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how to eat more plant-based, vegan, this year, weight loss, improve health, tips for habit change

This time of year lots of people are setting their New Year’s Resolutions. Maybe you too? And if eating more plant-based is one of your goals for this year I have some tips to help you be successful!

#1 – Start With What You Like…and That May Not Be Kale

I’m all for kale and I love it now, but when I first went plant-based my palate had not quite adjusted to all the new flavors of veggies I’d never had before. I remember making a big kale salad and it was beautiful, but I hated it. It tasted like dirt. LOL But now I would probably absolutely LOVE that same salad.

So tip #1 is to start with the plants that you KNOW you like. There are probably more than you realize!

If you like fruit – go to town! Snack on fruit, have fruit on or with some cereal or oatmeal in the morning. Have it as dessert. Fruit is nature’s candy!

Like potatoes or sweet potatoes? Awesome! Baked or roasted potatoes are awesome – just avoid the butter, oil, cheese, bacon bits, and sour cream… Instead top your potatoes with black beans, salsa, or oil-free vegan cheese sauce.

When buying bread switch to 100% whole grain bread or tortillas. The best is the Ezekiel brand in the freezer section. They even have tortillas and English muffins. Corn tortillas are also great!

Try to find recipes that incorporate the fruits, veggies, beans, whole grains, or nuts and seeds that you like. Then you can slowly branch out from their as you start to expand your tastes.

Also try to turn your own favorite recipes into healthier plant-based versions with swaps. Use whole grains instead of refined; use beans or lentils instead of meat. Try unsweetened plant-based milk or yogurt instead of dairy. Make a loaded whole grain veggie pizza with an oil-free cheese.

#2 – Don’t Go Cold Turkey (pun intended)

Cold Turkey doesn’t work for most people – it’s a crash diet mentality and willpower will only last for a few days, weeks, or months at most and then you fall back into old habits when you get tired, stressed, or overwhelmed.  Our habits really control most of our lives more than we realize!  A lot of our cravings & temptations are actually centered around our habits.

Slow & steady wins the race! Slow & steady changes over a longer period create more results because you are addressing habit change over time. 

This is a focus on your HABITS and not the scale, calorie counting, or portion control.  It’s about ADDING healthy habits rather than trying to take away things in the beginning.  As you crowd out the bad calories for good ones, you lose weight more consistently without feeling deprived.  

There’s just so much to learn!  You can’t do it over night.

#3 – Eat More Whole Plants, Not Processed

how to eat more plant-based, vegan, this year, weight loss, improve health, tips for habit change

With all the new fangled plant-based processed foods on the market it can be really tempting to rely on these for convenience. However, I’ll bet health & weight loss may be a part of your goals and these vegan processed foods and fake meats are not going to help you achieve them. They are loaded with salt, oil, sugar, artificial flavors, and a bunch of different ingredients that you probably can’t pronounce.

Instead make sure you are focusing on adding more WHOLE plants.

  • Vegetables (starchy and non-starchy)
  • Fruit (fresh or frozen)
  • Beans, lentils, peas, & non-GMO soy (canned beans are fine, just look for low sodium & BPA-free cans)
  • Whole Grains
  • Nuts, Seeds, Avocado

A GREAT substitute for meat that’s unprocessed, is soy curls. Butler brand soy curls is what I buy, are non-GMO and their website states they don’t use any pesticides on their soy. Soy curls are the whole soy bean, minimally processed, with nothing added. They are like chicken strips and come dehydrated. You just rehydrate in water or vegetable broth for 10 minutes and then they can be used in place of any meat in any recipe. Just heat and eat. They can be chopped up or processed in a food processor so they resemble ground beef – then use in a spaghetti meat sauce or as taco meat! Voila! Simple plant-based meal that tastes great.

For more ideas on whole plants you can start adding, grab my FREE Ultimate Plant-Based Grocery List HERE.

#4 – Meal Planning & Meal Prep

I wish I could say there were fast food restaurants that serve whole food plant based meals, but there’s just not.  We have to plan and cook and make our own food.  There are more and more products coming on the market from brands like Plantstrong to help make it easier, but we have to have a plan for what we are going eat and cook.

Like Benjamin Franklin said “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”

This is absolutely one of the most important things for success when eating whole food plant based.

You have to meal plan – so write down some meals that you and your family plan to eat for the week.  Then you have to get the recipes out and write down you ingredients.  Make your grocery list and shop for them.

And then to really save time & make it easier on you, you’ll want to do some sort of meal prepping & batching cooking.

That way you already have some things prepared to help you make the easy choice the healthy choice.  

Because what will happen at 5pm after work when you are tired & hangry, you have nothing prepared and don’t want to cook?  That’s when trouble happens and you find your self in a drive thru, ordering pizza, or door dash.  Or pulling out an old frozen stouffer’s lasagna that you still had in your freezer.

We have to plan ahead when we have the energy and motivation, so that when we AREN’T motivated we can still make good choices.

#5 – Progress Not Perfection

I believe it’s really important to have a “progress not perfection” mindset when making big lifestyle changes.  

You have to take your time and slowly change so you don’t feel overwhelmed.

The more you eat whole food plant based, the better you will feel and the more benefits you will experience.  And the easier it will get over time!  

If you slip up, just get back on.  

Don’t shame your self for messing up, just treat it as a learning experience and make the best choice you can each day and each meal.

Want to get some help transitioning to a whole food plant-based diet? Join us over in Plant Powered Life to get a step-by-step guide that you can take at your own pace. With over 100 recipes and meal plans to get you started, you’ll never get bored. Plus, you’ll also get monthly coaching, cooking demos, and an incredibly supportive community. Learn more about Plant Powered Life HERE.

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