If you’re looking to transition to a plant-based diet, or simply just incorporate more plants into your eating regimen, it’s worth doing research before getting started. For some people, it’s easy to make a dietary transformation overnight… But for most, a big lifestyle change like this is a process that requires time and patience. Regardless of how long it takes you to do it, the fact that you want to incorporate more whole foods into your diet is great in itself! To help you along the way, I put together this mini guide for eating plant-based including food substitutes and recommendations, things to avoid, and some key tips.
What is a Plant-Based Lifestyle?
A plant-based lifestyle is a regimen consisting mostly or entirely of foods derived from plants. This includes whole foods such as vegetables, grains, nuts, seeds, legumes and fruits.
Often, the term plant-based is confused with vegan or vegetarian, but there are a few things that make eating plant-based unique. The first is that some people who live a plant-based lifestyle may choose to consume a few animal products as well, while vegans do not. Another is that eating plant-based eliminates overly processed foods and emphasizes the importance of whole foods (not the store, but actual whole foods). With natural plant-based eating, vegan meat substitutes like Impossible Burgers and soy-based products are avoided due to their unnatural ingredients along with the way these products are processed.
The main thing to remember when changing your eating habits and setting out to become more plant-based is that it’s super important to listen to your body. Everyone’s body has different needs and can or cannot tolerate different types of foods. Trust your intuition with your choices and eat for nourishment — do what’s best for you.
Consider your plant-based journey to be a free, non-restrictive, way of eating healthier, and don’t apply too much stress or pressure to it. Like I said before, it’s great that you even want to start. Awareness is the first step.
Getting Started with Plant-Based Foods
- Read the ingredients on everything you buy from the grocery store! If the list is long and full of words you can’t pronounce, chances are you don’t want it.
- Buy organic products as often as you can. Non-GMO is good, but be aware that, that doesn’t mean it’s organic.
- Specifically, prioritize organic oats, rice, quinoa, fresh vegetables and fruits as those foods are often loaded with pesticides.
- Limit your soy and wheat/gluten consumption. These things can be found in a lot of vegan meat and cheese substitutes, so even if it says plant-based on the packaging, still read the ingredients.
- Take it slow + keep a food journal when introducing new foods into your diet. You could have a negative reaction to something new or have developed an allergy or sensitivity over time that you were not aware of. Write down how you feel and connect it to what you’ve been eating each day.
- If you are still eating meat & meat products, like eggs or dairy, transition to buying organic grass-fed products. If you are consuming seafood, choose wild-caught over farm-raised.
- Plan ahead and make time for more home-cooked meals.
Things to Avoid
The production of food we find in stores is often more money-focused and less health-focused, so it’s up to us to be more conscious of what’s in the foods we consume. Here are some of the ingredients we should avoid:
- High fructose corn syrup
- Corn syrup
- Artificial dyes
- Overly processed foods — like lunch meat, hot dogs, cured meats
- Canola oil
- Refined sugars
Things To Love
When it comes to going plant-based, mindset is everything! Since it requires cutting out, and simplifying our diets, it helps a lot to focus on what we can have more of and enjoy. Luckily, there are soooo many varieties of fruits and vegetables. The abundance is real.
- Water with lemon
- Fruit + veggie smoothies
- Cold-pressed juices (if health conditions permit)
- Raw fruits and veggies, specifically leafy greens
- Whole foods (unpackaged/unboxed foods)
Refined (White) Sugar Substitutes
While eating plant-based, you’ll want to reduce (or completely cut out) refined sugars. This is one of the toughest steps because sugars and corn syrups are put into almost everything on grocery store shelves. We can navigate this by cooking and baking more at home so that we can choose replacements like these:
- Raw honey
- Coconut sugar (good for baking)
- Pure maple syrup
- Agave
Milk Substitutes
There are a variety of plant and nut milks to choose from in grocery stores. It’s best to buy the unsweetened versions to avoid refined sugars and syrups. There are also ways you can make these yourself!
- Almond milk
- Cashew milk
- Oat milk
- Coconut milk
- Flax milk
- Macadamia nut milk
Plant-Based Protiens
We can get protein from plant sources, too. Here are some of the main ones:
- Almonds
- Chickpeas
- Spinach
- Lentils
- Pumpkin Seeds
- Kidney beans
- Aduzki beans
- Organic Tempeh (fermented soy)
Shopping Plant-Based
Eating more plant-based, for me, required a lot of trial and error with where to shop and what to buy. This is a constantly evolving part of my shopping but as of today, here are lists of my go-to stores and brands.
Where to Shop
- Aldi + Lidl — affordable organic produce
- Trader Joe’s — organic produce + a variety of plant-based foods including sauces, spreads, drinks etc.
- Whole Foods + Mom’s Organic Market — snacks, plant-based frozen foods, vegan cheeses, breads, raw honey, maple syrup
*even though this store is called Whole Foods, it’s still important to read the ingredients on everything. all of the foods, are not literal whole foods.* - Produce stores such as Produce Junction + Farmer’s Markets
- Shop Rite, Giant, Acme, Walmart, etc. — produce and other groceries
- Target — their grocery department has a variety of frozen and pre-cooked plant-based foods to choose from
- Misfits Market — a Philly-based company that rescues organic produce and delivers boxes to homes nation-wide
Brands
- Miyoko’s — Organic vegan cheezes and butters made from cashews and coconut cream. This one is my current favorites because they have a variety of cream cheezes, cheeze wheels, and a great mozzarella!
- SoDelicious — Vegan cheezes that are good for melting making cheeze sauces
- VioLife — sliced vegan cheezes
- Sunshine Farms — Organic, non-GMO plant-based burgers
- Simple Mills — Organic + gluten-free crackers, cookies, and baking mixes
- Siete — A variety of non-GMO, soy-free tortilla wraps made from gluten-free flours like almond and cassava flour
- Bare — Organic fruit and veggie chips like banana, apple, carrot, etc.
Summary
- Reduce meat consumption and switch to organic, grass-fed products if you still choose to eat them.
- Eat more raw fruits + vegetables.
- Start consuming more plant-based proteins like nuts, beans, and leafy greens.
- Replace refined sugar with raw honey, maple syrup, coconut sugar, and agave.
- Avoid overly processed foods and manufactured chemicals like high fructose corn syrups.
- Keep a food journal to document what you eat + how you feel.
- Be patient, listen to your body & prioritize eating for nourishment.
- Drink more water, smoothies, and cold-pressed juices daily.
- Switch from regular milks and cheeses to non-dairy.
- Learn the best places to shop for your specific needs and budget.
I hope this introduction to eating plant-based is helpful! Take it one step at a time and keep doing your research on things as you go along.
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