Ah, Spring.  The perfect time to start, or hopefully continue, enjoying all that the outdoors has to offer.  And what better time to start incorporating more fruits and vegetables into our diets? 

I’ll be honest, I’m a struggling and conflicted omnivore.  I’d theoretically love to be a vegan but it’s just not practical for me for a variety of reasons.  But I do believe that everyone can benefit from eating more fruits and vegetables.  Even if just committing to one day a week – Meatless Mondays, anyone?  A plant-based lifestyle is where it’s at in 2018. 

According to various sources, Veganism has grown 500%-600% in the last 5 years and 6% of the population in the United States claims to adhere to a vegan lifestyle.  People are increasingly adopting vegan diets for two main reasons – the ethical concern toward animals and the desire to improve the environment.  People also view a vegan diet to be a healthy option. And with so many options to choose from this one is a no-brainer.  The trend has gone from celebrities, to athletes and finally into the mainstream.  Now even many health organizations are recommending a plant-based diet for weight loss, cancer and other disease prevention, and just an overall healthy diet. 

So what does that mean for us?  Well, for starters, it means that it’s no longer a fad.  And that means that grocery stores, online stores, and restaurants will be providing more and more vegan options.  So why not try a vegan menu option the next time you’re out to dinner?  There are many restaurants in nearby cities such as Dirt Candy in New York and Vedge in Philadelphia, that have completely vegan kitchens and are quite difficult to get a reservation.  There are even a number of restaurants in and around the ‘Burg that offer vegan or veggie options.  And I expect this trend to continue.    

Can’t quite go vegan?  That’s OK.  Plant-based is a good place to start.  This is a food lifestyle (not diet) based on whole, unrefined or minimally refined plants.  It’s based on fruits, veggies, whole grains (not bread) and beans and it excludes or minimizes meat, dairy and eggs and eliminates highly processed foods like sugar, flour and oil.  Sound difficult?  It doesn’t have to be.  Start experimenting or revising your favorite recipes to make them plant-based. For example, replace meat in your chili with beans and bulgur.  Add mushrooms to your ground beef to make a better-for-you burger.  Or try even go so far as to make a cauliflower or butternut squash steak.  You’ll be surprised how yummy it can be and how much better you’ll feel without much effort. 

So my recommendation is just to start.  It doesn’t have to be perfect and it doesn’t have to be cold turkey, all at once or all or nothing.  Just starting usually turns out to be 90% of the effort. And once you start you may just want to keep going.