BETHLEHEM, Pa. — A plant-based diet will help improve overall health. That’s the message from a Lehigh Valley dietitian, but it doesn’t mean you have to cut out meat completely.
- A plant-based diet can put people on the path to better nutrition
- That does not mean you have to stop eating meat altogether, just limit portion sizes
- Start small by replacing one meal a week with a plant-based recipe
"You want to just start with one meal a week, maybe a meatless Monday or a black bean Taco Tuesday ... and just start incorporating more plants and really eating the rainbow, making sure that your plate is really colorful every meal and every snack,” said Debbie Garzon, a registered dietitian on the Capital Blue Cross health promotion and wellness team.
Garzon prepares healthy meals to people at their place of employment to demonstrate how easy a more nutritious meal can be.
"It's a great way for us to show people in the workplace that healthy eating can be done anywhere,” she said.
“I travel around to a lot of different employer groups and I take all of my equipment with me, but I provide some really quick healthy pointers on things that you can provide maybe healthy lunches. And we can reach a lot more members that way by going into the workplace versus one on ones when we're just talking with people over the phone."
One of her most recent stops was to Lehigh Valley Public Media, the home of LehighValleyNews.com.
Garzon suggests a plant-based diet, saying it will not only get people to eat healthier foods, but will add good probiotics to their gut.
“You're ensuring that you're going to be feeling mentally more clear and healthier and happier,” she said.
"Just start incorporating more plants and really eating the rainbow, making sure that your plate is really colorful every meal and every snack."Debbie Garzon
Plant-based eating does not mean people have to stop eating meat, she said. But they can practice smaller portion sizes and eating more fish.
“Plant-based eating is predominantly incorporating plant foods, so things like fruits and vegetables, lots of beans and legumes and things of that nature — limiting the amount of red meat that we're consuming,” she said.
Garzon’s go-to recipe to show off at the workplace is black bean tacos, but she says there are a lot of easy, healthy recipes offered by the American Heart Association and the American Diabetes Association.
