The number of adult Americans following a plant-rich diet has more than doubled over the past few years, increasing from just 12.1% of the population in 2019 to 25.8% in 2022. (1) If you’re considering the same, it’s helpful to understand exactly what this way of eating entails (and what it doesn’t), as well as the benefits it can provide. It’s also good to know what can make a plant-based diet difficult to maintain long-term, and ways to make transitioning to this dietary pattern a little easier.

We’ll get into all of that now!

What Is a Plant-Based Diet?

Some think that following a plant-based diet means that you can never eat meat or that animal-based dairy products are off-limits. However, this isn’t the case.
If you follow a plant-based diet, sometimes referred to as a plant-forward diet, it simply means that most of your food comes from plants.

In other words, you consume primarily fruits vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains, beans, and legumes. Food sources that don’t fall into one of these categories aren’t necessarily eliminated, they’re just eaten in smaller quantities.

The Mediterranean diet is a prime example. It’s rich in plant foods but also includes fish, seafood, poultry, eggs, and dairy. Yes, vegetarian diets are also plant-based, but you don’t have to restrict other food categories to gain the health benefits that plants have to offer.

Benefits of Eating Primarily Plants

One compelling reason to eat more plant-based foods is that they can help you live longer. The American College of Lifestyle Medicine shares that eating small amounts of fruit, vegetables, and whole grains is linked to a higher risk of chronic disease — which can shorten your life span — whereas a diet rich in these foods is connected to an increase in longevity. (2)

Research also reveals that the health benefits of a plant-based diet include: (3)

• Contributing to a healthier body weight
• Improving heart health, in part, by lowering blood pressure and cholesterol levels
• Making it easier for people with type 2 diabetes to control their blood sugar
• Potentially reducing the risk of certain cancers, such as colorectal cancer

Some people choose to eat a plant-based diet out of their love for animals or because they have a desire to rely on sustainable food sources that cause less harm to the environment. There are several reasons someone might gravitate toward plant foods. Many will also tell you that this way of eating isn’t always easy, despite its many benefits.

If Plant-Based Eating Is So Good for Us, Why Is It So Hard?

Changing the foods you eat day in and day out can be difficult, no matter what type of diet you’re switching from and to. Add this to the fact that 90% of Americans don’t get their recommended amounts of vegetables each day and almost 88% fall short of their suggested daily fruit intake. (4)

Switching to a plant-based diet can feel like an uphill battle. But it doesn’t have to be.

Here’s the thing: you don’t have to completely overhaul your diet to enjoy the nutritious benefits that plants have to offer. Just do a little at a time and slowly change the way you eat. Over time, you may even find that you crave more plant-based foods! How do you make this a reality?

3 Tips to Help You Work Toward a Plant-Based Diet

If you’re interested in increasing your intake of non-animal foods, here are a few tips that can help:

1. Add one plant-based food item to just one of your meals.

Have whole wheat toast or oatmeal for breakfast. Eat a side salad with lunch or have a veggie side dish with dinner. After this becomes a habit, include a plant-based food in two meals each day. Work toward having a plant-based food in each of your daily meals and snacks. Soon, this way of eating will become a habit.

2. Play around with herbs and spices.

Some people find it hard to follow a plant-forward diet because they get bored of eating the same things time and again. One way to avoid this is to play around with different seasonings. Use lemon pepper to add flavor to cooked cauliflower, for instance, or sprinkle nuts with a little chili powder to give them a bit of a kick. Give your taste buds something to look forward to when eating plant-based foods.

3. Consider a plant-based supplement.

Maybe you’ve tried increasing your intake of plant foods in the past but didn’t have much success. Taking a dietary supplement can help you receive the nutrients that many plants have to offer but in pill, capsule, or powder form. For example, Natural Wellness offers a Superfood Greens Complex that supplies nutrients from ginger root, parsley leaf, bee pollen, Ginkgo Biloba, and more.

Transitioning to a plant-based diet can take some time. Give yourself permission to make this transition slowly. Once you start feeling and seeing the many benefits that this way of eating can provide, you may find that this encourages you to keep reaching for more plant-based foods. Just remember that it can enhance your life (and health) when you do!