Plant Goodness It's Friday!
PGIF! Plant Goodness It’s Friday!
I don’t know about you, but I am getting so tired of hearing every day about the latest amazing diet that we really must try! I’m sick of all the diet labels out there too, keto, paleo, Whole30 etc etc. Even when these are coined up to be a lifestyle change and they cleverly disguise the word “diet”, at the end of the day it’s still a form of restriction if you’re not used to eating that particular way. Life can be tricky enough without adding another list of rules which include what not to eat. But what if you are wanting to try and be a little healthier? Isn’t there an easier way to do this that doesn’t mean completely overhauling your life? I think there is…
We have probably all heard that we should be eating less meat and dairy and more fruits and veggies, if not only for health reasons, but for environmental reasons too. From a health perspective, there are so many studies out there that show how eating a more plant-based whole food diet (i.e. foods derived from plants, including vegetables, grains, nuts, seeds, legumes and fruits, and with few or no animal products) has such a positive impact on our bodies and our general health and wellbeing. However, I’m not about to tell you that you shouldn’t eat burgers, or that the tub of icecream you just devoured is the devil’s food (icecream is my Achilles’ heel…or one of them at least. I’m also a big fan of a chocolate biscuit…mmm… sorry, I got distracted). So how can we do this in a gentle, baby-step approach that doesn’t have to be all or nothing?
What about if instead of cutting things out, we added in goodness. For example, like an extra portion of veg at a meal. In practice this would mean definitely say yes to the burger if that’s what you fancy, but add in a portion of sweet potato fries and some greens on the side (guacamole is green…just saying). Or when you’re making a smoothie it’s really easy to throw in a bit of spinach and whiz it right up and I swear you can’t even tell it’s hiding in there. Or chuck in a handful of blueberries in your morning porridge whilst it’s cooking in the pan and this will add a lovely flavour (not to mention a beautiful colour) to your somewhat plain brekkie. Just these small additions can really make a difference to the amount of vitamins, fibre and nutrients your body is receiving. It doesn’t need to be anything complicated (coming from a foodie who loves to eat but isn’t exactly a genius in the kitchen!), it can be as simple as avocado on toast for brunch, some dried mango as a snack, a side of homemade salsa with your favourite chilli...basically anything you want that adds in an extra dose of goodness.
And if you wanted to, maybe one day you could take it to the next level and perhaps try having one plant-based meal a week, for example breakfast. Experiment and find something that you actually enjoy eating and will also give your body a lovely bit of nourishment to fuel it ready for the day ahead.
Taking it one step further, you might find that you like these types of meals enough to spend an entire day eating plant-based… and that is where Plant Goodness It’s Friday comes in. You could do as little or as much as you want to make a change, whether that be an extra portion of veg with your main meal, or a full day of eating plant-based meals. It’s the ThreeSixFiveLife approach to finding something that suits you and your lifestyle, but more importantly it’s these small changes that add up to something significant over time.
So how about we adopt the ThreeSixFiveLife way and be kind to ourselves and see what we can add in instead of taking away, in a beautifully balanced way. And if you’re feeling daring, why not join me each Friday and give #PlantGoodnessItsFriday a whirl and have a completely plant-based day. You never know, it might be the start of something great.
L x
How do you get more fruit and veg into your body? What are your favourite plant-based meals that you make at home? Let me know in the comments below.