How to Go on a Plant-Based Diet
Going on a plant-based diet doesn’t automatically mean you’re super healthy. You can eat non-dairy ice cream and frozen veggie pizza every day, but that doesn’t mean you’re healthier. There are many plant-based unhealthy foods out there, so if you want to reap the benefits of a plant-based diet, you need to focus on healthy foods.
Feeling healthy can keep you motivated, and figuring out how to make a plant-based diet good for you is not that hard. Here’s how to get started.
Decide what this means to you
When it comes to what you eat, plant-based foods can mean a variety of things. Although plants make up a large part of your diet, you may find that eating dairy sometimes works for you. Or a small amount of meat is what you want. Or no animal products at all.
Deciding what your plant-based diet consists of will make the transition easier, because having the guidelines you’ve set for yourself will make it easier to avoid foods that don’t fit with your plant-based diet.
Know what you eat
If you’ve never tried a diet where you cut out certain ingredients, you’ll be surprised how much time you now spend reading in-store labels . It turns out that many prepackaged foods contain animal products, so if you only want to stick to plant-based foods for your new diet, you need to keep a close eye on ingredient labels.
Even if you add some animal products to your plant-based diet, look for pre-cooked foods that are rich in sugar, fat, sodium, and other nutrients that will affect your healthy diet.
Find new variations of your favorite foods
Don’t try to copy your favorite non-plant-based foods, instead think about what you like about those foods (texture? Flavor? Versatility for cooking?) And find replacements that fit those criteria. Here are a couple of words to get you started:
- Lentils : Great for savory dishes you would normally add minced meat to, such as meatloaf , sloppy sauce, and bolognese .
- Tempeh : Takes any seasoning or marinade you add to it. Try it as a sausage cake for breakfast to get your day off to a satisfying start.
- Beans and Nuts : Perfect to mix with thick creamy sauces, as this mac and cheese recipe shows.
- Tofu : Chopped or mixed with butter and spices, it can be a good filling for both sweet and savory dishes (including instead of ricotta in lasagna).
Make it easier for you to follow a healthy, plant-based diet by having two to three ready-made meals that you can quickly assemble for a satisfying meal. A couple of my favorites:
- Indonesian Gado Gado Salad : Almost all ingredients are raw, making it quick to prepare, especially if you have good knife skills!
- Sicilian Eggplant and Caponata Pine Nuts : A very flavorful dish that can be cooked in a single saucepan or pan. This requires a little chopping of the ingredients, but allows you to drop them into the pot and simmer without requiring much attention. It goes well with polenta, couscous or pita bread.
- Slow Cooker Lentils with Coconut and Curry : Minimum ingredients and very little effort (a slow cooker is great!). You will return home for a delicious and hearty dinner.
At least one of your meals should be made mostly from pantry products so you can put it together even if you haven’t had a chance to go to the grocery store.
Build a support network
As with any new habit, it’s easier if you have people to help you stick with it. Find friends who want to try new plant-based dishes with you, or who are willing to go to restaurants that have plant-based options.
You should also check Facebook and Meetup to see if there are any local plant-based groups in your area (try terms like vegan and vegetarian). Groups like these will help you expand your support network and provide you with a wealth of knowledge you can use to continue your plant-based diet.