How to Eat More Plants

Eat More Plants in 2021: 5 Ways to Make It Fun and Easy

WRITTEN BY DEB CZECH, PLANTED PLATTER

Ready to say “Goodbye!” to 2020?! As you look toward the holidays and prepare to transition to a new year on the calendar, it’s a good time to take stock of your health. What are your health and wellness goals for 2021? Do you want to regain the energy you had years ago? Do you have health metrics you’d like to raise or lower? Are you motivated to eat greener for environmental reasons? Trying to get healthier to reduce your COVID risks? Medical research has shown that adopting a plant-based style of eating can be part of the answer for improving your health and well-being. No matter your motivation, there are a growing number of ways you can embrace a plant-based lifestyle. With the proliferation of support networks, recipe resources, education, entertainment, and food service options, it’s not as complicated a journey as it was several years ago. There’s never been a better time than right now to get started on improving your health for 2021. Build some small habits as you head into the holiday season and you’ll be ready to start 2021 on the right foot.

For more details and helpful links for all five of these suggestions, visit PlantedPlatter.com. Follow along on Facebook and Instagram @PlantedPlatter.

Here are FIVE ways to make it easy to put more plants on your plate.

1Join together with family members, a friend, or a group. Let’s face it: most challenges in life are easier with one or more buddies who can share information, celebrate successes, and push past the occasional mistakes. Whether you’re cooking for each other, following the same healthy eating program online, or just laughing over the normal stumbling blocks, it will be more fun if you do it together.

2Take an online class – or give the gift of one to someone else! A good instructor will help you get comfortable and gain confidence with this new style of meal planning, shopping, cooking, and eating. (It’s really not that hard!) Learn about new ingredients and how easy it is to build balance into your daily meals.

3Find new recipe resources to guide you along. New vegan or plant-based cookbooks are coming out all the time and recipes proliferate online and via apps. Home delivery of plant-based meals is becoming a more common service from both national and local operations.

4Draw inspiration from a good story. There are many people who have left their debilitating health conditions behind and found good health and physical strength by eating more plants. If you don’t feel like reading or listening to a podcast, check out all the movies about plantbased eating.

5Ask your favorite local restaurants about their plant-based meal options. Many establishments are building their repertoire of vegan-friendly dishes, recognizing the growing interest in this menu category. Even if there’s nothing listed on the menu, lots of chefs will get creative on request. (Especially in this time of changing business hours and operations, it’s a good idea to call ahead to help your favorite spot be ready for your request when you arrive.)

Healthy Snacks

WRITTEN BY DIANE WHITTEN, FOOD & NUTRITION EDUCATOR,

CORNELL COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SARATOGA COUNTY

Snacks are an opportunity to provide nutritious foods that help to meet the daily nutritional needs of young children. Think of snacks as a mini-meal, not a time for treats. Try to offer your kids snacks that include foods from at least two of these food groups: milk, vegetables/fruit, grains/breads, and meat/meat alternative, and include a beverage. Snacks will help balance blood sugar levels throughout the day to prevent sugar cravings and overeating, as well as, diminish mood swings and behavior problems. Try some of these healthy, well-balanced snacks! MILK GROUP: Milk provides calcium and vitamin D, nutrients essential for building and keeping bones and teeth strong and healthy. • An ice-cold glass of milk (1% or skim for children older than 2 years) includes carbohydrates, protein and fat. • Fruit smoothie made with milk or yogurt GRAINS: Choose whole grains whenever possible for extra fiber, and avoid grains with too much added sugar or fat. Grains provide carbohydrates, fiber, iron and B vitamins. • Cereal, hot or cold (not more than 6 grams of sucrose and other sugars per 1-ounce serving) with milk • granola or cereal bars When choosing a prepackaged snack, such as granola bars, crackers or cookies use the nutrition facts panel to find a product that supplies no more than 6g of sugar, 5 g of fat, and 140 calories per serving. Sweetened grains should not be served more than 2 times a week. FRUITS AND VEGETABLES: Fruits and vegetables contain vitamins A and C to strengthen the immune system, help heal cuts, and keep skin healthy. Use snacks as a time to introduce children to new fruits and vegetables, such as star fruit or cauliflower. Limit fruit juice to just two times a week. • Ants on a Log (celery, peanut butter or cream cheese and raisins) • Salsa served with whole grain, reduced sodium tortilla chips • Dips to use with vegetables: fat-free dressing, peanut butter yogurt, hummus or guacamole • Fresh fruit, cut up so it’s easy to eat • Frozen and canned fruit in its own juice or a light syrup are just as healthy as fresh fruit. • Unsweetened applesauce sprinkled with cinnamon MEAT/MEAT ALTERNATIVES: Include food from both plants and animals which are excellent sources of protein and iron. Protein helps build strong muscles and repairs and builds new body tissue. Foods in the meat/meat alternative group can be broken down into 6 categories: 1) Lean Meat, Poultry or Fish • Tuna fish salad made with low-fat mayo (serve as a sandwich or use as a dip for veggies) • Lettuce wraps (low-fat turkey with a slice of low-fat cheese wrapped in a lettuce leaf) 2) Yogurt, fat-free or low-fat • Fat free or low-fat drinkable yogurt • Fruit and yogurt parfait-layer fat-free/low-fat yogurt with fruit, top with granola 3) Eggs • Hardboiled eggs or egg salad made with low-fat mayo 4) Cooked dry beans, peas or lentils • Black beans, peas, edamame, hummus made with chick peas 5) Nuts or seeds • Peanut butter sandwich 6) Cheese (cream cheese is not included in this subgroup) • Low-fat cottage cheese • Low-fat cheese slices or mozzarella cheese sticks

for Children Recepies

Fruit Smoothie – Be creative and adventurous, let children help choose the fruit

Ingredients:

1 cup fruit, fresh or frozen (try bananas, berries, peaches, mangoes, pineapple, etc.) 2 cups low-fat vanilla yogurt (try Greek for more protein and less carbs) 1 cup low fat milk ½ cup of ice cubes (omit if using frozen fruit)

Instructions:

• Mix all ingredients together in blender • Nutrition Information per 1/2 cup. (makes 4 cups): Calories 47, Carbohydrate 7 g, Protein 2 g, Total Fat .7g, Sodium 40g, Sugars 5g Peanut Butter Yogurt Dip – Kids of all ages love this.

Ingredients:

8 oz. low fat yogurt, plain, vanilla or other flavor 4 oz. unsalted peanut butter

Instructions:

• Combine yogurt and peanut butter until well blended. • Serve with apple slices, carrots, celery or whole grain pretzel sticks. • Calories 48, Protein 2g, Carbs 3 g, Sugar 2.3g, Added Sugar .4g, Fat 3.5g, Sodium 34mg.