The Benefits of a Vegetarian Diet
Welcome to Vegetarian month – a great time to celebrate the beautiful and fresh seasonal vegetables in New Zealand. At Woop, we create vegetarian recipes that are balanced, nourishing, and change with the seasons. Learn all about the Vegetarian lifestyle with our top tips for healthy eating as well as the vegetarian diet benefits of having more plants on your plate!
EATING HEALTHILY AS A VEGETARIAN
If you’re consuming healthy and balanced meat-free meals, you can get all the nutrients you need. The meals in the Woop Vegetarian box are designed by our chefs to be well-balanced, delicious, and filled with plenty of protein. Protein ensures we feel full and satisfied - it plays an important role in regulating our appetites. In our meals the protein comes from a range of ingredients including grains, seeds, nuts, legumes (lentils, chickpeas, beans), cheese, yoghurt, eggs, rice, pasta and more. The protein adds up to a considerable amount every day, especially if you're also eating a wide variety of different foods!
Tip: For maximum nutrition, it’s best to eat whole food sources like legumes, nuts and, seeds rather than processed meat replacements.
BENEFITS FOR OUR BODY
Going Vegetarian significantly increases your plant intake, which gives your health a boost. Plant foods are nutrient-dense while containing many things we know to be beneficial to our bodies, such as vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fibre. Increased fibre is great for the digestive system as it enables food and waste to transport smoothly through the body while improving gut bacteria. Evidence shows Vegetarians have lower cholesterol and blood pressure. They also have a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, cancer and, other chronic diseases compared to meat eaters. Vegetarians who follow a well-balanced diet tend to have lower body weights. As plants are full of fibre they make us feel fuller for longer.
Tip: Research suggests adding more seaweed, avocado, broccoli, leafy greens, and tempeh to your diet to boost your metabolism!
BENEFITS FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
Eating more vegetables is not only beneficial for our health, it's also better for the environment. Growing vegetables over raising meat-based products dramatically reduces the amount of land and water required, and results in reduced CO2 emissions. In fact, eating a Vegetarian diet can result in 2.5 times less emissions than a meat-based diet. A plant-based diet can also reduce an individual's water footprint by 55%.
EATING SEASONAL VEGETABLES
All our recipes are created using vegetables that are in season so the freshest produce goes into our boxes with the lowest environmental impact. You’ll find that each meal has at least 3 vegetables, ensuring they are nutritionally well balanced. See below Woop’s favourite vegetables and which season you’ll see these in…
SPRING
In Spring we include light vegetables such as rocket, baby kale, mizuna, baby cos, mixed leaves, courgettes and asparagus. One of our favourite Spring greens is the delicious courgette. Courgettes have 40% of their calories coming from protein. They are filled with vitamin C which is known to help when feeling tired or fatigued. Vitamin C is also beneficial for eye health.
SUMMER
In the hot days of Summer, we use refreshing and vibrant vegetables including sweet corn, green beans, capsicum, cucumber and carrots. We love including green beans in our Summer recipes! Beans are not always green - they are grown in a range of colours and patterns with 130 varieties including black, yellow, purple and speckled. The delicious summer vegetable is a great source of vitamin K which strengthens bone health. Some varieties can be consumed raw - simply cut off the ends and dip them into your favourite dip!
AUTUMN
As it starts to cool in Autumn our chefs begin using broccoli and cauliflower as well as leafy greens like rocket, bok choy and kale. Cauliflower is a highly versatile Autumn staple. This cruciferous vegetable is strong in antioxidants which are proven to delay the process of cancer cells. Cauliflower is rich in choline which numerous people lack in their diet. Choline has many significant functions for the body such as controlling mood and memory, improving metabolism and supporting brain development.
WINTER
During the cold weeks of Winter, we introduce seasonal produce of kumara, pumpkin, mushrooms and silverbeet. Our Winter broccoli is full of benefits! Broccoli can be eaten raw but studies show you gain the most health benefits by gentle steaming. The vegetable is high in iron which is a crucial mineral the body requires for development and growth. An antioxidant called quercetin can be found in broccoli which is known to decrease blood pressure, delay aging and even help with exercise performance.
So there’s nothing to lose and lots to gain by giving meat-free eating a go. If you’re not too sure where to start or you’re short on inspiration, why not let someone else do the hard work for you, and try the Woop Vegetarian box? It’s designed to be balanced and nutritious with dishes inspired from all over the world - a perfect and convenient option for vegetarians looking to get more plants on their plate. You can even start with choosing a Vegetarian meal once a week on our Foodie and Classic plans!
