My top 12 tips to eat more plants

Happy 2021 friends! It’s the season of New Year’s resolutions and fresh starts, and for many of us, this may mean a returned focus to eating just a bit healthier. Whether your goal is a whole food plant based, flexitarian, pescatarian, or plant curious diet, I’ve got you covered. Any move you want to make to a more plant centric dietary pattern is fantastic! Over the years of counseling patients to improve their heart health (and also get 3 young kids and a meat loving husband to eat their veggies), I’ve accumulated a bunch of tips and tricks to make plant forward eating fun, delicious, and easy. Here’s my top 12.

1. Start with 1 or 2 meatless meals a week. 

Unless you’re the rare type who likes to go all in at once (I’ve had a couple patients like this - so if that’s you, do you), I suggest starting slow and incorporating 1 or 2 meatless meals per week. If you’ve already got Meatless Monday down, then I challenge you to add a second or third completely meat-free meal in. Many, particularly those not eating a lot of veggies at the moment, find that going slow can also help beat bloat that can accompany too quick of an increase in fiber intake. 

2. Modify some of your favorite meals with all veggie ingredients

Think of some of your go-to meals that you can modify - either simply eliminate the meat or animal products all together, or substitute a plant based alternative. One of my favorite substitutions is using lentils in place of ground beef for in my dad’s famous lentil bolognese. And, yes, recipe to come - it’s YUM! Mushrooms, eggplant, lentils, and miso are good secret ingredients for satiety and/or umami.

3. Make some easy substitutes

Plant based milks (almond, cashew, soy, oat) are easy substitutes. One of the easiest swaps for my husband is oat milk instead of cow’s milk in his coffee! Ready for the next level? Try a flax egg or aquafaba (the brine from draining a can of chickpeas) in place of eggs while baking (I promise, you won’t notice!). Just beware of some of the more highly processed substitutes (ie vegan cheeses, highly processed meat-like burgers) - these should be treated like other processed foods and consumed sparingly. They can be great as backups if you really want to move away from meat and animal products for environmental or ethical reasons, but just be aware that they may not be *much* healthier.

4. Stock your pantry with all the basics

I promise, a comprehensive pantry list is forthcoming. In the meantime, pantry items I reach for the most include canned beans (dry are great if you have time, but I am lazy!), dried lentils, oats (both rolled and steel cut), spices (see tip #9), brown rice, quinoa, whole grain pastas, raw cashews (soooo good for dips and dressings!), all the other nuts and nut butters, flax seeds, chia seeds, and hemp seeds. If you have the space, be sure to have all of these on hands for quick meals to throw together.

5. Stock your freezer with frozen veggies and fruits

This is important - frozen veggies are just as nutritious as fresh (and depending on where you live, sometimes even more so as they are frozen at the peak of freshness!). I always have tons of frozen veggies on hand for quick meals for the family or kiddos. Frozen fruit (and veggies like zucchini or cauliflower!) are a must have for smoothies.

6. Plant proteins and fats to keep full

Some of my patients (but not all or even most), do report that they don’t feel quite as full eating plant based. While I’m not normally a macros kind of gal, this is sometimes a situation where I recommend checking in on your calories, protein, and good fat intake to make sure you’re getting enough. A food tracker for a week can be helpful. Incorporate more tofu, beans, lentils, avocado, nuts, and seeds for satiety.

7. Double the recipe and throw the other half in the fridge or freezer 

We almost always have left over roasted veggies in the fridge to throw on greens for lunch the next day and a soup in the freezer for dinner on a night I don’t have time to cook. We also usually have one meal a week designated as “leftovers” day - this can be a specific day or planned around which day you know will be the busiest.

8. Focus on fitting in more plants rather than taking away things

Approach each meal as an opportunity to nourish your body with more fiber, phytonutrients, antioxidants, and minerals. Not every meal will be perfect (that’s normal!), but shifting your mindset to focus on what you are adding rather than eliminating can be immensely helpful. Even if you’re having meat at a meal, limit that portion to 1/4 of the plate and crowd it out with plants.

9. Have some simple go to meals

This is where keeping your pantry and freezer stocked at all times helps. To get you going on ideas, breakfast around here is typically smoothies/smoothie bowls, oatmeal, avocado toast, or nut butter toast. All kinds of toppings and variations. 

Lunch and dinner we often cook tacos, grain bowls, big ol’ salads, veggie heavy pastas, soups, and stir-frys. Mix and match different components with whats in season or in your fridge.

10. Explore new cuisines and spices

Indian food in particular is super veg friendly. Vegan Richa is a great follow for ideas. Be sure to have lots of spices on hand as you’ll be reaching for them on the regular. Chili pepper, cumin, paprika, and cinnamon are heaviest in rotation around here. Nutritional yeast is another good one to have on hand, and bonus points, is that it can be a good source of vitamin B12 (btw, a lot of omnivores are deficient in this as well, not just vegans!)

11. At a restaurant, don’t be afraid to go off menu

While we aren’t eating out much right now, hopefully this will change soon! The vast majority of restaurants tend to have at least one or two plant based options at this point. If you do end up at a restaurant that doesn’t happen to have the most veg forward menu, you can often either combine a few appetizers or ask the server for a plant based option off menu. Just be sure to be clear what you do and do not eat (ie cheese). Some restaurants even have separate vegetarian/vegan menus - don’t be shy and ask!

12. Consider signing up for meal planners, food kit services, or meal delivery 

If you’re short on time and energy (um, all of us), consider making your life a little bit easier and have someone else do some of the leg work for you! One option is a meal planner, which will typically give you a weekly menu and grocery list in order to minimize planning time. Forks Over Knives has one. Another option that requires even less work, is a food kit service - these will typically send you all of the ingredients you need to make a meal so no planning or grocery shopping is required. There are a ton, but one plant based option is Purple Carrot. And lastly, you can opt for pre-cooked meal delivery that simply requires reheating and eating! Many of these alternatives can be really good if you’re overwhelmed and just starting out, need a break from meal planning and cooking, or just want some new recipe ideas! Obviously the require a bit more financial investment than doing it all yourself, but some can be quite reasonable, particularly a meal planner. Even just a week or two can help get you started or re-energized!

Have fun and enjoy!