Life is busy enough worrying about all of the things we need to get done in a day. Worrying about getting enough nutrients in your food should be something you strive to get on sort of an autopilot mode. If you know you need to hit 5 major food groupings each day to ensure you cover all the bases of a well rounded vegetarian diet, life just gets a little easier. If you have landed here because you have made the decision to eat more plants + less animals, I am so proud of you and I welcome you! It might seem pretty hard at first but I promise you, it gets easier. Having short lists like this one make things much simpler! I hope these tips provide you some helpful insight on the foods you should eat every day as a vegetarian + inspires you to eat more of them!
Tara’s Tuesday Tips:
Foods You Should Eat Every Day as a Vegetarian
For starters I will say that you can still be vegetarian if you exclude some of these foods. However, eating the foods on this list every day is how we as vegetarians can optimize our nutrition. These foods ensure satiety, variety, adequate fiber, vitamin, mineral, micro + macro-nutrient intake. If you are allergic or have some other aversion to these foods then by all means, make substitutions as they fit into your life. For the rest of us plant-based eaters, I am here to give you my list of non-negotiables. Yep, every day you should be looking to get something from all 5 of these categories! Let’s go!
Fruit
All too often I hear people have one excuse or another to not eat fruit. What? Why? Come on everyone, what is going on in the world where a piece of fruit has become the enemy. Sugar + carbs seem to still be having their moment. That being said, I apologize to all of the beautiful, colorful, flavorful fruits that have been demonized by the low carb craze. In actuality, quite the opposite is true. Flavonoids, fiber, antioxidants + polyphenols are all in fruit helping our bodies combat oxidative stress and help us fight disease, inflammation, and weight gain. Still not convinced? Read this: Should You Be Eating Fruit?
Legumes
Legumes are any plant from the fabaceae family and pulses are the edible seeds from the legume plant including beans, lentils, and peas. Think kidney beans, chickpeas, black beans, navy beans, peas, and lentils. Eating legumes + pulses help us stay full as they are full of resistant starch, fiber, and protein. These awesome plants + pulses are also very high in polyphenols, iron, folic acid, magnesium, antioxidants + prebiotics. Some things you might be surprised to hear belong to the legume category + I love to eat every day as a vegetarian? Hummus + tofu! Lentils are a super special legume + I encourage you to read more here: Why Lentils Are Awesome.
Leafy Greens
Eat green! This isn’t the first time you have heard this from me. Plants on plants on plants on plants. Think spinach, kale, swiss chard, collard, or arugula. You want energy + regular bowel movements + optimal weight + lower levels of inflammation? Eat more green things! I cannot sing the praises of including many, many green foods in your daily rotation – vegetarian or not! One warning with consuming lots of leafy greens … be sure you drink lots of water when eating greens as they are high in oxalates and your kidneys need the help flushing those out so you don’t form kidney stones.
On a personal note, I recently traded in my daily bowl of oatmeal for a giant green smoothie. I cram as many greens as I can into the blender with lots of other (not so) secret ingredients + drink that every day for lunch. For me, this is the most efficient way to get in as many greens as I feel my body needs (and wants) to function optimally. Most importantly leafy greens are super high in phytochemicals, antioxidants, phytates, vitamin K, and folate. I published an entire article on the importance of eating green here: The Vegetarian’s Guide To Leafy Greens.
Nuts
Full of protein + fiber + healthy fats, nuts are a total nutritional powerhouse. Even if you aren’t 100% plant-based, nuts are still important to include in your daily regimen. I hear you. One nut turns into 100 + there goes the fat + calorie budget for the day. Choose brazil nuts, walnuts, pepitas, and almonds which all give you the most nutrient density per serving. A few of the good-for-you things you find in nuts include selenium, omega-3 fatty acids, protein, and fiber. A small handful goes a long way! I go into lots of detail in this fact or fiction article: Are Nuts Good For You Or Not?
Whole Grains
AKA complex carbohydrates. We need these to survive, to thrive, to exercise. Whole grains are unprocessed carbohydrates that do not spike our blood sugar as they take our bodies longer to break down than processed or refined carbohydrates. This wonderful group of foods also naturally contain fiber + are high in essential nutrients. Whole grains can include sweet potatoes + other tubers, starchy vegetables, quinoa, brown rice, whole wheat, and oats. Check this out: Improve Your Health By Adding Not Subtracting.
Food For Thought
Breaking news: salad is not the only vegetarian food. Now that we got that out of the way, let’s make the foods you are eating every day as a vegetarian fun + interesting + inviting so that you will keep coming back for more vegetarian foods! The biggest obstacle for new vegetarians is figuring out what to eat + how to cook it.
My tips today are to jumpstart that thought process. Whole grains, nuts, legumes, greens, and fruit. That is your starting point. From there, build your flavor profile + your taste preferences. Like Mexican food? How about Strawberry Salsa? Do you prefer Indian food? How about Vegan Tofu Palak Paneer Recipe? Personally, I love a good pizza now and then, why not make it a Tostada Pizza? There truly are so many easy options. You are in the right place to get started! Come along with me on this epic vegetarian journey! If you are new here, learn more about me + MVF here: How I Got Here. Check out all of my Tuesday Tips here: Tara’s Tuesday Tips + all of the readers’ favorite recipes here: Most Popular MVF Recipes. So glad you are here!
All the best,
Tara 💚
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