The study participants did these quick sprints once every hour for eight hours for a total of 160 seconds in one day. They then returned to the lab the next day and the surprising findings were that they were still burning more fat than on days after sitting without sprinting.

A full day later, their fat burning was 30 percent higher, and their sprints were having an afterburn effect that even the researchers had not anticipated. The study was done last spring at the University of Texas by a team led by an esteemed sports expert, Ed Coyle, a professor of kinesiology and health education at UT. The study concluded that when time is tight and you spend most of the day sitting, adding in quick sprints is enough to improve how the body metabolizes fat and helps us stay fit. Building cardiovascular fitness comes faster than we could have imagined.

Start your day with short sprints and repeat every hour for best results

This means that whether you run up a flight of stairs five times or sprint 50-yard dashes, or run from light post to light post five times or do anything that exerts yourself fully (jumping jacks, jump rope, or other dynamic exercises to get your heart rate up for several seconds, you don’t have to be zoned out on a stair stepper for 45 minutes or longer to see major benefits. Just do bite-sized exertions.

Two Days a Week, Add Resistance Training for Strengthening and to Fight Aging

You don’t need a full gym or even weights to strength train. To fight age-related muscle loss that begins at age 30, you need to add in resistance training at least two days a week, according to studies that show both men and women benefit equally from strength training. You can use 2 large jugs filled with sand or water, or buy a pack of resistance bands to loop around your thighs as you squat, or duck walk, for three minutes in the morning. Add in push-ups and easy fast strength moves that tone every major muscle group, like those from Berto Calkins.

Walking Just 11 Minutes a Day Counteracts the Damage of Sitting For Hours

If you sit all day, like many of us glued to our computers, try walking around the neighborhood for just eleven minutes to undo those hours of sitting in your chair, or driving to do errands. A new study found that while more walking is better for us, the benefits of 11 minutes of walking a day appear to be a significant threshold. So while walking for longer may be a joy and is definitely healthy, to get the minimum amount of fitness out of a healthy walk, stay out there for 11 minutes at the very least.

Stay Hydrated for best effects and to build fitness, immunity, mood, and focus

Studies have found that when you’ve dehydrated your mood plummets, you lose focus, your head throbs, and your immune system becomes compromised. It’s even more important to work on staying hydrated in chilly or cold weather, since you are not sweating as much outdoors, and you may not realize that you’re losing fluids with every step.

Hydrating directly after a workout is the key to your recovery. Choose a drink with benefits. For a beverage that packs nutritious plant-based ingredients with calcium and iron, try Laird Superfood Hydrate made with freeze-dried coconut water. This natural blend of coconut water and Aquamin, calcified sea algae is naturally rich in calcium with trace minerals in varying amounts.

For More Healthy Rituals:

Try a Mindfulness Practice to Start Your Day Calm

Start Your Morning with Simple Stretches to Boost Circulation and Focus.

The post Quick Workouts: Improve Mood All Day with 4-Second Sprints appeared first on The Beet.

BeLeaf’s vegan bacon hits all the right taste and texture notes. For that reason, it tops our list. It cooks up extremely easily and yields a consistency and is easy to work with to create any bacon dish you desire. BeLeaf captures that meaty, salty bacon-like taste.

Price: $9.99, 10 oz package

Where to buy: Besties Vegan Paradise, Lassens, and other local natural grocery stores. Also on online retailers like Vegan Essentials, GTFO It’s Vegan, and more.

The post BeLeaf Vegan Bacon appeared first on The Beet.

Price: $4.69, 5 oz package

Where to buy: Whole Foods Market and other retailers as well as online Amazon.com, ThriveMarket.com and more.

The post Upton’s Vegan Bacon appeared first on The Beet.

Price: $3.99, 5.5 oz package

Where to buy: Check out Sweet Earth’s online locator tool to find a store closest to you, including select SafeWay, Whole Foods Market, Walmart, and more.

The post Sweet Earth Vegan Bacon appeared first on The Beet.

Price: $9.99, 8 oz package

Where to buy: Online at www.primeroots.com

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