Often I get asked “Are you a vegetarian?” because I’m always posting plant based meals on my social media and blog. The answer is “no”. I eat a mostly plant based diet, and I do occasionally eat meat and animal byproducts, including beef, pork, chicken, fish, and eggs.
Back when I was studying at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in 2014 to become a health coach, I tried various diets as we learned about them to see how my body felt and to see what actually worked for me. (Note: I won’t ever recommend something to my clients that I haven’t personally tried myself.) One of the diets that I really enjoyed was pescatarian – essentially only eating plant based plus seafood. I did this for about a month and I felt much lighter and had better digestion. This allowed me to understand that my body required a lot less animal meat than I thought or what the standard American diet states. The better I felt – the more plant based meals I added into my diet and started experimenting with. Typically, we eat plant based (plus eggs) during the week and may have animal meat and byproducts on the weekend if we’re traveling, out to dinner, or if my body is craving it. I also find it much easier and convenient to cut up and prepare veggies than to prepare meats (which sometimes gross me out now!)
With that being said, the moral of the story is to learn what your body needs and how best to support optimal health with food. I don’t force my clients to eat plant-based if they prefer protein, but I help them get comfortable with including at least 1 plant based meal into their diet per week. I find that this is very necessary as the average person is not getting enough fruits and vegetables. A mostly plant based diet can benefit you by providing you with more antioxidants + vitamins, assist with weight loss, decrease risk of diabetes + heart disease, and decrease inflammation. I think most people are concerned that they will not be getting enough protein in their diet. Here are examples of plant based protein sources you can add to your meals:
- Quinoa
- Black Beans
- Hemp Seeds
- Pumpkin Seeds
- Dark Leafy Greens
- Chickpeas/hummus
- Nuts
- Chia Seeds
- Avocado
- Broccoli
- Lentils
As I mentioned earlier, I do eat meat and animal byproducts but I don’t eat them as nearly as often as I used to. However, when I do eat – I try to make sure it is the best quality meat: grass-fed beef, wild fish, and free range poultry and eggs. Lastly, animal meat and byproducts are always the first to go when I do my annual 2 week detox – plus no dairy, sugar, alcohol, and caffeine – as there can be certain chemical compounds created that have a carcinogenic effect when meat is cooked at high temperatures. Hoping this post inspires you to try at least 1 plant based meal this week – happy “little adapting”!
