Everything you need to know if you want to make your plant-based diet |

Plant-based nutrition is a trend in recent years. Whether we like it or not, we keep hearing about it. But do we know what it really means and what dietary options exist for the one who wants to make the transition?

With the veganism movement taking center stage, raising new concerns about our eating habits, as well as several misconceptions about what a plant-based diet is, it is good to start researching in more detail the concepts we are exposed to.

What does plant-based nutrition mean?

Or else, “what does not mean”?

Many of us have equated the concept with veganism or strict vegetarianism, which will allow me to tell you that it is wrong. The vegan diet is the most extreme in quotes version of plant-based, but not the only one. All variations of the vegan diet as well as the Mediterranean diet can be considered plant-based, and although animal products are not banned, their consumption is very limited, with the scales leaning towards foods of plant origin.

What is superior (if superior)?

Having debunked the myth that the plant-based synonym of vegan wants, we can safely say that a dietary approach based on consuming plenty of plant-based products (fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, bulbs, etc.) is more beneficial to the human body. than a diet rich in animal foods. Of course, this does not negate the importance of including in the daily menu certain foods of animal origin and high biological value, such as fish, seafood or chicken, as long as the basis of the diet is food from the earth.

And why is this approach more beneficial? On the one hand, because it is enough to supply the body with abundant vitamins, minerals, trace elements and fiber that strengthen the function of the immune, digestive, nervous system and more. At the same time, the plant-based diet lacks saturated animal fats that can progressively impair the functioning of the cardiovascular system and lead to obesity, high cholesterol and other metabolic diseases.

In conclusion, a person who eats a plant-based diet, while exercising regularly and abstaining from smoking and alcohol, is usually a person with fewer reasons to worry about cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, certain cancers, etc. It is also a coincidence that the Mediterranean diet, which according to numerous scientific studies is the best dietary approach one can adopt, is also a plant-based diet.

Finally, to all of the above we can also add the most environmentally sustainable character of plant-based nutrition. In other words, if you do not want to do it for yourself, even for the environment.

How to make the transition

Let me start with a flag. Many of the products you will find bearing the vegan label happen to be fully processed and therefore less beneficial to your body than the marketing behind them wants to make you believe. So put them on the shelf and act smarter. Since no one tells you that in order to be considered a plant-based diet you have to remove all animal products from the menu, do not rush to choose standard vegan cheese or yogurt dessert. Instead, he preferred the purest animal version. At the same time, however, make sure to reduce the consumption of animal foods as much as you can, and replace them as much as possible with some unprocessed food of plant origin.

Having collected the best alternatives, we list them below.

Cauliflower

For many, cauliflower is an excellent alternative to traditional minced meat. Try to replace the traditional minced meat with minced cauliflower and you will not really lose.

Mushrooms

They have always been the meat of vegans. And one would say that they have deservedly earned the place they occupy in the menu of the ubiquitous friends of the vegetarian diet. You can add them to sandwiches, sauces or soups, or bake them in the oven or on the grill. In any case, there are many varieties of edible mushrooms and just as many good ways to cook them.

Lentils

And more generally: legumes. Another worthwhile alternative to minced meat, whether we are talking about the minced meat from which you will put in your spaghetti or we are talking about the minced meat from which you will shape and bake burgers or fry meatballs (in my village we called it falafel).

Also, here you will find the best recipe for omelette without egg that, I tell you the truth, counts.

Jackfruit

Vegans swear by its name and its resemblance to pork, both in texture and taste, is great. You can find it in organic stores and use it as an alternative to meat in recipes that you would traditionally cook with meat.

Nuts

Try replacing cow’s milk with almond milk that you can make at home by soaking the almonds in water overnight, grinding them in a blender the next day, and straining the mixture to isolate their ‘milk’. At the same time, try making cashew cream, which you can use instead of cheese or traditional sour cream.

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