Radically Sensible Eating with Carolyn Denton, MA, LN

There are many different terms for incorporating plants into your diet; plant-based, plant-rich, plant-centric, vegetarian, vegan, pescatarian, flexitarian, and Mediterranean. But have you heard of plant-forward? Plant-forward is a way to improve overall health by keeping fruits and vegetables at the center of the plate and keeping animal proteins within the diet, but in smaller portions.  

In this video of Radically Sensible Eating, Carolyn breaks down the plant-forward movement and explains the differences—and similarities—between all the types. 

Highlights

• Renowned writer Michael Pollan famously wrote these seven simple words. Eat Food. Not too much. Mostly Plants.

• Terms circulating with regard to eating mostly plants include Plant-based. Plant-rich.  Plant-centric. Vegetarian. Vegan. Pescatarian. Flexitarian. Mediterranean. Plant forward.

• Plant Forward is a term that includes a broad range of eating patterns focused on mostly plants.

• The plant-forward movement has been evolving for the past decade.

• Originally, plant-forward was considered a way to improve overall health by keeping fruits and vegetables at the center of the plate. Now consumers are realizing that our world in 2050 cannot sustain a global population of 9-10 billion people with meat-centered diets that seem to be intensifying climate change.

• While the environment and sustainability are components of plant- forward eating, the impact on health and wellbeing is of great importance.

• Poor Diet has now surpassed smoking as the highest risk factor for death and disability according the Journal of the American Medical Association.  

• There are major health benefits to moving toward plant-forward eating, all supported by excellent science.

• There are multiple strategies for making the shift toward a plant-forward diet and ideas for including more plants.

• Complete proteins can be gotten from both animal and plant sources.

• Shoot for filling half your plate with vegetables, vegetables, vegetables.

• Remember the most important aspect of plant-forward eating is plants!

Links mentioned:

• The Dirty Dozen list: https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/dirty-dozen.php