Sharon Palmer, RDN

“The Plant-Powered Dietitian”

Sharon Palmer, The Plant-Powered Dietitian™, is an award-winning food and nutrition expert, journalist, and editor. She is author of The Plant-Powered Diet: The Lifelong Eating Plan for Achieving Health, Beginning Today (The Experiment, 2012) and Plant-Powered for Life: Eat Your Way to Lasting Health with 52 Simple Steps & 125 Delicious Recipes (The Experiment, 2014).  Sharon also is editor of Environmental Nutrition, nutrition editor of Today’s Dietitian, blogger for “The Plant-Powered Blog,” and publisher of her monthly, The Plant-Powered Newsletter. Living in the Chaparral Hills overlooking Los Angeles, with her husband and two sons, Sharon enjoys visiting her local farmers market, gardening and cooking for friends and family.

Crack into a Plant-Based Eating with Pistachios

It’s easy to plunge into a plant-based diet! All you have to do is replace meat at the center of your plate with plant proteins, such as nuts (pistachios), beans, lentils, peas, and seeds. Pistachios are a wonderful plant-based protein option to help you cut back on meat. A one-ounce serving provides you with 6 grams of protein (the same amount of protein found in one large egg), along with good amounts of heart-healthy fats, potassium, fiber, vitamin B6, thiamin, copper, and phytochemicals. Plus, each pistachio kernel packs its protein with fiber and health fats, providing a wonderful formula for satisfaction and weight control.

 

American Pistachios

 

Check out my favorite tips to power your plate with plants, with the help of pistachios.

  • Fuel your breakfast with plant-based protein by adding pistachios to oatmeal, spreading pistachio butter on whole grain breads, or sprinkling pistachios into muffins, pancakes, or waffles.
  • Grab a handful of pistachios as the perfect plant protein-filled snack, providing a healthy source of protein, carbs, and fats all in one.
  • For lunch, sprinkle pistachios over a veggie-rich salad for flavor, crunch and protein. Try out this Olive, Pistachio and Pomegranate Salad for inspiration.
  • Pack up a nutritious lunch by filling whole grain pita bread with greens, cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, and pistachio hummus.
  • Whether it’s for a post- or pre- workout or an afternoon snack, toss pistachios into a healthy smoothie for a dose of protein.
  • Get creative with your dinner meal, thanks to pistachios. Toss them into pasta dishes, grain dishes, vegetable dishes, and beyond.
  • You can satisfy your sweet tooth every once in awhile without the guilt, when you turn to pistachios. Stir a handful of pistachios into biscotti, cakes, and cookies to add a touch of flavor—and plant protein—to your day.

 

 

Five American Pistachio Hacks by Sharon Palmer, RDN