A2ZERO Plant-Based Challenge
Thanks for Participating!
Welcome
From September 11th - 17th, a group of A2ZERO Ambassadors, in collaboration with the City's Office of Sustainability and Innovations and non-profit VegMichigan, hosted our first ever A2ZERO Plant-Based Challenge! Our over 200 Challenge participants were able to learn more about plant-based eating and the health and sustainability benefits of eating a plant-forward diet; pledge to reduce their consumption of animal-based food products for the week; get daily emails with tips, tricks, and recipes; attend an in-person kick-off event, a plant-based pizza party, and a series of virtual webinars and cooking demonstrations; sign up for a reusable grocery bag full of plant-based foods to use in their own kitchen; and complete "bean-go" cards to be entered into a drawing for local and delicious prizes! The Challenge was a great success, and we plan to make it an annual event - so stay tuned for information on our 2023 Plant-Based Challenge!
Why Plant-Based?
Reducing your consumption of animal-based food products and consuming more plant-based foods can provide many health benefits - and contrary to many misconceptions, a properly balanced plant-based diet can provide all of the nutrients your body needs! In addition, reducing consumption of animal-based food products is a great way to reduce your personal impact on our environment and lead a more sustainable lifestyle! Interested in learning more about these topics? Check out VegMichigan's
resource guide or visit
www.nutritionfacts.org.
Photo by Constanze Reichert-Kurtz from Pixabay.
Challenge Overview
Miss the entire Plant-Based Challenge, or a specific event? Check out the recordings from our virtual events below!
Virtual Cooking Demonstration
On Monday, we hosted a virtual cooking demonstration by Michele Gallo and chef Vicki Brett-Gach from Ann Arbor Vegan Kitchen! Meals cooked during this demonstration included quinoa soup, ratatouille, and blueberry and peach crumble! You can find the recipes for the night's meals
here.
Restaurant Panel Discussion
On Tuesday, we joined a panel of local restaurant owners to learn about how their restaurants are incorporating plant-based meals into their menus, where they get their ingredients, other sustainability efforts they're undertaking, and more! Participating restaurants included
Cinnaholic Bakery,
El Harissa, and
Vinology.
Plant-Based Eating and Nutrition
On Wednesday, we heard from local medical practitioners Dr. Melissa Sundermann and Dr. Robert Breakey from Trinity Health IHA about the health benefits and nutritional value of plant-based diets. You can find Dr. Sundermann's slide deck
here, and Dr. Breakey's slide deck
here.
Affordable Plant-Based Eating
On Thursday, we joined Jeff Tritten and Howard Scheps from
Washtenaw Optimal Wellness for a webinar on the affordability of eating plant-based. Watch to learn Jeff and Howard's tips and tricks for easy and affordable plant-based meals! You can find the slide deck from this presentation here. Jeff and Howard also shared two helpful resource sheets: from the American College of Lifestyle Medicine and Washtenaw Optimal Wellness.
Ready to Get Cooking?
Want to try some plant-based food for yourself? Check out VegMichigan's recipe playlist on YouTube, or find plenty of mouthwatering options on their Ann Arbor Vegan Kitchen. And you can sign up
here for VegMichigan's 30-Day Challenge, which includes a reusable grocery bag full of plant-based foods to try!
