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Wondering how to eat more plant-based meals? It’s easy to jump on the plant-based bandwagon, whether you want to eat vegetarian, vegan, or simply more plant-based. My 6 simple tips for eating more plant-based will get you started on the road to boosting your health and lowering your carbon footprint.
Are you thinking about the impact your diet has on your health, as well as the health of the planet? Have you been hearing more and more about the benefits of eating more plant-based meals? Then maybe it’s time to plunge in—even if it’s just to get your toes wet. After all, there’s no underestimating the power of plants. Packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, phytochemicals, protein, healthy fats, and fiber, plants are virtually medicine for your body, boosting your protection against disease, promoting a longer lifespan, and even helping you to achieve a healthier weight. And you can seriously reduce your environmental footprint by eating mostly plants.
With that in mind, it’s no surprise that plant-appreciation is booming year after year! I’ve been writing about plant-based eating for 10 years, but have been eating some type of plant-based diet pretty much my whole life. And in the past decade the trend for plant-based foods has been climbing. Sure, many Americans love their meat—we’re eating roughly three times the world average—an increasing number of Americans are starting to understand the value in enjoying more meatless meals during the week. In fact, surveys have found that about half of the population is trying to cut back on meat by eating more veggie fare. Eating more whole, plant-based meals is a step in the right direction towards better health and a more sustainable food system.
In our culture of climbing obesity rates, it should be a wake-up call to remember that 815 million people around the world don’t get enough food to eat. Yet animal agriculture is more intensive in resources, land usage, and inputs, and produces a higher carbon footprint compared to agriculture of plant crops—animal agriculture is responsible for 15% of greenhouse gas emissions. According to the Environmental Working Group, shifting towards a plant-centric diet can do Mother Earth some tremendous good.
The wonderful thing about a plant-powered diet is that it’s something everyone—from hard-core meat lovers to flexitarians—can strive for. The premise behind a plant-powered diet is to simply emphasize more whole, unprocessed plant foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and legumes. The key is to start slow, even if it’s just one day a week.
There is a spectrum of plant-based diets, ranging from vegan (completely plant-based), to vegetarian, to pescatarian, to semi-vegetarian (or flexitarian). There are health and environmental benefits for all of these dietary patterns, though some research indicates benefits increase the more plant-based the diet. The most important thing is to start making a difference. Scientists are suggesting that Western nations reduce their meat intake by half in order to preserve the planet and promote better health. When you cut your meat intake, you’re also filling your diet with more healthful, whole plant-based foods. Learn more about plant-based eating by reading here.
To kick-start a more plant-powered eating, try my six simple strategies.
1. Boost your breakfast. Breakfast is a simple way to go meatless. With so many delicious options, you’ll hardly miss the meat. Try a warm bowl of oatmeal topped with dried currants, cinnamon, and toasted almonds. Or how about a stack of whole grain pecan pancakes with sliced bananas?
2. Plan your meals around the veggies. Rather than planning your meals around the typical beef, chicken or fish selection, turn the table! Start your meal planning with veggies first. You’ll soon realize that this offers much more variety than restriction. For example, you may have purchased some parsnips and turnips at the local farmers market. So, start there. Maybe you can combine them, along with carrots, celery and onions to a big pot on your stove. And perhaps you can add lima beans, lentils and some interesting spices, such as turmeric and tarragon. Now that’s an interesting—and health-promoting—meal.
3. Eat with the seasons. Not only does eating with the seasons offer more nutritional bang for your buck, it puts your palate in rhythm with the natural growing seasons. Isn’t it fitting that apples and winter squash are at their seasonal peak during the autumn months? Take advantage of Mother Earth’s offerings and add hearty chunks of sweet potatoes to your black bean stew. Or serve roasted acorn squash and hazelnuts over a bed of kale for a spin on a traditional green salad.
4. Snack smart. No need to bust open a bag of processed potato chips, a candy bar, or soda to satisfy your mid-afternoon slump. It just so happens that a variety of plant foods are pre-packaged by nature for easy, convenient, plant-powered snacking. Many fruits already come with single-serve packaging: their outer skins. Pack along apples, pears, oranges, bananas, peaches, and nectarines for a mid-day snack. Nuts, seeds, and even some legumes, such as edamame or vegetables, such as cherry tomatoes are the perfect on-the-go pick-me-ups.
5. Don’t over-complicate things. Not every plant-powered meal has to involve high-tech kitchen gadgets or gourmet cookbooks; cooking up a plant-based meal isn’t as hard as you may think. Top off salads, soups, rice, pasta, casseroles, and stir-fries with a mixture of vegetables, legumes, nuts, and tofu. It can be as easy as black bean burritos, vegetarian chili, or a peanut butter and banana sandwich.
6. Enjoy plants for dessert. Nutrient-rich plant foods can move beyond healthy meals and snacks to the meal’s final course—dessert. Mashed, ripe bananas or applesauce offer a sweet taste to many baked goods, such as breads, pancakes, muffins, and cookies. Chopped dates can replace refined sugars, such as cane sugar and corn syrup in cookies, creamy desserts, and pies. Whole fruit, such as in-season pears and apples, can be baked or poached to sweet perfection. Even better? Add toasted almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, and pecans to your cooked pears or apples for a healthy unsaturated fat.
For other helpful hints for eating a plant-based diet, check out the following:
5 Top Tips for Greening Your Plate
5 Tips for Plant-Powering Your Eating Style
9 Tips for Plant-Based Eating on a Budget
7 Tips for Powering Up on Pulses
10 Tips for Making a Meal out of Canned Beans
