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Orange combined with dark chocolate and yogurt creates a sweet dessert.
Orange combined with dark chocolate and yogurt creates a sweet dessert.
Photo: For The Telegraph
Orange combined with dark chocolate and yogurt creates a sweet dessert.
Orange combined with dark chocolate and yogurt creates a sweet dessert.
Photo: For The Telegraph
Plant-based diets have grown in popularity, and dairy still fits in, according to the St. Louis Dairy Council.
What does ‘plant-based’ mean?
The term “plant-based diet” has recently garnered increased attention and headlines, the St. Louis Dairy Council recently noted. While this year has been marked by events beyond human control, choosing foods to bolster health is one thing humans can do. So what exactly is a “plant-based diet,” and does it have health benefits?
“Plant-based diets” have no official definition. For some, it means choosing plant foods first, including fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes and whole grains, before adding foods from animal sources, such as cheese, yogurt, chicken or beef. For others it means only choosing plant foods, omitting the other food groups, and potentially the nutrients they provide.
“The term ‘plant-based’ can allow for flexibility in personal food preferences,” said registered dietitian Erin McGraw, with the St. Louis Dairy Council, “while aiming to increase daily plant food consumption.”
What are the health benefits?
Benefits plant foods offer include fruits and vegetables that provide a variety of vitamins and minerals, such as antioxidants with many health benefits. Whole grains, nuts, seeds and legumes offer protein and a variety of vitamins and minerals. All plant foods offer fiber, important for satiety, digestion and cardiovascular health, McGraw said.
Recognizing these plant-food benefits in overall health and disease prevention, it doesn’t mean choosing only plant foods is best.
“Eating from a variety of food groups is the best way to meet your nutrient needs, and allows for the flexibility that is important for successful lifestyle changes,” McGraw said.
How do dairy and plants work together?
According to the St. Louis Dairy Council, decades of research have shown that plant and dairy foods can help reduce the risk for various diseases and provide important nutrients. For example, calcium, vitamin D, potassium and fiber. Milk is the leading food source for calcium, vitamin D and potassium, while plant foods provide fiber. Together, they are a perfect team to cover all of these nutrients, McGraw said.
Additionally, “probiotics,” the healthy bacteria found in fermented dairy foods, like, yogurt and kefir, offer a variety of health and digestive benefits. Plant foods also function as “prebiotics,” helping to feed the healthy bacteria that is present in the digestive tract. Together, dairy foods and plant foods can help maximize these individual health benefits, she continued.
There are many different nutrients humans need every day to be as healthy as possible. Specific nutrients, such as vitamin B12, are important components of a healthy diet that plants cannot supply, McGraw noted. Complete proteins, which are proteins with all the necessary building blocks, also are more difficult to get from consuming only plant-based foods. By incorporating dairy with plant sources, it ensure nutrients such as vitamin B12 and complete quality protein are consumed, McGraw explained.
To learn more visit stldairycouncil.org.
