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What Is In A Plant Based Diet

Four billion people today live primarily on a plant based diet. That’s alot of the world trending towards a plant based diet and this global shift is here to stay. Some are celebrities, some athletes, some millennials and even entire large companies have made the shift of this healthier lifestyle. Some of the reasons due to shortages of freshwater, energy or cropland. Some due to animal welfare, health or food security. Everyone has a different reason for starting a plant based diet and all the reasons are important for that person. I’m going to uncover for you here, what is a plant based diet, why it’s important and what is in a plant based diet.

 

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A plant based diet is not a fad

What is in a Plant Based Diet - Crop of veggies

Beginners List to a Plant Based Diet

I’m providing a quick glance list for you of some plant based diet meal delivery services.  The plant based meals can be delivered directly to your front door and get you on the path to a plant based healthy lifestyle.

Purple Carrot

Purple Carrot started with just a seed of an idea in 2014: encourage people to eat more plants for their health and the health of the planet. Today, it is leading the charge for people to adopt a plant-based lifestyle.

 

Trifecta

Keep your appetite in check with a low carb meal plan. The keto diet promotes weight loss with healthy fats, grass-fed meats, and wild-caught seafood. Trifecta gives you the food, the advice, and the community support you need to achieve your goals. We do the meal planning, shopping, and cooking, so you can focus on everything else.

Snap Kitchen

One meal delivery service for all your needs. Our chefs & dietitians bring you fresh high-quality meals so you can feel your best! Enjoy healthy paleo, keto, high protein, and low carb meals right to your door.

 

Freshly

Freshly delivers chef-cooked and nutritionist-designed meals that are made with real, whole foods, and no artificial preservatives or sweeteners. Customers choose from a rotating weekly menu of 30+ meals that are ready to heat and eat in 3 minutes.

Veestro

Cooked from fresh, organic ingredients by our chefs and delivered to you frozen.  YOU HEAT, EAT & ENJOY.  Heat in the oven or microwave.  No chopping. No cooking. No cleanup.  Your orders are fully customizable.  Change your meals, pause delivery, or cancel anytime.

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What is a plant based diet

A plant based diet consists of mostly or entirely foods from plants. This would include veggies, nuts, seeds, grains and fruits and few or no animal products. Some people decide to eat 100% no animal products. According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics it is possible to have a plant based diet through a properly well planned out meal plan. There are different types of plant based diets which have changed throughout the years.

Vegan diet consists of NO food from animal sources

Vegetarian diet consists of dairy or eggs but no meat

Semi-Vegetarian diet consists of small amounts of meat

Pescatarian diet consists of eggs, dairy and seafood

 

I’ve enjoyed following the advice of John Robbins the author of Diet for a New America. In his book he writes about many important topics of the what, why and how of starting a plant based diet. I bought the book and I love it although it does have some strong sad facts about the dairy industry and the treatment of animals. I’m also a member of the Food Revolution Network which you can get more details about by clicking here. Food Revolution Network is an education and advocacy driven organization committed to healthy, ethical and sustainable food for all.

 

what is in a plant based diet - food revolution network graphic

 

Why is a plant based diet important

A plant based diet is important for a healthy lifestyle and to improve the health of your gut. There are several health reasons for eating a plant based diet. Some of them include to, increase fiber, lower risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes, lower cancer risk, maintain healthy weight, reduce inflammation, boost your immune system and lower risk of Alzheimer’s. There are days that I eat a plant based diet and I always feel my best. I would probably consider myself a pescatarian. How do you classify yourself… please leave me your answer below in the comments.

what is in a plant based diet - why eat plant foods graphic

There are also other reasons besides health related. They are sustainability and animal welfare reasons. These are topics that I’m very interested in sharing about but require an in depth amount of research that I will save for a future article. Watch this environmental film below.

Check out this video from Food Revolution Network:

 

 

What is in a plant based diet

It’s basically just that plant based meaning it’s mostly of plants. The choice ingredients for a plant based diet would include seeds, nuts, beans, tofu, whole grains, fruits, vegetables and minimally processed foods. The focus for some people are growing their own food and herbs.

Root vegetables are suggested because they provide a good source of carbs and vitamins. Some samples of root vegetables would be beets, sweet potato, potatoes and butternut squash. All other vegetables should be consumed regularly to get the most vitamin and minerals added to your diet.

Legumes are a good source of fiber and protein. Some varieties would be lentils, peas, chickpeas, black beans and kidney beans.  Shown below are white beans, kidney beans and pinto beans.

what is in a plant based diet - beans on spoon

Seeds are a good source of calcium and would include sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin, chia, flaxseed and hemp seeds.

Nuts are good for vitamin E and selenium. They include pecans, cashews, almonds, pistachios and macadamia nuts.

Whole grains help maintain blood sugar and are a good source of fiber. They also contain a good amount of essential minerals, such as copper, selenium and magnesium. Examples of this would be brown rice, quinoa, barley, oats and whole grain breads.

There are many plant based milks available now. My favorite is almond milk but there is also soy milk, coconut milk, rice milk, oat milk and hemp milk.

 

How do you get protein in a plant based diet

Plant based protein comes in many ways. The most popular way to get protein from a plant based diet is to eat my favorite which is avocado, nuts, seeds and beans. There are lots of great recipes that incorporate these items into a delicious meal. Here is a recipe for you to try a vegetarian dish.

what is in a plant based diet - black bean chili recipe

List of plant based proteins and the amount of grams of protein

  • Mixed Nuts (1 cup) = 27g Protein
  • Cashews (1 cup) = 21g Protein
  • Walnuts (1 cup) = 12g Protein
  • Pinto Beans Raw(1 cup) = 41g Protein
  • Refried Beans (1 cup) = 13g Protein
  • Chickpea/Garbanzo (1 cup) = 39g Protein
  • Baked Beans (1 cup) = 14g Protein
  • Chia Seeds (1 oz) = 4.7g Protein
  • Flaxseed (1 tbsp) = 1.3g Protein
  • Sunflower Seeds (1cup) = 29g Protein
  • Avocado Pureed (1 cup)=4.6g Protein

If you want to supplement, be sure to try Orgain protein powder or organic superfood powders from yoursuper.  Click here for my favorite powders from yoursuper.

 

Check out my article here on a great solution to boost the immune system

 

I hope you have learned more about what is in a plant based diet and would consider changing to this diet. If you are interested in growing food at home and you want to learn about starting a food garden click here. If your interested in an easy to accomplish plant based diet, I highly recommend Daily Harvest. The delicious plant based meals are delivered to your home and are very healthy. They also have other options available to ship for example, smoothies, flatbread, soups and dairy free ice cream. Here is a review I published about healthy home meal delivery that can help you learn more.


 

 

What Is In A Plant Based Diet

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. When you use the links on this page to make a purchase I may get a small commission and you may get a great bargain. It’s a win-win all around. Full disclosure. The information contained in this website is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a doctor.

Moon Balance Review

26 thoughts on “What Is In A Plant Based Diet”

  1. Very informative article, Alyse. To answer your question: I am in neither of these 3 groups you mention. Because my husband is at risk of gout and I am not too fond of them anyway, we don’t eat beans. So sometimes we eat organic chicken or turkey for the protein. And a lot of nuts of course.
    No dairy. Once a week or less we eat fish. All the other days plantbased but without the grains.
    🙂

    Reply
  2. What is a plant-based diet is a very informative article for anyone wishing to start a plant-based diet plan, I have went over one month on a plant-based diet. The only problem I am experienced is low energy levels, so will that pass over time or am I lacking something that is causing these low energy levels?

    Jeff

    Reply
  3. Hi there,

    Thanks for sharing this information and making my understanding of a plant-based diet clearer. It’s really taking off in popularity, and it’s not surprising why. Thanks for sharing the various food types that can be eaten, I didn’t realise so many foods that I eat are plant-based.

    Looking forward to your next post.

    Best wishes,
    Sharon

    Reply
    • @Sharon I’m so glad that my article could help clear up your understanding of what is in a plant based diet. Thanks for visiting again. Best wishes for good health.

      Reply
  4. Wow! Great article and videos! Thanks so much for including both of those videos. I’ll definitely check out The Food Revolution Network.

    I eat lean meat and dairy along with protein powder for protein. I rarely eat beef and don’t eat pork. I eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, nuts and beans. I drink a lot of water every day. And, I don’t eat sugary foods – no desserts or anything like that.

    QUESTION: Have you ever done a review on Orgain Organic, Plant Based Protein Powder? If so I would love to read it.

    We feed our dog a high protein meat-free dog food. It’s great stuff. If you’re ever interested in checking it out: https://wildearth.com

    Reply
  5. Hi Alyse,

    I am a vegan, and I have not eaten any meat for nearly 20 years. Becoming vegan is one of the best decisions I have made in my life. Plant-based food is very healthy, it also boosts my energy and decreases doctor’s visits. My health is excellent. I did not do it for health reasons, but for animal welfare. As hard as it is to find out about animal cruelty – as you stated – we must find out about it, so that as consumers can make better and more human choices. If nobody knows, then this terrible treatment of animals will continue …
    It was terrible to learn about it for me too. I found out up close and personal, I saw animal slaughter for real (not just on videos), and it changed everything for me. I never forgot it.

    There is a lot of plant-based protein, I eat much of what you shared in your list. I love cooking, so I often make vegan stir fries, lasagnas, quesadillas, burritos, and more. They are so delicious! 🙂

    Reply
    • @Christine thank you for sharing about your vegan experience. The animal cruelty issues are troubling so with all of our support it can get better (i hope). I’m glad you enjoyed my article and please feel free to share any of your recipes. Best wishes for good health.

      Reply
  6. Full of information and I can understand why going vegan or vegetarian is becoming more popular. Especially during times like these, people would most likely pick up gardening as a hobby since they’d be able to grow their own food and save some money.

    I myself have started incorporating more vegan and vegetarian foods into my diet and am glad for it. Thanks for all this info, I’ll be sure to include more foods and try out the recipe here.

    Reply
  7. This is a very informative article Alyse. My daughter started a plant based diet a few months ago. I tried as well but quickly went back to eating chicken! Do you think it will be better to cut back slowly to help with the transition? For instance, do plants only twice a week and then increase this weekly. I like the fact that it is a lifestyle change and not a fad diet.

    Reply
    • @A i think its important to do what works for your body. Since plants are in many things that we eat I would recommend just doing chicken once a week until your body can get used to it. Please keep me posted how you do.

      Reply
  8. Oh, wow, I didn’t know that vegan and vegetarian are different things!

    I thought vegan is just a short version of vegetarian lol.

    Well, I guess I must live and learn 🙂

    Thank you for sharing this!

    Best Wishes,

    Natalie

    Reply
  9. Hi Alyse, I was a vegetarian for about a decade. I would have loved to gone 100% plant-based by being vegan but didn’t have the determinations. Several people I know are vegans and manage just fine so maybe this is something I should reconsider. Thank you for sharing.

    Reply
  10. In my opinion, a plant based diet is a very healthy one. I would consider my current diet to be semi-vegetarian but after reading your article today and seeing all of the delicious plant based options out there, I will rethink what I eat going forward and consider moving more towards vegan.

    In addition to learning about various plant based food options from your article, I also learned about the health reasons for eating a plant based diet.

    Thank you for sharing this great information. 🙂

    Reply
  11. Extremely interesting article Alyse. I know it’s gaining popularity more and more. I’ve learned a lot from this and may try a few menu items here and there. I do like my meats though. Thank you for sharing this with me.

    Reply
  12. I am a meat eater but one of my most favourite eating places is totally vegetarian so go and figure that one out. I love the fact you talk about the various diiferent diets as I think people get so confused. You make it really clear.

    My aspiration in the next 12 months is to vastly reduce my meat content and you have spurred me on. I also think you are right about health and the impact a diet can I have. A great informative post. Fingers crossed I make some progress this year. Phil

    Reply
  13. This is a great article for anybody who is curious a plant based diet and needing more information before getting started. I am not fully plant based yet because I still drink milk and eat eggs but all the rest of my protein is derived from plant based. My staples are a customized lentil soup, vegetarian chili and Plant Based Powder supplements. My goal is to be 100% plant based someday but its been hard to wean myself off of eggs, milk and cheese but the health benefits are amazing, you are helping the environment and you are not harming any animals. All of which need to be incorporated for our Great Mother Earth to thrive and survive.

    Thanks for sharing your insights

    Reply

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