Plant-Based 101 - Top Tips
“Whole foods”: Natural foods that are not heavily processed. That means whole, unrefined, or minimally refined ingredients.
“Plant-based”: Food that comes from plants and is free of animal ingredients such as meat, poultry, fish, seafood, milk, eggs, or honey.
What is a Whole Food Plant-Based Lifestyle
There’s a lot of buzz these days around the term whole food plant-based, so what exactly is it? To be honest, it means different things to different people depending on where you’re at in the continuum of your whole food plant-based journey. First off, this is not a “diet”. It should be referred to as a “lifestyle” because this is a behavior change based on many, many decades of scientific evidence resulting in numerous health benefits. Let’s dig into what defines the various types of plant-based eating.
Vegan versus Plant-based versus Whole Food Plant-Based versus Whole Food Plant-Based-SOS
Vegan diet - eliminates all animal products of all kinds, 100 percent of the time, often primarily for ethical reasons, disregarding their own health needs.
Plant-based diet - the majority of the food comes from plants and is usually motivated for health reasons. May consume plant-based processed foods.
Whole food plant-based diet - consists of whole plant foods and avoids highly refined foods such as bleached flour, refined sugar, and most oil.
It is possible to be both vegan and plant-based or whole food plant-based.
Benefits of a Whole Food Plant-Based Lifestyle
It prevents and many times can reverse chronic diseases, including heart disease, many cancers, and type 2 diabetes, just to name a few.
It cuts your carbon footprint by 50%, animal agriculture is responsible for more greenhouse gas emissions than the exhaust from ALL transportation combined.
It saves water, 55% of the water used in the U.S. is used for livestock, it takes 2500 gallons of water to achieve 1 lb. of ground beef!
It prevents marine life destruction. Scientists predict we could have fishless oceans by 2048 because of overfishing and bottom trauling, which is 150 times WORSE than deforestation.
It stops deforestation. It’s estimated that animal agriculture is responsible for up to 91% of the destruction of the amazon. One and a half acres of land can produce 37,000 pounds of plant food but only 375 pounds of meat.
Weight loss and weight management, you consume fewer calories from plants by eating nutrient-dense food versus calorie-dense food.
Improves digestion and constipation.
Increases energy and promotes restful sleep.
Reduces exposure to environmental contaminants.
Shows compassion for animals.
What to Eat on a “Whole Food Plant-Based Diet” - you want optimal health, right?
It really isn’t complicated once you rid yourself of the no-nos that have been ingrained in your brain, such as the avoidance of carbs and that certain oils are healthy. Basically, you’ll be eating all the healthy food groups; fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds. Your grocery shopping just got easier!
Download Dr. Michael Greger’s Daily Dozen checklist app. This app is centered around daily recommendations on everything you want to incorporate into your daily routine from food, herbs and spices, exercise, and water. The app is available for both iPhone and Android, there is no cost, and is advertisement free. The checklist will serve as a daily reminder to eat a variety of healthy foods.
Quick Whole Food Shopping List
Fruits: berries, bananas, apples, pears, citrus, dates (fresh or frozen)
Vegetables: green leafy vegs, root, cruciferous, peppers (fresh or frozen)
Whole Grains: Brown rice, millet, wild rice, quinoa, rolled oats, farro, whole grain breads, and pasta
Legumes: lentils, chickpeas, black beans, Kidney beans, pinto beans, refried beans, white beans, split peas, tofu, tempeh
Nuts and Seeds: raw almonds, cashews and walnuts, pumpkin, flax and chia seeds, nut butters
Dairy alternatives: nut milk, cashew or soy cheese
Condiments: Bragg aminos or tamari, low sodium soy sauce, mustard, nutritional yeast, vinegar, salsa, herbs, and spices
While organic foods are ideal, it is not necessary.
Food to Limit or Avoid
Highly processed, pre-packaged convenience food, sugary treats, chips, crackers.
Oils; even in salad dressings and for sautés including olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil. NO oils!
Sugar, salt and products containing them like baked goods, soda, cereal
All animal products, fish, seafood, poultry, dairy, eggs, honey
How Do I Get Started
Adopt the Meatless Monday habit as your starting point and go from there. Very few people go “all in” unless they have strong convictions to improve their health, or have strong social and environmental beliefs. Don’t think of it as “all or nothing”, unless of course you’re ready for it. Or consider a 4 week transition plan by eliminating animal protein from breakfast week 1, lunch in week 2, dinner in week 3, and fine tuning your transition in week 4.
Find support. Going at it alone can be challenging, I know this from my own experience. You’re going to need a pantry reset, menu inspiration, grocery shopping tips and support when all the naysayers question you on where you’re getting your protein and calcium. You’re introducing significant changes in your life, without support that change is going to be very difficult.
Utilize all Resources available, read books and watch documentaries to inspire you on this new healthy lifestyle path. Check out my Resources menu. Join my Facebook group for great recipes and reliable, science-based information.
Set goals based on what’s motivating you to change your dietary lifestyle whether it be to lower your blood pressure, or reverse a chronic illness. Remember this is a lifestyle, not a quick fix or short-term solution. Remember, this is not a diet, this is an on-going lifestyle.
Begin a journal documenting what you enjoy eating and how it makes you feel. Make notes of having more energy, feeling lighter, what foods cause bloating, or gas. This will help you stay on track and identify food your body is having difficulty digesting. Remember, you’re introducing your body to a lot more fiber than it’s used to, it’s going to take time to adjust.
Write down your WHY. What is it that is motivating you to achieve good health? Become passionate about your “why” and be conscious of it daily.
Get your body moving, sneak in a brisk 30 minute walk, 4 days a week at a minimum.
Aim for progress not perfection, shifting to a whole food plant-based way of eating can be a work in progress, be patient. But of course if you’re an “all in” person like I am, go for it. I applaud you for not allowing this overused mantra (aim for progress not per perfection) provide you with an excuse to not fully achieve your goals. I don’t believe in “everything in moderation” either, let’s not give ourselves and excuse for bad behavior. I encourage you to go all-in, your body will thank you!!
Ready to get healthy? You got this!
