A number of people have asked me about transitioning to a Whole Foods Plant Based Diet. Here a ten tips that will help you make the transition.
1. Remember the salad is the main dish: eat it first at lunch and dinner. You have a tendency to eat more of whatever you eat first because you are the hungriest. Raw foods have high transit times; they fill you up and encourage weight loss. You can't overeat on them. Successful, long-term weight control and health are linked to your consumption of raw greens. Simply, they are the healthiest foods in the world.
2. Eat at least four pieces of whole fresh fruit daily. Eat as much fruit as you would like with your meals. Four fruits are about 250 calories, but here it is okay to splurge, particularly if you have a "sweet tooth." Finish lunch or dinner with watermelon, a whole cantaloupe, or a box of blueberries or strawberries. The very best dessert is fresh fruit or blended frozen fruit.
3. Eat a variety of greens every day. Variety is not merely the spice of life, it makes a valuable contribution to your health. You will never have to be concerned about overeating raw vegetables, salads, or cooked greens. Think creatively about salads. Remember: lettuce is romaine, bib, Boston, red leaf, green ice, arugula, radicchio, endive, frisee, watercress, spinach etc. Load your salads up with cut fresh vegetables too.
4. Beware of too many starchy vegetables. Limit high-starch grains and vegetables to one cup a day. One cup of a high-starch vegetable would be one corn on the cob, one small to medium size baked potato, or one cup of brown rice or sweet potato. All whole grains should be considered high starch foods. If you eat bread, a thin slice of whole wheat pita is a good choice for sandwiches.
5. Eat beans or legumes every day. Beans are a dieter's best friend. Eat an entire cup of beans daily; you may have more than one cup if you choose. Beans are a powerhouse of superior nutrition. The reduce cholesterol and blood sugar. They have a high nutrient-per-calorie profile and help prevent food cravings.
6. Eliminate animal and dairy products. Not just animal fat but also animal protein from meat and dairy have been shown to enhance the growth of cancers and coronary artery disease in addition to other diseases of affluence. This is an established reality that has been carefully masked or conveniently overlooks or perhaps deliberately reinterpreted by some of the powers that be.
7. Consume 1 or 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseeds everyday. This will give you those hard to find omega-3 fats that protect against diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. The body can manufacture EPA and DHA from these omega-3 fats for those of us who do not consume fish. An additional source of omega-3 fat might be a few walnuts, soybeans or edamame.
8. Consume nuts and seeds in limited amounts, and never more that one ounce per day. A pound of nuts and seeds is approximately 2,800 calories/lbs. They contain a load of oil and are calorie dense.
9. Eat lots of mushrooms all the time. Mushrooms make a great chewy replacement for meat. Exploring their variety is a gray way to add interesting flavors and textures to dishes. Try adding them to beans, seasoned with herbs, spices and lemon juice. I love eggplant and mushrooms diced, tossed in nutritional yeast and baked for about 20 minutes then and added to my homemade tomato sauce for pasta dishes.
10. Keep eating simple. You do not have to prepare fancy recipes all the time. If you're going to be out for a while, just grab some leftover vegetables, lettuce and tomato on whole grain bread or stuffed into a whole wheat pita pocket and a few pieces of fruit.
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These tips were adapted from Joel Fuhrman's book, Eat To Live. P.287f
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