Plant-Based: What Is It, and Should You Do It?

By Tara Gidus Collingwood, MS, RDN, CSSD, ACSM-CPT

PHYSICAL HEALTH FOR WIDOWS

Plant-based eating has been the buzz of the nutrition world for the past few years. Does eating a plant-based diet mean you have to swear off meat forever or become a vegetarian? Absolutely not — unless you want to!

Plant-based (or plant-forward) eating simply means that the majority of the food you eat comes from plants — fruits, veggies, grains, nuts, seeds, legumes, etc. How much animal protein you include is your decision. You could become a vegan who doesn’t include any animal derivatives at all, or you could include dairy, eggs, seafood, and even meat on a daily basis and still be considered plant-based. There is no need to label yourself as anything.

We know that plants are at the core of a healthy diet. They offer antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and fiber that keep our bodies operating in top shape. Thousands of research studies have proven that plants are nutritious and good. The Mediterranean diet, rated the healthiest diet in many …