Ten tips to eat more plant-based foods
Food and nutrition are fundamental to every aspect of our functioning. What we put in our mouths truly matters, both in the short and long term. The quality of food you consume can greatly impact your physical and mental health. Consuming nutritious foods can go a long way to achieving and maintaining a healthy lifestyle so it is important to make every bite count!
The common Western diet is low in essential dietary fibre and nutrients we can only get from plant-based foods. Adequate dietary fibre is essential for the proper functioning of the gut and has also been related to risk reduction for a number of chronic diseases. It is recommended that we consume at least 25-30g of fibre per day from fruits, vegetables and whole grains. This can easily be achieved by following a whole-food, plant-based diet.
It is well known that plant foods are rich sources of many nutrients that are important for good health. Plant-based, whole food diets have been linked to a number of health benefits, including reducing your risk of cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes, inflammatory diseases and cognitive decline.
Eat the rainbow on a plant-based diet!
Getting to hung up on what we should or should not eat is bad for our mental health. So here are my simple top ten tips for incorporating more healthy plant foods into your diet.
Try some meat-free meals each week — include alternatives such as eggs, beans, lentils, tofu, tempeh or mushrooms. OR Replace some of the meat in meals with legumes — for example only add half the amount of meat and top up with chickpeas.
Choose wholegrain cereals such as wholemeal bread and pasta, quinoa, brown rice, barley, oats, and couscous.
Eat a rainbow every day. Eat a variety of fresh vegetables and fruits each day. Aim to include fruits or vegetables from every colour - red, green, purple/blue, orange, white/brown.
Choose vegetables and fruits that are locally grown and in season. Eating in season ensures you are consuming foods with the highest nutritional value and avoiding produce that has lost vital nutrients. Plus it’s cheaper!
Canned legumes and frozen vegetables are nutritious too however, ensure you choose options low in salt and sugar.
Avoid or limit ultra-processed, prepackaged foods such as cakes, sweets, sugary drinks, flavoured yoghurts, energy drinks, sweetened juices, biscuits, and confectionery. Limit these foods for special occasions.
Snack on fresh fruit, vegetable sticks or nuts.
Make food tasty! Use fresh or dried herbs, spices, lemon/lime juice or nutritional yeast to add flavour to meals.
Water is always the best option when it comes to drinks! Flavour with fresh fruit, cucumber or mint!
Find your favourites! Food is meant to be enjoyed and should make us feel good! Don’t get caught up in eating certain foods just because they are on trend or everyone else is eating it. Your favourites can be considered as your staples - branch out and experiment from there. 😊