An increasing number of people are choosing a plant based diet. This diet mainly consists of vegetables, fruits and grains, a few seeds and nuts with rich protein. Many people choose this type of diet just to avoid eating meat, as they see animals as living beings equal to humans. Still a large number of people eat a whole food plant based diet for health and environmental reasons. Various simple ways can help you start and keep a plant based diet. This style of diet can be kept either throughout your life or be followed regularly according to your personal needs and values.
Components of Plant Based Diet
When looking at eating a plant based diet, it can be daunting at first, but it is fairly simple. A diet that is based on whole plant foods consists of foods that are not refined, or are only finely refined, and are found in nature. It does not include any meat, including fish and chicken. It may seem as though the food selection would be gone with these requirements, but there are still quite a few things a person can eat. Here are some examples:
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Fruit: Bananas, blueberries, oranges, cherries, strawberries and many others.
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Vegetables: Green leafy vegetables like greens, lettuce, broccoli, kale, carrots and much more.
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Starchy Vegetables: Potatoes, yams, green peas, corn, squash and so on.
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Whole Grains: Rice, barley, oats, whole wheat, etc.
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Legumes: Beans like lima beans, kidney beans, lentils, chickpeas and so forth.
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Nuts and Seeds: hemp seeds, almonds (raw) and walnuts (raw).
There are those who still eat some meat products in their diet. However, a true plant based diet is one that does not include meat, and does not include any products that are by-products of animals, such as eggs, milk and the like.
