Healthy doesn’t have to be hard — it just has to feel good.

Welcome to SimplyHealthyEats, a bright, practical corner of the internet where real-life cooking meets feel-good food. I’m Lily, and my guiding idea is simple: eat well, feel good, keep it simple. Around here, “healthy” isn’t a strict diet or a long list of rules — it’s a rhythm. It’s colorful salads that crunch, cozy bowls that comfort without weighing you down, wholesome bakes sweetened just enough, and easy weeknight dinners you can actually make after a busy day. Every recipe is built on real ingredients, approachable techniques, and a calm, confident tone that helps you succeed in your kitchen, your way.

This document lays out the editorial guidelines that shape every post we publish. It’s our promise to you — about what we cook, how we test, the standards we uphold, and the values we won’t compromise. These guidelines apply to all content on SimplyHealthyEats.com, across recipes, how-to guides, product recommendations, meal plans, newsletters, and social captions. If it carries our name, it follows these standards.

Our Mission

At SimplyHealthyEats, our mission is to make healthy home cooking feel doable, delicious, and sustainable. We want you to cook more meals you genuinely enjoy — meals that leave you energized, satisfied, and proud of yourself. We design recipes and resources to:

Reduce decision fatigue with clear instructions and ingredient flexibility.
Celebrate produce, pantry staples, and accessible proteins — the things you can actually find and afford.
Honor flavor first: bright acids, fresh herbs, good olive oil, smart seasoning, and textures that pop.
Support real life: short ingredient lists when possible, realistic prep times, and make-ahead and storage tips that help you plan and waste less.

Healthy food is not a look; it’s a feeling. It’s the salad that truly hits the spot, the soup that warms you without putting you to sleep, the grain bowl that’s as satisfying at lunch as it is at dinner. Our recipes are balanced, colorful, and practical — and they’re meant to be shared, tweaked, and enjoyed in good company.

Our Voice and Style

Everything we write is guided by Lily’s voice: friendly, encouraging, and crystal clear. We talk to you like a trusted friend who’s cooked this dish five times and knows where you might get stuck (and how to fix it). You’ll see:

Plain language with zero snobbery.
Sensory cues (“simmer until glossy and thick enough to coat a spoon”) instead of vague directions.
Useful side notes and swaps that make recipes flexible for dietary needs, budget, and seasonality.
A calm, supportive tone — no shame, no fear, no moralizing about food.

Healthy eating is a spectrum. We celebrate small improvements and real-world wins. If you add extra veggies to pasta night — that counts. If you swap half the mayo for Greek yogurt — also great. If you need dinner in 20 minutes with a short grocery list — we’re on it.

Our Recipe Standards

Testing and Reliability

We test each recipe with home cooks in mind. That means:

Accurate times and temperatures, verified and re-checked.
Ingredient measurements by volume (cups, tablespoons) and, whenever useful, by weight (grams) for precision.
Sensory checkpoints at critical steps: how something should look, smell, and feel when it’s ready.
Clear yields and serving sizes, with simple scaling guidance where relevant.
Storage, freezing, and reheating notes that actually work (texture matters!).

If a recipe doesn’t meet our taste, texture, or clarity standards, it doesn’t get published.

Accessibility and Substitutions

We prioritize accessible ingredients and offer practical swaps:

Produce first, anchored by pantry staples: beans, grains, eggs, yogurt, nuts, seeds, and everyday spices.
Gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian, and vegan options where possible — clearly labeled and easy to follow.
Budget-friendly paths: suggestions for frozen produce, canned proteins, and smart bulk buys.
Seasonality tips: when fresh is best, when frozen is fine, and when a simple tweak makes it shine.

Flavor Philosophy

Healthy food should be craveable. We lean on big flavor with:

Acids: lemon, lime, vinegars to brighten and balance.
Fresh herbs and aromatics: scallions, cilantro, parsley, garlic, ginger.
Texture play: something creamy, something crisp, something with a little chew.
Salt and heat used thoughtfully — you’re always in control, but we’ll guide you to “just right.”

Clarity Over Cleverness

We don’t use fluff or filler. Every sentence serves you. Instead of “cook until done,” we write:

“Roast 18–22 minutes, until the edges are browned and the centers are tender enough to pierce with a fork.”
“Simmer 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce looks glossy and clings to the noodles.”

We also include quick-glance elements where helpful: ingredient snapshots, step summaries, and “Before You Start” notes for time-savers and potential pitfalls.

Nutrition Notes and Disclaimers

We care about nourishment, not numbers-for-numbers’ sake. When we provide nutrition estimates, they are clearly labeled as estimates based on available data. Our content is informational only and not medical advice. If you have specific health conditions, allergies, or dietary goals, please consult a qualified professional. We avoid moralizing food (“good” vs. “bad”) and never encourage restrictive, punitive eating. Food is fuel, comfort, culture, and joy — and your plate should reflect your life.

Sourcing and Integrity

Ingredient and Technique Sources

When we learn something from a culinary text, a registered dietitian, or a subject-matter expert, we credit responsibly. We adapt techniques for home kitchens and test them so they translate cleanly. We do not publish unverifiable claims, and we avoid sensational health promises. If a statement needs a reputable source, we’ll link or note it plainly.

Partnerships and Recommendations

We collaborate only with brands and partners that align with our values: quality, transparency, and usefulness. If a post includes sponsored content, affiliate links, or gifted products, that relationship is disclosed clearly and prominently. Our editorial judgment remains independent. No partner dictates our opinions, ratings, or recipe choices. If a tool or product isn’t worth your time or money, we won’t recommend it.

Verification and Corrections

We strive to get it right the first time. But if we miss something — a typo, a confusing step, a temperature error — we fix it fast and transparently. Corrections are noted within the post or in an update log when material. We welcome respectful feedback and treat it like a gift: it helps us make SimplyHealthyEats stronger for everyone.

Right of Reply and Reader Dialogue

We value our community. If a contributor, expert, or reader raises a concern, we listen. We commit to open, respectful dialogue and provide clarifications where needed. Our goal is understanding and trust — not winning an argument.

Professional Conduct

Respect: We respect cultural food traditions and do our best to represent them thoughtfully.
Credit: We credit inspiration, techniques, and sources fairly.
Boundaries: We do not lift others’ work or repackage unique recipes without meaningful transformation and proper attribution.
Confidentiality: We respect the privacy of testers, contributors, and readers who share feedback or personal experiences, unless they explicitly permit us to share.

Visual and Written Harmony

Photography and writing should sing the same song:

Photos showcase real textures and real portions: juicy chicken, vibrant greens, steamy broths, crumb you can see.
Styling is approachable, not fussy — what your plate could look like on a good day.
Step photos or short clips appear when a technique benefits from a visual cue.
Alt text is descriptive and helpful; accessibility matters.

SEO With Purpose

We optimize so you can find what you need quickly:

Clear, human-first titles and headings.
Intuitive structure: ingredients, steps, tips, swaps, storage, FAQs.
Scannable sections with meaningful subheads — no keyword stuffing.
Descriptive meta data that reflects the real content of the page.

Search visibility helps us serve more readers, but we never sacrifice clarity or authenticity for clicks. If a sentence doesn’t help you cook better, it doesn’t belong.

Meal Planning, Prep, and Leftovers

To support real-life routines, we include:

Make-ahead notes: what can be chopped, marinated, or par-cooked.
Storage guidance: how long to refrigerate or freeze and the best containers to use.
Reheating instructions that preserve texture (crispy stays crisp; creamy stays creamy).
Waste-less tips for using up extra herbs, half cans, or leftover grains.

Inclusivity and Diverse Perspectives

Healthy food belongs to everyone. We celebrate dishes from many cultures and do so with respect, context, and care. When we adapt a recipe for accessibility or seasonality, we say so directly. We avoid flattening a cuisine into a trend and seek to acknowledge origins where known. If we get something wrong, we’re open to learning and adjusting.

Advertising and Commercial Activities

Clear Separation

Editorial content and advertising are distinct. Sponsored posts and affiliate links are labeled clearly and placed in a way that doesn’t interrupt your ability to cook the recipe successfully.

Transparency With Advertisers

We collaborate only with partners who understand our editorial independence. We do not make health claims we can’t support, and we do not promote products that contradict our mission (e.g., gimmicky cleanses or extreme fad diets).

Content Integrity

Sponsorship never overrides our standards. If a test product underperforms, we say so or we decline the partnership. Our loyalty is to our readers, always.

Community Feedback

We invite your experiences, tweaks, and tips. Did you air-fry instead of bake? Swap tahini for peanut butter? Add citrus zest and it changed everything? Tell us. Reader insights help us refine instructions, add alternative methods, and highlight useful substitutions for future cooks.

What We Don’t Publish

To keep our lane clear and our values intact, we avoid:

Content that glorifies extreme restriction, crash diets, detoxes, or moral judgments about eating.
Sensational health claims without reputable sources.
Overly fussy restaurant-style recipes reliant on rare or luxury ingredients.
Posts padded with unrelated personal stories or SEO filler that don’t help you cook.
Unclear, untested recipes that risk wasting your time and ingredients.

We’re here for real, delicious food that supports everyday wellness — not trends that burn out in a week.

The SimplyHealthyEats Standard (Checklist)

Before a recipe or article goes live, it must:

Be approachable for home cooks at all levels, with step clarity and sensory cues.
Use accessible, budget-conscious ingredients with smart substitutions.
Deliver vibrant, satisfying flavor without unnecessary heaviness.
Reflect Lily’s warm, encouraging, no-judgment tone.
Include practical extras: make-ahead, storage, and reheating tips where relevant.
Provide accurate timing, yields, and equipment notes; include weights when helpful.
Pair appetizing, realistic visuals with clear, descriptive alt text.
Be responsibly optimized for search without sacrificing readability.
Credit inspiration and sources appropriately.
Pass a final proofread for accuracy, clarity, and consistency — including nutrition estimates where provided.

If any item on this checklist fails, we revise until it meets the mark — or we don’t publish it.

How We Evolve

Healthy cooking evolves with the seasons, with new products (hello, better whole-grain pastas), and with your feedback. We revisit top recipes, test emerging techniques (sheet-pan shortcuts, air-fryer adaptations, no-knead upgrades), and update posts when a clearer step, smarter swap, or faster method emerges. We’ll note the “Updated on” date so you always know what changed and why.

Our Promise to You

We’ll respect your time and your grocery budget.
We’ll choose clarity over cleverness, usefulness over trends.
We’ll keep flavor front and center — bright, balanced, and deeply satisfying.
We’ll meet you where you are, whether you’re cooking your first pot of beans or perfecting your meal-prep routine.
We’ll celebrate small wins: one more home-cooked meal this week, a vegetable that finally clicks for you, a snack that powers your afternoon without a crash.

Closing Words

SimplyHealthyEats isn’t about chasing perfection. It’s about building a kitchen rhythm that supports your life — one colorful bowl, one cozy soup, one perfectly chewy cookie at a time. Every piece of content here is an invitation: to cook something you’ll feel good about, to share with someone you love, to waste less and enjoy more, and to remember that healthy can be happy, simple, and seriously delicious.

Pull up a chair. Grab a plate. Let’s cook food that feels good — for your body, your budget, and your busy week.

Eat well. Feel good. Keep it simple.

Editorial Guidelines