Nutrition

Plant Based Diets To Save Our Planet Many millennials are now switching to plant based diets due to many pressing concerns like our health, safeguarding our planet, animals and climate change. With many farmers ending their lives in India, we should be more concerned on what we choose to feed and fuel our body. In the world of health, you can do many things to enhance UR wellbeing and live sustainably. Here’s how you can play UR part. What exactly is a plant based diet? Plant-based eating is a life-changing and actionable approach to boost UR health through food and helps sustain our planet in the long run. Plant-rich diets majorly include vegetables, fruits, seeds, nuts, oils legumes, whole grains, beans, etc. A plant-based diet consists of a few animal products such as honey, milk, fish and eggs too. Majorly, this diet includes plant products and minimal to no animal products. A sneak peek into plant based diets Chose UR plant based diet In the world of health, you can make many enhancements to improve UR wellbeing and live sustainably. Choose the best Plant Based diet that suits UR lifestyle and budget. 1.Vegan diet Vegan diet has no animal products and the diet revolves around plants. Lacto vegetarian diet When you shop on an empty stomach, you tend to fill-up on impulse purchases that are unhealthy. Eat a light meal or snack before heading to the grocery store and you will more likely stick to UR list. 2.Lacto vegetarian diet When you shop on an empty stomach, you tend to fill-up on impulse purchases that are unhealthy. Eat a light meal or snack before heading to the grocery store and you will more likely stick to UR list. 3.Vegetarian (sometimes referred to as lacto ovo vegetarian diet) Vegetarian (sometimes referred to as Lacto Ovo vegetarian diet) includes eggs and dairy foods, but no meat, poultry and seafood. 4.Semi vegetarian (or flexitarian diet) Semi vegetarian (or flexitarian diet) includes eggs, dairy foods and occasionally meat, poultry and seafood. 5.Pescatarian diet Pescatarian diet is a plant-based diet along with seafood, no meat and poultry. Fill half of UR plate with locally sourced vegetables during lunch and dinner. Top 5 ways to switch to a plant based diet Millennials are switching to a plant-based diet due to pressing concerns like health, safeguarding the planet, animals and climate change. Change the way you think about meat Treat meat as a condiment and a salad as a meal, especially for dinner. It’s light, fresh and easily digestible Include high fibre whole grains for breakfast UR day with a healthy breakfast that includes oats, fruit, yoghurt, millets or any other whole grain Eat loads of vegetables and fruits Fill 50% of UR plate with locally-sourced vegetables. Consume fruit as a snack before 4pm. Refrain from eating fruit after a meal. Choose good fats Fats in olive oil, olives, flaxseeds, walnuts, chia seeds, peanuts, almonds and seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, watermelon) form excellent fat sources. Go for greens Add spinach, methi and moringa greens at least 3 times a week to UR diet. Add to dal to improve their nutritional content. The upsides of plant based diets 1.Better weight management Those who follow a plant-based diet have lower BMI and lower rates of obesity. They are also more active all day as this diet reduces sluggishness. Many plant foods are low in calories and fats too. 2.Better satiety Plant-based diets are high in fibre that keeps you full for a longer time. 3.Saves water Animal agriculture requires stupendous amounts of water when compared to plant agriculture. 4.Lowers risk of damaging the environment A plant-based diet is better than an animal based diet because there are fewer greenhouse emissions produced. 5.Helps our local farmers Fend for themselves. Buying locally sourced vegetarian food will help increase our local farmers and boost our health too. Plant based dishes are the fad these days, and apart from jackfruit curries and soya kheema, there is a new vegan food trend that’s doing the rounds in the food courts, called mock meat. They are also known as meat analogue, faux meat or vegan meat, which are a delicious substitute for animal-derived meat. They look, can be cooked like meat and even taste like meat but are healthier and better for the environment. They are made from different ingredients like soy, vegetable protein, wheat gluten, coconut, peas etc. Some of the companies that have mastered the art of vegan cheese have reached the shores of India, and if your love for cheese was holding you back to go completely vegan, here is UR chance! From companies like Urban Platter to Violife and from Live Yum to Artisan, there are many players in the market who are ready to give you a taste of this phenomenon. How to make coconut milk yogurt We never encourage canned foods but canned coconut milk preserves the fat coconut milk that doesn’t exist in tetra pack or fresh coconut milk. It’s not harmful for the body and therefore we use it in this case. Ingredients 1.Full fat coconut milk can 2.Probiotic capsules per can of coconut milk 3.Maple syrup or vanilla extract Preparation Shake the coconut milk well. Then pour into a clean, sterilised, dry glass jar or bowl. Empty the probiotic capsules into the coconut milk and use a wooden or plastic spoon to stir. Stir until creamy and smooth, pushing the probiotic up against the side with a spoon to evenly disperse. Cover the mixture with cheesecloth or a very thin, clean dish towel. Let the mixture be for at least 24 hours and up to 48 hours in a warm place. The longer it rests, the tangier the yogurt will become. Once the yogurt has reached the right amount of tanginess and thickness for your liking, cover securely with a lid and refrigerate until cold. After cooling, you can add maple syrup and/or vanilla extract.

Dr. Lakshmi K 5 min read