A Snapshot Guide to Plant-Based Eating

Are you feeling that following a plant-based diet would be too difficult and must require the removal of all animal-based products? There is good news that following a plant-based style of eating can accommodate many different preferences. Here are 5 snapshots of choices you can include more plants in your diet.

1. Vegan

100% plant based. This means no animal meat, seafood or products made from animals like dairy, honey, or eggs.

Some examples of foods you can include are:

• Fruits and vegetables.
• Nuts and seeds.
• Tofu
• Wholegrains  containing products e.g. Corn Thins slices.
• Legumes and beans

2. Vegetarian

This is a diet which includes mostly plant forms of protein but does allow animal-based products like dairy.

Some examples of foods you can include are:

• Fruits and vegetables
• Nuts and seeds.
• Legumes and beans
• Whole grains & whole grain containing products e.g. brown rice, whole grain pasta, whole grain couscous, whole grain bread, quinoa, Corn Thins slices and whole grain crackers.
• Yoghurt
• Cheese e.g cheddar, ricotta or cottage cheese.
• Tofu
• Cow’s milk

3. Pescatarian

This is a vegetarian style diet but also includes seafood. Many pescatarians also include eggs.

Some examples of foods you can include are:

• All the foods above in the vegetarian diet.
• Tuna
• White filleted fish like Basa
• Prawns
• Crab meat

4. Lacto-Ovo-Vegetarian

This style of eating is a vegetarian based style with the addition of dairy and eggs.

Some examples of foods you can include are:

• All the foods in the vegetarian diet.
• Free range eggs
• Cottage and ricotta cheese
• Yoghurt
• Cow’s milk

5. Flexitarian

This style of eating aims to include mostly plant sources of food but also allows the occasional poultry, meat, and seafood.

Some examples of foods you can include are:

• All the foods in the vegetarian diet.
• 95g tuna can in spring water.
• Lean red meat cuts.
• Chicken and turkey breast with the skin and extra fat removed.
• Frozen white fish fillets
• Salmon

Take home message: What is brilliant about  these five styles of plant-based eating is that it can accommodate so many different levels of including more plants in your diet. This is not only doing good things to your health but is also a great way to reduce your impact on the planet.