by Rhonda Bolich-Lampo with The WELLthy People

You’ve probably heard of tofu burgers or maybe red lentil pasta.  How about vegan cheese?  You can spend a lot of time these days learning about plant-based foods.  It is a new trend that is continually expanding and tends to be synonymous with healthy eating. 
Plant-based foods are popping up everywhere.  And you don’t have to be vegetarian or vegan to enjoy them.  The flexitarian diet, defined as eating primarily vegetarian but occasionally consuming meat or fish, has health benefits for both you and the planet.  Research has indicated that switching from a traditional meat-based diet to a flexitarian diet could decrease greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 70%.

Health benefits of eating plant-forward include:

•          Have a lower body-mass index (BMI).
•          Feel fuller because plants are high in fiber.
•          May reduce your risk of certain types of cancer and even cognitive decline.
•          Have a lower rate of diabetes and heart disease.

Those are some pretty phenomenal reasons to start flexing your diet more often than you have in the past. Ask where you shop for groceries what items they have that are plant-based. You’ll be surprised how many there really are.

By Rhonda Bolich-Lampo | Health and Lifestyle Coach with Shaklee | TheWELLthyPeople.com