How to start a healthy plant based diet
How to start a healthy plant based diet. Do you want to know how to start a healthy plant based diet? So you can improve your life? With these guidelines you will be well on your way to being the healthiest you can be. Keep reading to see my tips for how to start a healthy plant based diet.
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Not knowing how to start a healthy plant based diet may be the reason you haven’t taken the plunge yet. It can feel intimidating and overwhelming. I’m here to tell you that it doesn’t have to be either of those things. It is often built up to be complicated but it is actually pretty simple. By simple, I do not mean necessarily easy, but it is straightforward once you get your head around it. This article will walk you through how to start a healthy plant based diet so you don’t feel alone and lost. Let’s get started.
You may really want to change but have given yourself a million reasons why not to. Like telling yourself it is impossible because you have a family to feed as well. Or that you don’t even really know how to cook anything plant based. Ask yourself if you are putting these stumbling blocks in the way because you really don’t know where to start or because you don’t actually want to do it.
If it is the former then I can help. If it is the latter then maybe re assess why you were contemplating changing to a plant based diet in the first place. Maybe do a little more research. Maybe do a little more soul searching.
If you haven’t read my post yet on 5 Reasons to be plant based then you can do so here. It’s really important to start with the reasoning behind why you want to adopt this way of living. This is because willpower will only get you so far, willpower runs out, for everybody. In fact, will power is very useful but I’m not sure it is anything more than a short term solution. This is why you need to find YOUR why.
Finding your why
There could be so many reasons why you want to change. It is very individual. It could be:
Existing heath issues, preventing health issues, or improving your overall health and well being. Maybe helping the environment or animal welfare concern. Or maybe it is to lose weight or setting a good example to your children
For me it was for health reasons. I knew that certain foods could be inflammatory to the body. So after being diagnosed with inflammatory arthritis and having had doctors telling me that medication is the only way to help I embarked on changing my diet completely. I have seen wonderful results, which have given me all the determination I need to continue. Nothing tastes as good as healthy feels after all!
Also, my mum has inflammatory arthritis too, so I know it is in my genes. I totally understand that just because you have a genetic predisposition for something does not mean you will get it. However I am also aware that with poor diet and lifestyle choices you can, unfortunately, acquire what you are genetically predisposed to, if triggered to do so . So for my children (who are both girls, and autoimmune conditions are more prominent in females), it is important to educate them that diet plays such an important role in their future health.
Whatever your reasons make sure they are your strong personal reasons, it will really help in the long run when you are finding the transition difficult and need to think back to your reasons for starting this.
Research
Research as much as you can about plant based living. Knowledge is the key to making this work for you long term. Read everything, internet, articles. research papers, anything you can get your hands on. Books like The China Study Expanded
Also do your research on vitamins. B12 and Omega 3 is something you will want to look into supplementing on a plant based diet. Also if you are doing this for an autoimmune condition you may want to look into vitamin D3 as a lot of people with these conditions are deficient in this also.
Go through your cupboards
Start to go through your cupboards and chuck out all the offending items. This will make it much easier if you are craving something later on. If it isn’t there, you cannot reach for it. This includes any cook books that include meat/dairy/egg based recipes. Get rid!
Meal plan
Being prepared is so important. Planning meals will stop you from rooting around in your cupboards trying to kick your culinary creativity into shape. It will also prevent you from getting hungry and having no snack ideas, big mistake! Plan for a week if you can and write out a few ideas for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks.
Do not forget to include sweet snacks if you have a sweet tooth and some savory ones if that is more you. You will never regret planning your food but I can almost guarantee you will regret not planning. It is a sure fire way to slip up easily. Once you get into the hang of it, it doesn’t take long at all. It is a good idea to write down the things you keep buying every week. This is your “essentials” list and you can go to it every time you plan out your meals for the week so you don’t forget anything.
Get picky at the supermarket
Read everything! A lot of you probably do this anyway but if you don’t then you must. There are SO many unnecessary animal based ingredients in food that you would never even contemplate. Like some crisps, dark chocolate, vegetarian processed or fast foods (a lot of the time these contain eggs or dairy). Some bread may contain eggs or milk. What about that VEGETABLE soup that you love? Are you sure it is made with vegetable broth and not chicken? It can be so frustrating but just be sure to read everything and educate yourself.
A good trick for the supermarket is not to buy things with too many ingredients. The best way to do this is to steer clear of highly processed foods and stick to whole foods. These will have single ingredients or very few. If you must buy processed, keep to things with a small ingredient list. If at all possible do not buy anything with ingredients that you cannot pronounce. Keep it simple.
Another tip for supermarkets is to try and do your shopping in the outer perimeter of the shop. This is where the fresh produce and minimally processed food will normally be.
Plan ahead when eating out
This one is a biggie if you eat out lot. It can be tricky to eat out, even though a lot of restaurants now cater for alternative diners. Most will have a vegetarian option, some will have a vegan choice but unfortunately sometimes you will just end up ordering French fries (unless you are like me and steer clear of oil too)! The best advice here is to choose somewhere you know will be ok. Just assuming it will be ok isn’t something you should risk. If this isn’t an option then look at the menu ahead of time and choose a few options that could work, even if you need to do a little tweaking. This will give you peace of mind and stop you dreading the moment the waiter comes to take your order.
If there isn’t anything on the menu that you can eat then call ahead and ask if there is something they can prepare for you. It feels so awkward at first but I actually did this not too long ago and asked if they would prepare me a simple salad, they asked for the vegetables I would like and wrote them all down. They were very accommodating; I wasn’t asking for anything difficult after all. It was delicious and I had some friends admiring my meal too!
Prepare yourself for all of the questions you will be asked
People will ask you questions. Some people ask because they are genuinely interested. Some people ask and are actually quite rude about it, mainly when they do not understand. Just be prepared for it and think of a few answers in case you want to engage with them. You may just want to smile sweetly and say “if we were all the same, the world would be a pretty boring place”. Just in case though, here are some of the common questions you may hear:
- Where do you get your protein?
- What do you eat?
- Aren’t you missing important vitamins and minerals?
- Surely you can’t live like this?
- Isn’t healthy food so expensive?
- Well, I guess you can’t eat out?
- Don’t you miss eating ‘cheese’? (Insert any non-plant based food into this sentence).
- This way of eating is just a fad surely?
Make a decision on your approach
Will you go all in and cut everything out cold turkey or will you take it slowly? There is a way to do this for the best outcome. It is very simple, the best way is whatever you feel is right for you.
If you get too irritated with doing something slowly when you know this is the way you will eat from now on for sure, then by all means, go all out and cut everything out at once. I will tell you though, this is what I did, and it is not easy. I needed to do this though as I was in a lot of pain and I knew taking small steps would have been too slow for me personally.
However, do not be pushed into doing it too fast if that is going to make you feel overwhelmed. Baby steps may be the best option for you. Maybe start by swapping your milk and yogurt for a plant based alternative. Or try giving up meat for half of the week.
It doesn’t have to be an all or nothing mind-set. This is not a race, it is a lifestyle, and there is no rush to make it to the finish line. Do whatever is right for you, just keep moving in the right direction and before you know it you will have made heaps of progress.
Change your mind-set
You may feel determined, motivated and raring to go on this journey towards plant based living. This can wane though and it can feel tough. Especially when you really want a food you are used to having. You could feel disheartened. Or people around you are eating your old favourite! You could feel jealous! This is a slippery slope and will only end negatively with you thinking of all the things you cannot have. You have to change this mind-set. Remember earlier when we talked about the importance of finding your why? This is where you will need it. Think of those reasons and why they were so important to you. Now, is that food/meal as important? I’m guessing not.
Change your mind-set to all of the things you can have. There are so many incredible plant based foods to try, it’s very exciting! Think also of the benefits you are going to feel and conjure up the image of yourself in a month’s time, a year’s time and even five years’ time! How healthy will you feel and look?
I really hope this helps.
Wishing you health and happiness.
Laura xx
