![\"How](\"http:\/\/dev.eatrightpa.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/3-Ways-Plant-Based.jpg\")
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by Beth Stark, RDN, LDN<\/p>\n
There are more reasons to adopt a plant-based way of eating than simply staying on top of one of the
\nhottest food trends of the year. This eating approach is also linked to a bounty of health benefits
\nincluding a lower risk for some types of cancer and diabetes, a healthier heart and slimmer waistline and
\nbetter digestion, to name a few.<\/p>\n
Intrigued?<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s first clarify what plant-based eating is not. Contrary to what many believe\u2014it\u2019s not
\nnecessarily vegetarian or vegan. Yes, those are plant-based eating styles, but it\u2019s not quite as cut and
\ndried. While plant-based eating includes beans and legumes, fruits, veggies, whole grains, soy, nuts,
\nseeds and oils at the core; it also includes sensible amounts of lean meats, poultry, seafood and dairy on
\nthe fringe.<\/p>\n
What I personally love about this approach is that, unlike so many stringent nutrition recommendations
\nout there, this one is far more flexible. And hey, it allows highly nutritious plant foods to peacefully
\ncoincide with a burger here and there.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re not sure where to start, here are three super-easy ways to transform your plate the plant-
\nbased way:<\/p>\n
One Meal\/Day<\/strong> In between meals, nosh on veggies and hummus, roasted almonds or seasoned pumpkin seeds.<\/p>\n Ingredient Swap<\/strong> Experiment with New Flavors<\/strong> Beth Stark, RDN, LDN is the Manager of Lifestyle Initiatives at Weis Markets, a family-owned and -operated supermarket chain with 204 stores in the mid-Atlantic region. Connect with her on Instagram<\/a> and LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Beth Stark, RDN, LDN There are more reasons to adopt a plant-based way of eating than simply staying on top of one of the hottest food trends of the year. This eating approach is also linked to a bounty of health benefits including a lower risk for some types of cancer and diabetes, a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":4742,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[103,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4741","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-103","category-april-2"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eatrightpa.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4741","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eatrightpa.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eatrightpa.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eatrightpa.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eatrightpa.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4741"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.eatrightpa.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4741\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10582,"href":"https:\/\/www.eatrightpa.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4741\/revisions\/10582"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eatrightpa.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4742"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eatrightpa.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4741"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eatrightpa.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4741"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eatrightpa.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4741"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nSelect one meal per day to go heavy on the plant foods. And be more adventurous than simply
\ndefaulting to a salad. Swap one of these ideas in the place you would typically have a meat-containing
\nmeal.<\/p>\n\n
\nand guacamole.<\/li>\n
\nReduce the amount of meat, poultry and fish in your go-to recipes and replace it with beans, lentils,
\ncooked quinoa or diced, finely chopped mushrooms. I have found that this technique works seamlessly
\nin tacos, casseroles, soups and chili. In addition to enhancing the nutrient content of the dish, these
\nplant-based ingredients add a hearty texture and flavor and may also stretch your food dollar.<\/p>\n
\nSeek inspiration. If going plant-based takes you out of your comfort zone, tap into a new cookbook,
\nwebsite, blog, etc. for fresh and creative ideas. After a little time and experimentation with unfamiliar
\ningredients, textures and flavors, you\u2019ll gain the confidence you need to create taste-bud pleasing plant-
\nbased dishes with ease and your body will thank you.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/dev.eatrightpa.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/193-e1519769438401-200x300.jpg\")
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