What’s the easiest way to ensure you’re getting the nutrients you need from a plant-based diet?
“Enjoy the rainbow,” said Danyelle Schott, Certified Nutritionist and Certified Personal Trainer at Yavapai Regional Medical Center (YRMC). “The more colors – like red apples, orange peppers, green kale and purple grapes – the greater variety of important nutrients in your diet.”
Schott calls this “nutrient density,” meaning food that’s high in nutrients but relatively low in calories. These kinds of foods contain vitamins, minerals, complex carbohydrates, lean protein and healthy fats.
If you’re exploring a vegan diet – one without animal products, including meat, eggs and dairy – Schott says you can find needed protein in foods like oats, almonds and pumpkin seeds. Looking for an egg substitute for the muffins you’re making? You can substitute overripe bananas or pureed fruit for the eggs.
Want to learn more about how to make fruits and vegetables a bigger part of your diet? Watch Schott’s YRMC Healthy Conversations presentation – Plant Based Eating for Healthy Living – at YRMCHealthConnect.org/HealthyConversations (scroll to the bottom of the page). During the brief video, Schott shares healthy eating tips and two of her favorite recipes for a veggie bake and a burrito.
Check out and register for upcoming YRMC Healthy Conversations presentations at YRMCHealthConnect.org/Events. Or, watch past presentations online at YRMCHealthConnect.org/HealthyConversations (scroll to the bottom of the page).