Corewell Health’s Plant Powered Challenge is a free 30-day program offering classes, recipes, resources and more to improve health through food.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — At the start of a new year, many people start thinking about improving their health.
In 2025, Corewell Health’s Lifestyle Medicine has the goal of teaching people how food can become medicine.
The Plant Powered Challenge, which starts on Jan. 6 and runs through Feb. 5, boosts education for how plant-based eating can increase sleep quality, control health and help with weight loss.
The free 30-day challenge is open to anyone, not only Corewell Health patients. The challenge includes weekly goals, classes, resources and support.
“There’s cooking demonstrations by various chefs, physicians, dietitians, health coaches, and it’s covering a whole gamut of things that really people otherwise may not have access to,” said Elizabeth Suvedi, the manager of culinary medicine at Corewell Health.
Suvedi said eating more whole, plant-based foods is “really powerful.” She said patients tend to feel better, sleep better, get off medication and overall feel more energy.
Plus, she’s teaching patients how these types of foods can taste amazing.
“They come in here, sometimes a little bit apprehensive,” said Suvedi about the Corewell Health teaching kitchen. “Like, ‘What’s this going to be? I heard this is healthy food cooking.’ It probably doesn’t sound good, but I’m a chef by background, and so to me what you eat needs to taste great.”
She demonstrated for 13 ON YOUR SIDE a recipe for stuffed bell pepper soup, including fresh vegetables and red lentils.
“There’s tons of phytonutrients in these fruits and vegetables, whole grains packed with fiber,” said Suvedi. “When you see people start to incorporate a lot more of the processed foods, foods that just are high in sugar, high in added fats, it really makes you groggy, it makes you not feel good. It leads to all that chronic disease, that the number one killer in the United States is tied to, the food that people are eating.”
The Plant Powered Challenge can be done right from home, with the classes and presentations on Zoom.
You can also find a list of plant-based recipes by Corewell Health culinary medicine chefs on their website.
