Nutrition Quality Archives

What is a plant-based diet?

Plant-based diets emphasize nutrient-dense, whole plant foods such as fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts and seeds, and minimize highly-processed foods, added sugars, sodium, artificial colors, food additives, and non-nutritive sweeteners. A predominantly plant-based diet may occasionally include small amounts of meat, poultry, fish, dairy and eggs, while a 100% whole-food, plant-based diet would not include any foods sourced from animals, including honey made by bees.

Almonds are a good source of healthy fats

Along with protein and carbohydrates, fats are one of the three macronutrients that supply our body with energy measured in calories. Fats are considered energy-dense at 9 calories/gram, which is more than twice the 4 calories/gram found in both protein and carbohydrates.

But even though dietary fats are relatively high in calories, they are necessary for life because they provide the essential fatty acids that our bodies can’t make. You must eat fats to help absorb the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K, and beneficial phytochemicals such as beta-carotene from the foods you eat.

A healthy diet should contain between 20 and 35 percent fat, ideally from whole plant foods, while minimizing or eliminating sources of saturated and trans fats, which promote disease. Here’s a list of which fats you should add to and subtract from your diet: Read more