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Let's Go Plant-Forward

Writer's picture: Jeannine LoveJeannine Love

Updated: Jan 23


Fresh vegetables and chickpeas on a table by a window showing a scenic ocean view. Sunlit, colorful, and serene atmosphere.

According to US News, the Mediterranean Diet has been named the healthiest diet for the eighth year in a row, followed by the DASH Diet, Flexitarian Diet, and MIND Diet.  What these diets, or eating plans (I don't like the word "diet"), have in common is an emphasis on plant-based foods and limiting or avoiding refined grains, added sugars and highly processed foods.  Most importantly, they offer a flexible approach to eating without being restrictive. They're highly adaptable, allowing people to modify them according to their preferences or adjust them to meet medical requirements.


Research has consistently shown that adding more plant-based foods to your diet has tremendous benefits.  If you can increase your consumption of plant-based foods to 50%, you’ll reap health benefits, such as reduced risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, certain cancers, reduced blood pressure, improved cholesterol levels, and weight management.  This is due to the increased intake of fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that are found in plant foods, as well as lowering your consumption of saturated fat from animal products.   If you have any of the above-mentioned health conditions, consider increasing plant-based foods in your diet.   


How to Increase Plant-based Foods in Your Diet

You can have a “meatless” day during the week and slowly increase that to two days and then three.  Or you could have a “meatless” meal each day and slowly increase that to two “meatless” meals per day.  


However, be aware of vegetarian junk foods that are highly processed, such as commercially produced pastries, cakes, and cookies; carbonated beverages; pre-packaged snacks; flavored dairy drinks; breakfast cereals; energy bars; and instant sauces, soups, and desserts.  Instead, have fruit, vegetables, beans and legumes, nuts, seeds, and whole grains.      


Some Idea for Meals

For breakfast, have oatmeal, cooked apples or pears, or left-over grains such as rice, amaranth or quinoa, which make a nice hot cereal with spices and dried or cooked fruit.  Although not popular in most of the United States cooked beans are eaten for breakfast in many parts of the world, such as in Asia, India, Latin America, and even here in the southwestern US.  For lunch have a vegetarian soup or salad, hummus with veggies, and dinner can include animal protein; or you could also eat your main meal at lunch and have something light for dinner.  Keep in mind that a normal serving size of animal protein is three ounces of cooked lean meat, poultry, or fish; which is about the size of a deck of cards.  So, then the remaining food on your plate can be vegetables and a whole grain. 


However, you do it - start slowly; and as I stated above, if you can increase your consumption of plant-based foods to even 50%, you’ll feel better and see results.


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