Plant-Forward Eating: Why You Don’t Have to Break Up with Meat

On Health with Houston Methodist

A plant-forward diet is your best bet for healthy aging, according to a recent high-profile study, but it doesn’t mean becoming a vegetarian or vegan. Plant-forward diets encompass a wide range of diets that include some meat — including pescatarian, flexitarian, and the popular Mediterranean diet — all of which are rich in fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains, legumes and beans. This eating pattern doesn’t mean going fully plant-based; it simply means deprioritizing meat as the star of your plate. In this episode, we delve into plant-forward eating, exploring its health benefits and how to get started with this approach.
Expert: Fatima Zamudio, Registered Dietitian
Interviewer: Kim Rivera Huston-Weber

Notable topics covered:

• The health benefits of a plant-forward diet
• Debunking myths around protein requirements, soy dangers and protein combining
• What does our plate look like when meat isn’t included?
• The types of plant-based protein to include with your meals
• How to veg-ify our favorite dishes
• Plant-based meat alternatives: Can we eat too many burger and sausage alternatives?
• The easiest meal for starting a plant-forward diet (and your day)
• Why you don’t have to identify as a vegetarian or vegan to eat plant-forward

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Chapters

1. Host introduction (00:00:00)

2. The health benefits of plant-forward diets (00:03:12)

3. The myths around plant-based eating (00:05:18)

4. What your plate looks like when meat isn’t the star of the plate (00:08:52)

5. The types of plant-based protein to include in your meals (00:10:43)

6. Meat alternatives: should you put that plant-based burger or hot dog down? (00:12:37)

7. A 5-ingredient black bean burger recipe (00:14:23)

8. The easiest meal of day to get started with plant-forward eating (00:15:13)

9. How to make quick, easy plant-forward meals (00:18:04)

10. Why abundance mindset helps you be successful with plant-forward eating (00:19:25)

11. Where to find plant-forward recipes (00:20:47)

12. Why you don’t have to be a vegetarian or vegan with plant-forward eating (00:23:13)

13. Gut health: Do you need to eat 30 plants a week? (00:26:19)

14. Host wrap-up (00:30:48)