Three tips for a "plant-forward" diet
Whether you're "plant-based," "plant-forward," or just a fan, here's how I get more plant-powered nutrient density on my plate.
This issue is sponsored by Daily Harvest, and our Plant-Based Whole30 bundle. Daily Harvest offers a curated box of 14 smoothies, bowls, and soups perfect for your Plant-Based Whole30 OR as a base for your omnivorous food freedom meals. Whether you’re an omnivore, vegan, or anything in between, let Daily Harvest help you effortlessly boost the diversity, nutrition, and flavor on your plate. Order your Plant-Based Whole30 bundle here and save $20 with the code DHWHOLE30. Then, read on for delicious ways to incorporate your bundle into any meal.
“Plant-based” is trending, no matter where you look. But based on sales and earnings, it’s clear consumers don’t want the ultra-processed foods that used to dominate the category. (Like the Impossible Burger, which uses additives, preservatives, and a highly processed form of soy.) Market research shows we’re looking for most of our plants in whole or minimally processed forms.
Me too! (Except you will pry Dill Pickle Kettle Chips out of my cold, dead hands, as yes, most potato chips are “plant-based.”) Though I still base my meals and snacks around an animal protein source, I’ve been conscientiously looking for ways to add more plants, and a greater diversity of plants, to my diet since the earliest days of Whole30.
In 2010, that meant buying new-to-me veggies at the grocery store, and learning how to cook them in a way I enjoyed. (Brussels sprouts and broccoli took a while—turns out roasting them until they’re basically burned did the trick.) Today, we have so many options for adding plant-based diversity and deliciousness to our meals in highly convenient ways.
Here are three tips I’ve been using to expand my protein sources, vegetables, and fruits to create a more colorful, varied, and nutrient-dense plate.
Prep tip: It starts with a Whole30! The Whole30 elimination and reintroduction phase helped me identify the plant-based protein sources and sides that work best for me. In my food freedom, I now know to avoid kidney beans, too much corn, soy protein isolate, or gluten-containing grains (including seitan). I also know that tofu, edamame, black beans, cannellini beans, rice, quinoa, and oats work amazingly well in my system. Doing the Original Whole30 as an omnivore will help you dial in the grains and legumes that work best in your body, so you can build your plate in a way that supports your energy, sleep, and digestion, and minimizes inflammation.
Tip 1: Add more PROTEIN with plants
My goal here isn’t to eat less meat, it’s to eat more plants, and I accomplish that in two ways. Occasionally, I will sub a plant-based protein source for the meat in my dish, just for texture and nutrient variety. I enjoy:
Extra-firm tofu, pan-seared or air-fried
Firm tofu, scrambled like eggs
Pan-seared tempeh
Abbot’s Whole30 Approved “chorizo,” ground “beef,” or chick’n (made from pea protein)
The second way (which I do far more often) is to add more protein to my meal with a plant-based source. There’s a rice bowl I make at home with roasted chicken and roasted tofu, plus giant hunks of sweet potato, charred broccoli, chopped green apples, arugula, and a creamy Green Goddess or tahini dressing. My “breakfast for dinner” burritos always feature eggs and Abbot’s chorizo. I may scramble my veggies and chicken sausage with tofu for lunch. Or I’ll add a side of tempeh toast (I love the recipe in The New Whole30) to a ground beef chili or chicken salad.
It might feel weird to eat meat and a vegan protein source in the same dish, but it’s a great hack! Adding a plant-based protein to my usual meals boosts the satiety factor and add more plants to my day.
Tip 2: Add VARIETY with Daily Harvest
I also want to eat a wider variety of plants. I already eat a ton of asparagus, green beans, sweet potato, peppers, and onions. But I don’t cook chickpeas, red lentils, green lentils, or white beans at home, and I could always stand to branch out more on my veggies. If I tried to include broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, mushrooms, butternut squash, sun-dried tomatoes, kale, zucchini, and kohlrabi in my meals, I’d probably waste a lot of produce, and spend way too much time chopping.
Daily Harvest’s Plant-Based Whole30 bundle (a one-time order, not a subscription) makes eating a wider variety of plants effortless for vegans and omnivores. Their smoothies, bowls, and soups are packed with veggies, herbs, spices, beans, and lentils. Some are complete meals with plant-based protein, while others offer delicious veggie sides or bases full of variety.
Add your own protein (animal or plant-based) and let Daily Harvest take care of the plant power and variety. Plus, their offerings blend up or reheat in under five minutes, making your breakfast, lunch, dinner, or snack fast and easy. (Use the code DHWHOLE30 to save $20 on your first order.)
Tip 3: SNEAK veggies into every meal
This tip was inspired by my son, who insisted I gave him credit here. He’ll tell me “I don’t like zucchini, peppers, mushrooms, or butternut squash” but eat a giant bowl of them if they’re chopped up small and stuck into a sauce or soup.
I have several meals on rotation that are specifically designed to load with veggies:
Ground meat with stuff over stuff
Big-A** Salads (article on Whole30.com)
Slow cooker chicken
Any sort of chili or soup
I am also not afraid to double the veggie content of any recipe. Half a pepper? I’m adding one or two. Two carrots? I’m chopping four. Doesn’t call for onion? I’m adding one anyway. I rarely have to accommodate by adding more sauce or spices—the extra veggies usually fit right into the recipe. And if there is any kind of sauce with the meal, they blend effortlessly. (My son says he likes “chunky sauce” better anyway.)
With practice, you’ll get the hang of what veggies go “best” with various kinds of dishes. The slow-cooker buffalo chicken I make each week wouldn’t be a good vehicle for Brussels or asparagus, but can easily handle bell peppers, onions, jalapenos, tomatoes. tomatillos, and even broccoli or cauliflower!
Plant-powered
Too often on social media, the “extreme” positions get the most attention. You can’t just enjoy meat, you should go full carnivore! You shouldn’t occasionally eat tofu, you should be vegan!
I’m here to tell you it’s not illegal to mix the two. If you like a plant-based burger with bacon on top, enjoy! If you want to make a chicken chili with a side of tempeh toast, enjoy! “Plant-forward” means you’re prioritizing plants in your diet, and you can do that in any way that suits your health context, tastes, and goals.
With some of these tips, recipe inspiration, and convenience from Daily Harvest, you can up your plant intake quickly, easily and deliciously—in a way that doesn’t require any sort of label whatsoever.
XO, MU
