There are a lot of myths surrounding the idea of moving to a plant-based diet. That you have to stop eating meat all the way, that you will become a vegetarian, a plant-based diet is very expensive plus you will not be able to eat your favorite foods and snacks, among others. Let start with the what, why and how of this!
1. What is a plant-based diet?
It is a diet in which the star of your meals are plants: veggies, grains, fruits, seeds, and legumes. You will also be eating more unprocessed foods, anything that comes from the ground, and avoiding processed foods, anything that comes from a factory, like white flour, pasta, fruit juices, candy, and chocolate.
There are many types of plant-based diets. So, if you want to continue to eat meat, you can do so, but the frequency and portions will be smaller. For example, you can eat red meat every week or very two-weeks and the portion shouldn't be more than the palm of your hand. The biggest part of your meal can be a veggie soup, lentils, a raw vegetable salad and a piece of fruit.
2. Why move to a plant-based diet?
Moving to a plant-based diet will improve your health, by reducing your risk of having cardiovascular disease and developing cancer, boost energy levels, and help you lose weight. Also, you will be helping the environment, as you will consume foods that need less water and land, issue less CO2 and increase oxygen, slows deforestation and reduces the destruction of topsoil.
3. How do I get there?
All of this sounds great. I'll be healthier and helping the environment, but where do I start?
You do not have to go all extreme. You can start by taking small steps. Start with one per week vegan day, replace white rice with brown rice or other whole grains, and white bread with whole-grain bread. Choose oatmeal instead of processed cereal, and water instead of sodas, or juices (almost as bad as sodas even if freshly squeezed). Reduce your intake of animal food to one or two servings per day and think of legumes and nuts as your new protein source.
Having a plant-based diet is less expensive than having a diet that relies heavily on animal food. If you don't believe me, compare two supermarket tickets, one buying animal products and one without or at least more plant-based food. You'll see the difference!
Having a plant-based diet does not means boring meals. You can reinvent some of your favorite snacks and meals. The Internet is full of delicious healthy recipes that you can try! one of my favorites is quinoa with mushrooms and spinach. Is delicious and so easy to make.
You just have to boil the quinoa for around 20 min and in pan cook with a little bit of avocado oil a good amount of spinach and sliced mushrooms, both veggies will reduced when cooked, so I put a lot! Once the quinoa is cooked, rinse it and add the cooked veggies with some salt and pepper. Sometimes I add pistachios for some crunchiness.
Go to the kitchen and have some fun!!!!
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