When Debbie Devore saw the food documentary "Forks Over Knives," it changed her life. As a wife and mother, she'd long cooked typical meat-and-potatoes meals for her family, but the movie advocated a plant-based diet to control degenerative diseases, and featured doctors like T. Colin Campbell, author of the influential nutrition book "The China Study." "After I saw that movie, I was so motivated," said Devore.

She decided to conduct an experiment at the family dinner table, serving her husband and kids plant-based menus.

"We were just amazed at how much better we felt after two or three weeks," she said.

Black Bean Veggie Burritos Smothered in Green Chile Sauce. (Cyrus McCrimmon, The Denver Post)

Then she started offering vegan cooking classes in her Centennial kitchen, calling it the Almost Vegan Cooking School, and soon had waiting lists. Since then, she's taught more than 1,000 people, and will soon be offering online classes for $5 each through her website. (303-699-8661)

She's part of a growing network of home cooks and chefs working to make eating your vegetables more fun and more delicious. New cookbooks featuring vegan and vegetarian meals are hitting bookstores, and chefs are offering vegetarian and vegan tasting menus.

Rarely has this been more important.

The average daily consumption of vegetables in America has "significantly declined," according to the scientific report from the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee.

More than 80 percent of Americans don't meet the recommendations for eating dark green vegetables, starchy vegetables, and beans and peas, the report said, while more than 90 percent don't meet the recommendations for red and orange vegetables.

By contrast, consumption of fruit, dairy and protein remained relatively stable, while the consumption of whole-grain foods significantly increased.

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Almost vegan? Flexitarian diet could boost your health