March/April 2025

The Food Issue

Our annual celebration of healthy, sustainable eating. Discover fresh cooking tips, trusted dietary advice, and the latest nutritional research to help you get the most enjoyment out of each meal.

On the Cover

Chef Yia Vang's cabbage recipe and head shot

The Universal Language of Food

Celebrated chef Yia Vang on culture, community, and how he’s rethinking and prioritizing his own health.

By Casie Leigh Lukes

Food Culture

Features

runners pick up their drinks during a race

What to Eat For Endurance Events

Figuring out your race-day nutrition strategy is an essential element of your training. Dial in your nutrition and fueling plan to support your athletic performance with this expert advice.

By Heidi Wachter

Nutrition Tips Sports & Recreation

a person takes a photo of their salad with their smart phone

Orthorexia: When Healthy Eating Becomes an Obsession

A fixation on healthy eating can have unhealthy consequences. Discover how to identify the problem and reshape your relationship with food.

By Pilar Gerasimo

General Health

Considering a GLP-1 Agonist? Here’s How to Take a Balanced Approach

Weight-loss drugs, such as Ozempic and Wegovy, can be both helpful and harmful — sometimes in equal measure. Integrative-health experts suggest that short-term use, coupled with lifestyle changes, can offer a middle way.

By Mo Perry

Inflammation Metabolism/Weight Loss

Real Food

4 Vegetarian Recipes That Will Change the Way You See Mushrooms

With their earthy flavor, meaty texture, and wealth of nutritional value, these meatless recipes are sure to satisfy.

By Maddie Augustin

Cooking & Food

The Truth About Ultraprocessed Foods

These products are everywhere. Here's a closer look at the many ways these food products can harm your health — and why it’s worth the effort to avoid them when you can.

By Catherine Guthrie

Cooking & Food Food Addiction

6 Food Swaps to Try at the Grocery Store

If you’re always buying the same few things at the grocery store, try these swaps.

By Camille Berry

Cooking & Food Mindful Eating

SOMETHING SIMPLE: Healthy Mint-Chocolate Shamrock Smoothie

Refreshing and lightly sweet, this minty concoction is a great way to drink a cup and a half of greens for breakfast.

By Kaelyn Riley

Beverages Breakfast

Real Fitness

Collage of woman doing the Big 3 powerlifting moves

A Powerlifting Workout

Curious about the “Big Three” lifts? Hone your squat, bench press, and deadlift with this well-rounded, all-ages workout.

By Andrew Heffernan

Equipment-Based Workouts Strength Training

a bowl of cottage cheese with blueberries

Why Am I Not Hungry After a Tough Workout?

Here's expert advice on how to balance low appetite with proper fueling and recovery.

By Joe Meier, CSCS, PPSC, PN2

Fitness Tips Nutrition Tips

a woman holds a glass with functional water additives

3 Functional Water Additives to Try

What you need to know about electrolytes, amino acids, and greens powders.

By Lauren Bedosky

Fitness Tips Nutrition Tips

Build Arm Strength With the Biceps Curl

Hone your biceps curl with these expert tips. Plus, we offer nine variations on the classic move.

By Maggie Fazeli Fard

Fitness Tips Strength Training

Real Life

9 Things Your Food Cravings Are Telling You

An intense urge for a particular food could be your body’s way of seeking something that’s missing. Here are nine common messages your food cravings are sending you — and how to respond.

By Jill Patton, NBC-HWC

Mindful Eating

a variety of foods to support mental health

3 Ways to Eat for Mental Health

Try these nutritional strategies to support your psychological and emotional well-being.

By Henry Emmons, MD

Brain Health Mental Health

a person places a hand on a person's shoulder

How to Help Someone With an Eating Disorder

Communicating concern with tact and compassion can benefit those who are struggling to get the help they need.

By Jon Spayde

Family/Parenting/Kids Friends

Could Insects Be the Future of Sustainable Nutrition?

Saving the world, one edible critter at a time? Our deputy editor digs into the research around eating insects and cooks with them too (think cricket flour). Bug appétit!

By Michael Dregni

Food Culture

a pair of feet with waves washing up on to them

What Is Earthing?

Connecting regularly to the earth's electrical energy can offer myriad physical and mental health benefits.

By Courtney Helgoe

Functional/Integrative Medicine

Well Informed

Anatomy of a Gluten-Free Hamburger Bun

Gluten-free hamburger buns may seem like a healthier choice, but they often contain many ultraprocessed ingredients. Here's a look at what's inside.

By Catherine Guthrie

Nutrition Tips

The Dangers of the New Energy Drinks

Many of the new energy drinks contain high levels of caffeine, as well as sugar, artificial sweeteners, and natural stimulants like guarana. Here’s what to know about them.

By Ella Roberts

Food Addiction Food Culture

What Is Agrivoltaics?

A hybrid land-use model that pairs solar panels with productive farmland may help us reach our clean-energy goals.

By Craig Cox

Sustainability

5 Health Benefits of Houseplants

Cleaner air and increased productivity are just two of the benefits associated with houseplants.

By Michael Dregni

Home/Living Nature

In Every Issue

a collage of Elise Laedtke with her family and playing pickleball

How Pickleball Helped a Woman Rebuild Her Life After a Stroke

Following a stroke at the age of 59, Elise Laedtke found a new sport and community through pickleball.

By Kara Douglass Thom

Active Aging Pickleball

What’s Your Favorite Ingredient to Keep on Hand for Easy, Flavorful Meals?

Experience Life staffers share their go-to ingredients.

By Experience Life Staff

Healthy Habits/Goal Setting

a mourning dove sits in a tree branch during the evening with a shooting star

Moving Through Grief

Our fitness editor reflects on how practicing grief movement helped her stay present during personal loss.

By Maggie Fazeli Fard

Emotional Intelligence Personal Development

Columns

Nourishing Nostalgia

Experience Life's editor in chief reflects on food, community, and weekly Sunday suppers at her grandparents' house.

By Jamie Martin

Columns

In Harmony With Food

Bahram Akradi, CEO and founder of Life Time, shares his thoughts on the importance of food, from its nutritional value to its role in fostering social connections.

By Bahram Akradi

Food Culture

Recent Issues

See All

May/June 2026

The transition from spring to summer can feel liberating — and energizing. But knowing how to channel that energy can be vexing. Whether you’re primed to run your first 5K or feel ready to finally navigate the local farmers’ market, we’ll help you make the most of your renewed vigor.

March/April 2026

Dishing up well-researched nutrition advice, inspiring recipes, and helpful kitchen tips, our annual celebration of food features appetizing options for everyone, including burger-loving beginners and cuisine-centric connoisseurs.

January/February 2026

Explore the surprising ways in which foundational health and fitness practices can truly improve your overall well-being.

November/December 2025

The holidays bring fresh challenges to both longstanding and new relationships. Discover inspiration to overcome the kind of fraught interactions that can turn celebratory gatherings into unhealthy battlegrounds.

September/October 2025

In this transitional season, we honor your body's natural rhythms to attune your sleep, focus, and energy.

July/August 2025

Step outside your comfort zone this summer! Try a new workout, explore fresh foods, and spend more time outdoors. Discover simple ways to expand your routine and find what energizes you.

May/June 2026

March/April 2026

January/February 2026

Explore the surprising ways in which foundational health and fitness practices can truly improve your overall well-being.

November/December 2025

September/October 2025

In this transitional season, we honor your body's natural rhythms to attune your sleep, focus, and energy.

July/August 2025

Step outside your comfort zone this summer! Try a new workout, explore fresh foods, and spend more time outdoors. Discover simple ways to expand your routine and find what energizes you.