PLANT-BASED LIVING FOR BEGINNERS
Hi There! The most common question I hear from people when discussing our shift to a plant-based lifestyle is, “WHERE DO I EVEN BEGIN?” For us, it has been one simple change at a time! We literally started adding more plants to our diets, slowly substituting meat, dairy, gluten for more plants. That change was THE catalyst for a whole lot of other positive changes in my life which have made me a healthier, happier ME. This is why I am SO excited about sharing this journey with the world, and hopefully inspiring others to do the same!
HERE ARE SOME TIPS FOR GETTING STARTED:
1. ONE CHANGE AT A TIME!
Rome wasn’t built in a day….You run a marathon one step at a time. That same approach can be applied for a variety of goals. My family literally did the easy thing first. We started flooding our body with whole foods. We started with 1 plant-based day per week, then increased that as we got more comfortable with plant-based eating. Take it one meal at a time and incorporate your favorite veggies, nuts, fruits, and beans. This is a great time to start replacing the dairy in your diet. This is easier than you might think!! Start by replacing the cream in your coffee with your favorite non-dairy milk then reduce or eliminate cheese by learning about vegan alternatives, literally one item at a time. For us, we had to eliminate dairy cold turkey (that story for another day). That is an option too!
2. KEEP IT SIMPLE!
The easiest way to succeed with a plant-based lifestyle is to keep it simple! Eat real food and plenty of it! My diet consists of TONS of fruits, veggies, nuts (and nut butters), seeds (chia, flax, hemp), healthy fats, and healthy grains (quiona, oats, brown rice, etc).
3. DITCH RULES AND LABELS!
I am going out on a limb here but honestly, this has worked for our family. If you eat primarily things that grow in the ground, there ARE no labels! This will take some time getting used to but guess what, if you eat REAL food, your body was beautifully designed to use food as fuel, and to tell you what it needs and when you are full. Don’t stress out if you slip up. We all do. I believe it is what we do consistently, over a long period of time that makes all the difference. This is the problem with “diets”—they are generally a bunch of restrictions and rules, which inevitably leads to disappointment, when we break the hard rules. Instead, we shoot for a lifestyle with more allowances.
4. REMEMBER YOUR WHY
A sure way to maintain a plant-based lifestyle is to continue to fuel your passion for this transition and revisit your reason for doing so often. Most likely you read or watched something that inspired you to explore a plant-based lifestyle. Why did you decide to move to this lifestyle? Did you read a book that changed how you think about our food system and the way we treat animals? Is it strictly for your health? Always come back to that why if you find yourself struggling to maintain a healthy, plant-based diet.
Here are a few documentaries that have impacted me deeply and influenced my lifestyle change:
Food, Inc.
Forks Over Knives
Eating You Alive
What The Health
Vegucated
Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead
Hungry For Change
A couple books that were also influential in my decision include:
The China Study
How Not to Die
Eat to Live
Forks Over Knives Family
HERE ARE SOME TIPS FOR GETTING STARTED:
1. ONE CHANGE AT A TIME!
Rome wasn’t built in a day….You run a marathon one step at a time. That same approach can be applied for a variety of goals. My family literally did the easy thing first. We started flooding our body with whole foods. We started with 1 plant-based day per week, then increased that as we got more comfortable with plant-based eating. Take it one meal at a time and incorporate your favorite veggies, nuts, fruits, and beans. This is a great time to start replacing the dairy in your diet. This is easier than you might think!! Start by replacing the cream in your coffee with your favorite non-dairy milk then reduce or eliminate cheese by learning about vegan alternatives, literally one item at a time. For us, we had to eliminate dairy cold turkey (that story for another day). That is an option too!
2. KEEP IT SIMPLE!
The easiest way to succeed with a plant-based lifestyle is to keep it simple! Eat real food and plenty of it! My diet consists of TONS of fruits, veggies, nuts (and nut butters), seeds (chia, flax, hemp), healthy fats, and healthy grains (quiona, oats, brown rice, etc).
3. DITCH RULES AND LABELS!
I am going out on a limb here but honestly, this has worked for our family. If you eat primarily things that grow in the ground, there ARE no labels! This will take some time getting used to but guess what, if you eat REAL food, your body was beautifully designed to use food as fuel, and to tell you what it needs and when you are full. Don’t stress out if you slip up. We all do. I believe it is what we do consistently, over a long period of time that makes all the difference. This is the problem with “diets”—they are generally a bunch of restrictions and rules, which inevitably leads to disappointment, when we break the hard rules. Instead, we shoot for a lifestyle with more allowances.
4. REMEMBER YOUR WHY
A sure way to maintain a plant-based lifestyle is to continue to fuel your passion for this transition and revisit your reason for doing so often. Most likely you read or watched something that inspired you to explore a plant-based lifestyle. Why did you decide to move to this lifestyle? Did you read a book that changed how you think about our food system and the way we treat animals? Is it strictly for your health? Always come back to that why if you find yourself struggling to maintain a healthy, plant-based diet.
Here are a few documentaries that have impacted me deeply and influenced my lifestyle change:
Food, Inc.
Forks Over Knives
Eating You Alive
What The Health
Vegucated
Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead
Hungry For Change
A couple books that were also influential in my decision include:
The China Study
How Not to Die
Eat to Live
Forks Over Knives Family
5. STOP WORRYING ABOUT PROTEIN
This is the second most common question I get asked, “If you eat a plant-based diet, how do you get your protein?” PLANTS!!!- haha. I think we have been brainwashed to believe we all need to eat a ton of animal protein to get our daily amount and we all need to drink cows milk to keep our bones healthy and strong (that topic for another day). If you eat a well-balanced, healthy diet made up of whole foods including higher protein grains and vegetables, beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, tofu, hemp, edamame, and tempeh, you will get plenty of protein. If you’re very active, I would recommend considering a quality, whole food based plant protein powder (we love Juice Plus Complete) on top of what you’re already eating.
6. DOES MILK DO A BODY GOOD?
Not really. There is a ton of research readily available about the harmful effects of dairy, and this was a game-changer for our family! Question I routinely get: what about calcium? (Health Concerns about Dairy products and Calcium). Also, the United States has highest consumption of dairy per capita in the world, yet we also have the highest incidence of osteoporosis. The good news is that dairy milk is one of the easiest products to replace in your diet because of all the non dairy options. With products like almond milk, soy milk, cashew milk, coconut milk and coconut coffee creamer readily available in stores, there are plenty of options. Also, there are lots of very good vegan cheese alternative as well! We like to use nutritional yeast to give meals a “cheesy flavor”.
7. MEAL PREP AND COOK AT HOME
For me, this has been the most important principle for eating a well-balanced diet. I plan all my meals for the week (at least 6 days of the week) and purchase everything I need to make them. If you plan well, eating a healthy, completely plant-based diet is very doable. I also clean and chop most of the veggies Sunday or Monday so snacks and meals are easy to grab and go when the hunger hits.
8. STOCK YOUR PANTRY
This is going to be very important in your success with plant-based diet. If you stock your pantry with all the ingredients you need for healthy cooking, you will always be prepared to cook a delicious, nutritious meal! My pantry always has coconut oil, olive oil, avocado oil, tons of seeds and nuts, shaved coconut, nutritional yeast, lots of beans, lentils, spices, quinoa, healthy grains, etc. Also, stock your freezer with a few frozen veggies, healthy veggie burgers, frozen fruits, frozen spinach, broccoli, etc. I also like to have hemp seeds, chia seeds, and flax seeds on hand to make a smoothie when I’m running low on food to hold me over!
9. USE ONLINE RESOURCESThis is where I get my inspiration too! Pinterest, Instagram, you name it! I find tons of recipes, food ideas, substitutions, etc from these places. This is a great place to learn also! Great tool for getting started (and maintaining) a plant-based lifestyle.
Some of my favorite plant-based websites that inspire me daily!
https://www.forksoverknives.com/
www.ohsheglows.com
www.plantbasedonabudget.com
https://minimalistbaker.com/
http://www.sproutedkitchen.com/
https://ohmyveggies.com/
www.plantpoweredkitchen.com
This is the second most common question I get asked, “If you eat a plant-based diet, how do you get your protein?” PLANTS!!!- haha. I think we have been brainwashed to believe we all need to eat a ton of animal protein to get our daily amount and we all need to drink cows milk to keep our bones healthy and strong (that topic for another day). If you eat a well-balanced, healthy diet made up of whole foods including higher protein grains and vegetables, beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, tofu, hemp, edamame, and tempeh, you will get plenty of protein. If you’re very active, I would recommend considering a quality, whole food based plant protein powder (we love Juice Plus Complete) on top of what you’re already eating.
6. DOES MILK DO A BODY GOOD?
Not really. There is a ton of research readily available about the harmful effects of dairy, and this was a game-changer for our family! Question I routinely get: what about calcium? (Health Concerns about Dairy products and Calcium). Also, the United States has highest consumption of dairy per capita in the world, yet we also have the highest incidence of osteoporosis. The good news is that dairy milk is one of the easiest products to replace in your diet because of all the non dairy options. With products like almond milk, soy milk, cashew milk, coconut milk and coconut coffee creamer readily available in stores, there are plenty of options. Also, there are lots of very good vegan cheese alternative as well! We like to use nutritional yeast to give meals a “cheesy flavor”.
7. MEAL PREP AND COOK AT HOME
For me, this has been the most important principle for eating a well-balanced diet. I plan all my meals for the week (at least 6 days of the week) and purchase everything I need to make them. If you plan well, eating a healthy, completely plant-based diet is very doable. I also clean and chop most of the veggies Sunday or Monday so snacks and meals are easy to grab and go when the hunger hits.
8. STOCK YOUR PANTRY
This is going to be very important in your success with plant-based diet. If you stock your pantry with all the ingredients you need for healthy cooking, you will always be prepared to cook a delicious, nutritious meal! My pantry always has coconut oil, olive oil, avocado oil, tons of seeds and nuts, shaved coconut, nutritional yeast, lots of beans, lentils, spices, quinoa, healthy grains, etc. Also, stock your freezer with a few frozen veggies, healthy veggie burgers, frozen fruits, frozen spinach, broccoli, etc. I also like to have hemp seeds, chia seeds, and flax seeds on hand to make a smoothie when I’m running low on food to hold me over!
9. USE ONLINE RESOURCESThis is where I get my inspiration too! Pinterest, Instagram, you name it! I find tons of recipes, food ideas, substitutions, etc from these places. This is a great place to learn also! Great tool for getting started (and maintaining) a plant-based lifestyle.
Some of my favorite plant-based websites that inspire me daily!
https://www.forksoverknives.com/
www.ohsheglows.com
www.plantbasedonabudget.com
https://minimalistbaker.com/
http://www.sproutedkitchen.com/
https://ohmyveggies.com/
www.plantpoweredkitchen.com
So…If I have inspire you to make just a few changes TODAY, below are 5 simple changes you can literally make overnight:
1. Switch to almond milk, coconut milk, or soy milk.
2. Eat vegetables at every meal.
3. Hold the cheese when ordering (ex: salad without cheese).
4. Ask black beans instead of beef (ex: "black bean burrito").
5. Ask for avocado instead of chicken when ordering a salad, Mexican food, etc.
Small changes equal big results!
1. Switch to almond milk, coconut milk, or soy milk.
2. Eat vegetables at every meal.
3. Hold the cheese when ordering (ex: salad without cheese).
4. Ask black beans instead of beef (ex: "black bean burrito").
5. Ask for avocado instead of chicken when ordering a salad, Mexican food, etc.
Small changes equal big results!