The Unstoppable Rise Of Plant-based Diets 

Nutritionists claim that a plant-based diet can reduce the risk of many chronic illnesses besides lending more energy and reducing inflammation. Perhaps this explains why plant-based products have been flooding supermarket shelves

But what exactly is a plant-based diet? Well, basically eating more whole plant foods like whole grains, fruit, vegetables, legumes, nuts and seeds; and reducing intake of animal products

Foods to Fill Up On and Foods to Eat Less Of

Eat a variety of fruits and veggies to ensure that you get your mix of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients; and eat less of processed food, refined grains and meat

Here’s sharing a detailed list of what you can have on a plant-based diet –

• Fruits: Any type of fruit including apples, bananas, grapes, strawberries, citrus fruits, etc.
• Vegetables: Plenty of veggies including peppers, corn, lettuce, spinach, kale, peas, collards, etc.
• Tubers: Root vegetables like potatoes, carrots, parsnips, sweet potatoes, beets, etc.
• Whole grains: Grains, cereals, and other starches in their whole form, such as quinoa, brown rice, millet, whole wheat, oats, barley, etc. 
• Legumes: Beans of any kind, plus lentils, pulses, etc.
• Miscellaneous: Nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, tempeh, whole-grain flours and breads, and plant-based milks. 

Sample Menu - Plant-Based Diet

Breakfast

Chocolate Protein Banana Smoothie (non-dairy milk)

Morning Snack

1 small apple

1 tablespoon almond butter

Lunch

Roasted Veggie Brown Rice Buddha Bowl

Afternoon Snack

2 tablespoons hummus

1 cup chopped raw veggies

Dinner

One-Pot Tomato Basil Pasta

Small side salad

Evening Snack

No-Bake Vegan Date Brownie

Benefits of a Plant-Based Diet

Health Benefits

Plant-based diets are linked with lower risks of chronic diseases like heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer's et al and improving overall longevity. 

Helps You Lose Weight

Eating a more plant-based diet and less animal-based foods is associated with a smaller waist circumference and lower body fat percentage. But hang on there’s some good news – you don’t have to quit meat, dairy and eggs altogether to reap the benefits; albeit the more you scale back, the better it is for your weight and waistline.

Reduces Your Carbon Footprint 

Animal agriculture takes a toll on our environment and natural resources and produces greenhouse gas emissions. The best go-forward strategy to combat the damage is making some substantial shifts in the way we eat by doubling our consumption of vegetables, fruits, nuts and legumes and halving consumption of red meat and added sugars.

Easy to Maintain

As there’s no calorie tracking or specific meal plans to follow and because plant-based diets offer a lot of flexibility they’re quite easy to adhere to. You can do what works for you say reduce your meat intake, eliminate animal products altogether, et al.

A word of counsel before you go gung-ho about a plant-based diet … plan your diet carefully to ensure that you don’t miss out on important nutrients like - vitamin B12, calcium, vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids, iron, zinc and protein.

So switch to a plant-based diet to live longer, help the environment, and reduce your risk of getting sick.