Why you should eat more plants
I truly believe in the old adage about “everything in moderation”, and I definitely think balance is key when it comes to what we eat. That being said, there are huge benefits associated with eating more plants, and incorporating a more plant-based diet into your daily lifestyle.
When it comes to helping clients restore balance in all areas of their life, we often address their current eating habits. We all know the dangers of a diet high in refined sugar and processed foods, but regardless of your current eating habits, incorporating more whole foods, especially plant-based foods, can have a major impact on our overall health + wellness. You don’t have to be a vegan, or even a vegetarian to get more plants into your diet. In fact, I’m mostly vegetarian, but every once in a while I find myself eating farm fresh meat with the rest of my family. There’s really nothing that I consider to be strictly off limits, I just feel better when I’m incorporating more whole food veggies into my diet. Again, everything in moderation and balance in key!
Benefits of eating more fruits and veggies
Fresh fruits and vegetables are an essential source of vitamins and minerals - they’re high in fiber, and offer a wide range of antioxidants. Additionally, diets rich in potassium help maintain a healthy blood pressure level. Eating clean can also have an impact on hormonal balance, and can even help to keep skin clean and clear. The goal is to “eat the rainbow”. Did you know, foods that are more vibrant in color are the most nutrient rich? A colorful plate is always going to be better for us than a beige or brown plate!
There are all kinds of colors and textures to play with when it comes to fruits and veggies, so there’s plenty of ways to work them into recipes of all kinds. They can be eaten in many different ways, and make for the perfect smoothie ingredients. Before throwing out those bananas that are starting to brown, you might throw them in the freezer for a smoothie later. A diet high in refined sugars and processed foods can lead to hormonal imbalance, digestion problems and can even cause breakouts. What we put into our bodies will directly correlate with what we get out of it. Put good in, get good out - literally!
With the current state of quarantine due to the Coronavirus, it can be tough to get our hands on the foods we would normally shop for. Lately, it seems everything has been picked over, or just simply hasn’t been in stock for a while, and that’s OK. This too shall pass, and that just means this is the perfect time to start experimenting with different foods that you may not have tried previously. Try picking up different fruits and veggies and seeing how you can work them into a new recipe. I’ve even learned how to “hide” vegetables from my little guy by mixing them into meatballs!
How to get more fruits and veggies into your diet
When we think of eating fruit, many people only consider fresh fruit, or maybe adding them to a smoothie as mentioned above. However, there are lots of ways to get creative with fruits by adding them to the grill! The possibilities are endless when it comes to grilling up watermelon and even pineapple. There’s a ton of fun recipes out there, like this grilled watermelon “pizza”. As we head into the hotter months, these are sure to be a family favorite!
I also really enjoy baking vegetables, and I’m a huge advocate for batching your vegetables for the week in order to save yourself some time and headache when dinner time rolls around. A few of my favs to bake are potatoes, sweet potatoes, brussel sprouts, asparagus, broccoli, carrots and cauliflower . I typically choose one day of the week to batch bake all my veggies for the week, that way they’re readily available when I need them later.
Is it possible to eat too many fruits and vegetables?
Overall, I don’t really think you can eat too many fruits & veggies. It’s one of the rare food groups that I believe in eating as much as you like! That being said, there are a few things to keep in mind. For example, fresh fruits are a great source of natural sugar, which is great when you’re craving something sweet but looking to steer clear of the refined sugars found in packaged candies & desserts.
Some of the best superfoods are actually a source of “good fat”, but too much of a good thing can become a slippery slope if not done in moderation. For example, avocados are an amazing superfood, and peanuts offer an excellent source of good fat as well as Vitamin E, but just like any other fat, overdoing can be hindering. At the end of the day, balance and moderation all the way around is the way to go. It’s best to just mix in and rotate different foods to avoid getting bored!
Hopefully this insight will help to expand our thinking when it comes to eating more plants, rather than simply defaulting to kale and spinach. The idea is to get creative, and explore the rainbow! As with anything else, lifestyle changes are best made in small steps, so maybe make it a goal to create a fully plant-based meal once a week until you feel more comfortable with it. Eventually, it will come naturally!
Listed below are some of our household favorites, all parent and kid approved:
Beet Greens
Beets
Carrots
Tomatoes
Red Bell Peppers
Kale
Spinach
Asparagus
Onions
Zucchini
Purple Cabbage
Swiss Chard
Artichoke
Remember, conventional is fine, organic is better, local is BEST! My main goal is just to get people to EAT MORE PLANTS - and to hopefully shop local ;)
xoxo,
L
#healthylifestyle #eatmoreplants #plantbased #womenshealthcoach #losangeles #finelynourished