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You’ve tried Taco Tuesday. You’ve flirted with Pasta Fridays and Pizza Mondays. And now your family is looking for something different – something that’s a little easier on the earth without sacrificing flavour.
While it can be a challenge to switch your family to a plant-based diet overnight, research shows that even a few plant-forward nights can impact your environmental footprint.
Moreover, it can be every bit as tasty as those other family dinner nights.
In this article, let’s explore why you should try a plant-based meal night with your family, and offer a couple of tips for pleasing even the harshest critics at the dinner table.
Table of Contents
Why Switch to Plant-Based?
Any change to the family schedule is bound to be met with a few raised eyebrows – from kids or significant others.
To help everyone get on board with a plant-based family meal night, discuss these reasons and benefits.
Sustainability
The youngest generations care deeply for the environment.
They want to enjoy the same pristine natural beauty you enjoyed as a kid. Food is a fantastic place to start if your family is looking for ways to express its dedication to environmental sustainability.
Research shows that switching to a vegan diet can significantly lower an individual’s greenhouse gas emissions (by roughly 1.5 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide a year).
Flexibility and Openness
Why not add plant-based dinners to your weekly repertoire?
Eating a few vegan meals a week is a fantastic way to expose kids to diverse foodways and eating styles.
They might also feel better eating a plant-based diet; you won’t know until you spearhead the change.
Cost Savings
With meat prices rising in most countries, switching to plant-based meals can be a terrific way to save money.
Hearty, nutritious vegan staples like legumes and pulses are typically a fraction of the cost of animal products.
How to Work Vegan Meals into Your Weekly Routine
It’s settled: Your family is going to try a few plant-based dinners this week.
Here’s how to work vegan meals into your weekly routine to please everyone.
Order Vegan Comfort Food
As most parents know, a slight change is usually well-tolerated, but a big change can be overwhelming.
Therefore, it’s vital to retain some comfort and familiarity in your plant-based food.
When ordering a plant-based family meal, search for a well-reviewed vegan restaurant near me that offers comfort classics.
At the link, you’ll find an example – from Parka restaurant in Toronto – of a vegan restaurant that does it right.
They serve up creative, comforting plant-based burgers, wraps and mac n’ cheese meals that everyone will enjoy.
Experiment with the Future 50 Foods
If you’re still familiarizing yourself with cooking vegan, take inspiration from the Future 50 Foods, a list of sustainable plant-based ingredients published by the World Wildlife Federation.
The list will steer you toward all sorts of tasty ingredients – from well-known staples like lentils and walnuts to unfamiliar fare like black salsify and moringa.
Welcome Some Trial and Error from the Critics at the Table
As with any new meal change, there’s bound to be some trial and error, a period of experimentation as you figure things out.
As you implement your plant-based family meal nights, strike up a rolling dialogue about what everyone likes – and what didn’t quite work.
Take an informal poll at the end of each plant-based meal to give everyone a voice in the matter.
Switching to plant-based dinners, even for just a few nights, can be a wonderful family project.
To smoothly incorporate plant-based dinner nights, order comforting vegan food from a vegan restaurant, experiment with new ingredients, and encourage constructive criticism from the whole family.
