Want to eat more plant-based meals? Baird has some ideas

Maggie Baird says her vegan cinnamon rolls are a family favourite — including to her children, who happen to be the world-famous musicians Billie Eilish and Finneas.

Growing up, Baird stopped eating meat in part because she felt connected to animals. Her commitment grew as she learned about the environmental impact of animal agriculture. And her mother died of a heart attack at 57 — one of many in her family to die of heart disease.

“I always say I have the trifecta of reasons” for foregoing meat, said Baird, who in 2020 founded Support + Feed, a nonprofit that advocates for a more climate-friendly food system and provides plant-based meals to people in need.

That connection between what’s healthy for people and the planet dominates the latest EAT-Lancet Commission report, an updated version of the 2019 analysis produced by leading food researchers from around the world. Besides detailing the food system’s contribution to climate change, it outlines the most current version of a “planetary health diet,” which emphasises fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes and nuts and encourages people, particularly in high-income countries, to reduce their intake of animal products, especially red meat.

“Nothing else on a pound for pound basis, except maybe refrigerants, comes close to the polluting power of beef,” said Jonathan Foley, executive director of independent climate solutions nonprofit Project Drawdown, at a Climate Week presentation in New York City. That “doesn’t mean everyone has to be vegan tomorrow,” but the goal should be to trim back high-polluting parts of one’s diet, he added.

We asked experts for some tips to centre plants in your kitchen. Here’s what they said. Are you worried your home-cooked asparagus won’t taste as good as your signature steak? That probably just means you haven’t had as much practice with the right techniques, said Miguel Guerra, chef and owner of Washington, DC-based, vegetable-forward Latin American restaurant MITA, which received a Michelin star in 2024.

Guerra suggested working on the basics: learn how to blanch asparagus, steam broccoli so it doesn’t get mushy or roast sweet potatoes so they get crispy on the outside. Even knife skills make a difference; Guerra said an onion chopped the right way tastes better.

“When I was a kid, I did not eat vegetables,” he said. Then culinary school, and a particularly delicious broccoli-cheddar soup, changed his mind. He realised selecting and preparing fresh ingredients with care and effort does make them better.

When you’re out shopping, it’s easier to pivot to whatever vegetables look freshest or are in season if you keep a stock pantry with canned and shelf-stable ingredients like sauces, said Joshua McFadden, a chef, restaurateur, farmer and cookbook author who has written about the “six seasons” approach to cooking.

There are also plenty of plant-based protein sources that keep for a long time in the pantry or freezer, like canned beans, tofu, nuts and lentils — all of which are highlighted in the EAT-Lancet report as ingredients that deserve a more central place in diets healthy for people and the planet. Even just simple seasonings like salt, pepper and olive oil can help plant ingredients shine, said McFadden, speaking on a panel at a New York Climate Week event.

But Baird also suggested experimenting with ingredients that you might not normally keep in your kitchen, from pomegranate molasses to capers. If something you need for a new recipe isn’t available at your grocery store, you can make substitutions while still aiming to be “a little bit daring,” she said.