Forward Food: A Plant Based Approach With Baptist Health South Florida

***This Forward Food conversation is presented by Baptist Health South Florida. As always all opinions are my own.

The concept of Forward Food is helping grow a healthier, more sustainable food system that eventually we as a community can help bring food forward.

Did you know that if you swapped three meals per week to a plant-based breakfast, lunch or dinner you would save you and your family $1,500 dollars per year? Over the course of your lifetime that is some serious coin! Last week, Baptist Health South Florida held a plant-based chefs training to encourage plant based cooking within their hospitals. When I was first introduced to the Baptist Health South Florida team at the Grow2Heal garden I was so impressed about the way they spoke about their health system. Their main goal is actually to offer programs that keep patients out of hospital beds; which is why education is a key component in their process.

The Humane Society presented #ForwardFood with health talks and food demonstration by Chef Wanda White. Chef White was the mastermind of the first all vegan dining hall at UNT. She also says: “Education is the most powerful thing you can have in your life”. Chef Wanda encouraged all chefs to step out of their comfort zones and says: “Allow yourself to experience new ideas and new thinking. It is then that the magic will come alive.”

You may be thinking, of course a vegan chef would encourage all of us to become herbivores, but she was once an egg and butter loving pastry chef who was battling chronic diseases. Once she shifted her way of thinking, and was challenged with vegan cooking, a whole new world full of possibilities unfolded. For example, did you know you can make whipped meringue from the water in your can of chickpeas?! You can, we did and it was delicious!

Here is a sneak peak into the #ForwardFood Executive Chef Training

The day moved forward with all of the chefs and a team of home cooks like me, and my partner Thi Squire from the Grow2Heal garden. Chefs made everything from roasted eggplant sandwiches with roasted red pepper aioli, kale and pesto enchilada bake to a Southwest Wrap. Doesn’t everything look so yummy? It was and honestly, I do not think anyone missed the animal protein at all.

Lastly, I will leave you with this to encourage you to swap a few meals this week to solely plant based.

How many gallons of water do you think it takes to make 1 LB of beef?

1 LB. of Wheat=25 Gallons of Water

1 LB of Soy = 250 Gallons of Water

1 LB of Beef = 2600 Gallons of Water

The discussion of #ForwardFood and plant based eating is something so much bigger than ourselves. The fact that we only have one body and one planet just makes me think about all the ways we as a society are connected to the world. There is a much bigger lesson to be learned here and it is up to us to make small changes that can have a MAJOR impact. For more on initiatives and #ForwardFood this post make sure to check out from Baptist Health South Florida.