60-Second Guide to a Plant-Based Diet

When I first transitioned to a plant-based diet, I spent a tremendous amount of time educating myself. I took cooking classes, read books, listened to podcasts and even worked with a plant-based nutritionist. I did this for months!

Not everyone has the time to do this, and honestly, I don’t think you have to. The basics of following a plant-based diet are simple. Here’s what you need to know in a nutshell:

60-Second Guide to a Plant-Based Diet

Here’s a basic list of what to eat everyday (of course, no one’s perfect – I’m certainly not! So don’t beat yourself up when you don’t manage this) This list comes predominantly from Joel Fuhrman’s “Eat to Live”:

• A wide variety of raw and cooked veggies
• Two or more servings of dark leafy green veggies
• ½ cup of beans or legumes
• At least 3 fresh fruits
• At least one serving of whole grains
• 2 servings of healthy, whole food fats. By whole food fats I mean fat sources that are in their whole natural state the way they are in nature. Thus, an olive is a healthy whole food fat, whereas olive oil is not. Eat walnuts or ground flax seeds for one of your fat servings to provide you with omega 3.
• Most plant-based authorities also recommend taking a B12 supplement
• Get 2 to 3 hours of sun exposure a week for vitamin D

Here’s what you want to reduce or eliminate – again, don’t beat yourself up if you’re not perfect (click on the food for more info about why you should cut back on it):

• Meat
• Dairy products
• Extracted oils
• Processed foods
• Refined sugar

Simple Meal Planning

Here are some Breakfast Ideas (notice that I measure my fats so I don’t overdo it with them):

• Green  smoothie with 1 tablespoon of flax seeds or 1/4 cup of nuts
• Fruit salad with 1/4 cup of nuts
• Toast with 2 tablespoons of almond butter and bananas and an additional piece of fruit
• Fruit with coconut milk yogurt and 1/4 cup of nuts
• Whole grain cereal with fruit, 1/4 cup of nuts and non-dairy milk
• Whole grain pancakes, waffles or baked good with fruit and 1/4 cup of nuts

Here are some Lunch Ideas that include raw veggies and a dark leafy green:

• Vegetable or vegetable bean soup with whole grain bread and a green smoothie
• Large salad with beans
• Vegetable and bean burrito and salad
• Veggie sandwich with cut veggies and hummus
• Baked potato with sautéed mushrooms, mushroom gravy and salad
• Leftovers from last night’s dinner and a green smoothie

Here are some Dinner Ideas that include raw veggies and a dark leafy green (I also make sure to include beans with dinner if I didn’t have beans for lunch):

• Vegan pizza with a salad
• Veggies stir fried without oil over rice with a green smoothie
• Whole grain pasta with veggies and salad
• Vegetable curry over rice with a green smoothie
• Homemade veggie burger with a salad

Photo courtesy of Ayushveda.com.

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