Plant based options on the rise
Actually…yes. It is. It’s becoming more of the norm to be able to walk into almost any fast casual (specifically) restaurant and have a variety of plant-based options to choose from. This is, of course, other than the typical, boring side salad that plagued plant-based patrons for so many years. More people are following trends to try to eat more plant-based foods on the reg’, even if they do not claim themselves to be vegetarians, by definition.
What are some of the reasons there has been a shift to honor plant-based options?
The most obvious (and probably most well-known) would be to lessen environmental impacts. With semi-recent docu-series that uncover the harsh realities of livestock and how they fit into the supply chain, many consumers have decided to at least cut back on their consumption of meat, for this reason alone.
Another recent trend towards consuming more plant-based options stem from the facade of health benefits. We’re not nutritionists at Smart Flour, and many will argue that humans need animal proteins in order to survive; however, some nutritionists beg to differ; as long as macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates and fats) daily values are met (dependent on the individual), eating a plant-based diet COULD have health benefits, from lower cholesterol, stabilize blood sugar, lower caloric intake (to aid in losing weight in a healthy way), and many other factors that tend to plague the health of the U.S. and other developed nations.
Since plant-based diets have become more accepted in recent years, convenience of some of these items has become ‘the norm’ as well. With grab-and-go snacks and meals found in more places than ever before (not to mention the up-tick in to-go orders from diners’ favorite restaurants), consumers now basically have unlimited possibilities, when it comes to their dietary wants and needs.
Do you plan on getting on-board with this latest trend in our industry? We’d love to hear from you, from a restauranteur’s perspective.