How to Live Your Best Life and Eat a Whole Food Plant-Based Diet

What is a Whole Food Plant-Based Diet

A whole-food plant-based diet, or WFPB diet, focuses on consuming whole, unprocessed plant foods. It includes fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, and nuts and excludes meat, dairy, eggs, sugar, white flour, and any processed foods.

If you’re interested in eating a whole food plant-based diet, you can do a few things to ensure success. Start by gradually increasing the number of plants in your diet. If you’re used to mainly eating meat and processed foods, it can be hard to make the switch overnight. Begin by adding an extra serving of vegetables to your meals or swapping out meat for plant-based proteins like tofu or beans. 

Next, get familiar with whole food plant-based staples like rice, quinoa, lentils, and sweet potatoes. These ingredients can form the basis of many healthy and delicious meals. Experiment with different recipes and find a few that you especially love and that are easy to prepare. When I first started this way of life, I got bogged down in trying to find new recipes. Start simple. Later, if you feel like adding more recipes for variety and feel up to it, you can add them in slowly or however you are comfortable. Just don’t overwhelm yourself, or this way of eating won’t last.

What are the Health Benefits of This Way of Eating

WFPB eating has been shown to have numerous health benefits, including reducing the risk of cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. WFPB diets have also been found to be beneficial for those with auto-immune conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease. A WFPB diet can promote weight loss, lower cholesterol levels, and reduce inflammation.

A WFPB diet is effective because it is high in fiber and antioxidants and low in unhealthy fats and processed sugars. Fiber helps keep the digestive system healthy and removes toxins from the body, while antioxidants help protect cells from damage. Unhealthy fats and processed sugars can increase inflammation and contribute to chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. By filling up on healthy plant foods, WFPB eaters can improve their overall health and reduce their risk of developing chronic diseases.

Should I Supplement

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I highly recommend supplementing with vitamin B12 and vitamin D once you start this way of life. Actually, everyone, whether vegan or carnivore, should be supplementing with vitamin D, in my opinion. It is harder to find both of these nutrients in a plant-based diet, and that is why I recommend supplementing. Please don’t take my word for it though. You can be tested for deficiencies and see where you may need supplementation. Usually, people with any disease need to have vitamin D levels between 80-100 ng/ml. Otherwise, if you are blessed with wonderful health aim for those numbers to be 60-80 ng/ml.

You can get tested for deficiencies without a doctor, but you may want to have a doctor/naturopath help you review your results and decide on a plan of action. Walk-in-Labs has a plethora of tests that don’t require a doctor’s permission. Click on that link to learn a whole lot more about what they do offer. In May you can add the discount code MAYSALE for 15% off.

Some vegan sources of vitamin B12 include fortified nutritional yeast, tempeh, chlorella, Nori seaweed, and Cremini mushrooms. There are even ways that you can get vitamin D from mushrooms, but I have not ever been 100% successful with mushroom supplementation alone.

How Will I Get My Protein

Ah! My favorite age-old question!! Many people have concerns about protein when they switch from a traditional diet to a vegan or whole-food plant-based diet. As a matter of fact, if you tell anyone that you are switching over, they will be very concerned that you are doing something that is so “unhealthy.” (Never mind the fact that they are eating the Standard American Diet)! But rest assured, protein is readily available in a variety of plant foods such as beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, tofu, and plenty of vegetables. Furthermore, tofu, tempeh, edamame, and quinoa are all complete proteins. These foods are rich in protein and other essential nutrients like fiber, iron, and calcium. Consuming protein-rich plant foods allows us to get a more complete protein intake than consuming protein supplements or isolates.

Throw Out the Junk

How to get started on a WFPB Diet

1. Get your lab work done to test for any deficiencies (Put in code MAYSALE for 15% off in May).

2. I find it easiest to get rid of all of the junk food first. Seriously go through your pantry and cupboard and purge all of the junk you have been snacking on. For me, those snacks were a major detriment to me. If you need to unsubscribe from all of those dessert emails filling your inbox, well now is the time to do that too. You get the picture…Don’t leave temptation around! Potato chips are my nemesis, so I changed to nuts.

3. Come up with a 7-day meal plan to start (start simple or you might feel like giving up)

4. Buy the groceries you need to fix your WFPB meals (organic when possible)

5. Get any supplements you may be low on (Vitamin D and B-12 for starters)

6. If you can, I highly suggest taking a prep day, especially if you work or don’t have time to prepare your food every day. You can make your dressings, and seasonings, and cut up a lot of the fruits and veggies in advance. You can even make your own smoothie packs, and freeze them.

7. Make it fun!

A Few Easy Recipes to Get You Started

Here is a myriad of salads and dressings that you can make also. Salads are a great place to start because you can just throw all your veggies in a bowl and dig in. Don’t forget to chew thoroughly. (it helps with digestion, and keeps you from getting bloated)! I cannot overstate the importance of chewing your food!

Another of my favorite ways to get my fruits and/or veggies in is to make smoothies. I take that back…they are my VERY favorite way! You can add almost anything to a smoothie. The good thing about smoothies is they still retain all of the fiber. (Blending does not destroy fiber).

Tropical Smoothie

My all-time favorite smoothie:

1 can 13.5 oz. organic coconut milk

1 banana

1 cup pineapple

1 cup mango (peach is good too)

1-2 tangerines

I also add 2 tbs of this vitamin C (this step is not necessary but definitely tasty and gives you immune blasting vitamin c). Also, the vitamin C tastes like orange creamsicles, and who doesn’t love those? I actually use this recipe to make popsicles in the summer too.

Instructions: Just add everything to your blender, and pour it into a tall glass. Add your fancy straw and a sprig of mint. Drink up!

Here are some great superfood add-ins too, for that extra oomph of nutrition! I can’t say enough about this company. They are 3rd party tested for toxins, and organic. These are some of the cleanest powders I have tried. I actually did a 30-day Living Fuel fast with nothing else but these powders in some form of liquid (filtered water, plant-based milk, or aloe juice, and sure felt the energy!!

WFPB Mushroom Gravy

Mushroom Gravy

4 tbs of almond milk

1/2-1 cup chopped mushrooms

1/2 cup minced onion

2 tbs Nutritious Yeast Flakes (I use this one) (They also have a ton of recipes and will even send you a free recipe book, in pdf form)

1 cup plant-based milk (I use almond milk)

Instructions: Sautee’ the mushrooms in the 4 tbs of almond milk, until brown. Add the onions, and sautee’ until the onions are a light straw color. Add in the 1 cup of almond milk. Stir in the nutritious yeast flakes until thick. You can play around with this recipe for the amount of mushrooms you like and the thickness of the gravy that you like. I often add a couple of tsp of parsley to the mixture. Cayenne is good too. I pour over buckwheat or quinoa or just over a plate of roasted veggies is good too. I also use it poured over my tofu scramble. (See that recipe here where there are other great wfpb recipes too).

Here is a really good chickpea recipe from the Food Revolution Network! In fact, you can find a whole bunch of recipes there too.

Food Revolution Network

Dehydrated Cheesy Chickpea Croutons

Nichole Dandrea-Russert, MS, RDN · Published November 3, 2021

Ingredients

1 tbsp organic miso (mellow yellow or chickpea)

3 tbsp nutritional yeast

½ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp onion powder

¼ cup water

2 cups chickpeas (homemade or BPA-free canned, drained and dried with a towel)

Directions

1. Add the miso, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, onion powder and water to a medium size bowl. Whisk together until the miso is dissolved.

2. Transfer the chickpeas to the bowl and stir until they’re coated in the cheesy mixture.

3. Spread the chickpeas out evenly on your prepared dehydrator trays with either parchment paper or dehydrator sheets on top of the trays.

4. Set dehydrator to 118–122 degrees F and dehydrate for 8 hours, tossing halfway through.

Chef's Notes

Substitutions
Substitute another white bean for chickpeas like Northern, cannellini, or Navy beans.

Prep Ahead
If making the chickpeas ahead of time, make and store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or freeze for up to one month.

Traditional Oven Directions
Heat oven to 170 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Evenly space chickpeas along the baking sheet and dehydrate them for 4–6 hours, tossing halfway through.

Storage

Store the dehydrated chickpeas in a clean airtight container at room temperature in a cool, dark place for up to six months.

Final Thoughts

After this way of eating for about a month, I would retest my nutrient levels with a lab test. (You can come back here or email me for further discount codes after May). This way you can see if anything needs changing up, or if you are all good. Once you have been eating this way for a while it does get easier.

There are so many things you can do to thrive eating wfpb, but as always I do have a few hints. Try to always eat organic. For sure eat non-GMO. Prepare as much as you can in advance. Make good use of your juicer. Here is a great Omega starter juicer if you aren’t sure you want to keep juicing or even if you are. (There is quite a variety there, from low prices to higher prices). Use your blender often. Use superfood add-ins for smoothies (but make sure they are 3rd party tested for toxins). Try new foods every once in a while. If you need to start slow, start by adding extra veggies to your meals and slowly ween off the bad stuff like sugar, flour, and processed foods, etc. You can search my website for several wfpb recipes if you would like.

If you have an off day and do happen to eat badly, brush yourself off and go at it the next day! A wise guy (haha) once told me, ”Try to never have 2 bad days in a row!!”

You are more than welcome to email me with any/all questions. I may or may not have the answer, but I would be more than happy to search out the best information I can find.

You may also post comments or hints to help others who wish to try this beautiful way of eating!!

If you absolutely do not have the time or inclination to prepare your own food this is a great place to get weekly meals. They have a great “phasting” program too. Their food is organic, WFPB, nutritious, and tastes delicious!

Eating a WFPB Diet Does Not Have to Be Boring

Disclaimer: The contents of this website are based on personal experiences, opinions, and my own research. Information on this website is for educational purposes and is not meant to diagnose, replace, treat or cure any medical or mental health condition. Please see your doctor with any health-related questions. Statements on this website have not been approved or evaluated by the FDA. While perusing this site, please use your best judgment in conjunction with your Naturopath or other health care provider.