Plant-based diets may include some animal products. It can have benefits as long as you carefully plan meals to include necessary nutrients.
There is no denying the scientific proof that one of the best ways to promote excellent health is to eat a diet high in plant-based foods. However, with so many different plant-based diets to choose from, how can you determine which is best for you?
Plant-based diets
Vegan, vegetarian, and flexitarian diets are all included under the general heading of “plant-based diets.” Plant-based diets give a variety of flexible alternatives, including some animal products, whereas vegan diets only consist of plant foods.
Plant-based diets are advised by nutrition experts such as the World Health Organization, the American Heart Association, and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans due to their numerous health advantages. These diets promote general health and wellness by emphasizing plant foods that are high in nutrients and minimally processed.
Plant-based diets
Find out more about the distinctions, advantages, difficulties, and advice for implementing a plant-based diet.
Almost 90% of people don’t consume enough fruits and vegetables. To receive the nutrients our bodies need to feel invigorated, perform well, and fend off illness; however, eating veggies is crucial. It can be difficult to incorporate a lot of veggies into our diets, particularly if you weren’t raised eating them frequently or if the thought of chopping, peeling, and other preparations on a hectic weekday makes you feel overwhelmed.
Vegetables can, however, be a fun and simple addition to any dinner with a little planning. A key component of the USDA Dietary Guidelines and the cornerstone of the Mediterranean diet are vegetables.
Plant-based diets
As the Director of Nutrition at the food and nutrition education charity Oldways, we get so many inquiries about how to use and consume more veggies that we wrote a book on the subject. As a visual aid and inspiration for increasing vegetable intake, we also provide a Mediterranean Diet Pyramid.
Years of experience have taught us that eating more veggies doesn’t have to mean eating salads every day or consuming foods you don’t enjoy.
Plant-based diets
To increase your intake of vegetables, try these easy tips:
Take Baby Steps at First
If you don’t currently eat many vegetables, start today by adding them to meals you already eat. For example:
- Ordering a pizza? Choose a topping like eggplant, peppers, broccoli or artichoke hearts.
- Making a can of soup? Mix in a handful of spinach.
- Need a snack? Buy a bag of mini carrots and dip them in hummus, salsa or guacamole.
Give All Kinds of Vegetables a Try
You should not only taste vegetables you’ve never tried before, but also try vegetables you think you don’t like again. And again. Research tells us that repeated exposure to foods can make us develop a taste for them. Try a vegetable 10 to 20 separate times prepared in various ways and included in a diverse range of dishes. If you still don’t like a particular vegetable after you’ve experimented with it, it’s OK to move on.
Find What Works for You
Taste test your way to the vegetables that you like the best, so you can eat and enjoy them daily. Here are 14 ideas to get you experimenting and finding what works for you.
- Adjust textures and flavors during preparation. Don’t like crunchy raw carrots? For softer and sweeter carrots, cut them into cubes and roast them.
- Try new varieties. While spinach and kale are popular greens, stores and farmers markets often carry others, including arugula, Swiss chard, watercress, pea greens, bok choy and collard greens.
- Sweeten up your greens. The bitterness of greens can be mellowed through cooking and by preparing them with any one of the following: a small amount of healthy fat (like olive oil), a touch of sweetness (like maple syrup) or acid (like citrus), or pairing them with a poached egg or yogurt.
- Replace bread with greens. Use greens as a holder for a sandwich. Endive leaves can be filled with a scoop of egg, tuna or chicken salad. Butter lettuce can be used in place of a wrap.
- Buy produce in season. It’s a more flavorful and cost efficient option. For example, turnips, sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, parsnips, cauliflower and spaghetti squash are at their best and cheapest in fall.
- Supplement your salads. Feel like vegetable-only salads don’t fill you up? Add grains, beans, an egg, olives or canned salmon for a heartier meal.
7. Puree, then freeze. Steamed vegetables such as spinach, cauliflower, and squash can be pureed. Store the puree in the freezer after pouring it into ice cube trays. Add a few cubes to soups, stews, sauces, mashed potatoes, smoothies, and other dishes to add taste, nutrition, and thickness.
8. Swap your noodles. Use vegetable “noodles” made from carrot, squash or zucchini in place of (or mixed with) pasta. You can make your own with a vegetable slicer or buy them already in a spaghetti shape in the fresh vegetable aisle or freezer case of your grocery store.
9. Shred and sneak. Shred vegetables like carrots, zucchini and spinach and add them to the batter when you bake muffins, brownies, quick breads, pancakes and waffles.
10. Batch prepare vegetables. Chop and slice all the vegetables you will need throughout the week and store them in containers in your refrigerator, so that they’re ready to go as you prepare your meals.
11. Puree and dip. Pureed roasted root vegetables make a wonderful base for comforting and nutritious fall-inspired dips. Mix together roasted beets, garlic and a dollop of Greek yogurt. Or combine roasted carrots, onions, peppers, butternut squash, garlic and a dash of olive oil. Use vegetable sticks or slices of whole grain pita to scoop up the dip.
Plant-based diets
Plant-based diets
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Disclaimer: The opinions and suggestions expressed in this article are solely those of the individual analysts. These are not the opinions of HNN. For more, please consult with your doctor
