In recent years, the focus on restrictive diets—cutting calories, reducing carbs, sugar, fat... and avoiding animal products—has often overshadowed the joy of eating and caused stress to many of us. But there’s a more positive and sustainable approach: celebrating an abundance of whole foods in all their exciting tastes, textures, and health benefits. Shifting the focus from “what not to eat” to "what goodness can I add" embracing the incredible variety of unprocessed plant-based foods can transform your meals and your mindset. Here’s why and how you can make plants the star of your diet.
Why Add More Plants to Your Diet?
Plant-based foods are rich in essential nutrients like vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber. It’s important to remember that plant foods encompass more than just fruits and vegetables; they include plant-based oils, herbs, spices, pulses, seeds, nuts, and mushrooms. Understanding key definitions can help you make more informed choices:
Whole foods: These are foods that are minimally processed and close to their natural form, such as fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds.
Plant-based foods: These include all edible plants and plant-derived products, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, plant-based oils, herbs, and spices.
Ultra-processed foods: These are industrially produced foods with little to no whole food content. They often contain additives like artificial flavors, colors, preservatives, and high levels of sugar, salt, and unhealthy fats. Any highly marketed, plastic wrapped food including sugary snacks, fast food, and packaged ready meals, which are detrimental to both human health and the planet.
Eating a variety of plant-based foods:
Support gut health: Tim Spector, founder of the Zoe app, emphasizes that eating 30 different plants weekly can diversify your gut microbiome, improving digestion and overall well-being.
Stabilize blood sugar: According to the Glucose Goddess (Jessie Inchauspé), plant-based foods can prevent sugar spikes and crashes, promoting steady energy levels.
Enhance mental health: Studies suggest that diets high in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains can improve focus, memory, and overall mental health.
Strengthen your immune system: The vitamins and phytonutrients in plant foods help the body fend off illnesses and infections.
Fight chronic diseases: Diets rich in plants have been linked to a lower risk of heart disease, diabetes, and certain types of cancer.
Reduce environmental impact: Plant-based diets have a smaller carbon footprint and help conserve natural resources.
Promote animal welfare: By reducing reliance on animal-based products, we contribute to a more humane treatment of animals.
Counter the harm of ultra-processed foods: Ultra-processed foods are detrimental to both human health and the planet, contributing to obesity, chronic diseases, and environmental degradation. In contrast, plant-based foods offer a natural, wholesome alternative that nourishes the body and supports sustainability.
How to Add More Plant Variety to Your Diet
Adding more plants doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. Here are practical tips and ideas to incorporate a wider variety of plant-based foods into your meals:
1. Explore New Fruits and Vegetables
Visit your local market or food coops and discover seasonal produce you might not usually buy.
Set a goal to try one new fruit or vegetable each week. Think rainbow chard, kohlrabi, or dragon fruit.
Subscribe to a veggie box scheme such as Odd Box or Riverford; it will bring a variety of fresh fruits and vegs directly to your door. Look for local schemes such as Tower Green Hamlets
2. Diversify Your Grains
Switch up your grains by experimenting with quinoa, farro, bulgur, or wild rice, or like our friend Carolina, add a small amount of quinoa to your rice to add some extra goodness to kids or fussy eaters.
Replace white rice or pasta with whole-grain alternatives like spelt pasta, brown rice or buckwheat (the leftovers are super nice in homemade veggie burgers).
Buy in bulk so you always have healthy grains to cook with; it will also save you money as you don't have to pop to the shop and get tempted with expensive unhealthy foods.
3. Get Creative with Legumes
Incorporate lentils, chickpeas, or black beans into soups, stews, and salads.
Make your own hummus or bean dip with unique additions like roasted red pepper or beetroot.
4. Boost Your Breakfast
Add seeds (flax, chia, hemp) and nuts to your oatmeal or smoothies.
Mix grated zucchini or carrots into pancake or muffin batter for an extra veggie serving.
Add greens to your breakfast, think hummus on toast with rocket leaves or spinach omelette.
5. Make Snacks Work for You
Snack on nuts, edamame, roasted chickpeas, or veggie sticks with guacamole.
Make your own energy bites (see our recipe here) or your nut dips, like our fav cashew cheeze by soaking cashew nuts over night and blending with apple cider vinegar, salt and nutritional yeast (Full recipe here)
6. Experiment with Plant-Based Proteins
Try tofu, tempeh, or seitan in place of meat in stir-fries and curries. Our kids love firm tofu when I coat it in corn flour, salt and pepper before pan frying it in olive oil.
Use jackfruit as a base for pulled "pork" or taco fillings.
7. Blend and Bake
Use vegetable purees like sweet potato, cauliflower, or pumpkin in sauces and baked goods. I love adding pumpkins to curries or white sauce.
Add spinach, kale, or zucchini to smoothies or pestos for an easy nutrient boost.
8. Grow Your Own
Start a small herb garden with parsley, basil, or cilantro.
Plant easy-to-grow vegetables like tomatoes, chili, lettuce, or radishes, even in containers.
9. Drink it!
I am not talking about fruit juices as there are not much benefits in drinking fruits juice as most fibers are removed leaving all the sugars.
Did you know that drinking tea and coffee contribute to a healthy diet? New research suggest that moderate coffee consumption leads to a decrease in all-cause and cardiovascular-related mortality, hypertension, cholesterol, heart failure, and atrial fibrillation (just coffee minus the milk and sugar!) It is also good for gut health. It is also true for tea, particularly green tea.
Drinking herbal tea is a great way to incorporate more plants in your diet. Steep some sage leave, thyme, lime leaves or nettles in some hot water every night as a gentle bedtime routine. Plus you can grow or forage these plants easily making it inexpensive and sustainable.
Meal Ideas to Inspire You
Low-waste stir-fry: Use leftover veggies with tofu and a quick soy-ginger sauce.
Every meal salad: At Sunny Jar, we love making salads! we have it as a starter, a side, or add proteins such as chickpeas or tofu for a main. Combine mixed greens, crunchy veg like shredded carrots, beetroot or radishes, add fruits such as apples, pears, grappes, pomegremate, some nuts, and seeds, and a delicious salad dressing et Voila! (See our easy vinaigrette recipe)
Vegetable-packed soup: Blend roasted tomatoes, peppers, and onions into a hearty base then add lentils, beans or chikpeas
Grain bowl: Inspired by sushi bowls, layer quinoa, black beans, roasted sweet potato, avocado, and a lime-cilantro dressing. Make it fun for the kids by making your own salad bar with different ingredients and toppings where everyone can chose what they want.
Cashew cheeze
Start Small, Stay Consistent
Making plants the centerpiece of your meals doesn’t mean overhauling your diet overnight. Start with small, manageable changes—like adding a handful of spinach to your omelet or replacing one meat-based meal a week with a plant-based alternative. Over time, these small changes can lead to significant health benefits and a more sustainable lifestyle.
Incorporating more plants into your diet is a delicious and rewarding journey. By embracing variety and creativity, you can improve your health, support the environment, and discover new favourite foods. Email us for more ideas or join us on instagram where we will be posting some plant based recipes.
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