Adding more veggies to your diet is easy with these tips from Jasmine Mangalaseril

Over the past few decades, Canadians have been eating less and less meat.

And while environmental, animal welfare and health concerns are often reasons for cutting back on meat, over the past few years, supply chain issues and skyrocketing prices have pushed more people to explore the world of plant-based eating.

According to Dalhousie University’s Agri-Food Analytics Lab’s latest Canadian Food Sentiment Index, while most of us are omnivores, our new dietary flex isn’t vegan or vegetarian; it’s flexitarian.

Adding more plant-based foods to your diet can mean a shift in mindset, according to Cara Karsdorf, a registered dietician and co-owner of Waterloo’s Blueprint Nutrition.

“I think it's important to think about just how we can include more plants in our diet,” said Karsdorf. “It's more about plant-forward or plant-based eating versus having a label and lots of restrictions around what you can't eat.”

There are easy ways to boost your plant-based intake like adding greens to your scrambled eggs or sliced fruit to your cereal.

You can also add one more vegetable dish to your normal plate. And as you slowly reduce your meat serving, you can add more protein forward options like chickpeas to your vegetables.

Turning over a new leaf

While making dietary changes, you need to ensure you’re getting enough protein, vitamins B12 and D, as well as iron, calcium and Omega-3.

Karsdorf’s business partner, Rosanne Robinson, specializes in paediatric and family nutrition. She said parents and partners concerned about dietary changes should engage a dietitian because sometimes eliminating a food from a diet can mask other issues.

“It can be a flag for disordered eating or eating disorders,” said Robinson.  “We want to make sure they get the proper care and suppor t… by having conversations around elimination of foods and helping heal their relationship with food.”

If improving your health is a driver, relying on ultra-processed or highly processed foods, like some meat substitute burgers and nuggets, can be problematic because they can be high in sodium, sugar, and fat and be lower in nutrients.

Budget-friendly meat alternatives

Washing, chopping and freezing in-season produce (or even reduced-price produce at grocers) can also help when vegetable prices rise in colder months.

Going meatless one day a week, could save hundreds or thousands of dollars over the year, depending on your family’s size.

Not only are plant-based proteins, like tofu, less expensive than their animal-based counterparts, they also last longer. Unlike meats with best before dates, dried beans and lentils can be stored for years.

India, Mexico and Taiwan, three of the world’s largest vegetarian cultures, developed their flavourful dishes, not as meat substitutes, but in their own right, from a broad set of nutrient-dense, cultivated ingredients.

“All vegetarian food, I think, is made of flavours," said Chef Taruneet Walia, owner of Flavours by Taruneet. "That's why we don't feel the need to add in meat because the flavour is all coming in through the spices that we are using.”

Walia offered these suggestions for tasty vegetables:

• Root vegetables: You can go as simple or robust with your flavours as you want, from salt and pepper, to blended spices like Greek seasoning or flavourful Asian marinades. You can also roast vegetable medleys from the freezer section.
• Cruciferous vegetables: Sautee cauliflower, cabbage or brussels sprouts with onions and ginger, and flavour with salt, turmeric, cumin powder, coriander powder, fenugreek leaves and optional chili flakes. Give it a squeeze of fresh lemon or lime before serving.
• Leafy green vegetables: Sautee onions and garlic before adding greens and salt to the pan. When cooked, add cottage cheese or cooked lentils.

Taruneet Walia's vegan cream of mushroom soup

Yield: 800 ml (or more)

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 225 grams cremini or white mushrooms, sliced
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme or 1/3 teaspoon dried thyme
• Black pepper, to taste
• Salt, to taste
• 300 grams soft or silken tofu (1 container)
• Optional: Red chili flakes, to taste
• 250 ml water, plus more if needed
• Garnish: olive oil

Heat oil over medium heat and add onions and garlic. Sauté until onions are translucent and garlic is lightly toasted. Stir in sliced mushrooms, thyme, salt, and pepper. Reduce heat to medium low and sauté, for about four minutes.

Remove one tablespoon of the mixture and set aside as garnish.

Add water and tofu to the pot and stir. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and over and cook for two minutes.

Blend mixture until smooth. Adjust consistency and balance flavours to taste. Bring to a boil and then simmer for two minutes.

Garnish with sautéed mushroom mixture and drizzle olive oil on top. Serve hot.

Note: Overcooking silken tofu can lead to graininess, so avoid over-simmering or -boiling after blending.