Building a Plant Rich Diet

Introduction:

Building a plant-rich diet is about focusing on eating more whole, plant-based foods rather than eliminating animal products completely. It’s not about perfection; it’s about making conscious choices to incorporate more fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, and plant-based proteins into your meals and snacks when possible. Whether you’re aiming to improve your health, reduce your environmental impact, or simply want to try something new, a plant-rich diet can be flexible and sustainable.

Some pros and cons of a plant-rich diet:

Pros →

  • Increasing plant-protein consumption can have a positive impact on our overall health, as plant-rich foods are high in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
  • Plant-rich foods typically have a lower environmental impact than animal-rich foods.

Cons →

  • A plant-rich diet can be restrictive if it is not approached with flexibility - it is important to focus on the positive changes you can make, rather than cutting out and avoiding certain foods.
  • With any diet change, it is important to ensure you are getting all the necessary nutrients - without proper planning, it is possible to unintentionally cut out key vitamins and minerals.
  • Rather than focusing on avoiding or cutting out animal products completely, think of it as an additive approach - you are not just eliminating, you’re adding more plant-based foods into your diet.

Building Balanced Meals:

A simple guideline to follow is to include three key components at every meal to support blood glucose management and satiety:

  1. Starch
  2. Protein
  3. Fruit and Vegetables

Using a model like the Canada’s Food Guide balanced plate model can help you visualize your meals. A simple additive approach could be swapping half your meat portion with a plant-based alternative such as lentils or beans.

Protein Considerations:

While all foods contain protein, not all foods are considered ‘good’ sources of protein. To meet protein needs, focus on:

  1. Complete proteins → these contain all nine essential amino acids. Most animal-based proteins such as chicken, red meat, and salmon are complete proteins. Some other examples include cottage cheese, eggs, milk, Greek yogurt, tofu, edamame, and soy milk.
  2. Incomplete proteins → these lack some essential amino acids and are still high-quality protein sources. Some examples include hemp seeds, quinoa, nutritional yeast, and legumes in the form of beans, peas, and lentils.

Soy often gets a bad rap due to myths and misinformation, however, it is a very good source of plant-based protein! It is a complete protein that provides essential nutrients such as calcium and iron. Tofu, edamame, and tempeh are all soy-based protein options that can be adopted into a plant-rich diet.

Nutrients to be aware of:

When following a plant-rich diet there are certain nutrients to be aware of to ensure you are meeting your body’s needs.

Vitamin B12:

  • primarily found in animal products, and found in very few plant-rich foods. 
  • Consider supplementation if you follow a strict vegetarian or vegan diet and if you are concerned about your vitamin B12 levels, consult your doctor to get your levels checked

Iron

  • while plant-based sources of iron are available, they are less bioavailable than animal-based sources of iron, meaning they are less absorbed and used by the body. 
  • Pairing plant-based iron with vitamin C (citrus or bell peppers) can help increase iron absorption.

Calcium

  • can be found in fortified plant milks, leafy greens, and tofu. It is important in maintaining bone health. 
  • Osteoporosis.ca has a Calcium calculator where you see how much calcium you are eating to ensure you are meeting the daily required amount

Vitamin A

  • vitamin that is crucial for skin, vision, and immune function 
  • Beta-carotene is the form of vitamin A found in plant-rich foods, and it is fat-soluble, therefore, it is best absorbed when consumed with a source of fat! 
  • Good plant-based sources of vitamin A include sweet potatoes, carrots, and dark leafy greens

Vitamin D

  • important to supplement with 1000 IU daily between October and April 
  • It is a fat-soluble vitamin, and therefore is best absorbed when consumed with a source of fat

Omega-3

  • essential polyunsaturated fat, meaning that it is not naturally produced by our bodies, and we need to get it from food. 
  • 3 types: Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), Eicosatetraenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). 
  • Our bodies are best at absorbing EPA and DHA, which are more commonly found in animal-rich foods, specifically fish such as salmon, tuna, mackerel, and sardines.

Time-saving Strategies:

  • Bean pastas → these pastas are high in protein and fiber
  • Frozen or canned legumes → stock up on frozen or canned beans and lentils for quick additions to meals
  • Frozen edamame → an easy and protein-packed snack or salad topping
  • Roasted chickpeas/lentils → these make a quick and crunchy snack or salad topping, and are easy to make in batches
  • Chickpea flour omelet → a quick, plant-based alternative to eggs
  • Muffins, granola bars, energy balls → these can be a great grab-and-go source of protein!

Building a plant-rich diet is all about flexibility and balance, not restriction. By focusing on incorporating more plant-based foods into your meals you can create a diet that supports both your health and the environment. It is perfectly fine to be ‘flexitarian’ - this means enjoying both plant-rich foods and incorporating animal products in moderation. Being flexitarian gives you flexibility without the pressure of being fully plant-based. Start small, experiment with new recipes, and enjoy discovering the many plant-based foods available. Remember, it’s about adding more plants to your plate rather than eliminating foods from your diet!

Haileigh Chenier, MAN Student