Who knew veggies would be cool?
Food trends come and go, but there are some that just stay for a tad longer and ultimately turn into a habit. The plant-based diet is all the craze these days and we set out to figure how we could sign up for it. What does going on a plant-based diet mean anyway? Are we turning vegetarian? Or is it going vegan? A plant-based diet, in fact, means incorporating more food from plants into your daily diet. Not just veggies and fruits, but legumes, whole grains, seeds, oils and beans. It basically means adding more proportion of plant-based food to your meals.
Mediterranean diets are an effective way of initiating yourself into this journey. This diet has its foundation in plant-based food with an addition of poultry, eggs, cheese etc. It’s hard to alienate vegetarian and vegan diets from this, as a plant-based diet is a broad spectrum that covers it all. Adding meat or dairy into your diet is completely customisable. You could choose to be a semi-vegetarian or ‘flexitarian’ or a pescatarian and still be on a plant-based diet.
Most people shift to this diet due to its obvious health benefits. There are potential cardiac benefits like the reduction of cholesterol that is linked with getting on this diet. A study published in the Journal of Geriatric Cardiology found that following a plant-based diet can help prevent and treat type 2 diabetes, and the research suggests this diet may help reduce the risk of other chronic illnesses, including cancer.
Every diet has to start somewhere. Here are a few tips on how to incorporate more plant-based foods into your diet.
1. Adding whole grains into your breakfast is a great place to start. They provide you with essential amino acids, iron and zinc.
2. Don’t think of meat as the show stopper, instead, use it as a garnish. Have it in smaller amounts, and as an accessory to your meal.
3. Start including nuts, nut butters and seeds for a healthy fat intake. You can choose healthier fat options like olive oil, olives and even avocados, which are excellent sources of ‘good fats’.
4. This one’s a no-brainer: Eat a lot of vegetables! Include a huge portion of veggies while building a meal. Opt for colourful ones so that your plate doesn’t look just green. Pair the veggies with healthy dips like salsa, hummus or guacamole.
5. Add legumes to your meal prep. Things like chickpeas, beans, peas and lentils are great sources of plant protein and essential amino acids.
6. Green leafy vegetables are your saviours. They come packed with the goodness of vital vitamins and nutrients essential for your body. Steam, grill or braise your leafy vegetables.
7. Don’t forget to include fruits in your diet. An easy way of doing it is to add it to your salad or have it as dessert. It is a healthy way of reducing your refined sugar intake without having to totally skip something sweet!
There are many pros of switching to a plant-based diet. The only disadvantage of doing it is that if it isn’t well planned, you may fall short of the vital nutrients your body needs. While supplements are a great option, we still recommend you head over to a nutritionist to fix your eating plan!
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Shraddha Shetty