Success Recipes
Nutritional chef Mikaela Reuben has instructed notable figures such as Woody Harrelson and Blake Lively on how to elevate fruits and vegetables to the forefront of their meals. With her latest cookbook, you can bring the same emphasis on plant-based cooking into your own kitchen and promote your family’s health.
From the Ground Up
Reuben has always perceived food as a source of wonder since her childhood. “The transformation of ingredients in the oven fascinated me,” she recalls.
Her teenage years saw a pivotal shift in her connection with food when she observed her father adopt a healthier diet after suffering a heart attack. She noted, “He truly used food as medicine.” This experience motivated her to study kinesiology, yet she felt a crucial element was still absent.
“Our education focused solely on food as fuel,” Reuben explains, “but if we’re discussing human performance, why not adopt a holistic view of food?”
At a crucial moment post-graduation, Reuben and a friend utilized a neighbor’s kitchen to experiment with recipes for a heart-healthy cookbook inspired by her father’s change in diet. However, an unexpected return of the neighbor—an acclaimed actor believed to be away—along with his chef, led to an awkward encounter for Reuben.
Despite her embarrassment over the mess (she humorously admits to spreading almond butter everywhere), the chef not only sampled her creations but also served them to his guests for lunch, paving a new career direction for Reuben.
Having always dreamed of merging culinary arts and nutrition, her path became clear when she discovered the unique role of a nutritional chef working on location with rock bands and film sets, notably influenced by chef Wayne Forman of Wayno’s Catering.
After years of guidance under Forman, Reuben has established herself as a sought-after chef, serving a diverse clientele that includes Hollywood stars like Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, and Brie Larson, along with Olympic athletes and even the Dalai Lama.
The Veggie Advantage
Regardless of whether she’s preparing meals for Hollywood elites, family gatherings, or just herself, one consistent theme in Reuben’s cooking is the prominence of plants.
“I identify as plant-forward because catering to diverse dietary needs means vegetables help me create the healthiest meals possible,” she shares. “In my 15 years as a chef, focusing on plant-based options has helped my clients thrive across all dietary preferences.”
Reuben’s recent cookbook, Eat to Love: Where Health Meets Flavor (Appetite by Random House, 2025), features recipes with comprehensive nutritional insights to fit various dietary requirements and simple methods for incorporating sauces and proteins, suitable for both experienced cooks and those new to plant-based eating.
Her aim is to demonstrate that flavorful, healthy cooking can rival traditional meat-based dishes in excitement and taste. “When I showcase a variety of plant dishes and ingredients, I observe a remarkable positive change in many areas of their lives,” Reuben notes.
This interest in plant-based diets is not limited to celebrities; they have experienced a notable increase in popularity in recent years. One study indicated that the number of vegans in the U.S. surged by 500 percent from 2014 to 2018. Additionally, surveys revealed that 40 percent of people were making efforts to cut back on animal protein. Similar to Reuben’s father, many are curious about how plant foods can improve their health, including lowering the risks of diabetes, heart conditions, and cancer.
While the health advantages of plant foods may attract even the most reluctant adults, Reuben acknowledges one challenging area—family meal times.
The Family Dynamic
For parents striving to serve nutritious meals, few understand the challenge as intimately as those in their shoes. Convincing children to consume a varied diet, particularly vegetables, can feel like a daunting task, transforming mealtimes into intense negotiations rather than shared family moments.
Having cooked for numerous clients with kids, Reuben offers a realistic perspective on the mealtime struggles parents endure. “Simply put, if you’re putting food on the table for your kids, you deserve applause,” she states. “Managing the demands of parenthood is tough, but if you’re keeping your children nourished, my hat’s off to you.”
The dining battle between children and vegetables has persisted for decades. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, around 60 percent of kids do not eat adequate fruits, with 93 percent falling short on vegetable intake. Although parents might feel tempted to forgo battles to avoid tantrums, it’s crucial to find strategies that encourage children to enjoy greens.
Research indicates that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables can significantly lower the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and several cancers in children. Nutritional components provided by fruits and vegetables, including fiber, folate, potassium, vitamin A, vitamin C, and vitamin K, are vital for children’s development in their formative years and often shape their dietary patterns in the future.
Tips from the Chef
Through her experiences as a chef, Reuben has gathered several tactics to help entice children to enjoy their vegetables. She suggests opting for neutral-tasting vegetables. “When preparing meals for families,” Reuben advises, “I incorporate steamed zucchini into smoothies, mix spinach into blueberry recipes, or blend dark beans and avocado into chocolate mousse.”
Experts recommend getting hands-on with cooking, which is beneficial for kids—allowing them to participate in meal planning and preparation, incorporating fun colors and shapes, and assigning playful names to foods.
Reuben has witnessed the effectiveness of these strategies. “The more colorful the dish, the better!” she emphasizes, “I rarely see a child reaching for an entire head of cauliflower, but if we offer cauliflower sushi rice, it’s a hit. Encourage them to get creative with their food!”
With recipes featuring healthy dips, crispy tacos, and her famed ginger tahini sauce, Reuben’s cooking nourishes both body and spirit. It proves that while not everyone can be a star, every family member can enjoy meals like one.
This article initially appeared in the September 2025 edition of Daitrl magazine.
