The usual beginning-of-the-year self-improvement rituals have begun. Gym memberships have been bought, group meditation joined and terms such as “healthy sweet treats” are trending on search engines. When I’ve reached out to nutritionists to get their opinion on following a healthy eating plan, I’ve been consistently directed to the Mediterranean diet with its abundance of whole grains, veggies, nuts, seeds, legumes and healthy oils. Keri Buhman of Mirabelle Functional Nutrition is offering a Mediterranean cooking class on Jan. 22, but if you’re not motivated to buy groceries, prep and cook, there are several places that have offered healthy and delicious Mediterranean fare for years in Vancouver. Finding the right mix of nutritious and delicious meals is key to developing better eating habits. If you’re like me, someone who gets great pleasure from food, then eating or drinking things just because they are supposed to be healthy isn’t an effective long-term strategy.

Finding places that offer carefully prepared, fresh and well-seasoned vegetables, whole grains, legumes, seeds and healthy fats make a resolution to eat healthy a joyful adventure and not merely another chore to add to a list of boring adult things that need to get done. Ingrid’s Good Street Food & Paleo Grill 1701 Broadway, Vancouver; 360-921-7802; open 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. For years, Ingrid Murphy-Kenny and her husband, John Kenny, have offered fresh, healthy Mediterranean food at their Uptown Village cafe. If you’re trying to avoid the temptation of french fries this is a good choice. There isn’t a fryer in this kitchen. Instead, you’ll find nutrient-packed grain bowls with grilled meat ($14-$15) or housemade falafel patties ($14), as well as salads ($8-$15) and Ingrid’s extraordinary roasted beet hummus ($9). Hummus Hummus 12113 N.E. Fourth Plain Road, Vancouver; 360-932-5811; open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Like Ingrid’s, Hummus Hummus began as a popular food truck. Elias Shashati and Sosina Tedla, along with their daughter Eliorah and son Edmond, still operate the food truck, but they also opened a restaurant in Orchards to serve their velvety hummus ($12), grilled meats ($12-$20), and tasty vegetarian options like the veggie combo with falafel, stuffed grape leaves, hummus, house salad, tahini sauce and pita bread ($17). Petra House 1900 N.E. 162nd Ave., Vancouver; 360-718-7182; open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. This east Vancouver institution has been serving Middle Eastern food for over 10 years. The restaurant has cozy booths and curtain-enclosed traditional dining areas where guests sit on plush pillows surrounding a small metal table. The menu has hummus ($12), baba ghanoush ($12), falafel ($21) kebabs ($23) and shawarma ($21-$22). Petra House also prepares special dishes from Jordan, including mansaf, the national dish. It’s made by slow cooking lamb in a yogurt sauce and then placing it on top of pita and a bed of basmati rice drizzled with yogurt sauce, almonds and pine nuts. A cup of Jordanian-style chicken soup with broken noodles and rice and topped with fresh parsley ($8) is just right for a soothing, nourishing light bite.