2021 Diet trend: The Low-Fat Plant-Based Diet. What it is and how to do it right

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(If you’d rather watch the YouTube video I created specifically on this topic, instead of reading this post, scroll down this page until you find the video, and press play).

A low-fat, plant-based diet is really HOT right now, but people are confusing low-fat with limited fat and no-fat. A plant-based diet that consists primarily of whole grains, beans, greens, nuts, seeds, and fruit, with limited amount of animal products is a lower fat diet, because animal products are reduced and animal protein contains a lot of fat, specifically, saturated fat. Even the leanest of animal proteins, contain quite a lot of fat compared to a whole-food plant diet. By limiting all foods from animals, such as beef, turkey, fish, chicken, pork, eggs, and dairy, you’re automatically eating less fat, which are some of the most harmful fats.

On multiple social media platforms, those trying to incorporate a low-fat plant-based diet, mistakenly think they need to avoid avocados, nuts and seeds, because those are high-fat foods. Fats from avocados, nuts and seeds are healthy plant fats and absolutely should be eaten every day, but in moderation, because they are also high in calories.

We need healthy plant fats in our diets to keep our joints moving, our skin soft, and our hair silky, so make sure to eat whole-fat plant foods. If you have high cholesterol, you might want to keep the portions of coconut meat and avocado small because those foods contain saturated fats.

On a low-fat, plant-based diet, it’s advised to limit or omit animal foods from our diet, and, avoid oils. All oils, not just tropical oils, like palm oil and coconut oil, should not be consumed. Oils contribute to not just weight gain, but high cholesterol.

Oils are processed foods, and processed foods are deleterious to our health, and, yes, that includes olive oil. Unless you’re eating an olive, the oil that’s been separated from the olive is harmful because it’s no longer in its healthy original packaging. Anytime you take a food and remove parts of it, like the fiber from an orange to make orange juice, it is no longer the same product from the earth, and is processed.  

How to make the change from a meat-centered diet to a low-fat plant-based diet

When I advise people to make dietary changes, small changes over a period of time, like 4-6 weeks, tend to stick best. One easy switch is to make a fruit smoothie with a frozen banana, a scoop of vanilla vegan protein powder, unsweetened almond milk, and a teaspoon of almond butter (healthy fat), for breakfast. After a few weeks, swap out one of your meat-based meals for a hearty vegetable soup or salad. Then try reducing the amount of animal protein in another meal. For instance, if you normally eat four ounces of steak or chicken with dinner, reduce that portion of meat to two ounces.

If your favorite dishes contain dairy or oil, there’s some really good substitutes on the market today.

Below is a list of vegan substitutes:

Parmesan cheese            nutritional yeast

Cow’s milk                        unsweetened almond, soy, oat, coconut milk, coconut water

Dairy yogurt                       coconut yogurt, almond yogurt

Dairy cream                        coconut cream

Below is a list of oil substitutes:

Fried flour tortillas           Baked or grilled corn or flour tortillas

Oil to fry foods                  stir-fry with a small amount water or broth

Oil in desserts                   creamy almond butter

Once you get the hang of the new diet, you may want to make more elaborate vegan dishes like vegan zucchini lasagna with cashew ricotta, kung pao tofu with vegetables and zoodles, or, my favorite: vegan corn tacos with fresh guacamole, black beans, sautéed zucchini, sliced red bell pepper strips, salsa, cilantro and a dollop of coconut yogurt.

Below is list of some of my vegan recipes to help you get started.

green-pineapple smoothie

Iron-rich, green tropical smoothie

egg-free breakfast scramble

Tofu Scramble with Roasted Potatoes

dairy-free & sugar-free ice cream

weight-loss dairy-free banana-caramel ice cream

dairy-free, sugar-free chocolate milk

drink this chocolate milk post-workout instead

Oil-Free Vegan Sweet Potato Crisps with Kale Chips & Tahini Dressing

Oil-Free Vegan Sweet Potato Crisps with Kale Chips & Tahini Dressing

Creamy vegan pumpkin soup

Vegan Pumpkin Soup

Broccoli with creamy guacamole dressing, cumin-dusted chickpeas, dried cranberries, walnuts & vegan chorizo bits

Broccoli with creamy guacamole dressing, cumin-dusted chickpeas, dried cranberries, walnuts & vegan chorizo bits

To watch the YouTube video I created specifically on this topic, click the play button below:

Good source to explain healthy and unhealthy fats:https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/plant-based-fats-better-for-the-heart-than-animal-fats

P.S. This is my 862nd blog! I’ve been publishing blog posts on this platform, consistently for over seven years now. I can’t believe it’s been that long. To prevent burnout, and to provide helpful, interesting, educational, unique content, I’ll be posting blogs once a week from now on instead of twice a week.

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