Contrary to popular belief, embracing a plant-based diet doesn’t mean sacrificing flavor or satisfaction. In fact, it’s an opportunity to explore a world of vibrant, nutritious, and satisfying meals that can profoundly impact your health and well-being.

Bettina Campolucci Bordi, a renowned chef and wellness expert, shares her journey from growing up in a multicultural household to discovering the benefits of plant-based eating. "I grew up in a household where food was always homemade," Bettina recalls. "My father is Norwegian, and my mother is Bulgarian and Danish, so I was exposed to a diverse range of culinary traditions. We lived in Tanzania during the 1980s, where processed foods were practically nonexistent. If we wanted pizza, we made everything from scratch."

Bettina's early experiences with food were deeply influenced by her grandmother in Sweden, who was passionate about gardening, pickling, and making seasonal jams. This hands-on approach to food became ingrained in her, shaping her future culinary endeavors.

Her transition to a plant-based lifestyle began when she started running wellness retreats in southern Spain, during which she discovered she had polycystic ovary syndrome and endometriosis. "I realized that what I ate had a profound impact on my physical and mental health," she explains.

Moving to London, Bettina wrote her first cookbook, Happy Food, and launched her Retreat Chef Academy. Her mission is clear: to inspire others to include more plants in their diet. "The more diversity, color, whole foods, and fruit and vegetables you eat, the better it will be for you in the long term," she emphasizes.

Bettina is a firm believer in the power of underutilized ingredients. "There are so many wonderful, nutritious ingredients that are not spoken about enough," she says, highlighting gluten-free grains like buckwheat, millet, teff, and quinoa. She also points out that while there are over 40,000 varieties of cultivated rice, most of us are only familiar with a handful.

She also warns against relying too heavily on processed products within the "free from" industry, advocating instead for a diverse diet of whole foods. "You should be aiming to include 30 plant varieties a week," she advises.

For those new to plant-based eating, Bettina recommends subscribing to a fresh fruit and vegetable box service. "These boxes often introduce you to produce you might not normally buy, encouraging you to think creatively in the kitchen."

Bettina dispels the myth that plant-based diets are bland or restrictive. "Adopting a plant-based diet doesn’t mean eating less. In fact, you should actually be eating larger portions. And you don’t even need to give up animal-based products entirely," she suggests. "If everyone could eat more plant-based meals at home and save animal products for special occasions, it would be a significant step in the right direction."

She also believes that labels can sometimes be a barrier. "The problem today is the big emphasis on labeling, which deters people. If you create a hummus dip with caramelized onions, you don’t need to label it as vegan. We need to start calling dishes for what they are."

For Bettina, the key to delicious plant-based cooking lies in simplicity and creativity. "The best plant food is fuss-free, simple, easy, inexpensive, and speaks for itself," she says. Her favorite meals often come from "fridge raids," where she pulls together whatever ingredients she has on hand to create something inventive and delicious, like a curry or stir fry.

One of her signature cooking tips is to add "a drizzle, a dollop, and a crunch" to dishes, a principle she teaches at her retreats. "Imagine a pumpkin soup – it's a classic but rather one-dimensional. Now picture that same soup with some toasted pumpkin seeds for crunch, a pesto drizzle on top, and a dollop of yogurt. Ingenious, right?" By layering flavors and textures, Bettina believes you can elevate any plant-based recipe.

Bettina's journey shows that adopting a plant-based diet isn't about limitation but about embracing a rich and diverse culinary world that can transform your health and well-being.