It is my wish that more people will recognize the importance of a plant based diet, not only for our health, but also for animals and the planet earth

Meatless Movement recently had the opportunity to chat with Dr Mia Holm, manager of the Lifestyle Management Centre at Hong Kong Adventist Hospital – Stubbs Road.

She told Meatless Movement that so many local healthcare professionals such as doctors and dietitians are not keeping abreast with the latest studies and researches on health and nutrition; they are still stuck in teaching patients to eat meat and drink milk in order to have a balanced diet.

This has inspired her to create an IG page on whole food plant based diet as an educational tool.

Please tell us more about yourself

A HK born Eurasian Canadian, I am a registered dietitian with a PhD in Public Health. It is my passion to promote a healthy lifestyle, including a whole food plant based diet.

After living abroad for over 22 years, currently I’m located in Hong Kong, working as a department head at the Hong Kong Adventist Hospital-Stubbs Road.

My department is called Lifestyle Management Center, which focuses on healthy lifestyle education. Prior to working at the hospital, I held teaching and management positions at the School of Public Health, HKU and CUHK, respectively.

I first became a vegan when I was a teenager after reading some books on the health benefits of a plant based diet, and had followed the diet for around 15 years. Then I became a flexitarian (90% plant based, 10% animal products when dinning out and socializing) and returned to 100% plant based about two years ago.

Taking probiotic supplement is not the only way to optimize gut health
Dr. Mia Holm 熊妙華博士

Going 100% plant based is not the most difficult: most restaurants are willing to accommodate your meat free, dairy free and egg free diet request. More restaurants are offering vegetarian/vegan options on their menu. And vegetarian restaurants are becoming more popular. What is really difficult is following a healthy whole food diet.

You find refined carbohydrate, sugar loaded and oily food everywhere. Hence, I try to limit the frequency of dinning out.

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Do you have any advice for somebody who is just starting to go meatless?

Many people think you can’t get all your essential nutrients from plants alone. That’s because many people focus on eating veggies and fruits only, and forget about nuts, seeds and legumes. Nuts, seeds and legumes are high in protein, vitamins, minerals and some healthy fat (nuts and seeds). Make sure you eat some everyday, whether you are vegan or not. Also don’t forget about eating sea plants regularly, that’s where you get iodine from.

Try to incorporate more plant based protein into the diet, such as beans dishes, and gradually reduce animal protein intake. Switch to plant based milk and cheese, and use flax eggs or chia eggs, instead of real eggs in baking.

Make sure you eat some nuts, seeds and legumes every day. Limit the consumption of refined food such as white bread, white rice, ramen noodle and fried seitan. Eat whole food and wholegrain. Avoid food high in sugar, sodium and fat. If you are a vegan, make sure to take vitamin B12 supplement.

I feel great, my digestive system feels lighter, and I have fewer headaches, no more stomach pain and indigestion
Dr. Mia Holm 熊妙華博士

My favorite food is Korean Japchae (although the noodle is made with refined sweet potato starch 🙁 and a colorful veggie salad with peanut based salad dressing. I absolutely love Mexican and Thai food, and anything that has a lot of cilantro, chive, garlic and onion. Plant based food does not have to be boring and tasteless.

潺菜、芥蘭、冬菇、紅蘿蔔、紫洋蔥及甜酸齋。甜酸齋是昨晚外出堂食的 leftover，不鼓勵吃得太多，始終是精製食物，油鹽多，也沒有纖維。Malabar spinach, Chinese kale, shiitake mushroom, carrot, purple onion and fried seitan. Seitan is leftover from last night dinner at a restaurant, it is a processed food, high in sodium and oil, and I don’t recommend eating it too often.

I’m also thrilled to be a part of this cruelty free and environmental movement
Dr. Mia Holm 熊妙華博士

I’m grateful to be part of this meat free and cruelty free community. It is my wish that more people will recognize the importance of a plant based diet, not only for our health, but also for animals and the planet earth.