Diets Decoded: Plant-Based Diet

Is a plant-based diet healthy? Plant-based—the wellness buzzword that has been hash-tagged more than 32 million times on Instagram and can be found in everything from headlines to menus. But what exactly does it mean to eat plant-based? We’ve got the plant-based diet decoded for you. What is a Plant-based Diet? Think of this one as more of a lifestyle than a diet. There’s no clear definition of a plant-based diet, so you might see the term being used to refer to a variety of eating patterns such as vegan, vegetarian or flexitarian. Nonetheless, a plant-based diet simply refers to a diet that emphasizes whole plant foods and keeps animal products and processed foods to a minimum. What You Eat on a Plant-Based Diet You’ll be keeping it simple with this diet. Minimally processed, plant foods including vegetables, fruit, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds will make up the majority of your meals and snacks. In other words, whole foods without a label, package, or long ingredient list are most often what you’ll be looking for. Animal products, including meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and dairy, can be consumed too, but the emphasis will be on the plants. Food quality is also another important part of a plant-based diet. Locally sourced and organic foods are often prioritized. If you’re going to consume animal products, then you should aim to purchase quality items such as grass-fed beef or free-range eggs. What You Don’t Eat on a Plant-Based Diet Nothing is off limits on a plant-based diet, but animal products, including meat, poultry, fish, dairy, and eggs, are either removed or consumed sparingly. Think of animal products as supporting actors rather than the main show with this diet. You’ll also want to avoid processed foods as much as possible, even if they’re plant-based. This includes highly processed foods such as chips, lunch meats, and vegan meats and cheeses that no longer provide the same nutritional benefits as they do in their original, whole-food state. Pros and Cons of a Plant-Based Diet A plant-based diet is an all around win-win, especially given the flexibility it affords to meet your personal preferences, nutritional needs, and lifestyle. It’s no secret you’re better off without overly-processed foods that are stripped of their nutrients and high in added sugars, refined grains, and sodium. Additionally, eating less animal products means more room in your diet to load up on nourishing plant foods that are loaded with gut health-promoting fiber, disease-fighting antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory healthy fats.  RELATED: The Inflammatory Foods You Should Really Avoid It’s hard to deny the numerous health benefits associated with plant-based diets. One meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials found those assigned a vegetarian diet had significant weight loss compared to those assigned non-vegetarian diets. In addition to weight, evidence suggests that plant-based diets are associated with a reduced risk of heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, and even some types of cancer.  Wondering how you can add more plants to your diet? Try meatless Mondays and use meat as a garnish rather than a centerpiece. Pile up at least half your plate with vegetables, swap animal protein for legumes, tofu or whole grains, or try enjoying fruit as a sweet treat. Better yet, check out some of our favorite recipes below for delicious, plant-based inspiration for every eating occasion. The Bottom Line Flexible, sustainable, nutritious—this is one diet we wholeheartedly support. Load up your plate with as many nutrient-dense whole foods as possible. Then you get to decide if and how you’d like to add in some high-quality animal products. By focusing less on what you’re removing from your diet, and more on what health-boosting foods you can add to your diet, the plant-based eating pattern is one you can and should do for the long haul. The healthiest diet is an approach to eating that fuels your body and mind and fits into your lifestyle. Eating empowered means listening—really listening—to your body and focusing on the diverse, delicious, healthy foods you can have rather than what a hard-to-follow diet says you can’t have. Plant-based Recipes We Love Low Sugar Berry Green Smoothie This is as green as a smoothie can be (the way we like it!) but is sweet and yummy thanks to the vanilla-almond butter-berry combo. The addition of avocado makes it extra creamy. Get the recipe here. Healthy Morning Glory Muffins If you love the flavors of autumn, you’ll fall for these muffins fast, thanks to pumpkin, apple and cinnamon. Bonus: chia seeds add a protein punch. Get the recipe here. Avocado Toast with Roasted Zucchini and Corn Avo toast is a great source of (Instagram-friendly) healthy fats, while zucchini provides fiber, folate and vitamin C. While corn gets a bad rap because it’s such a massive GMO commodity, it’s actually filled with antioxidants. (Just buy it fresh from a local organic farm stand, if you can). Get the recipe here. Smoky Rosemary Maple Tempeh Tempeh is an excellent source of plant-based protein, and since it’s fermented, many people find it more easily digestible compared to tofu. Here, that protein is supplemented with all kinds of nutrient-dense marinade ingredients, like garlic, cayenne pepper and apple cider vinegar. Get the recipe here. Coconut Bacon Sandwich Instead of processed meat, you get mushrooms, which are one of the few dietary sources of vitamin D. The protein-rich chickpeas are tossed with antioxidant-rich spices. And while a standard BLT doesn’t come with a letter A, we’ll put avocado’s healthy fats on anything. Get the recipe here. Vegetarian Quesadilla with Broccoli Rabe Who doesn’t love a cheesy quesadilla? This one layers nutrient-dense broccoli rabe (fiber! vitamins!) into the protein-packed cheese and black beans—and holds it all together with a tortilla made with whole grains instead of white flour. Get the recipe here. Vegan Chocolate Gingerbread Protein Muffins These muffins are a sweet treat for all kinds of eaters—from vegan to gluten-free—without the use of any strange replacement ingredients (just healthy, whole foods). They also deliver tons of flavor and protein. Get the recipe here. Peanut Butter Honey Energy Balls These energy balls take

How to Eat More Fresh, Colorful Food Like an Australian Chef

Australian chef Dan Churchill says he follows the “Color Diet, because colorful food is packed with nutrients and hits our flavor receptors. More color = more nutrients = more flavor.” You can see the evidence on Instagram, where he posts shots of his Crispy Colorful Breakfast Potatoes, rainbow acai bowls, and avocado toast for days. And now you can taste it in person, too, at his new restaurant Charley St in New York City. At the Nolita fast casual spot, Churchill (who is also the official Under Armour chef and cooked for Lindsey Vonn during the Olympics, NBD) is cooking up bright, fresh dishes filled with nutrient-dense foods. Think overnight oats with a salted caramel twist, avo toast with walnut miso and pickled tomato, and a quinoa bowl with tahini, butternut squash spread, roasted Brussels sprouts, sweet potato hash, cauliflower, and walnuts. He’s also on a sustainability mission to support local farm partners. Whether you’re clearing your calendar to head there for breakfast tomorrow or are hundreds of miles away, here’s how you can bring a little bit of his bright, healthy Aussie flair to your own diet daily. How Does Dan Churchill Live a Nutritious Life? What’s your go-to breakfast? Breakfast #1 of the day is my creamless creamy scrambled eggs with avocado and/or some sort of colorful side dish, and the second is PB&J oatmeal. RELATED: 3 Delicious Ways to Make Scrambled Eggs Your go-to workday lunch? The Tahini Time bowl at Charley St. This has been my go-to dish for years so I had to put it on the menu there. Your go-to workday dinner? Crispy skin salmon with apple and olive oil roasted Brussels sprouts and crispy sweet potato chips. What’s the one food you always have in your fridge? Lemons. The snack you always have with you when traveling? Mixed nuts or my Coffee Bliss Protein Balls. What do you eat before and after a workout? Before a workout: three-egg scramble and my Athletic Greens. Post-workout is a protein shake and then my PB&J oatmeal. RELATED: 7 Simple Smoothie Recipes You’ll Love Other than water, what do you sip regularly? Green tea. How often do you exercise, and what’s your workout of choice? Workout of choice is Crossfit-related exercise or a run, and I work out nearly every day of the week, sometimes twice a day, with one rest day during the week. How do you stay active outside the gym? In my everyday life as a chef I’m constantly on my feet, walking around the city, biking on CitiBike, going for jogs, and I always take the stairs even when there are other options or I’m carrying heavy bags. What’s your go-to tool for managing stress? My daily meditation, and cooking, as well as working out. How do you pamper yourself when you need it? I buy really expensive ingredients and hang out in my kitchen, or I go out to dinner with mates and treat ourselves. Do you have a favorite health gadget? SpeedRope, because I can take it everywhere when I travel for work and get my reps in. It is the perfect combination of cardio, skill, and coordination. How do you express and spread love? I express and spread love through my food; it is a genuine message for how I want people to come together. What does it mean to you to “live consciously”? I’m conscious about the things in the world we don’t necessarily give support and awareness to, such as access to drinking water. I am conscious of the role we play in society for affecting our planet and of the responsibility I have as a chef to promote my country and the good things we can do. I’m also conscious about how essential it is to have a harmonic life, and to always keep in touch with family back home in Australia. At the end of the day, I fully believe that the key to your consciousness is your own health. Lightning Round Meditation or massage? Meditation every day, massage once every so often. A hot shower or a soothing bath? Hot shower. Almond butter or peanut butter? Peanut butter. Coffee or tea? Coffee. A long run outside or a dark spin class? Long run.   (Photos: Dan Churchill)