The foods you eat greatly affect your health, from weight and blood pressure to risk of disease. Research has shown that eating a plant-based diet can have significant positive impacts on these health metrics over time. Plant-based foods are naturally lower in fat when compared to animal-sourced foods. They are also usually less processed and less expensive than animal-based foods.
If you are looking to make healthy changes to your diet, instead of focusing on what to cut out, focus on what you can add! Eating more plant-based foods is a great first step. Doing so can lower the amount of total calories you eat in a day by increasing the volume of your meals with fiber and water, making you feel fuller longer.
Refer to the handout below to learn more about the power of plants and tips for incorporating them into your diet.
Handout
Practice
Give "Meatless Mondays" a try! Plan each of your meals and snacks for that day to feature plant-sourced proteins, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.
Recipes
References
- Chai BC, van der Voort JR, Grofelnik K, Eliasdottir HG, Klöss I, Perez-Cueto FJA. Which Diet Has the Least Environmental Impact on Our Planet? A Systematic Review of Vegan, Vegetarian and Omnivorous Diets. Sustainability. 2019; 11(15):4110
- Rosi A, Mena P, Pellegrini N, et al. Environmental impact of omnivorous, ovo-lactovegetarian, and vegan diet. Scientific Reports (Nature Publisher Group). 2017;7:1-9. https://search-proquest-com.proxy.library.vanderbilt.edu/scholarly-journals/environmentalimpact-omnivorous-ovo-lacto/docview/1956152358/se2?accountid=14816. doi: http://dx.doi.org.proxy.library.vanderbilt.edu/10.1038/s41598-017-06466-8.
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN. https://www.connect4climate.org/infographics/true-environmental-cost-eating-meat
- Progress in Nutrition 2017; Vol. 19, N. 3: 229-242 DOI: 10.23751/pn.v19i3.5229
- J. Poore, T. Nemecek; Reducing food’s environmental impacts through producers and consumers. Science 360 (6392) 987-992, 01 Jun 2018.
