Whether you are trying to change the food you eat daily or want to try out a meatless diet, plant-based foods can expand your food variety and introduce more nutrients into your diet.

What is Plant-Based Food?

Plant-based food is a term that describes foods that are derived from plants. These include whole grains, fruits, vegetables, plant-based oils, legumes, nuts, and seeds. Eating more plant-based food does not mean cutting out all animal products. So, if you love your morning coffee with a splash of milk or a grilled chicken sandwich for dinner, you should have that! You can focus on plant-based foods without completely expelling animal products from your diet.

Why Should I Incorporate Plant-Based Foods into My Diet?

Many benefits come with eating plant-based foods! It encourages incorporating more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats; each can contribute to your health and well-being.

Fruits, like berries, have antioxidants like vitamin C that can reduce inflammation and enhance your immune system. Plenty of sweet, delicious fruits will satisfy your sweet tooth without any added sugar or saturated fat found in other desserts.

Vegetables are low in fat and have plenty of vitamins and minerals, such as potassium and folate. Folate, found in leafy greens, is important for DNA synthesis and the metabolism of amino acids. Potassium, found in potatoes and sweet potatoes, is important for many bodily functions and can help maintain blood pressure. Additionally, more vegetables and fruits mean more dietary fiber to support healthy digestion, lower cholesterol levels, and maintain healthy blood sugar levels.

Whole grains have dietary fiber, B vitamins, and minerals like iron and magnesium. B vitamins primarily aid in energy production. Iron helps move oxygen around your body and comes in fortified cereals and whole grains. Magnesium aids in energy production and builds bones.

Oils like avocado, olive, canola, and peanut oils have unsaturated fats. These fats aid in anti-inflammatory processes, lowering cholesterol levels, and decreasing your risk for cardiovascular diseases. Nuts and seeds also have unsaturated fats.

Legumes such as black beans, lentils, and chickpeas have B vitamins, iron, zinc, magnesium, and vitamin E. Zinc supports your metabolism and immune system. Vitamin E is an antioxidant and can improve immune function. Legumes are also a great source of protein.

How Can I Eat More Plant-Based Foods in the Dining Commons?

There are various choices at each dining hall that fit into a plant-based diet. Each dining hall has a vegetarian line where we serve vegetarian lunch and dinner items, steamed vegetables, beans and brown rice, and baked or sweet potatoes. All plant-based options! These vegetarian lines are called Classic Cuisine at Bolton, Veg Yams at Snelling, Veggie Harvest at Oglethorpe, and Headliners at Village Summit.

Here are some other stations with plant-based options at each Dining Common:
Bolton:
Salad Bar – pre-prepared salads and beans, tofu, fresh vegetables, and vinaigrettes to make your own
The Wok – tofu dish of the day, jasmine rice, vegetable of the day, and pot stickers or vegetable egg rolls
Snelling:
The Bowl – vegetables, grains, quinoa, tofu, legumes, and falafel
The Grill – veggie burger, vegan dogs, and grilled cheese sandwich
Oglethorpe:
Skillets- white or wheat pasta with your choice of sauce and toppings like mushrooms and spinach
Ramen Bar – tofu, white rice, and vegetables
O’ Hacienda Burrito Bar – beans, Spanish Rice, sweet potatoes, and Chili Lime Tofu with toppings such as guacamole and Pico de Gallo
Village Summit:
Smoothie – fruit smoothies
Just Veggies Cold Bar – salads and spreads
Giorgio’s – pizzas

Build Your Plate has a list of all the menus for every dining common and the ingredients for each dish. You can plan ahead of time what plant-based foods are offered that you would like to try. To make your search easier, you can add a filter to Build Your Plate to show you meatless foods by clicking the meatless or vegan icon. This will strike through all meals that have meat in them.
The final tip for eating plant-based food: be adventurous! There is a wide variety of plant-based foods you may have never tried that the dining commons has to offer. There are opportunities to try tempeh, lentils, tofu, quinoa, farro, and many more you may not have known about before.

Consult one of UGA Dining’s Registered Dietitians!
If you have any questions or concerns about eating more plant-based foods, you can reach out to dining-nutrition@uga.edu to talk with one of our Registered Dietitians!

References

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“Food Allergies & Special Diets – UGA Dining Services.” UGA Dining Services, 25 July 2024, dining.uga.edu/nutrition/food-allergies-special-diets/

National Institutes of Health. “Office of Dietary Supplements – Potassium.” Nih.gov, 2022, ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Potassium-HealthProfessional/

National Institutes of Health. “Office of Dietary Supplements – Vitamin B12.” Nih.gov, National Institutes of Health, 27 Feb. 2024, ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminB12-HealthProfessional/

National Research Council (US) Subcommittee on the Tenth Edition of the Recommended Dietary Allowances. Recommended Dietary Allowances: 10th Edition. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 1989. 6, Protein and Amino Acids. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK234922/

Neufingerl, Nicole, and Ans Eilander. “Nutrient Intake and Status in Adults Consuming Plant-Based Diets Compared to Meat-Eaters: A Systematic Review.” Nutrients vol. 14,1 29. 23 Dec. 2021, doi:10.3390/nu14010029

Slavin, Joanne L, and Beate Lloyd. “Health benefits of fruits and vegetables.” Advances in nutrition (Bethesda, Md.) vol. 3,4 506-16. 1 Jul. 2012, doi:10.3945/an.112.002154

Tardy, Anne-Laure et al. “Vitamins and Minerals for Energy, Fatigue and Cognition: A Narrative Review of the Biochemical and Clinical Evidence.” Nutrients vol. 12,1 228. 16 Jan. 2020, doi:10.3390/nu12010228

“What Is MyPlate? | MyPlate.” Www.myplate.gov, www.myplate.gov/eat-healthy/