Plant based diet for beginners, like the one my husband and I have been doing, can be a little tricky.
What can you eat other than fruits and veggies? How do you cut out dairy? The whole concept can be a little overwhelming.
I’m in the midst of sorting it all out, principally because my husband and I decided to go plant based (aka vegan) for the month of March.
The first week was pretty challenging. At times, especially when we went out to eat, it seemed our options were generally limited to two items. And one was always the green salad, hold the dressing and cheese.
But over the past three weeks, we’ve learned a lot.
Here are our top five tips for plant based diet beginners.
When eating out, look to ethnic restaurants
The standard American diet isn’t vegan; not even close. So why would we expect to have a lot of options at standard “American” restaurants?
Which made us look for other choices. We have found a ton of options at Thai, Indian, and Ethiopian restaurants. Blog post coming soon on some of our favorites, and the dishes you should try.
Skip the Processed Foods
The food industry is just that- an industry. Vegan and Gluten-free foods do really well in their nitch markets.
However, just because these processed foods check those boxes, it doesn’t mean you won’t put on the pounds from eating them. Stick with whole foods, you’ll see weight loss and some amazing health benefits.
Go heavy on the veggies
Veggies can supply you a lot of food, without the calories. So, if you are looking to shed pounds, zone in on those veggies.
Whole grains are important, but the bulk of your food should come from veggies, You will feel full, gain lots of nutrients, and also see the numbers go down on the scale.
One tip I’m loving is adding cauliflower rice to a rice or quinoa dish. They mix really well together and cutting down on the rice or quinoa cuts the calories. A good tip for everyone. really!
You don’t have to do it all
We have made delicious dinners in five minutes.
After a long day of work, you don’t have to come home and dice veggies for an hour before you can eat. Frozen veggies work just as great in a stir-fry or buddha bowl and take no time. Sure, fresh is better. But if you are letting time be your obstacle, just go with frozen.
Keep trying new things
You are not going to like every vegan meal. Just like you didn’t like every meal with meat. Ever heard of a rubber chicken dinner?!
Just because you find a few meals that don’t do it for you doesn’t mean you hate this way of eating. It just means that one meal wasn’t your thing.
If you are like most Americans, you’ve eaten meat and dairy every day for your whole life. Thinking you are going to know the best vegan dishes in just a couple of weeks is a little crazy.
Be a little adventurous and give new things a shot!
Those tips have been really helpful for our first weeks.
I honestly don’t think I’ve ever tried so many new restaurants in my hometown in just a month, and we haven’t even cracked the surface of eating possibilities!
Next week I’ll recap the month and let you know if either of us plans to extend this eating adventure into April! Until then, try the veggies… you’ll like them, I promise!
2 comments