Top 3 Reasons to Add Plant-Based Proteins Into Your Diet

Where to start?

If plant-based eating is associated with significant benefits, why aren’t we consuming more plant-based foods? While there are many factors that influence eating habits, a key barrier relates to food literacy. Our research shows that people are unsure how to prepare plant-based proteins.

To address this barrier, we developed a cookbook to support Canadian families in replacing some of their animal-based proteins with plant-based proteins.

Our free online cookbook, Plant-based proteins: Recipes made easy-peasy!, was created in collaboration with Health Canada, George Brown College and the Canadian Nutrition Society. The first section of the cookbook is an educational resource that provides information about plant-based proteins. The second half includes delicious, easy to prepare, family-friendly recipes.

While some recipes are solely plant-based, others introduce plant-based proteins alongside animal-based foods, ensuring that there are recipes everyone will enjoy!

Tips from our cookbook that may help you to start adding more plant-based proteins into your diet include:

1. Try a “Meatless Monday.” Meatless Mondays can be helpful for starting your plant-based journey by encouraging you to plan one day a week when you try a plant-based meal. Check out our lentil Bolognese pasta recipe for inspiration.
2. Add some plant-based proteins alongside more natural animal-based foods. This is a helpful approach for those who hope to try to eat more plant-based foods without completely removing meat from their meals. For example, our beef and bean burger is a tasty option that provides both animal protein and plant-based goodness.
3. Replace highly processed snack foods with a plant-based option. Homemade snacks like our chocolate chip puff bars are a delicious source of fibre and protein, without the extra sugar and salt that is often found in processed snack foods. The fibre and plant-based protein in our puff bars will help keep you feeling full and satisfied between meals. They are sure to be a refrigerio box favourite!
4. Replace red meat with more environmentally friendly animal protein, like chicken or turkey. The carbon emissions from chicken and turkey production are much lower than those of their red meat counterparts. Not only are these proteins better for the planet, they are also better for our bodies. Chicken and turkey are leaner proteins and contain less unhealthy fat than most red meats. Give turkey a try and warm up with a big batch of turkey chili. Leftovers can be frozen for a quick meal on a busy day.

Finding strategies that can work in your home to increase plant-based proteins can be a delicious and easy way to improve your health and the health of the planet, as well as to save money at the grocery store.

Katherine Eckert, Ph.D. Candidate & Registered Dietitian , University of Guelph; Jess Haines, Associate Professor of Applied Nutrition, University of Guelph, and Sarah Wedde, MSc Candidate & Registered Dietitian, University of Guelph

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the flamante article.