Kick off your new eating habits in 2017 with help from Medifast, the leading provider of easy-to-use weight-loss and healthy living products and programs.

The Owings Mills company recently launched a recipe video series titled mmmMedifast to engage its digital audience and showcase its lean and green recipes in a visual format. From crab zucchini sushi rolls to broccoli crust white pizza, Medifast is serving up low-calorie suggestions with easy do-it-yourself instructions.

MDBizNews sat down with Brian Kagen, Medifast's executive vice president and chief marketing officer, to discuss the company's latest initiative.

What inspired Medifast to create a video campaign?
We wanted to generate engagement around the Medifast brand and to serve up health-conscious recipes in a new and fun way. In partnership with our team at Abel Communications, we created shareable, trendy videos tailored to a social media audience.

What sets this series apart from other companies producing similar videos?
An overwhelming number of recipe videos posted on social media platforms feature meals and snacks loaded with sugar and fat. The recipes used in our mmmMedifast video series are specifically developed by our expert dietitians to help viewers stay on their Medifast plan, or to simply eat healthier. Our goal is to break through the clutter and deliver content that assists our viewers in their pursuit of healthy eating and living. Our recipe videos provide lean and green alternatives to popular comfort foods like pizza, tacos and wings.

How will these videos benefit viewers' nutritional habits and the Maryland community at large?
According to The State of Obesity report released in September 2016, Maryland's adult obesity rate is at 28.9 percent, up from 19.6 percent in 2000. In other words, healthy eating habits are becoming that much more crucial to our state's overall health. With easy directions anyone can follow and healthy twists on favorite foods, the mmmMedifast series provides inspiration to cook nutritionally-balanced meals that support an individual's journey to a healthy lifestyle.

How will "mmmMedifast" help consumers become healthier, happier, and more hopeful?
One of the largest barriers to healthy eating is that healthy meals are often perceived as tasteless, unappetizing or too complicated. At Medifast, we believe that healthy eating should fit your life and your tastes, not the other way around.

Our video series is designed to shed a positive light on healthy foods by presenting vegetables and lean proteins in new and creative ways. For example, instead of eating broccoli raw or steamed, you can toss it in a food processor and use it to form a crust for broccoli pizza.

What does the company hope to achieve through these videos?
We hope our videos inspire people to get creative in the kitchen because preparing healthy choices doesn't have to be boring. To lead a healthy lifestyle, it's important to consume nutritious food. Often times we let our busy schedules determine our diets, that's why our team of dietitians came up with simple yet nutritious recipes that can be made even on a busy week night.

As a healthy living company, we want the public to know that we're a leading source of tips and information from which everyone can benefit. Whether you want to lose weight, maintain it, or simply make healthier decisions, we're here to help you reach your goal.

What's next for Medifast?
We're excited to expand our offering of clean label fuelings under the lifestyle brand OPTAVIA. Exclusively offered through our direct selling division and wholly-owned subsidiary Take Shape For Life, these products feature bold flavors and exciting ingredients sourced from around the world. We're looking forward to the future and the continued evolution of this high-quality line.