In 2016 I decided to initiate the Healthy Dining1 project. This initiative is a cooperation with restaurants, and it is for the benefit of restaurant customers who wish to enjoy eating out with full confidence that they are consuming food which suits their health goals. Participating restaurants offer at least one entrée which meets the criteria of the Whole Food Plant Based Diet.
My dream is that every restaurant will offer one especially healthy choice. First, restaurants in Tel Aviv, then those in Israel and then, perhaps one day, it will just be normal.
Each participating restaurant will be able to display the project logo in their window and on their menus, and will also receive my recommendation, as a family doctor whose practice emphasizes nutrition for health promotion. The details of the restaurants will appear on my website and also on a dedicated facebook page.
For quite some time now, many restaurants do offer some vegetarian and vegan choices. These definitions relate to dishes which contain no meat, chicken or fish (vegetarian) or vegetarian dishes which also contain no eggs or dairy (vegan). The dishes which are part of the Healthy Dining project are indeed vegan, and will contain only ingredients which are suitable for the Whole Food Plant Based Diet. These ingredients are: vegetables, fruits, pulses, whole grains, some seeds and spices. Processed foods such as white flour, white rice and sugar will not be included. Salt and oil will also not be used.
The Healthy Dining logo includes within it the Power Plate symbol which belongs to the organization Physicians for Responsible Medicine2. This is an organization of American physicians who are actively working for the health of the public, with an emphasis on healthy lifestyle and especially on a diet which is plant based, from both health and ethical considerations. Recently several Scandinavian countries have developed similar bodies and there is hope that doctors in other countries will follow suit. Dr Neal Barnard, founder of PCRM, has encouraged the Healthy Dining project and has given his blessing for our use of the Power Plate symbol.
Israel is a world leader in the vegan movement. This part of the world is blessed with an abundance of fruits and vegetables, and a wonderful climate which means fresh produce is available throughout the year. There is also a very high degree of interest and awareness about health and the environment. In addition, Israel has many highly gifted chefs who create some very tasty food!
The aim of the Healthy Dining project is to bring all these elements together to create food that will be most delicious and also most healthy, for the enjoyment of all diners while promoting their health.
Restaurants and cafes who are interested in joining this project should please contact me, Dr Miriam Maisel, in order to start the process. I will be very happy to work with you to create suitable new dishes or adapt existing dishes from your menu. Please see my website for more information about the Whole Food Plant Based Diet.
To contact:
www.plantbasedlifestylemedicine.com
on facebook: Dr Miriam Maisel