Pleasure in Plant-Based: The Benefits of Incorporating Meat-Free Meals

WRITTEN BY HANNAH BAKOWSKI

In the last few years, plant-based eating (vegetarianism and veganism) has become increasingly popular. While some have fully embraced a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle, many others have chosen to incorporate more plant-based meals into their weekly rotation, as evidenced by phrases such as “Meatless Mondays”; an intentionality around at least one meat-free meal per week.

Those new to the plant-based world may often equate this type of meal to a salad. While salads can be delicious and full of nutrition, they often lack sustaining nourishment that leaves a person satisfied for longer than a couple hours. Part of the plant-based revolution is to embrace the myriad ways that meals centered on vegetables can incorporate more than just your everyday salad.

The Benefits of Eating Plant-Based Meals: While some people choose to eat plant based for personal, spiritual, religious, or even ethical reasons, many are eating more plant-based because of health reasons1. Recent studies have been finding that individuals and groups of people who consume more plant protein have a lower chance of cardiovascular disease (CVD), metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and lower weight2. One study by Kwoke et al. even had results showing vegetarians had a 29% lower chance of congenital heart disease (CHD) mortality1. Overall, research has shown that eating plant-based meals can help to improve your health.

What Does It Mean to Eat Plant-Based? There are many working definitions of what constitutes a plant-based meal which is quite flexible depending on an individual’s dietary objectives and needs. Some people choose to be lacto-vegetarian, meaning the only animal products they consume is dairy; some choose to be ovo-vegetarian, meaning they will eat eggs. Others prefer to be vegan meaning they don't eat any animal products at all2. However, just because there are different versions of eating plant-based, doesn't mean you have to stick to one way! For example, I am not a vegetarian, but I love eating plant-based meals!

Meat Substitutes: Many plant-based food companies try to replicate the taste, texture, and experience of eating meat, without the product actually being an animal protein. While these products can be delicious and give you the experience of eating meat, they can be quite expensive and heavily processed. Personally, I think they take away from the excitement of creating recipes with plant-based ingredients!

Here are a few tips and tricks I found through not only my research but through my experience eating plant-based meals:

Have an Open Mind. Having an open mind is very important when starting to incorporate more plant-based meals into your family's meal rotation. Don’t expect the food to taste like meat, because it wont. Instead, think of it as its own unique meal that is delicious in its own way! It may take a few trials and errors to get the recipe just right, but once you do, I doubt you’ll be missing the animal protein!

Start Small. Have you ever started making a change in your life, went all in, only to be overwhelmed and then a couple days later you quit? Well that’s happened to me many times, and through trial and error I’ve found that starting off small is the best way to stick to something! So, instead of becoming a vegetarian overnight, maybe try eating plant based once a week. Once you get used to that you can slowly start to increase the amount of plant-based meals you eat until you’re content! I’m not saying you have to convert to a vegetarian or vegan, but this is a good way to add more plant-based meals into your weeks, as well as add more variety! Another good way to start small is to start by adding more vegetables and a plant-based option instead of just taking away the meat. This is a great way to get your family on board as well!

Make your favorite meals plant-based. One great way to introduce a plant based meal to your family, is to make one of your favorite meals plant based! This way, you already know that you and your family enjoy this meal. All you have to do is swap out the meat for a plant based alternative. For example, Taco Tuesday is very popular in my house. Normally we would use ground turkey, but instead, we use black beans! Another fun way to make these tacos plant based is to use sweet potatoes or lentils as your main filling component, and then add in other vegetables to bump up the flavor and texture of the dish.

Sweet Potato Tacos (Recipe adapted from HelloFresh4)

Ingredients:

2 sweet potatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 medium yellow onion
1/4th ounce cilantro
2 cloves of garlic (or 1 heaping tablespoon of minced garlic)
½ can black beans
1 lime
6 whole wheat tortillas
1 teaspoon cumin
4 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt

½ ounce honey
1 avocado

Directions:

Wash and dry all produce. Adjust rack to middle position and preheat oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit. Cut sweet potatoes into ½-inch cubes. Toss on a baking sheet with 1 tablespoon olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Roast in oven until tender and lightly browned, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, halve, peel, and dice onion. Pick cilantro leaves from stems; discard stems. Mince or grate garlic. Drain and rinse half the beans from the can (use the rest as you like). Zest ½ teaspoon zest from lime, then cut into halves.
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook, tossing occasionally, until softened, 5-6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add garlic and beans to pan. Cook, tossing, until fragrant and warmed through, 3-4 minutes.
Wrap tortillas in foil and place in oven to warm, about 5 minutes. (TIP: alternatively, wrap tortillas in a damp paper towel and microwave on high until warm, about 30 seconds.) Toss sweet potatoes, honey, cumin, and juice form one lime half into pan with beans and cook until liquid is mostly evaporated, 2-3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Halve, pit, and peel avocado. Cut one half into thin slices. Roughly chop other half and place in a medium bowl along with Greek yogurt, juice from remaining lime half, and lime zest. Mash with a fork until mostly smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
Spread avocado onto tortillas, then top each with filling, avocado slices, and cilantro. TIP: break out the hot sauce if you like it spicy!

Notes:

CVD is the leading cause of death in the US2
Studies show that groups who eat plant based have lower rate of CVD compared to groups that eat animal-based2
There is no exact definition for plant-based: some include dairy, some omit it; some exclude processed foods, etc.2
A Recent study by Song et al. found that a high intake of animal protein was positively associated with mortality - the opposite was seen with a high intake of plant protein2
Kwok et al. found that vegetarians had a 29% lower risk of CHD mortality compared to non-vegetarians2
Vegetarian diet does not contain meat or seafood or products containing these foods - Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics1
Lacto-vegetarianism contains dairy products1
Ovo-vegetarianism eats eggs1
Veganism avoids all flesh, dairy, and egg foods, and sometimes honey 1
Studies show that vegetarian or vegan diets may result in lower body weight, lower incidence of metabolic syndrome, diabetes; improvement in blood pressure and dyslipidemia, and lower incidence and/or mortality related ischemic heart disease1
If not done correctly, a vegan or vegetarian diet an lead to nutrient deficiencies such as vitamin B12, zinc, and iron1, nutrients that are primarily found in animal protein