Plant-based Dietary Transition
Beginning in 2012, I had a "wake-up call" about my health. I was eating fast food too often and my favorite snacks were made of sugar, bright colorful food dyes and easy to carry red, equally colorful packages. I was eating like a 10-year old. As a result, I developed allergies and I had a few emergency room visits. It turned out that the root cause of my infirmities was that I had been infected with stomach bacteria from drinking water during travels outside the U.S. That bug was doing damage to my stomach and my overall health and the food I was eating was only making it worse.
Fast forward to 2024, my eating habits are drastically different. The past habits are gone and I have been: eating out at restaurants about once or twice a year baking the sweets I eat (breads, cakes, cookies) at home growing vegetables and buying from CSAs in summer, and from organic and non-organic stores in winter, and consuming vegetables and plant-based proteins as 2/3 to 3/4 of my weekly diet.
Plant-based "Meats"
Vegan and vegetarian diet studies have shown that there are health benefits to consuming less, or eliminating, meat from the human diet. The benefits to the natural world, of which we humans and other animal kind are part, include "conserving land and water and minimizing greenhouse gas emissions and other pollution" (The Good Food Institute, gfi.org).
My plant-based proteins of choice are bean burgers and stir fry creations I make at home, and Beyond Meat---preferred because they use ingredients that I can pronounce. Although the texture, consistency, taste and appearance are similar to ground turkey and beef that I have eaten in the past, the sodium content is a very high (370 mg, 17% of daily allowance). Thus, I have to adjust my daily salt intake around the Beyond Meat meal). In addition, I have to take care to check that I am getting the nutrients that are not naturally contained in the plant protein, such as, iron, B12 and others.
My transition to plant-based has been an incremental journey. I still eat poultry and fish because of my nutritional needs that plants cannot yet provide. There is cautionary information that accompanies all of the benefits that are touted. Currently, I follow the advice that "An optimal diet should be balanced, consisting of lean meat, nuts, fresh fruits and vegetables, and olive oil" (Bali and Naik, 2023).
However, I have hopes that, with innovation, plant proteins will not only look, feel and taste like animal proteins, but they will mimic meat at the nanometer level. One advantage will be that all the salt used today will not be necessary to maintain the flavors. Another will be that all nutrients will be in place.
For the time being, like Buzz Lightyear I will continue to work to protect the future of the planet by making personal and professional changes, and encouraging others to do the same. To infinity and beyond!
