The more I started digging into whole foods, the more I started learning about whole foods blogs that boasted amazing recipes like Blueberry oat cobblers, Tuscan kale salads, and superfood nut butter cups (just to name a few). Such a blog is A Couple Cooks, run by husband and wife team Alex and Sonja Overhiser.

We had the pleasure of speaking with Sonja recently about she and Alex’s blog, their approach to health, and their outlook on life. Here’s what she had to say.

Why did you start your food blog?
A Couple Cooks started as an offshoot of what was our personal blog at the time, which was quickly becoming filled with photos of food as we were falling in love with cooking. However, we also started it with a mission – as a place to inspire home cooking and healthy eating, which we’d found so much joy and fulfillment from in our own lives. It’s taken on a new life from when it started – it’s become a place where we can express ourselves creatively, as well as a way to connect to our local food community and others around the world who love food. It also gives us a place to think about advocacy and activism, be it for food/health issues, environment, or social justice.
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Today, people in 192 countries are banding together in peaceful demonstration to celebrate Earth Day. Founded in the twilight of the hippie movement, the first Earth Day was held on April 22, 1970 and is now the largest secular holiday in the world. Due in part to events like Earth Day, we’ve learned a lot about our environment and what we need to change to keep the blue marble spinning a while longer.

The word “green”— now an adjective, noun, and verb—is synonymous in our culture for expansive and minute efforts in environmental sustainability. Not surprisingly, there are a number of “green” diets. In celebration of Earth Day 2013, we’ve compiled nine eco-friendly diets that will help you reach your weight loss and fitness goals while reducing your carbon footprint.

The Kind Diet

The Kind Diet is a book by actress and vegan Alicia Silverstone that illustrates the benefits of a plant-based diet. Silverstone uses the book to show that a vegan diet can not only help your body, but help animals and the planet, too. The diet is beneficial because it allows you to progress in stages and preserves animal life on Earth. However, the drastic change to a plant-based diet may be too extreme for some, as no meat, dairy, or animal products are allowed.
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I love introducing new friends, especially when I know they’ll hit off. Diets In Review readers, I know you’ll love one of my dearest online friends Holly Whitleff, who runs the healthy, inspiring, ever-delicious blog The Healthy Everythingtarian. So many good things to say about this girl I hardly know where to start!

Let’s begin with food. Holly has always approached food practically and healthfully, avoiding any fad diet trends or overly-complicated ingredients or equipment. That’s why I’ve always loved her blog: Healthy, simple food inspiration can always be found. Apple cheddar tart, anyone? Plus, she’s one of the most entertaining online writers you’ll read.

I had the extreme pleasure of speaking with Holly recently about her blog, her life and her practical approach to health. Here’s what she had to say.
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Sometimes you “meet” a blogger online and instantly know you’ll be fast friends. Such was the case when I came across Ashley’s blog, Never Homemaker. Her blog name was clever, the content was intriguing, the recipes made me drool, and she and her family were as cute as can be.

If you stop by Ashley’s blog expect to find fitness and running inspiration, tasty and healthy recipes, and glimpses of her life as a mother to her adorable toddler daughter, Ada.

We recently had the pleasure of speaking with Ashley about her blog and her approach to living a healthy, happy life. Here’s what she had to say. 
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I have been a vegetarian for about 14 years. I know it makes me healthier and it gives me great energy. I also know it’s not a magic bullet for weight loss and good health. You can do it wrong.

For example, vegetarians can start out as carbitarians. Pasta is an easy dish that pleases most everyone, making it a staple for new vegetarians. Eating lots of fruit and vegetables seems to be easy enough but what else do vegetarians eat? Where does the protein come from?

If you give up all animal products (making the jump to veganism) it can become even more confusing. You may start to rely on overly processed vegan substitutes that can be loaded with extra sugar or chemicals to make up for the missing animal ingredients.
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