Planet-friendly, plant-based home cooking

With all the news about the health and environmental advantages of eating less meat, many people are trying to eat more plant-based meals. But where do you begin? Instead of trying to cook an entire vegetarian meal from scratch, start with one small step and build from there, says Dr. Rani Polak, founding director of the Culinary Healthcare Education Fundamentals (CHEF) coaching program at Harvard’s Institute of Lifestyle Medicine. “For example, buy some canned beans. You can then make a simple bean salad with a little olive oil and lemon juice. Or if you have a favorite recipe for beef stew, try swapping in beans for some of the meat,” he says. A trained chef, Dr. Polak is committed to encouraging people to cook at home rather than relying on restaurant or processed food. “With home-cooked meals, people tend to eat smaller portions, fewer calories, and less fat, salt, and sugar,” he says. And people who eat more home-cooked meals tend to weigh less and have healthier cholesterol and blood sugar values compared with people who eat out frequently. Following are Dr. Polak’s suggestions for buying and preparing the building blocks of a plant-based diet: legumes, whole grains, and vegetables. Legumes Botanically speaking, legumes are the edible seeds from pods you can split in half. Familiar examples include the wide array of beans — black, fava, garbanzo, kidney, and pinto, to name just a few. Lentils, peas, and peanuts are also legumes. Nutrition-wise, legumes are...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Cooking and recipes Food as medicine Health Healthy Eating Heart Health Source Type: blogs