A plant-based diet is a way of eating that celebrates plant foods and focuses on consuming foods in their most natural form. While it also encourages to cuts out less healthy items like process food, added sugars and refined grains products. It is sometimes also called a flexitarian diet.
Regardless of the type of whole-foods, plant-based diet you choose, adopting this way of eating should help to boost your health. There is no clear definition of what constitutes a whole-foods, plant-based diet. It is not necessarily a set diet but more of a lifestyle. This is because plant-based diets can vary greatly depending on the extent to which a person includes animal products in their diet.
The basic principles of a whole-foods, plant-based diet are as follows:
- Putting the emphasis on whole food and minimising processed foods.
- Limiting or avoiding animal products.
- Putting a large focus on plants including vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, seeds and nuts, should make up the majority of what you eat.
- Trying to exclude refined foods, like added sugars, white flour and processed oils.
- Paying attention to food quality, and understanding the importance of eating locally sourced, organic food whenever possible.
For these reasons, this diet is often confused with vegan or vegetarian diets. Yet although similar in some ways, these diets are not the same. People who follow vegan diets abstain totally from consuming any animal products, including dairy, meat, seafood, eggs and honey. Vegetarians exclude all meats from their diets but still include invariance; eggs, seafood or dairy.
A plant-based whole foods diet, on the other hand, is more flexible.
The diet emphasizes plant-based foods while minimizing animal products and processed items, so animal products aren’t off-limits When switching to a plant-based diet, meals should centre around plant-based foods. If animal foods are eaten, they should be eaten in smaller quantities, with attention paid to the quality of the item. Foods like dairy, eggs, meat and seafood should be used more as a complement to a plant-based meal, not as the main focal point.
Recipes
Spaghetti with Lentils sauce
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 1 carrot finely chopped
- 2 clove garlic crushed
- 2 tbsp tomato puree
- 800 g or 2 tins chopped tomatoes
- 100 ml white wine
- 200 g red lentils
- 300 g wholemeal spaghetti
- 100 g feta crumbled (optional)
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot and cook over low heat for 2 -3 minutes until softened. Add the garlic, tomato paste, tomatoes and white wine. Bring to the boil and add the lentils and season with salt and black pepper. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes, until lentils soften.
- Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in boiling, salted water according to packet instructions.
- Drain the spaghetti and toss with the lentil sauce.
- Divide between serving bowls and sprinkle with feta and fresh parsley.
2 thoughts on “What Is A Plant-Based Diet?”
It’s my first course on line and I’m a little confused, do you actually show us how to cook the recipe or do I just make the recipe myself?
Hi mikeandjoyce22, each tutorial have a different theme. today was about ideas and planning for a plant based diet and what make it a great diet to follow. on Tuesday tutorial I will show you how to make your own oat milk and others. each day you have a few suggested recipes to try out! and on Tuesday and Thursday we will have the cookalong at 5pm !