[LifeStyle] How to get a balanced, plant-based diet

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If one of your goals this year is to have a plant-based diet, here's how to get started. Let's do it!

New trends in balanced nutrition and having an active life are being added to the main purposes and goals that are planned at the end or beginning of a year, such as changing eating habits or adopting healthier practices. Caring for the environment, body health and animal welfare are some of the reasons that those who seek to have a diet based on vegetables, fruits and vegetables take into consideration.

The sustained growth of people who are acquiring more conscious ways when it comes to eating, on the one hand, projects positive changes for the planet and on the other, represents health benefits.

According to a study by the National Academy of Sciences, it is estimated that by 2050 greenhouse gas emissions would be reduced between 29% and 70% if more citizens join the plant-based eating trends. And, according to Carolina Pimentel, a member of the Herbalife Nutrition Brazil Advisory Council of Dietitians, people who acquire these habits could help: lower cholesterol levels, better control hypertension, have a lower risk of developing type II diabetes and have a better nutritional status.

Some of the food plans that consider plants as protagonists are, for example, flexitarianism, which consists of combining the intake of plants with a percentage of animal protein; vegetarianism, where the consumption of meat is not present, but there is consumption of products derived from animals, and veganism, a trend based strictly on foods of plant origin. Before adopting any of these lifestyles, it is recommended to have a previous medical evaluation and the advice of health professionals during the process.

“Fruits, vegetables, and whole grains are an important source of vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients, as well as being cholesterol-free. Most also provide a large amount of fiber, which helps to satisfy the appetite and maintain the normal functioning of the digestive system.

When adequate portions of these foods are included to satisfy the appetite, there will be less room in the stomach to consume foods that are not very nutritious, "adds Pimentel.

A diet with a high percentage of plants does not only mean fruits and vegetables, beans, peas, lentils, oats, quinoa, brown or wild rice, among others, also count. Other sources of plant protein are milk, cheese and soy yogurt and tofu.

Nuts, seeds, avocados, olives, peanut butter, and plant-based oils contain fats that the body needs. The herbs and spices that are used to season food are also plants, all of this can be included in daily menus.

Pimentel recommends that those who are in the process of joining these trends or adopting a more balanced lifestyle in terms of nutrition should incorporate vegetables, fruits and vegetables little by little until they reach the ideal amount, more than 800 g per day. "You have to open space on the plate so that these vegetables are the protagonists of meals, consuming vegetables, greens, grains, soybeans and whole grains," says the dietician.

Finally, it is necessary to promote stress management, optimism, working towards healthier goals, connections and relationships, having adequate sleep, self-care, and meditation techniques. All of these are methods that contribute to the process of change. No one starts at once with 9 cups of vegetables a day, as with exercise and control of unhealthy habits, everything is step by step.

These forms of nutrition are part of the conscious and responsible consumption trends that will continue to be important over the years, since it is estimated that in 2050 these lifestyles will be equivalent to a range between 0.4% and 13% of the po[CENSORED]tion. World GDP, according to data from the same study by the National Academy of Sciences.