When people say "plant-based" these days do they mean only plants? Or just mostly plants?
Mainly
Seafood like fish is fine and actually important
But like I stated completely getting off red beef can also be a detriment. There are supplements you can take of it without all the oils/grilling it etc...which not only drains the nutrional value but also hurts the body, heart etc
I honestly don't see any reason for people to still eat red meat. Even leaving out the ethical argument, it is terrible environmentally and you can certainly find the nutrients in other foods.
Recently I was at a family event where they were serving ham. I didn't want to be 'that guy' so I had a small piece and it seriously felt no different to me than eating human flesh. I know that sounds gross, but that is how long it had been since I had eaten a mammal. I occasionally eat fish and very rarely eat chicken, but am mostly plant based (even with morning protein shakes) and I have to say I really don't miss it.
There are so many options available nowadays for cooking at home, but I do wish it would become a little more mainstream in [regular] restaurants. Yard House is great example of a place that you can substitute Gardein for meat-based products and they have killer appetizer specials.
I'm considering switching to more clean plant based diet, where can I go to research/find more information about this?
Hmmm, that is a good question. I can't site any one specific source that led me towards this direction. I should also note that I do not claim to be strictly a vegan or vegetarian...maybe a pesco-vegetarian (fish only), but there is no reason put yourself in a corner. There is a lot of gray area. In terms of pure health, it probably doesn't matter that much unless you love to eat all the fattiest parts of an animal.
My recommendation would be to just try new items and see if you like them. As I mentioned before, I used to get the chicken bowl at Chipotle, but have been eating sofritas for several years now and I really don't notice any difference. Grocery stores carry Gardein everything so it might be worth it just to pick up a few different items and see if there is a decent substitute for you. Quorn makes a good chicken substitute and Dr. Praegers is good if you want something that is super healthy, even if it isn't necessarily the tastiest. And, of course, there is always Boca 'chicken' and 'beef' patties. Oh yeah, and I absolutely prefer pea protein over whey protein.
For me, personally, I just started to look at it more from an ethical point of view - like what animals would I be comfortable killing, cleaning, and cooking? I certainly don't fault those who have a different point of view than I do, but I think it would probably be beneficial to everyone if people chose a meatless meal every now and then.