Plant Based Diet

lulumypuppy
lulumypuppy Posts: 3
in Food and Nutrition
Has anyone tried this? i want to try it but i want to see if it actually works. Any suggestions?

Replies

  • chickenFlame
    chickenFlame Posts: 6
    My diet is mostly veggies and meat, you need some form of protein to stave off hunger. If its all plants, I think you would be very hungry all the time.
  • littlebecc
    littlebecc Posts: 24
    Plant based also includes nuts, legumes etc. They're great sources of protein. I'm vegetarian and try to not eat dairy when I cook for myself.
    I'd highly recommend a plant based diet, but if you eat meat now it'll be difficult to cut out dairy and meat all at one go.
    There's a plethora of books out there, i'm currently reading The China Study which discusses the benefits of a plant based diet.
  • inkandsheep
    inkandsheep Posts: 101 Member
    I've been vegetarian for years and have recently started the transition to becoming vegan and eating only plant based. So far I feel amazing and really excited about it - it's like the penny has finally dropped and I've understood what healthy eating means! I try not to eat empty calories (e.g. sugary drinks or highly processed foods) and think about how everything I'm eating is going to affect my body.

    I found the website and YouTube videos of Heather Nauta, a holistic nutritionist, really helpful in finding out more about this. http://www.healthyeatingstartshere.com/ (Most of her content is free although she offers some paid for diet plans too - I'm not connected to her other than having found her website/videos helpful.)

    If you eat meat, dairy and eggs at the moment, the transition might feel more difficult. You could just start introducing more whole foods into your daily diet - that's fresh veggies and fruit, nuts & seeds (without additives of any kind), beans & legumes and wholegrains (e.g. brown rice, quinoa, millet, rolled oats).
  • rrrbecca11
    rrrbecca11 Posts: 477
    The vegetarian life is the only life for me. :-) I am happier, healthier, lighter in spirit, have incredible energy and stamina, sleep like a baby, strength train, and run. You won't miss the meat once you phase it out and learn how to "get your protein" from many other sources. :-) Good luck to you!
  • flyingwrite
    flyingwrite Posts: 264
    I've been plant based since January. I love it! Just make sure you eat a wide variety of foods. The more colorful the better. Beans and rice are your friends. I try to stay away from heavily processed soy, but switching to plant based was the best decision I've made.
  • ScullyKel
    ScullyKel Posts: 69
    I recently started trying to transition to a mainly plant based diet but I have never been vegetarian in my life.

    I had toyed with the idea for years, but after I watched the documentary Forks Over Knives (http://www.forksoverknives.com) and it opened my eyes to the fact that we are not required to eat in the way that tradition/society teaches us and that it may actually be hurting our bodies rather than sustaining us. It inspired me to make a major change, despite having a small child and a truly meat & potatoes kind of hubby. Their website has some vegan recipes and techniques for cooking as well.

    I'm going on three weeks now and It is definitely a struggle to find quick food options that I don't prepare before I leave the house, but I feel so much better and have a ton of energy. I have cut out the dairy and almost all meat based proteins. I have decided to keep in fish and seafood that are caught in a sustainable fashion.

    The first week that I removed these items from my diet I had some insane heartburn, but it has subsided completely and my IBS hasn't had a single flare up since either. This was the final deciding factor that a plant based diet was the right choice for me.

    I'm very happy with my decision and I've started loosing weight again which feels awesome! Before I wasn't really making much progress, but my metabolism has gotten a boost (probably from the increase in energy making me a more active person).

    I agree with inkandsheep that starting out adding more whole foods to your diet is a great way to start. There are lots of great recipes out there and I personally never feel deprived by not eating meat or dairy since there are such diverse options out there.

    Good Luck :) Feel free to message me or add me for additional support :wink:

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