The Science

The Science behind the Love.Life menu.

Our team of culinary and nutrition experts have developed our 100% plant-based menu to be both healthy and super delicious. While we offer a range of flavorful options, dishes on our Optimize menu focus strictly on whole foods, eliminate oil and added sugars, minimize sodium and ensure that fewer than 15% of calories come from fat.

tubes and herbs

How did you develop the Love.Life menu?

Executive chef Brooks McCarty and our chief health officer, Dr. Brian Asbill, enlisted the expertise of renowned registered dietitians and human performance experts who have clients ranging from celebrities to Olympians and professional sports teams.

Love.Life and the menu for our restaurant is rooted in the principles of Lifestyle medicine. Lifestyle medicine is a medical specialty that promotes evidence-based lifestyle changes, including a mostly whole-food, plant-based diet, exercise, restorative sleep and stress management to help you feel your best and treat chronic conditions. The experienced team drew upon the latest research and guidance from the World Health Organization, American Heart Association, the National Institute of Health and others, along with studies from well-respected organizations like Blue Zones, Ornish LIfestyle Medicine, and Pritikin.  The work of leading plant-based physicians and researchers, including Dr. Joel Fuhrman, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, Dr. John McDougall, Dr. Neil Barnard, Dr. Michael Greger. and T. Colin Campbell also informed our evidence-based approach to nutrition.

What’s groundbreaking about the menu?

In addition to the established benefits of eating more plants, fewer processed foods, and minimizing oil, sugar and salt, we’re excited to introduce our community to the emerging field of culinary genomics. Pioneered and popularized by Amanda Archibald, a registered dietitian and Love.Life advisor, culinary genomics blends genomics (the science of how environment and lifestyle choices affect your genes and gene expression) with culinary techniques and nutrition science. Translation? We serve food that talks to your genes to maximize your health with every bite. Some examples:

Garlic
  • We let our freshly chopped garlic, onions, leeks, shallots, chives and scallions rest for at least 15 minutes before adding them to a dish. This maximizes the amount of key anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compounds they provide your body.
  • We add cooked tomatoes to salads, soups and sauces. That’s because cooked tomatoes contain more lycopene—a powerhouse antioxidant—than raw tomatoes.
  • We steam cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower for no more than three minutes. Briefly steaming ensures that these nutrient-dense foods retain high levels of sulforaphane, a compound that reduces inflammation and helps detoxify the body.
  • We cool starchy vegetables like sweet potatoes after cooking. This extra step converts some of their starches into something called resistant starch or RS. RS supports gut and heart health, blood sugar regulation and weight management.
  • We combine iron-rich ingredients with ingredients high in vitamin C, which can increase your body’s ability to absorb iron by up to six times.

Interested in learning more about how nourishing foods and simple lifestyle changes can help you feel your best and manage chronic conditions? Consider making an appointment with Love.Life Telehealth.