Captivating Cuisine: A Celebration of Plant-Based Dining

By Holly Barbour, MD | February 2022

It was a glorious day in our own Payne Park for the annual Sarasota VegFest in December. White tents billowed against a cerulean sky, and the ample expanse of lawn was dotted with hundreds of people in bright T-shirts, making for a brilliant visual treat. 

A closer look revealed scores of booths offering up delicious plant-sourced yummies to taste and plenty of information to read and stir conversation. Most of all, it was a perfect venue for local plant-based enthusiasts to engage and support each other in living a healthy, sustainable, and compassionate life. 

I’ve eaten a plant-based (PB) diet for nearly 50 years, and am amazed to realize how far we’ve come. Back in the Woodstock era, when we would sauté tofu and grill seasonal veggies at home, going out to eat was always a struggle. At restaurants, I had to veer off-menu and whisper in the server’s ear, “Could you please have the chef throw something vegan together?” Out came, quite predictably, a plate of white rice with some rather prosaic steamed vegetables plopped on top. I’d salt it. Fine.

Then a few decades went by, and how things have changed! Virtually every restaurant I visit today has delicious PB options and some even offer a separate plant-friendly menu. Even better, our lovely Sarasota is home to an impressive array of restaurants specializing in plant-centric selections. 

Why the dramatic turnaround? What’s all the kerfuffle about plant-based eating? 

The short answer is that more and more people are discovering the myriad benefits of eating this way. They try it for some or all those reasons, and then—epiphany! It’s off the wall delicious! With accelerating demand, restauranteurs and grocers are stepping up. At home? Cooking this way is not as difficult, weird, or exotic as we once thought. The new question then becomes, “Why not?”

Why not, when you can lose weight without feeling deprived? Why not when your metabolic levels improve and your risk of serious disease drops?

Moving happily toward your ideal weight is almost surely going to happen with PB eating. That’s because fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains pack a lot of fiber, so not only do you feel full, but these foods have a relatively modest number of calories compared to animal-based products at a comparable satiety level.

We used to think weight loss necessitated cutting carbs, but a traditional Japanese diet had rice and sweet potatoes as staples, which led to more ideal weight and incredibly low rates of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. When the Japanese diet became more “westernized” with more animal products and processed carbohydrates such as sugar and white flour, those health benefits were lost. So “carbohydrate” isn’t a dirty word, but “processed” is. 

A plant-centric lifestyle comes with welcome side effects: normalized blood glucose (sugar) levels, lower blood pressure in people with elevated levels, and improved cholesterol profiles. In people with diagnosed diabetes, a PB diet can lower the amount of medication required or even allow people to discontinue it altogether in some cases. All this is aided by the weight loss, so it’s a healthy two-way street. The cardiovascular benefits of plant-centric eating are tremendous and incontrovertible. Additionally, newer scientific evidence demonstrates that a PB diet helps lower the risk of several forms of cancer, such as colorectal and breast cancer. There is even emerging evidence that a PB diet can decrease the risk of recurrence in survivors. 

This is a small article, and the medical evidence for the benefits of a PB diet could fill volumes, but if you’re interested, it’s easy to find a profusion of resources. Just look for articles that have professional peer-reviewed references, not someone’s opinion, especially if they want to sell you something. 

If you’d like to discover how delicious and satisfying PB eating can be, you are absolutely in the right city to find a place you love, whether it be super casual or truly “fine” dining. Sarasota’s choice of plant-based and plant-friendly restaurants has grown, and even other types of eateries have options for you. A few years ago, I was out with a couple who had made reservations at a high-end steakhouse in Sarasota. I couldn’t rain on their parade so did my little whisper to the server. When the meal was served, out came the most gorgeously presented, beyond delicious entrée anyone could have dreamed of. I was completely thrilled! The server informed me that the chef actually had a ball creating this. So there you are. Steakhouse? Not a problem. 

My dietary choice almost exactly 50 years ago was all about the animals. Now, we know how a plant-based diet helps us humans and our own beautiful planet survive as well. I encourage you to give it a try. Bet you’ll love it. Here’s to your health, Sarasota!

Considering a plant-based journey?

The Game Changers is a fabulous and entertaining documentary about optimal diet for performance. You will love it!  It’s on Netflix and Amazon Prime among others. Visit gamechangersmovie.com.

For an easy and fun way to begin your plant-based journey, download the beautifully constructed and very helpful free app from The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine at 21DayKickstart.org. Or visit their website at pcrm.org for a wonderful trove of nutrition information for specific situations like diabetes, heart disease, and cancer survivors.

America’s Test Kitchen perfects recipes down to, quite literally, a fine science. They nail taste, texture, color—everything. Their Vegan for Everybody and The Complete Plant-Based Cookbookare must-haves. My husband is le chef de la maison (I just clean up), and everything he’s made from these cookbooks has left me swooning.

And for a final indulgence, turn to Vegan Chocolate by Fran Costigan. Her “Bittersweet Ganache-Glazed Chocolate Torte to Live For” is beyond heavenly.