As more people adopt plant-based diets to help the environment, it’s worth considering how our daily eating habits affect the planet. Animal-based diets require vast resources and contribute to greenhouse gas emissions, while plant-based options are a more sustainable choice. But if you’re hesitant about giving up your favorite dishes, remember that plant-based diets can be flexible. You don’t need to be fully vegan; there are options that still include some animal products.
Getting to know your proteins
The world of plant-based proteins may seem overwhelming at first, but there are plenty of affordable and nutritious sources. One thing to note is like most foods, convenience comes with extra costs. Here’s a quick run-through of some key protein sources to consider:
- Legumes (beans, chickpeas): Affordable but require more preparation if you want them to mimic meat. They’re great for salads, burrito bowls, and even veggie burgers if you’re feeling adventurous!
- Soy (tofu, tempeh): A bit tricky to master but versatile once you find what works for you. Extra-firm tofu is my go-to for easy, tasty meals. All you need to do is press and season and you can turn them into anything!
- Mock meats: Convenient but pricier. They’re a great option if you don’t want to go through the hassle of making plant-based alternatives at home.
- Nuts, seeds, eggs, yogurt, cottage cheese, and greens: Easy ways to boost protein intake.
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Approaching a plant-based diet
Transitioning to a plant-based diet is a gradual process. It’s essential to listen to your body and ensure you’re getting the nutrients you need. I found that starting with one “Veg day” a week and slowly increasing it until I was eating plant-based every day worked well for me. In a short seven weeks you can become a vegetarian, meaning if you start now, you should achieve your goal by Earth Day!
Sustaining the change
There are several canon events that will take place when you start a plant-based diet. I thought I would close this blog with a few anecdotes from my experiences navigating vegetarianism:
- Holiday and traditional meals: If you’re attending a holiday dinner or BBQ, offer to bring a plant-based dish or prepare your protein beforehand so the host doesn’t have to worry. Some hosts may even be excited to try cooking plant-based dishes themselves—let them experiment!
It’s up to your comfort level if you want to prepare your own food or let someone else host you, depending on how strictly you want to avoid potential cross-contamination or any possible mix-ups. Be sure to clearly communicate what foods are off limits.
- Eating at restaurants: Standard restaurants tend to have at the bare minimum a veggie burger and a few salads. There are plenty of fantastic plant-based restaurants in KW, however there are certain cuisines where I find I get the best bang-for-my-buck!
Cuisines like Thai, Vietnamese, and Indian usually have solid plant-based choices. Thai and Vietnamese dishes often feature tofu, while Indian curries with paneer are great meatless protein sources. And for my fellow vegetarians, I am never disappointed when someone wants to go out for breakfast because eggs are your friend!
- Navigating the grey areas: Broths, gelatin, and honey are just some examples of animal-based products that fall in this grey area in these diets. Technically speaking, these foods are animal byproducts and are not vegan. However, there are no hard and fast rules, meaning if you still want to eat gummy bears and marshmallows, go for it! If you can recreate a plant-based version of something that’s ideal, but if vegan honey is too hard to come by, no one should punish you for getting regular honey.
The goal of these diets is to keep you sticking to them, not to ban you from eating foods you love. That is the true meaning of sustainability.