Tips for Plant-Based Eating in the New Year

Plant-based eating continues to grow in popularity and doesn’t look like it’ll be slowing down anytime soon. 

Beneficial for both your own health and the environment, more and more individuals are starting to adopt a plant-based way of eating. 

As a result, I figured it’d be helpful to share some common pitfalls I see with individuals adopting a plant-based diet and eight tips to succeed. Let’s get started! 

The Benefits of a Plant-Based Diet 

For more information on what a plant-based diet is and its potential benefits, be sure to read our complete guide here. 

To briefly recap, a plant-based diet has been linked with several benefits, including: 

• Reduced risk of chronic disease, such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes
• Achieving and maintaining a healthy weight
• Beneficial for brain health 
• More sustainable for the environment

3 Common Pitfalls 

1. Not actually eating more whole, plant-based foods 

Eating plant-based doesn’t mean just reducing (or avoiding) animal products. It means eating MORE plant-based foods. 

A common pitfall is that people will replace animal products with highly-processed foods rather than increase their intake of whole, plant-based foods. 

So, while it’s perfectly okay to use some more highly-processed vegan foods from time to time, try to get the bulk of your calories from more whole foods like beans, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. 

2. Eating the same foods over and over 

Whether you’re plant-based or not, eating a variety of foods is key to ensuring adequate nutrition.

As different foods contain varying types and amounts of nutrients, the more variety of food you include, the more likely you are to meet your nutrient needs for the day. 

Sticking with foods you’re comfortable with is common, especially when you’re new to a way of eating. But rather than clinging to just a handful of recipes and foods, make a point to try one new ingredient or recipe each week. 

Whether it’s trying a new source of plant-based protein, like tempeh, or switching up the vegetables in your stir-fry, there are many simple ways to incorporate new foods.

Another great option? Eat seasonally. Choosing foods that are in season is good for both you and the environment. 

3. Going cold-turkey 

Unlike a vegan diet, where all animal products are completely removed, choosing a plant-based diet usually means that some animal products are included in the diet occasionally. 

Now, some people do well going all-in right away. However, for many individuals, going from eating meat and dairy multiple times a day to just once or twice a week or every other week is a big change. 

Rather than thinking you have to eat plant-based for every meal, start by just increasing the number of plant-based meals and snacks that you have each day or week.

As you get used to plant-based ingredients and recipes, you can slowly increase your eating frequency. 

And again, plant-based doesn’t mean you can’t ever have animal products.

There’s nothing wrong with realizing that you feel best still having fish twice a week or mixing in a little Greek yogurt in your overnight oats.

Find what works best for your health goals and priorities. 

8 Tips for Eating More Plant-Based Meals 

1. Decide what plant-based means to you 

We touched on this a bit in the previous section, but as there’s no set definition of plant-based, it’s up to you how often you choose to have animal products. 

For some, plant-based may mean eating plant-based at home but being okay with animal products when over at someone’s house or out to eat. 

Or maybe you eat plant-based 5 days a week and then allow animal products in your meals on the other 2 days. 

The overall goal should be getting most of your calories from plant-based foods. From there, it’s all about figuring out what works best for your individual needs and beliefs. 

2. Pile on the veggies

It may sound obvious, but to reap many of the health benefits of a plant-based diet, you’ll want to pile on the vegetables. 

Fresh, frozen, or canned, work with what’s easily available and affordable.

I recommend keeping a few bags of frozen vegetables on hand for quick and easy meals. Plus, they can come in handy if the fresh veggies you bought went bad faster than you’d anticipated. 

As  I mentioned earlier, variety is also key. A good challenge is each week to choose a vegetable that you haven’t tried before or haven’t had in a long time. 

Another way to add variety is to pick up a vegetable that you don’t think you like and try preparing it in a new way.

There are many ways to prepare vegetables, including steaming, grilling, roasting, sauteing, boiling, or enjoying fresh food. Some can be riced or shredded to “sneak” into other foods like sauces and veggie burgers. 

And the method you choose can greatly affect the final flavor and texture of the vegetable. 

Just because you don’t like steamed broccoli, for example, doesn’t necessarily mean that you wouldn’t like it chopped small and added into a casserole or blended into a pasta sauce. 

3. Try different ways to prepare plant-based proteins 

Similar to the point made above about trying different preparations of vegetables, it’s also important to try out different methods of cooking plant-based proteins like lentils or tofu. 

Again, the method of cooking and the other ingredients in the recipe can make the same food taste totally different. 

Don’t like tofu in a stir-fry? Try coating them in breadcrumbs and baking until crispy.

Beans and lentils can be used in many different ways and forms. You may even find that you prefer dried beans cooked in a slow cooker rather than canned. 

Also, don’t forget about sauces and spices! As you don’t have the juiciness of meat to fall back on, get creative with different flavors.

You may be surprised to find that you enjoy your vegan meals just as much as your meat-based ones! 

4.  Buy a plant-based or vegan cookbook

If you’re new to plant-based cooking or find yourself stuck in a food rut, one of the best ways to learn new flavor combinations and cooking techniques is by buying a cookbook. 

Yes, there are plenty of free recipes online, but having a physical cookbook is less overwhelming as there are fewer options. 

5. Reduce your intake of highly processed foods 

As mentioned in the pit-falls section, I commonly see people who say they’re plant-based, yet their diets consist mostly of highly processed foods and are still low in whole foods. 

Meal prep and cooking in bulk are great ways to ensure that you have healthy, homemade meals at home rather than relying on pre-packaged meals. 

As for snacks, try to limit the amount of pre-packaged snacks and focus instead on whole food snacks, such as: 

• Veggie sticks with hummus
• Fresh fruit with nut butter or a handful of mixed nuts
• Homemade trail mix
• Steamed edamame pods
• Crispy chickpeas 
• Homemade apple or kale chips 
• Slice of toast with avocado and tomato slices OR nut butter and banana slices 
• Unsweetened plant-based yogurt with fruit and seeds on top 

Homemade granola bars, muffins, and smoothies are also good options! 

As for vegan alternatives, such as plant-based butters and meat alternatives, try to find whole-food alternatives and use these on special occasions. 

For example, Beyond Burgers are great if you’re craving a juicy hamburger. But it’s still highly processed. Most of the time, stick with a bean-based or veggie-based patty.

Similarly, instead of vegan butter, try to use healthy oils (like olive oil) when cooking and baking. And save the butter substitute for those special cookies or pastries that really are better with a buttery flavor. 

6. Don’t skip over the nutrition label or ingredient list 

Just because something is labeled as plant-based or vegan doesn’t mean it’s healthier: a plant-based pre-packaged cookie is still a cookie. 

When buying pre-packaged items, it’s still important to keep an eye on the nutrition label and ingredient list. 

What you look for on the nutrition label will depend on your individual nutrition needs. However, try to limit your intake of foods high in added sugars. 

Similarly, look for products with an overall short ingredient list filled with ingredients you’re familiar with. In particular, limit the intake of foods containing artificial additives, like flavors and colorings. 

7. Order more plant-based meals when out to eat or ordering in

Another great way to expand your knowledge of plant-based foods and flavor combinations is by ordering vegan entrees or appetizers when you’re out to eat (or ordering in). 

Not only will this give you more ideas of foods you can make at home, but it’s a great way to get in more veggies during the week, as vegan options often contain more vegetables than their meat counterparts. 

Trying to cut back on spending? Even if you don’t actually go out to eat, simply looking at restaurant menus can help spark some inspiration when you run out of flavor combinations. 

8. Use your Lose It app to make sure you’re meeting your macro and micronutrient needs 

Even if you’re making a point of including a variety of foods and putting together balanced meals, there may still be a nutrient you’re not getting enough of (or possibly getting too much of). 

One of the best ways to ensure that you’re meeting your macronutrient (carbs, protein, and fat) and micronutrient (vitamins and minerals) needs is by logging what you eat into your Lose It! App. 

This will help identify if there’s a nutrient that you’re consistently low in and need to make more of an effort to include in your diet.

Still can’t meet your nutrient needs? Make an appointment with a registered dietitian to discuss whether supplements may be beneficial. 

The Bottom Line 

The key to following a plant-based diet is including a variety of mostly whole, minimally processed foods.

And don’t forget to use your Lose It! app to ensure you’re meeting your nutrition needs when adjusting your dietary pattern. 

Do you follow a plant-based diet? Share your top tips in the comments below!