How to sneak more plant foods into every meal

Whatever diet you follow, you can make it even healthier by including more unprocessed, plant-based foods. Here are practical tips on how to bulk up your regular, everyday meals with plant-based foods.

If you’re keen to eat more plant foods, but not quite ready to try out brand new recipes, read on for some simple ideas to include more of these nutritious foods in your regular drinks and meals.

Get vegetables involved

• If you have a blender and you like making your own smoothies, try mixing in more whole vegetables to boost the health benefits. Carrots, beetroot, baby spinach, kale, celery, avocado and ginger work well. If the root veggies make your drink too crunchy or fibrous for your taste when you add them raw, steam them well first, and then let them cool before blending.
• At work, opt for veggie sticks instead of highly processed snacks.
• Instead of mash made with potato only, add cooked, mashed carrots or a bean purée.
• Add more vegetables to traditionally meaty dishes. For example, you could grate carrots or baby marrow into your mince as you cook it.
• Throw mushroom steaks onto the braai, and add diced peppers and onion to your breakfast eggs.

Embrace your fruit

• Pure fruit juices can be high in sugar and it is easy to drink too much. It’s best to eat fruits whole to benefit from the fibre. If you have a love for fruit juice and drink it regularly, dilute it with water, a little bit more every time, until you’re comfortable switching to plain water instead.
• Breakfast isn’t breakfast without fruit! The next time you make oats, top it with a grated apple, a handful of berries or a sliced banana, or even scoop out a fresh granadilla or sprinkle over a handful of pomegranate seeds.
• Slice fresh fruit into a green salad for a tasty addition. A nectarine or pear works particularly well.
• Keep fruit at hand for a healthy snack – easy-to-eat options include bananas, pears, apples, grapes and berries.
• Favour fruit-filled desserts – ones made with fresh fruits, not syrup-laden ones from a can. Healthier dessert ideas include poached pears topped with yoghurt and flaked almonds or strawberries dipped in a little bit of chocolate. Experiment with increasing the fruit content in your blueberry pancakes or banana bread.

Stock up on whole grains, nuts and seeds

This is an easy one – simply commit to swapping all your highly refined grains with whole ones as far as possible. This means opting for wholewheat bread, pasta, couscous or flour and brown rice instead of the highly processed white versions.

When it comes to other grains, nuts and seeds, buy packets in bulk and get into the habit of including them in your favourite dishes:

• Bulk up your soups and stews with a handful of barley or quinoa.
• Top your roasted veggies with wholewheat couscous, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds.
• Sprinkle sesame seeds over your Asian-style salads, poppy and flax seeds in homemade muffins and breads, and make simple chia puddings for breakfast.
• Put pine nuts in pesto; peanuts and cashew nuts in Indian-style curries and biriyanis; chopped walnuts, hazelnuts and pecan nuts over your porridge; and all of them in your granola mix or snack box!