New music genre just dropped. Also: A Tesla locks out cops, and more from around the web.

Jay Peters / The Verge: Epic unveils a refresh of its Epic Games Launcher for PC in preview, saying that the new version is “vibe coded” and “way faster”, and now supports Linux  —  Epic is making a big push into AI-assisted development, and that approach includes its work on the new, faster launcher.

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KEY TAKEAWAYS A study highlights that consumers who have experienced discrimination are more likely to turn to AI-based recommendations rather than human advice. The fear of being judged or feeling embarrassed can lead people to use AI. If AI systems are themselves biased, they risk exacerbating the very discrimination that consumers were trying to escape. What should you cook for dinner on a budget of 20 euros when you have a guest with a gluten intolerance? A shopper might ask a shop assistant for advice or consult, for example, Hopla, the AI-powered shopping assistant launched by French supermarket chain Carrefour. Behind this very ordinary everyday choice lies a broader question: when faced with a recommendation, who do we trust more? A human being or an AI? Recent research – on decision-making processes, the impact of errors, etc. – has highlighted a clear and well-established trend: people tend to prefer other people (as opposed to AI systems). This phenomenon, known as “algorithm aversion”, has been widely documented, even when algorithms objectively demonstrate better performance. However, this preference is not universal. Our research highlights that it can be reversed in a common context: in facing discrimination on platforms and offline in services ranging from car dealership to financial consultancy. More specifically, consumers who are victims of discrimination – particularly in public places – are significantly more likely to turn to AI-based recommendations rather than human advice even in a subsequent domain fully independent of the discrimination domain! What is the emotional mechanism behind this shift? Embarrassment. When people feel socially judged or treated unfairly because of an irrelevant personal attribute, they seek refuge in systems perceived as “neutral and free from bias”. How does this mechanism work? What does this mean for the organisations concerned? And what does it reveal about the hidden drivers behind the adoption of AI? Implicit discrimination Discrimination in consumer contexts is by no means rare. Studies show that certain groups face less favourable conditions than others when it comes to similar services, for example in terms of access to credit or insurance. Beyond their economic consequences, these experiences have significant psychological repercussions. They increase stress, undermine the sense of fairness, and influence future behaviour. It is important to clarify what discrimination means in a market context. A market, in the broadest sense, refers to any setting where consumers interact with service providers, be it a car dealership, a restaurant, a bank or a healthcare platform. Within these spaces, differential treatment is not inherently discriminatory. For example, a VIP customer receiving premium service is treated differently on the basis of a relevant commercial criterion. Discrimination, however, occurs when the factor used to differentiate is irrelevant and illegitimate, such as skin colour, ethnic origin, or gender. What makes it particularly insidious is that it can be hidden, implicit or even unintentional, whilst causing real psychological harm to those who suffer it. An AI system ‘devoid of emotions’ As part of a field studywe conducted under real-world conditions, “agents” – who were in fact people involved in the research project (i.e. confederates) – assessed loan applications on a university campus using almost identical questionnaires; almost because one version of the questionnaire included an additional question asking participants to self-assess their skin colour (an element by design to evoke discriminatory feelings). All applicants were subsequently rejected; those who had been asked the question about skin colour reported feeling that they had been discriminated against (phase 1). During the follow-up data collection, carried out at a later date, all participants were offered the choice between a human assessor and an AI assessor (phase 2). A significantly higher proportion of those who felt they had been discriminated against in the first phase (compared with those who did not feel they had been discriminated against in that same phase) chose, in the second phase, to be assessed by the AI system, perceived to be “devoid of emotions and biases”. Feeling of embarrassment Consumers who have experienced discrimination appear significantly more likely to rely on AI-based recommendations than on human advice. In other words, aversion to algorithms can turn into a preference for them, also known as “algorithm appreciation”. This shift can be explained by a specific psychological mechanism: embarrassment. This social emotion arises when individuals feel they are being judged negatively by others. In our experiments, participants exposed to discriminatory situations reported higher levels of embarrassment, and this emotion directly influenced their subsequent choices. The more embarrassed they felt, the more they sought to limit human interactions. In this context, AI appears to be a safer alternative. #AI is perceived as being more neutral Compared to human beings, algorithmic systems are perceived as more neutral, more objective and less prone to bias or prejudice. The reality is more complex. Algorithms can be biased, depending on the data and training they receive. Yet many people continue to regard them as neutral and objective. In this context, it is these perceptions that matter most. Opting for AI allows consumers to reduce the risk of feeling that they are once again being judged or treated unfairly. This effect depends on the context in which decisions are made. We find that it is particularly pronounced in public situations, when choices are visible to others. By contrast, when decisions are made in private, this effect (i.e. preference for AI systems vs. human ones) weakens considerably. Previous social experiments These findings shed new light on the adoption of AI. They suggest that the use of automated systems is driven not only by considerations of efficiency or performance, but also by psychological needs shaped by past social experiences. For businesses, the implications are significant. In sectors where interactions may be perceived as sensitive – such as banking, healthcare, or customer service in general – offering AI-based alternatives can help some consumers feel more at ease. For these individuals, AI is not merely a technological tool; it becomes a means of escaping social judgement and regaining control following negative experiences. At the same time, these findings come with an important caveat: if AI systems are themselves biased – trained on biased data or designed without regard for equity – they risk reproducing, or even amplifying, the very discrimination that consumers were trying to escape. Even more seriously, this type of discrimination often goes unnoticed because it is hidden and difficult to detect. The roll-out of AI as a “safe” alternative only makes sense if that safety is real, and not merely perceived. As AI becomes increasingly integrated into everyday life, understanding these mechanisms will be essential for designing more inclusive and adaptive customer experiences. A weekly e-mail in English featuring expertise from scholars and researchers. It provides an introduction to the diversity of research coming out of the continent and considers some of the key issues facing European countries. Get the newsletter! Les auteurs ne travaillent pas, ne conseillent pas, ne possèdent pas de parts, ne reçoivent pas de fonds d'une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n'ont déclaré aucune autre affiliation que leur organisme de recherche.

A developer used Claude AI to recreate seven Adobe apps for free. See how ArtCraft works, its limitations, and what it means for software development. The post Developer Uses Claude AI to Build 7 Free Adobe Alternatives appeared first on TechRepublic.

Mike Wheatley / SiliconANGLE: Salience Labs, which develops specialized all-optical circuit switching tech for AI data centers, raised a $125M Series B led by Bullhound Capital  —  A startup called Salience Labs Inc. wants to play a bigger role in speeding up artificial intelligence workloads after raising $125 million in a Series B funding.

Bloomberg: Sources: the EU is negotiating with China to lift sanctions on an unnamed Chinese company in exchange for China lifting sanctions on a German ASML supplier  —  The European Union is in talks with China to secure relief from sanctions that threatened the survival of Sindlhauser Materials GmbH …

Chris Metinko / Axios: AI infrastructure startup Modal raised a $750M Series D led by Accel at a $15.75B post-money valuation, taking its total funding to $1.2B, and passes $1B ARR  —  AI infrastructure startup Modal raised a $750 million Series D at a $15.75 billion post-money valuation and topped $1 billion in ARR …

NTangible is building an analytics platform for collegiate sports organizations and other clubs to measure an athlete's "clutch" factor.

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Epic Games reportedly delays its Disney shooter while pushing AI-generated code and art, raising questions about software quality and development costs. The post Epic Delays Disney Shooter as AI Takes a Bigger Development Role appeared first on TechRepublic.

Social Security beneficiaries will see their monthly checks increase in 2027. Abdullah Durmaz/Getty Images Social Security benefits will increase by 3.6% in 2027, following the latest inflation adjustments. The SSA's annual cost-of-living raise means the average monthly check will be $75 larger. Over half of retirees rely on Social Security as their primary income, according to an AARP survey. Older Americans just learned how much to expect in monthly Social Security checks next year. The Social Security Administration announced its latest cost-of-living adjustment on the heels of Wednesday's September inflation report. SSA beneficiaries, who are mostly 65 and older, are now set to receive a 3.6% raise in their benefits in 2027. That's higher than the 2026 increase of 2.8% and will amount to a $900 annual boost for recipients, according to AARP calculations — an average monthly check increase of $75. The consumer price index, which tracks how much prices have changed, is key in determining just how much Social Security checks should go up. The adjustment is calculated based on the increase in prices during the third quarter of this year compared to a year ago for urban wage earners and clerical workers. The Social Security Administration said it will start notifying people about their amount in November via its online portal. While a check bump will likely be a welcome development for many older Americans, it might still amount to a drop in the financial bucket. Over the past few years, Americans 65 and older have increasingly been slipping into poverty after adjusting for transfers like taxes and government programs. (function(){function e(){window.addEventListener(`message`,function(e){if(e.data[`datawrapper-height`]!==void 0){var t=document.querySelectorAll(`iframe`);for(var n in e.data[`datawrapper-height`])for(var r=0,i;i=t[r];r++)if(i.contentWindow===e.source){var a=e.data[`datawrapper-height`][n]+`px`;i.style.height=a}}})}e()})(); Social Security alone is a formidable anti-poverty program, keeping nearly 21 million of those older Americans from poverty, per the Census Bureau. And for many older Americans, Social Security goes beyond a poverty lifter; it's a key financial lifeline. An August AARP survey of 1,085 Americans ages 50 and up found just over half of recipients say Social Security is their main source of income; among those who said they were highly reliant on it, 82% said it helps them cover basic expenses like housing, food, and healthcare. Looming over all of that is the concern that Social Security won't be able to pay out full benefits in just a few years; the latest accounting from the fund's trustees found that, unless funding is replenished, the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Fund will stop being able to pay out full benefits at the end of 2032. Are you an older American living on Social Security? How will the new cost-of-living adjustment affect your finances? Reach out to these reporters at jkaplan@businessinsider.com and mhoff@businessinsider.com. Read the original article on Business Insider

The author left her PR career to be more present with her family. Courtesy of the author My old PR career required me to be available well beyond normal work hours. I left agency life because I wanted more control over my schedule. Now I can step away from work without feeling like everything will collapse. My daughter's nanny called in sick. I had my day all planned and mapped out. A full to-do list for that day, but the list did not survive to even 8 a.m. Being in the PR industry, I am very familiar with this feeling. However, instead of feeling a sense of dread about how I would get it all done, I felt excited. Excited that I got to spend time with my daughter instead of being behind a computer. So I put my daughter in the car, drove into town, and left my computer at home. Working in PR means you are always reachable I came up in public relations, and a prerequisite for the job is being reachable. You have your agency touch base on Monday morning and leave with a plan for the week. By Tuesday, the plan is usually gone because a client has news, a problem, or a new opportunity lands on your desk, and everything else gets pushed. You have billable hours to hit on every account, and if you don't hit them inside a normal week, you find the hours somewhere else. Mine were usually after dinner. Ten years ago, during the end-of-month reporting, one week a month, my evenings were filled with grabbing screenshots, finding associated Unique Views per Month, and all that. When a client has a crisis in the middle of the night, nobody has to tell you to pick up. You just do. I was good at the work. That was most of the problem. We left Dallas and moved to a farm The first time I stepped out of that current was in 2020. My husband and I left Dallas, where I had every professional reason to stay, and bought a small farm in East Texas. I kept the same job. It was a good job, good people, and benefits most people would want, and I did it from a place where you swapped concrete sidewalks for literal cattle trails, fluffy cows, and chickens. The author moved from Dallas to a farm in East Texas. Courtesy of the author That part worked. Then I had my daughter, and the choice got made. I didn't leave the workforce because I fell in love with my baby and lost interest in working. I loved my professional self, and still do. The real story is that I wanted to work, but what changed was who I wanted to do it for. My husband was home six days a week because, years before that, he'd built something he could control. I was home two. He hadn't worked less than I. He'd just built the thing that got to decide when he works and when he doesn't. There's no villain in this story. My ambition and my employer's ambition just stopped pointing in the same direction. When you're not writing your own check, you don't get to be the person who fixes that, even if you have the title that should support that. So I left. No agency waiting, no book of business, no plan past figuring it out as I go. The thing my 25-year-old self would find insane isn't that I quit. It's what I do now with the work that comes to me. I keep things intentional now People email me most weeks wanting help at the intersection of affiliate and PR. I keep a few clients I enjoy working with, but honestly hand most referrals to friends in the industry. I refer away more business now, even without a salary, than I ever imagined turning down when I had one. In PR, good clients don't throw money at you. The work can often be hard to come by. Giving it away on purpose isn't something anyone taught me. The author doesn't stress now when her nanny calls in sick. Courtesy of the author The calls I keep are intentional. For now, they're the publicist and agency consulting clients that light me on fire. I finish those calls with more energy than when I started. Nothing at an agency ever did that. It's still work. But it's fulfilling work when you see the puzzle pieces start to click for students and clients. In my 20s, I wanted a great title, to own accounts of my own, and my name on a 30 under 30 list. I got some of that, and none of it changed the pride of ownership like fulfillment does. The view from up there turned out to be the same, only with a constant stream of stress-relief tips on my FYP. I didn't get less ambitious. I stopped assuming that ambition and escalation were the same as my definition of success. Now I'm learning things I'm bad at, which is uncomfortable when you're used to being the one with the answers. I can also process a chicken I raised and have it on a plate by dinner, which my Dallas self would have found completely unhinged. Truth be told, you need to let it set for a few days for the best texture. Ask me how I know! Ha. And when the nanny is sick on a Tuesday, I can be unreachable. The work is still there on Wednesday. Read the original article on Business Insider

Warren Buffett has long recommended people make their money work for them. Bloomberg/Getty Images Warren Buffett has championed investing as a way to put your money to work and build wealth. Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev says everyone should use AI agents that are "productive while they sleep." Agents might provide a new way to divorce money from work and build diverse income streams. "If you don't find a way to make money while you sleep, you will work until you die." That famous Warren Buffett line stresses the need to invest in businesses, real estate, and other assets that generate passive income such as dividends and rent. Buffett has long warned that if you rely solely on your salary and fail to put your money to work or build other income streams, you'll have to work for a wage your entire life. Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev proposed a new-age alternative during the latest episode of the "Sources" podcast. His "North Star" is that "everyone should have a team of agents that's productive while they sleep," he said. Tenev was referring to AI agents — systems that can autonomously perform tasks by reasoning, planning, using tools, taking actions, and communicating with humans and other agents. Early adopters are using agents to manage their emails and calendars, build apps and websites, and handle a wide range of daily tasks. Tenev's vision is that everyone will have agents working for them at all hours, supercharging their productivity and potentially diversifying their income streams. "I see a world where a large portion of the trading volume for an individual investor, for our customer base writ large, is generated by AI agents," he said. Tenev said that's because agents "don't have a lot of the limitations that we have as human traders." They can operate 24/7, trade multiple asset classes simultaneously, and can easily navigate trading opportunities on Robinhood's app, he explained. However, Tenev also said agents require supervision, suggesting they won't be a set-it-and-forget-it passive income stream. "Each person should be a 24/7 agent manager," he said. "Your job becomes managing your agents." That sounds much more demanding than receiving a dividend check in the mail. But it's easy to imagine people earning income from multiple sources by allocating agents to different tasks. Buffett hasn't publicly endorsed AI agents as a way to divorce income from work, and there's no guarantee he will. It's worth noting that the legendary investor and former Berkshire Hathaway CEO and chairman was critical of Robinhood during its pandemic boom in 2021. He accused the trading app of encouraging users to treat the stock market like a casino and gamble using options and leveraged positions. A Robinhood spokesperson told Business Insider at the time: "The new generation of investors aren't a 'casino group.' They are tearing down old barriers to investing and taking control of their financial futures. Robinhood is on the right side of history." Read the original article on Business Insider

Gemini Auto Browse can complete multi-step tasks in Chrome, but access is restricted. Learn how to enable it, what it can do, and how to manage permissions and limits. The post How to Use Gemini Auto Browse in Chrome: Setup, Tasks, and Limits appeared first on TechRepublic.

Netflix is turning to layoffs under co-CEO Ted Sarandos. Samuel Boivin/NurPhoto via Getty Images; Bloomberg/Getty Images Netflix is cutting about 1,000 employees, following in the footsteps of other major media companies. The cuts impact staffers on the product, tech, and HR teams, a person familiar with the move said. Shares of the streaming giant are down significantly this year, and its engagement growth has slowed. Netflix is laying off about 1,000 employees in its biggest round of cuts since 2022, a person familiar with the plans confirmed. Co-CEOs Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters notified employees about the downsizing on Wednesday. Netflix is contending with slowing engagement growth and a lagging stock price that's down more than 30% over the last six months and over 40% over the past year. The streaming giant is letting go of staffers primarily across the product, tech, HR, and legal teams, the person said. The Wall Street Journal first reported the news. Other media giants have made cuts in recent weeks. NBCUniversal said in early October that it's parting with a few hundred global streaming tech employees, while Disney did its third round of layoffs in six months in late September. Netflix's cuts come a week before it reports third-quarter earnings, which will be after the closing bell on October 20. Its last major round of layoffs was in 2022, after the company lost subscribers for the first time in more than a decade. Sarandos said at a Bloomberg event in late September that "we're not growing as fast as I want us to, and we're working on making that move faster." Paid streamers have faced pressure overall as free services like YouTube and Tubi have gained popularity. Netflix and its rivals are turning to podcasts and creator content to win over viewers. Disney+ and Paramount+ are planning to add free tiers, and Netflix's Peters said this summer that "a free offering could make sense in some markets." Netflix met Wall Street's earnings expectations last quarter but said it would start posting its detailed engagement report once a year, instead of twice a year. The company told shareholders that "engagement is not just the quantity of view hours, but also refers to the quality and variety of our offering." The reporting change troubled investors, as engagement is generally correlated with subscribers' willingness to stick around and pay higher prices. (Netflix hiked prices in March to $19.99 a month from $17.99 for its standard ad-free plan and to $8.99 for its ad-supported plan, up from $7.99.) Netflix's viewership grew 2% in the first half of the year. Its 97 billion viewing hours are likely far higher than any of its paid streaming peers, which don't disclose engagement in the same way. Netflix generated 7.8% of viewership on US TVs in July, according to the latest data from Nielsen, below YouTube's 14.2% share but well above third-place Disney's streamers at 4.7%. However, Netflix's streaming viewership share is down from 9% in December, which was its highest mark in more than five years, thanks to hit shows like "Stranger Things." Read the original article on Business Insider

I've found that in my Italian village, building relationships can help you get tasks done. Camellia Phillips About three years ago, I moved from New York City to a small Sicilian village. Grocery shopping and running errands are very different here. However, I've grown to appreciate many of the ways my lifestyle has changed. I recently walked into the macelleria in our Sicilian village — a combo butcher, deli, and corner store — and started babbling excitedly that my favorite cheese was back in stock. One of the owners joked in Italian that "Camellia moved here just for the food." She wasn't completely wrong. After 20 years in New York City, my husband and I moved to a small town in Italy for some of the more classic reasons: quality food, a slower pace of life, and community-oriented culture. Now that we've lived here for nearly three years, though, we've also experienced the reality behind the tourism taglines. Our village has its own rhythm — one I've learned to appreciate, even when it's pushed me to change and adapt. The food system is hyper-local and seasonal I buy produce from a local food truck that frequently comes by my village. Camellia Phillips Buying food here looks very different from the way we shopped in the US. With no large grocery store within a 40-minute walk, we shop hyper-local. This includes the macelleria, weekly outdoor market, and vendors who drive our narrow streets selling fruit, vegetables, eggs, fish, fresh bread, and more. Each truck passes by only on certain days and times — and the schedule isn't written down. We had to learn it by living it. We've now gotten to know local vendors and farmers, and we message them in advance to find out what's available. We eat what's in season, like broccoli and citrus in winter, or melon with prosciutto in summer. Some specialties, like prickly pears, fresh figs, and wild asparagus, are only available for a few weeks each year. This hyper-local food delivery system can be a lifesaver, too, if you have limited mobility. Our older neighbors lean out their balconies to call down orders for eggs and artichokes. Everything closes for 3 hours in the afternoon Many businesses in our town tend to slow down in the afternoon. Camellia Phillips If you're trying to pack in an afternoon of errands on your own schedule, small-town Sicily is not the place to do it. Where we live, most businesses and public offices close for around three hours every afternoon. Especially in the hot summer months, the streets are nearly deserted between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. each day. At first, this caught me off guard. I'd head out to grab a prescription or a quick lunch, and find everything closed. Then I realized this was what a "slower pace of life" actually entails. Taking an afternoon break to eat, rest, and step away from your work is the norm, not the exception. But the break doesn't mean people don't work exceptionally hard. Our village comes back to life in the late afternoon, and then, many businesses stay open until 7 or 8 p.m. My husband and I have grown to appreciate this rhythm. Most evenings after work, we head out for a long walk, do our shopping, and chat with people along the way. Relationships are essential to getting things done Since moving here, I've relied less on apps to schedule appointments and complete paperwork. Camellia Phillips In New York, we could use an app to schedule an appointment or get groceries delivered. Here, getting things done requires building personal relationships. As newcomers, that's meant showing up in person — a lot. When we first moved, we started our residency and immigration paperwork at the vital records office at city hall. But here's the thing: It's only open to the public one morning and one afternoon each week. To learn the schedule, we had to go in person. Then, we had to show up on the right day with initial questions … and return another day to submit our forms. If you're used to taking care of business from behind a screen, this can seem inefficient. Now that I've adjusted to it, though, I'm convinced this system is actually a feature. Yes, tasks can take more time, but showing up in person has helped us connect with people in our community. And it can pay off in unexpected ways. When my husband's distant cousin recently visited from the US, we stopped at city hall to show them the beautiful, historic building. A staff member recognized us — thanks to all our visits — and offered an impromptu private tour! Personal connections can also turn into support when you need it most. Now, I feel comfortable using WhatsApp to send urgent questions to our pharmacist and doctors, even on weekends. Adapting to Italian culture takes time and intention Before moving, I imagined I'd fall naturally into an Italian pace of life. But I've learned that we carry our habits and personalities with us — the good and the bad. I spent 20 years as a deadline-driven nonprofit fundraiser, and even though I thought Italy would help me slow down, I found myself reproducing that same workaholic approach here. Changing took longer than I expected, but I've learned to prioritize connection over the illusion of efficiency, and I've become more intentional about balancing urgency versus patience. Now, I try to live by the common saying here — "piano piano," or "little by little" — and trust that what's important will get done in its own time. Read the original article on Business Insider

My husband and I eat the same lunches nearly every single day during the week. Rachel Hosie I meal-prep the same protein- and fiber-rich lunch for my husband and me every single week. Because I mix up the ingredients, dressings, and seasonings for the grain bowls, they never get old. The nourishing bowls are Mediterranean diet-friendly and help me follow the 80/20 principle. When I lived in a big city, I used to love treating myself to lunches at trendy salad spots. Although these take-out meals were tasty, they were terrible for my wallet. I've since turned into an avid meal-prepper and frequently make my own lunch — almost always a fiber- and protein-packed grain bowl — for a fraction of the price. The recipe I use aligns with the 80/20 nutrition principle I follow, meaning I eat nutrient-dense foods 80% of the time and don't worry about nutrition for the other 20%. The grain bowls are so nourishing that I feel relaxed about occasionally going out for a slightly less nutrient-dense lunch, since I know I'm hitting my nutrition goals most of the time. Here's how to make the go-to lunch that helps me stay on track. These grain bowls are easy to prep and customize The grain bowls are nearly impossible to mess up and highly customizable. Rachel Hosie I play around with the ingredients I put in my grain bowls every week, but they always follow the same formula: My grain-bowl ingredient checklist: Grains, such as quinoa, wholegrain rice, or buckwheat Beans or legumes, such as chickpeas, edamame, or lentils A protein source, such as tofu or chicken Raw vegetables, such as chopped cucumber, tomatoes, beetroot, or scallions Roasted vegetables, such as butternut squash, bell peppers, cauliflower, broccoli, or zucchini A flavorful add-in, such as crumbled feta, avocado, or hummus Greens, such as lettuce or spinach Spices and herbs of choice Seeds and nuts of choice A dressing of choice The recipe is flexible, so there's no need to add ingredients in a specific order. It's truly hard to mess up. You can also adjust the quantity based on your needs. I typically make six portions — three for me, and three for my husband — because there's usually a day or two during the week when we eat with colleagues or friends. Plus, after three days of eating the same meal, I'm typically ready to mix it up. I drizzle a tahini mixture over my bowl for added flavor. Rachel Hosie To add variety to my days, I prep these with varying dressings and protein sources. My favorite dressing is a creamy tahini mixture. To make, I combine tahini, lemon juice, Greek yogurt, garlic granules, salt, pepper, water, and olive oil until it's a dressing-like consistency. I also like making a satay-style sauce with crunchy peanut butter, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, and lime juice. Chickpeas and avocado are delicious, filling protein sources. Rachel Hosie There's also flexibility when it comes to protein source in these bowls. Nichola Ludlam-Raine, a dietitian and the author of "How Not to Eat Ultra-Processed," recommends adding oily fish, such as salmon or tinned mackerel, for omega-3s, which can help support heart and brain health. When I include meat in the grain bowls, I typically use a modest portion, since I always add plenty of plant-based protein, too. This approach keeps the ingredient list affordable and provides a fiber boost from plant-based proteins. If you're predominantly eating plant-based, make sure you're getting enough iodine by using dairy yogurt in your dressing or swapping in the occasional white fish. Having a balanced lunch prepped and ready to go helps me stay consistent Incorporating a mix of roasted and raw vegetables adds texture to the bowls. Rachel Hosie My grain-bowl formula has lean proteins, produce, legumes, and whole grains — all the workings of the Mediterranean diet. According to Ludlam-Raine, "It's essentially a Mediterranean-style pattern of eating in bowl form, which is linked with better cardiometabolic and long-term health outcomes." The well-rounded meal also has fiber-filled whole grains, slow-release carbohydrates, protein for satiety and muscle maintenance, legumes for plant protein and additional fiber, vegetables for polyphenols and micronutrients, and healthy fats from seeds, nuts, and olive oil. We store the bowls in our refrigerator throughout the week. Rachel Hosie Strategizing my meals in advance helps me maintain a healthy, balanced diet throughout the week, and this grain bowl is the backbone of my meal plan. "Overall, what you've got is a brilliant example of a practical and sustainable approach to meal prep. It's balanced, fiber-rich, protein-sufficient, and easy to adapt week to week, which is key for long-term adherence," Ludlam-Raine told me. "You're making the healthy choice into the easy choice." The best part is that I don't get bored with eating the same thing on repeat. This story was originally published on March 12, 2026, and most recently updated on October 14, 2026. Read the original article on Business Insider