A plant-based lifestyle is a much more than a diet. It includes having whole plant foods like beans, greens, grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds. Abundant in nutrients like vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, antioxidants, phytonutrients, and healthy fats, these foods help us live healthier lives by supporting healthy cholesterol levels, stabilizing blood sugar, preventing diabetes, helping us have healthy blood pressure. They have anti-inflammatory properties and feed the good bacteria in our gut. They are delicious, very versatile, and keep us feeling and looking great from the inside out. Here are a few top tips to help you promote a healthy relationship with nourishing foods that happen to be plant-based. Eating habits are set in early childhood. Choosing plant-based foods can give your child, and your whole family, a head start in their overall wellness.
Remember, our eating habits are works of progress. You don’t make a switch overnight.
The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine has a few recommendations:
- When shopping in supermarkets and natural foods stores, look for a stock a huge array of instant soups and main-dish vegetarian convenience items.
- While eating out, ask the restaurants to tweak a dish to include more vegetables and cut down on meat.
- Use texturized vegetable protein that mimics the feel of meat.
- When traveling, pack plenty of vegetarian snacks like instant soups, fresh fruit, raw vegetables, trail mix, granola bars, and homemade oatmeal cookies. Fill a cooler with sandwiches and individual containers of juice and soymilk.
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