The meals my mom put on the table in the sixties, seventies, and eighties were plant-based. She just called them, “eat what I put in front of you and be satisfied.” That’s barely said with tongue in cheek and every word is the truth.
Mom’s balanced meals included a small serving of starch, six to eight ounces of meat or fish and a cup or more of vegetables and salad. Her emphasis was on vegetables. We weren’t allowed to have bread until we had some of what was on our plate. She was a stickler about consuming many starches, whether it was part of our main meal or dessert. She admonished me, long before it was cool to do so, that carbs turn to sugar and sugar turns to fat, all of which is hard on your digestive system.
We hear food marketers toting the idea of “plant-based.” It’s a term that has become bastardized to the point that far too many people equate it with being vegan or vegetarian. Let’s make this clear today. Eating a plant-based diet does not mean someone is vegan or vegetarian. They may be following a keto, paleo, or other diet. A plant-based diet is flexible and generally has an emphasis on plant-derived foods and less on meat, seafood, dairy, or eggs.
Eating has become complex, which detracts from the joy of eating. I’m not saying that we shouldn’t be conscious eaters, but when was the last time we sat down and dug into a meal without questioning every detail about what we are eating? When we eat out, and we are on a particular diet protocol, it’s often necessary to query ingredients. I know that first hand! One slip up and I’m in serious trouble.
When at home, I prepare meals with joy and love from my heart, whether I am preparing meat, seafood, dairy, vegetables, grains, or seeds. I treat each with honor, respect, and compassion because I understand that having food that I can eat is survival, but the privilege of being particular is one which not all may be accorded.
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