Everybody seems to being going plant-based these days. Heck, even Bill Clinton is vegan now. Have you thought about changing up your diet to become plant-based, but often find yourself fighting the urge to eat cheese or other animal products? Don’t stress, we’re here to explain more about what it means to be following a plant-based diet.
What does it mean to be plant-based?
Eating a plant-based diet simply means just that! Plant-based meals are those consisting of foods originating completely from plants. That means no animal products, such as dairy, red meats, poultry, or fish. Some people follow strict plant-based diets where they choose not to eat any animal-based foods. Others choose to follow a more loose definition, by incorporating more meals that are plant-based rather than continuously being vegan.
What are the benefits?
Eating primarily plant-based diets have shown to be beneficial to health. Eating plant-based regularly means you’re getting hefty variety of fruits, vegetables, and healthy grains. All of these foods are great for lowering inflammation in the body, reducing risks for chronic, nutrition-related diseases, and maintaining a healthy metabolism. Of course, animal-based foods are awesome sources of protein and other nutrients, but plants are rich in nutrients and proteins as well!
How often do I have to eat plant-based to be considered plant-based?
Too often people try the all or nothing method to diet or try to establish new routines. Similarly, people often believe that following a plant-based diet must be something you follow ALL the time to get the benefits. This isn’t true and is a mentality that can often lead to burnout. Choosing to have more plant-based meals throughout the week, and making swaps for those animal products every so often, offers those wonderful benefits that we mentioned earlier. You can follow a plant-based diet for the majority of your meals and still enjoy your cake too. Don’t feel like you need to over-restrict yourself just so you can have the plant-based label.
What’s the takeaway? Eat more fruits and veggies! But don’t over restrict yourself. Forcing yourself to go all the way or nothing leads to higher burnout rates, and we don’t want that! Start small and start incorporating more plants into your meals regularly, and soon you may find yourself a total veg-head!