So, what is that in the first place? There are so many food preferences out there and it can be pretty confusing. You may be familiar with these terms; vegan, vegetarian, plant based, semi -vegetarian or flexitrian, pescatarian and also fruitarian. Yes exactly , so let’s keep it simple. I am going to break it down a bit;

Vegan includes no animal foods or animal by products ( you eat nothing that comes from a living being) .

Vegetarian includes eggs and dairy, no meat, poultry, fish or seafood.

Semi-vegetarian or flexitarian includes eggs, dairy foods, and occasionally meat, poultry, fish and seafood.

Pescatarian includes eggs, diary foods, fish and seafood, but no meat or poultry.

Fruitarian you eat mostly (or all) fruit on the fruitarian diet, at least 50%-75% of what you comsume must be fruits, to be considered a fruitarian.

Today let’s talk about a PLANT BASED DIET.

According to Harvard Health a Plant–based or plant-forward eating patterns focus on foods primarily from plants. This includes not only fruits and vegetables, but also nuts, seeds, oils, whole grains, legumes, and beans. It doesn’t mean that you are vegetarian or vegan and never eat meat or dairy.

The truth is, we all need more plants in our diets. A plant based diet has amazing health benefits, eating more plants could possibly ;

1. Lower cholesterol.
2. Reduce the risk of heart disease.
3. Reduce the risk of certain cancers ( breast, prostate and colon).
4. Help with depression.
5. Obtaining and keeping a healthy weight.

I want to simply share with you how to do that, where it is easy and approachable. I highly suggest talking to your healthcare provider and a license nutritionist or certified wellness coach, before starting any new food regimen. Caution: The fruitarian is one of the most restrictive of them all and I would not suggest it for a long period of time, not even 48 hours. Every body is a different body, so find out what works for yours.

Here are a few ways you can incorporate more of a plant forward diet into your lifestyle. There are plenty of plant based recipes here on the blog.

1. Have a positive attitude. Give yourself grace and try not to look at this as a goal, but an experience and see where it takes you.
2. Fill half of your plate with vegetables, make it colorful and eat the rainbow.
3. Purchase your favorite fruits and vegetables and incorporate something new each week, like Brussels sprouts, here’s a great recipe for them Brussels Sprouts and Avocado Salad for Breast Health .
4. Make meat a garnish and not the main course. You are not depriving yourself, your are contributing to better health.
5. Substitute two meat meals, with a vegetarian or vegan meal each week. Google recipes that you love, but they are the vegan or vegetarian version, for example, vegan or vegetarian chili, lasagne, tacos, or burritos, just to name a few.
6. Build a meal around a salad, include lots of vegetables, leafy greens, legumes, nuts and seeds, for protein.
7. Eat fruit for dessert, a big fruit bowl with a drizzle of honey and sprinkle of cinnamon.
8. Send positive affirmations and blessings into your food. Food is energy and we digest that energy with our thoughts.

I wrote out a few that came to my mind that you can try to meditate on just before each meal.

MINDFUL EATING AFFIRMATIONS by Lisa Washington:

Eating more plants is good for our overall well being and even our plant. Let’s eat more plants and as always, remember to Set the Table with Love. 🌱🥬🥒🥦💚