Author Topic: Go Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) in 2019  (Read 18335 times)

Malaysia41

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Go Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) in 2019
« on: January 02, 2019, 12:55:26 AM »
Many of us rose to the challenge of going WFPB in 2018, let's do it again in 2019. Who is with me?

Why go WFPB? Well, for this thread - I propose our discussion mainly be about health. But there are two side benefits that are really HUGE benefits and thus hard to ignore completely:
- lower carbon footprint and environmental impact of a WFPB diet vs a std western diet
- fewer animals are killed and exploited

Resources I recommend for the HEALTH aspect:
https://nutritionfacts.org/
How Not to Die (book) 
Dr. McDougall on Starch in your diet
Proteinaholic book by Dr. Garth Davis
Forks Over Knives (Amazon Video)
Plant Pure Nation (YouTube)

For ENVIRONMENT:
Livestock and Climate Change (WorldWatch.org)
Livestock's Long Shadow PDF (FAO)
Cowspiracy ( on netflix ) - documentary based on FAO & Worldwatch reports (above).

Lastly, to dip a toe into the ETHICS of eating animals:
Melanie Joy's 20 min Ted talk in Munich
Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows - also Melanie Joy.
Earthlings (2005) <- content warning: brutal.
Dominion Movie (2018) <- content warning: brutal.

So, who is with me?




sisto

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Re: Go Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) in 2019
« Reply #1 on: January 02, 2019, 12:09:32 PM »
Still planning to work on this for 2019 too. I still won't be in 100%, but I figure baby steps and if everyone were to do it just 1 day per week it would still make a vast improvement to our environment and health. @Malaysia41  I love how you always have such great resource links!

aetherie

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Re: Go Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) in 2019
« Reply #2 on: January 02, 2019, 12:22:36 PM »
I'll be following along. The compromise I've been able to reach with my husband is that I cook vegan meals at home, but at restaurants, parties, etc, he eats whatever he wants. So I'm always looking for new recipes to add to our dinner rotation!

Caoineag

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Re: Go Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) in 2019
« Reply #3 on: January 02, 2019, 01:11:20 PM »
I'm in. We have been heading that way ever since we hit the road in our van. Not sure I will ever be 100% vegan but suspect I can get close enough that most people wouldn't see a difference. I recently purchased a bunch of vegan cookbooks on Kindle to help break my addiction to cheese and eggs as milk and meat are easy to get rid of (most were $3 or less).

Our 2 main complications is 1) we live in a van so space and refrigeration is at a premium and 2) my rosacea will not tolerate a high or fast sugar diet so all meals need to be balanced accordingly (my vegan family members usually eat way too much fruit for me, veggies are more my friend, especially raw). My go to recipes tend to take both of these into consideration.

fatcow240

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Re: Go Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) in 2019
« Reply #4 on: January 02, 2019, 04:08:04 PM »
Last year SO went WHPB based on How Not to Die, Blue Zones, and The China Study.

I am not planning on going WFPB, so this is a bit of a PTF.  My meat consumption has been reduced as a byproduct of SO being on WFPB.  I have a similar take as @aetherie 's spouse.

haypug16

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Re: Go Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) in 2019
« Reply #5 on: January 04, 2019, 08:09:58 AM »
I am following along as I would like to add more WFPB meals to my diet. I made wild rice stuffed acorn squash this week FTW! The recipe needs some tweaking as I thought it was rather bland but I'll keep working on it. I got the recipe from the Forks over Knives book. We have several dozen cookbooks in our kitchen and I want to put them to better use. I wont be going 100% in as I still enjoy fish and dairy but I would like to make the majority of my meals WFPB and I do hope to cut back a little on the dairy and use Dairy alternatives. We have made our own Almond milk which is far better than the store bought stuff and very easy.


Caoineag

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Re: Go Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) in 2019
« Reply #6 on: January 04, 2019, 09:28:10 AM »
One nice thing with heading towards veganism is that I looked up some of the nutrition issues to keep track of. Which made me realize that given our already low meat intake we were already low on B12 intake prior to eating less meat (meatless meals were our default at home). So now we are supplementing. Fortunately the more often we add nutritional yeast to our meals, the less other supplementing we will need.

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Re: Go Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) in 2019
« Reply #7 on: January 04, 2019, 10:13:52 AM »
I am in as a reducer.
 We dramatically reduced our animal-based food intake last year,now am experiencing a slight kickback from my partner who wants more meat in his diet after a year of mostly veggie. So, we have to meet in the middle somewhere. I will be keeping my intake low but it won't be zero..and my SO will still have a reduction but with flexibility.

However he made a fabulous veggie & bean chili last night!

Malaysia41

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Re: Go Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) in 2019
« Reply #8 on: January 04, 2019, 10:46:40 AM »
So happy to see so many of you taking the challenge and/or reducing!

Tonight we made one of my favorites: beefless stew from Dr. McDougall. It's the second recipe on this page:https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2016nl/nov/recipes.htm

Here's a picture of the stew, along with a bunch of veggies we roasted in the oven at about 400 degrees F . Oops I just realized I forgot to add the rosemary to the stew. Oh well, it was still yummy.


aetherie

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Re: Go Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) in 2019
« Reply #9 on: January 04, 2019, 10:49:53 AM »
Three vegan meals for me today:

oatmeal with flax, blueberries, and coconut

farro salad with tomatoes, pea pods, and cannellini beans (leftovers)

potato & assorted veggie hash

haypug16

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Re: Go Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) in 2019
« Reply #10 on: January 04, 2019, 11:03:57 AM »
That beefless stew looks really good!

Caoineag

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Re: Go Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) in 2019
« Reply #11 on: January 06, 2019, 01:46:13 PM »
My two projects for this week is to work on is eating more greens and creating a tasty substitute for my hidden valley ranch (which is my main raw veggie dipping sauce). I have a cashew based ranch dressing to try so really I need to find a good green that travels well. So far Romaine lettuce has held up well so we keep that on hand and spinach and mixed greens are completely out since they don't travel well. Next up I need to see how well Kale travels since I remember that doing well in the fridge. I could easily see a Kale, onion, mushroom and potato skillet making a good breakfast. Anyone else working on specific food groups for nutrition or substitutions for old favorites?

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Re: Go Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) in 2019
« Reply #12 on: January 06, 2019, 02:13:19 PM »
Guess I'm automatically in since I switched to a vegetarian diet last August.  Still going strong.

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Re: Go Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) in 2019
« Reply #13 on: January 09, 2019, 05:58:51 AM »
PTF. And, to continue my journey towards healthier eating.

Nola584

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Re: Go Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) in 2019
« Reply #14 on: January 09, 2019, 08:52:28 AM »
My two projects for this week is to work on is eating more greens and creating a tasty substitute for my hidden valley ranch (which is my main raw veggie dipping sauce). I have a cashew based ranch dressing to try so really I need to find a good green that travels well. So far Romaine lettuce has held up well so we keep that on hand and spinach and mixed greens are completely out since they don't travel well. Next up I need to see how well Kale travels since I remember that doing well in the fridge. I could easily see a Kale, onion, mushroom and potato skillet making a good breakfast. Anyone else working on specific food groups for nutrition or substitutions for old favorites?

This might be the same recipe you found, but this is the best copycat one I’ve found:
https://www.veggie-quest.com/2016/05/copycat-hidden-valley-ranch-dressing-vegan/

I usually do both garlic clove and some garlic powder to suit my tastes, but otherwise follow as written.

Have you tried regular spinach over baby spinach? It keeps better in my experience and I prefer the taste to kale. Or adding a paper towel wrapped around baby spinach also helps. I can generally keep one of those plastic clamshells fresh enough for a salad a whole week that way. Once it gets sad I use it in veggie hash or freeze for smoothies. Just some ideas, good luck with your goals!

I’m working on eating more fruit this year (aiming for 1-2 servings/day). It sounds strange, but I prefer veggies over fruit, and don’t really miss it when I don’t eat it. But fruits have lots of good nutrition too.

sisto

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Re: Go Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) in 2019
« Reply #15 on: January 10, 2019, 09:57:58 AM »
So happy to see so many of you taking the challenge and/or reducing!

Tonight we made one of my favorites: beefless stew from Dr. McDougall. It's the second recipe on this page:https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2016nl/nov/recipes.htm

Here's a picture of the stew, along with a bunch of veggies we roasted in the oven at about 400 degrees F . Oops I just realized I forgot to add the rosemary to the stew. Oh well, it was still yummy.


My wife found McDougall a while ago to try to help with some autoimmune issues. I had a hard time with many of the recipes, but this was one I really like. We are also now getting ready to start following Dr. Gundry which will be even harder, but health is important so hear we go. Also we had a really nice potato, cauliflower, leek soup for dinner. Off to find more things I like for the rotation.

MaybeBecca

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Re: Go Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) in 2019
« Reply #16 on: January 10, 2019, 11:10:25 AM »
I am moving back in the direction of wfpb, after a holiday filled with vegan junk food. Have been vegan for about a year and a half (and my husband is on board, too), just trying to eat less refined oils and more veggies.

sisto

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Re: Go Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) in 2019
« Reply #17 on: January 11, 2019, 10:47:47 AM »
In preparation of starting the new Gundry diet we have been trying to clear out the fridge and pantry. Last night it was throw together stir fry with some random ingredients. We have to use up the rice since it's not on the new diet. It came out great. Carrots, onion, cabbage, brussell sprouts, mushrooms, and green beans. Then some raw cashews on top. YUM...

Malaysia41

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Re: Go Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) in 2019
« Reply #18 on: January 12, 2019, 02:39:08 AM »
In preparation of starting the new Gundry diet we have been trying to clear out the fridge and pantry. Last night it was throw together stir fry with some random ingredients. We have to use up the rice since it's not on the new diet. It came out great. Carrots, onion, cabbage, brussell sprouts, mushrooms, and green beans. Then some raw cashews on top. YUM...

Just looked at the Gundry diet. What is leading to you adopt it?

Caoineag

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Re: Go Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) in 2019
« Reply #19 on: January 13, 2019, 10:42:13 AM »
Thanks Nola, that is very similar to the one I am doing. I am very glad someone else likes it. The issue with spinach is that we have a cooler with ice and spinach doesn't like ice. So we can only do spinach when we can store it at room temperature (so within a few days). But, we like Kale and the Kale held up very well. My mushroom, Kale, onion and potato breakfast scramble was delicious, especially when Chipotle "mayo" is added. I did a blackened cabbage recipe from budget bytes (though I made my own Chipotle dressing) and turned that into black bean and blackened cabbage tacos. They were very yummy.

Still need to make the ranch though. Our last grocery store didn't have raw cashews so when we go to Sprouts on Monday, we will pick them up then.

sisto

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Re: Go Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) in 2019
« Reply #20 on: January 14, 2019, 09:16:21 AM »
In preparation of starting the new Gundry diet we have been trying to clear out the fridge and pantry. Last night it was throw together stir fry with some random ingredients. We have to use up the rice since it's not on the new diet. It came out great. Carrots, onion, cabbage, brussell sprouts, mushrooms, and green beans. Then some raw cashews on top. YUM...

Just looked at the Gundry diet. What is leading to you adopt it?
@Malaysia41 For me I'm trying to clear up some psoriasis and I have a sluggish liver with elevated enzymes as well as a few gut issues. We are mostly doing it for my wife. She has RA and thyroid problems most likely Hashimoto's caused. So removing the lectins is supposed to be very beneficial. We are also both hoping to drop a bit of excess weight.

Livingthedream55

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Re: Go Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) in 2019
« Reply #21 on: January 14, 2019, 01:47:50 PM »
One of my 2019 goals is to eat vegetarian (still having dairy) and I'm really enjoying it.

Every weekend I make a big batch of something which I then make into freezer meals for convenience. Have made a vegan chili and yesterday made an oven roasted butternut squash soup which was so, so good.

I'm thinking this chowder might be next: https://www.delishknowledge.com/slow-cooker-vegetable-chowder/print/21551/
« Last Edit: January 14, 2019, 01:56:49 PM by Livingthedream55 »

Lincolnshire Girl

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Re: Go Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) in 2019
« Reply #22 on: January 16, 2019, 05:01:14 AM »
Joining in here. I'm gluten-free plant based and my husband eats the same cooked dinner but will 'treat' himself to an occasional latte or steak pie if we're eating out. We do have fish for dinner one night a week so I don't refer to myself as vegan.

Looking forward to finding some new recipes here. We're having chickpea curry tonight! yum

Malaysia41

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Re: Go Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) in 2019
« Reply #23 on: January 17, 2019, 08:08:54 AM »
One of my 2019 goals is to eat vegetarian (still having dairy) and I'm really enjoying it.

Every weekend I make a big batch of something which I then make into freezer meals for convenience. Have made a vegan chili and yesterday made an oven roasted butternut squash soup which was so, so good.

I'm thinking this chowder might be next: https://www.delishknowledge.com/slow-cooker-vegetable-chowder/print/21551/

I just made this. YUM.

Caoineag

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Re: Go Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) in 2019
« Reply #24 on: January 17, 2019, 11:20:50 AM »
It's interesting how many of you have push back from your spouse. My spouse is the main reason I want to get as close to vegan as possible. He has the family history of heart disease and also personally has the early warning signs of it (his blood pressure has always been borderline, etc). While we never ate a lot of meat, we still had animal sources in our diet. I was especially concerned with our egg consumption being too high.

Course the good news is that since supplementing with the B12, we have only been averaging eggs once per week. One thing I am trying to figure out is if my height induced vertigo was actually a symptom of low B12. So far I seem less sensitive to heights but can't be sure till I go somewhere I have been before that triggered it. I figure in a month or two I will know for sure given our travel plans.

And interesting thing I have found is that most cheeses are not vegetarian. Not something I realized before.

brute

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Re: Go Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) in 2019
« Reply #25 on: January 17, 2019, 12:49:45 PM »
While I'll never not eat animals, I do what I can do acquire ethically treated ones. However, I do eat more plant based food than before, the real trick was making it worth eating. This soup is one of the things that brought me around

https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2014/01/spicy-carrot-and-ginger-soup-with-harissa.html

My bigger push (just for me an my family, not trying to get anyone else on board) is buying local things. The distance food travels is horrific, the emissions, the loss of food with poor handling and refrigeration. The destruction of habitat clearing for farms and ranches. As soon as I can, I'll be setting up my own "farm" on my own land to reduce what we buy that travels even further.

Malaysia41

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Re: Go Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) in 2019
« Reply #26 on: January 17, 2019, 01:36:09 PM »
It's interesting how many of you have push back from your spouse. My spouse is the main reason I want to get as close to vegan as possible. He has the family history of heart disease and also personally has the early warning signs of it (his blood pressure has always been borderline, etc). While we never ate a lot of meat, we still had animal sources in our diet. I was especially concerned with our egg consumption being too high.

Course the good news is that since supplementing with the B12, we have only been averaging eggs once per week. One thing I am trying to figure out is if my height induced vertigo was actually a symptom of low B12. So far I seem less sensitive to heights but can't be sure till I go somewhere I have been before that triggered it. I figure in a month or two I will know for sure given our travel plans.

And interesting thing I have found is that most cheeses are not vegetarian. Not something I realized before.

Speaking of spouses - funny thing happened a few weeks ago...  My husband went for the Christmas 10k with a few local Italian men. At the finish were buffets of food. Our friend, Frederico kept telling my husband that he could eat various foods - even if they weren't vegan - because his wife (aka me) wasn't around. The funniest part is that my husband is arguably WAY more vegan than I am. For example, he looks up every E numbered ingredient on labels at the grocery store (sometimes I get lazy and don't), and he gives me shit for still wearing my leather shoes, and wool coat. That's my mustachianism coming into conflict with my veganism.  (actually lots of vegans give used/old clothing a pass - but not my husband!) I just figure it's not like I'm buying new leather shoes or wool coats, and I may as well get full use out of those clothes that were bought years ago! Why waste my little green soldiers replacing something that works?

That's an interesting observation about b12. Yeah it's my understanding that a lot of carnists are b12 deficient too. Since b12 comes from bacteria that lives in the soil and some guts, super sanitized modern life can make anyone deficient. Often, livestock is injected with the stuff. So if the livestock is taking b12 supplements, why not just skip the middle animal and take them directly?  B12 or no - that's cool you seem to be over your vertigo.

On cheeses - are you referring to rennet?

Malaysia41

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Re: Go Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) in 2019
« Reply #27 on: January 17, 2019, 01:42:58 PM »
While I'll never not eat animals, I do what I can do acquire ethically treated ones. However, I do eat more plant based food than before, the real trick was making it worth eating. This soup is one of the things that brought me around

https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2014/01/spicy-carrot-and-ginger-soup-with-harissa.html

My bigger push (just for me an my family, not trying to get anyone else on board) is buying local things. The distance food travels is horrific, the emissions, the loss of food with poor handling and refrigeration. The destruction of habitat clearing for farms and ranches. As soon as I can, I'll be setting up my own "farm" on my own land to reduce what we buy that travels even further.

What motivates you to make the statement "I'll never not eat animals" ?

Is it your understanding that eating animals is necessary?

Thank you for the recipe. Yeah, having delicious food is critical to embracing a WFPB diet. I don't mind a refined unhealthy chocolate cake every now and then, but when you can make the healthy food taste incredible? it's hard to want to eat any other way.

And I'm loving making soups this winter. It's soooo cold out. Soup is soooo good. So again, thanks for the recipe. The corn chowder suggested by @Livingthedream55 was a hit with the family tonight. Everyone spooned out second and third helpings.

We'll see how your carrot ginger soup compares, brute. - maybe we'll try it out on Saturday.
« Last Edit: January 17, 2019, 01:46:22 PM by Malaysia41 »

Caoineag

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Re: Go Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) in 2019
« Reply #28 on: January 17, 2019, 04:09:06 PM »
Yes, Malaysia I was talking about rennet being sourced from calves. Funny how some of the lower end cheeses are vegetarian simply because the plant based enzymes are cheaper. I grew up with a lot of lacto-ovo vegetarians so it is weird thinking that many of them were eating non-vegetarian cheeses.

ATMD

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Re: Go Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) in 2019
« Reply #29 on: January 17, 2019, 04:34:33 PM »
I try to be vegan but I enjoy drinking milk.
« Last Edit: January 17, 2019, 04:36:11 PM by ATMD »

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Re: Go Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) in 2019
« Reply #30 on: January 17, 2019, 05:10:33 PM »
I try to be vegan but I enjoy drinking milk.

Following the kinda recent nutty trend, I started drinking oat milk. Have you tried it yet? It's surprisingly milk-like. And if you're into milk for coffee reasons, it's great there too—it blends well, froths up, and all that good stuff. I've really been diggin' it!

I cooked up a bunch of these plantain enchiladas last weekend, and they were amazing. https://minimalistbaker.com/black-bean-plantain-enchilada-bake/ It was my first time trying out this cashew/nutritional yeast "cheese"—I regret my skepticism about it. It's crazy good.

« Last Edit: January 17, 2019, 05:14:49 PM by the_gastropod »

Malaysia41

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Re: Go Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) in 2019
« Reply #31 on: January 17, 2019, 11:48:39 PM »
@the_gastropod - that plantain enchilada looks amazing. I've only had success with minimalistbaker. Thanks for posting.

@ATMD - I second gastropod's recommendation for oat milk. You can even make it yourself. It's easy. If you're using it for cereal or drinking, you needn't bother with the fine filtering either. Just use a mesh strainer and you're set.

Here's a recipe similar to what I do. Definitely throw in a pitted medjool date or two.

Otherwise, there are like 20+ varieties of plant based milks. They range from yuck to yum. It's a matter of trying various options til you find one you like. My parents love Ripple, for example. After my mom switched, her cholesterol dropped 30 pts. Good luck.

MicroRN

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Re: Go Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) in 2019
« Reply #32 on: January 18, 2019, 06:24:15 AM »
I'll third the oat milk.  It's pretty good, though I don't drink milk on its own anyway.   The kids really like both cashew and macadamia nut milks. You can also experiment with blending them to get the right flavor and mouthfeel profile.  A thinner nut/oat milk with a little coconut added works nicely.   Not too coconutty, but it adds that creaminess that dairy milk has.   Also,  most sweetened non dairy milks are too sweet, but dairy milk is sweeter than unsweetened non dairy milk.   I'll buy unsweetened,  then add just a tiny amount of sugar to get the right balance.

brute

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Re: Go Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) in 2019
« Reply #33 on: January 18, 2019, 06:27:29 AM »
While I'll never not eat animals, I do what I can do acquire ethically treated ones. However, I do eat more plant based food than before, the real trick was making it worth eating. This soup is one of the things that brought me around

https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2014/01/spicy-carrot-and-ginger-soup-with-harissa.html

My bigger push (just for me an my family, not trying to get anyone else on board) is buying local things. The distance food travels is horrific, the emissions, the loss of food with poor handling and refrigeration. The destruction of habitat clearing for farms and ranches. As soon as I can, I'll be setting up my own "farm" on my own land to reduce what we buy that travels even further.

What motivates you to make the statement "I'll never not eat animals" ?

Is it your understanding that eating animals is necessary?

Thank you for the recipe. Yeah, having delicious food is critical to embracing a WFPB diet. I don't mind a refined unhealthy chocolate cake every now and then, but when you can make the healthy food taste incredible? it's hard to want to eat any other way.

And I'm loving making soups this winter. It's soooo cold out. Soup is soooo good. So again, thanks for the recipe. The corn chowder suggested by @Livingthedream55 was a hit with the family tonight. Everyone spooned out second and third helpings.

We'll see how your carrot ginger soup compares, brute. - maybe we'll try it out on Saturday.

My native american heritage blessed me with the ability to become type II diabetic at age 23. Only through reducing carbohydrate consumption below 100g a day was I able to get it under control and not die from complications. I have to eat meat, starve, or die from heart disease. Not ideal, but so it goes.

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Re: Go Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) in 2019
« Reply #34 on: January 18, 2019, 01:49:56 PM »
In preparation of starting the new Gundry diet we have been trying to clear out the fridge and pantry. Last night it was throw together stir fry with some random ingredients. We have to use up the rice since it's not on the new diet. It came out great. Carrots, onion, cabbage, brussell sprouts, mushrooms, and green beans. Then some raw cashews on top. YUM...

Just looked at the Gundry diet. What is leading to you adopt it?
@Malaysia41 For me I'm trying to clear up some psoriasis and I have a sluggish liver with elevated enzymes as well as a few gut issues. We are mostly doing it for my wife. She has RA and thyroid problems most likely Hashimoto's caused. So removing the lectins is supposed to be very beneficial. We are also both hoping to drop a bit of excess weight.
One of my friends started the Gundry diet about 2 months ago.  She RAVES about it.  It has really cleared up many of her digestive, breakout, headache issues that she's been struggling YEARS with.

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Re: Go Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) in 2019
« Reply #35 on: January 19, 2019, 12:57:23 PM »
I made the carrot ginger soup you recommended @brute - and made the harissa from scratch using water rather than oil.  Pretty yummy stuff.
https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2014/01/spicy-carrot-and-ginger-soup-with-harissa.html

roasted, peeled and seeded the hot chili peppers - starting to cook them with their onion colleages here:


the soup: including roasted pine nuts and shredded kale and cabbage:


- and now i've got a jar of harissa to work through over the next few weeks. I love spice so I'm totally down with that.


Thanks again!

Sorry for your medical conditions. Good luck with your diet. I hope you find success, and it's awesome you are cutting down on high carbon animal foods at the same time.  I always like Dr. Neil Barnhard too. Have you checked him out? Some diabetics I know have had good luck with his recommendations - but it may have been that they were pre-diabetic. I'm not 100% on that.




imadandylion

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Re: Go Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) in 2019
« Reply #36 on: January 20, 2019, 10:52:11 AM »
Still going strong with the plant based diet, and even getting better at incorporating the 'whole foods' part of whole foods plant based eating into my regular routine. My hormones have always been whacky, but when I got off birth control last spring and was also using a topical retinoid, skin became increasingly terrible. Don't want to go into it all of it unless someone wants me to, but periods were very irregular still, so I ended up seeing a naturopath (got really tired of doctors trying to give me pills/topicals and never figuring out what was wrong with me internally to explain why I have hormone problems/acne) who recommended doing an elimination diet and also made some recommendations based off a blood panel and saliva test (for hormones). I was already vegan, but I could definitely stand to make some slight tweaks to what I was eating. The elimination diet required not eating night shades and gluten (also dairy and meat, but I already haven't consumed those in a while).  That plus a few recommended supplements (holy basil and vitex/chasteberry for adrenal/hormonal support) my skin is finally looking so much better. So while I wasn't eating that junky before, I feel like reducing nightshades and gluten and generally eating more truly whole-foods-plant-based as helped so much. Hormones are still a work in progress but it is MUCH better than it was, and my periods are starting to become regular again, too!

Also, found that chickpea pasta (banza) is very, very good! Give it a shot if you haven't yet. I also recently tried out a recipe from Chloe's Vegan Kitchen cookbook and it was very, very good. Essentially its a white sauce, except no dairy so you don't get that disgusted bloaty feeling during or afterward.  Someone has copied the recipe here:

https://www.tipsonlifeandlove.com/recipes-2/chloes-kitchen-recipe-fettucine-alfredo

The sauce is a bit thinner, I've found, because you're supposed to coat/toss the pasta in it, but if you use less water you can thicken it up to your liking.

Caoineag

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Re: Go Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) in 2019
« Reply #37 on: January 20, 2019, 01:30:20 PM »
Update on our greens consumption. We went from maybe a serving per week to 8 servings per week thanks to our Kale breakfast recipe and our cabbage recipe. So while still not at the outstanding level, at least we are now above minimum recommendation levels. Hurray!

I finally made the ranch which is an acceptable substitute but I am debating making it with tofu instead since that would be both cheaper and easier. That is what we use as a base for our Chipotle sauce (1/2 can Chipotle peppers, half a lime and one block tofu for a mild/medium sauce, whole can and lime for spicy). Tofu based sauces also help with our calcium intake.

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Re: Go Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) in 2019
« Reply #38 on: January 20, 2019, 03:40:21 PM »
Still going strong with the plant based diet, and even getting better at incorporating the 'whole foods' part of whole foods plant based eating into my regular routine. My hormones have always been whacky, but when I got off birth control last spring and was also using a topical retinoid, skin became increasingly terrible. Don't want to go into it all of it unless someone wants me to, but periods were very irregular still, so I ended up seeing a naturopath (got really tired of doctors trying to give me pills/topicals and never figuring out what was wrong with me internally to explain why I have hormone problems/acne) who recommended doing an elimination diet and also made some recommendations based off a blood panel and saliva test (for hormones). I was already vegan, but I could definitely stand to make some slight tweaks to what I was eating. The elimination diet required not eating night shades and gluten (also dairy and meat, but I already haven't consumed those in a while).  That plus a few recommended supplements (holy basil and vitex/chasteberry for adrenal/hormonal support) my skin is finally looking so much better. So while I wasn't eating that junky before, I feel like reducing nightshades and gluten and generally eating more truly whole-foods-plant-based as helped so much. Hormones are still a work in progress but it is MUCH better than it was, and my periods are starting to become regular again, too!

Also, found that chickpea pasta (banza) is very, very good! Give it a shot if you haven't yet. I also recently tried out a recipe from Chloe's Vegan Kitchen cookbook and it was very, very good. Essentially its a white sauce, except no dairy so you don't get that disgusted bloaty feeling during or afterward.  Someone has copied the recipe here:

https://www.tipsonlifeandlove.com/recipes-2/chloes-kitchen-recipe-fettucine-alfredo

The sauce is a bit thinner, I've found, because you're supposed to coat/toss the pasta in it, but if you use less water you can thicken it up to your liking.

@imadandylion - congrats on going strong and figuring out your food related medical issues. Allergy / food related stuff can be so hard to diagnose.

regarding nightshades - I eat a ton of them, but my friend Gina is hyper sensitive. Early on when I started making videos I interviewed her. Please forgive me the shitty novice video skills here. In any case, you might be interested in her story ...

The interview is 9min 25 seconds long.

https://youtu.be/xBSSydJ8My8



brute

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Re: Go Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) in 2019
« Reply #39 on: January 24, 2019, 11:33:35 AM »
I made the carrot ginger soup you recommended @brute - and made the harissa from scratch using water rather than oil.  Pretty yummy stuff.
https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2014/01/spicy-carrot-and-ginger-soup-with-harissa.html

roasted, peeled and seeded the hot chili peppers - starting to cook them with their onion colleages here:


the soup: including roasted pine nuts and shredded kale and cabbage:


- and now i've got a jar of harissa to work through over the next few weeks. I love spice so I'm totally down with that.


Thanks again!

Sorry for your medical conditions. Good luck with your diet. I hope you find success, and it's awesome you are cutting down on high carbon animal foods at the same time.  I always like Dr. Neil Barnhard too. Have you checked him out? Some diabetics I know have had good luck with his recommendations - but it may have been that they were pre-diabetic. I'm not 100% on that.

Great info and glad you liked the soup. I've got some reading to do this weekend!

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Re: Go Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) in 2019
« Reply #40 on: January 24, 2019, 01:19:36 PM »
So happy to see so many of you taking the challenge and/or reducing!

Tonight we made one of my favorites: beefless stew from Dr. McDougall. It's the second recipe on this page:https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2016nl/nov/recipes.htm

You inspired me. I gave this a try this week, and it was pretty damn good! I feel like it was missing juuuuust a little something, but I'm not sure what it was. Next time, I think I'm going to use vegetable broth instead of just water.


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Re: Go Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) in 2019
« Reply #41 on: January 25, 2019, 08:41:02 AM »
In preparation of starting the new Gundry diet we have been trying to clear out the fridge and pantry. Last night it was throw together stir fry with some random ingredients. We have to use up the rice since it's not on the new diet. It came out great. Carrots, onion, cabbage, brussell sprouts, mushrooms, and green beans. Then some raw cashews on top. YUM...

Just looked at the Gundry diet. What is leading to you adopt it?
@Malaysia41 For me I'm trying to clear up some psoriasis and I have a sluggish liver with elevated enzymes as well as a few gut issues. We are mostly doing it for my wife. She has RA and thyroid problems most likely Hashimoto's caused. So removing the lectins is supposed to be very beneficial. We are also both hoping to drop a bit of excess weight.
One of my friends started the Gundry diet about 2 months ago.  She RAVES about it.  It has really cleared up many of her digestive, breakout, headache issues that she's been struggling YEARS with.
@mm1970  Somehow I missed this update. My mom has lupus and a couple of other autoimmune disorders and even though she hasn't read the book yet I gave her the list of what to eat and what not to eat. She has started incorporating it and already seeing results. The science behind it seems quite solid. I'm just now getting into some of the recipe parts. We've been gluten free for over 6 years now so I'm confident we can find a way to implement Gundry, it will just be really hard to eat out. Thankfully we don't do that much at all. I'm really looking forward to the results, I will be starting it in just over a week.

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Re: Go Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) in 2019
« Reply #42 on: January 25, 2019, 08:49:45 AM »
Still going strong with the plant based diet, and even getting better at incorporating the 'whole foods' part of whole foods plant based eating into my regular routine. My hormones have always been whacky, but when I got off birth control last spring and was also using a topical retinoid, skin became increasingly terrible. Don't want to go into it all of it unless someone wants me to, but periods were very irregular still, so I ended up seeing a naturopath (got really tired of doctors trying to give me pills/topicals and never figuring out what was wrong with me internally to explain why I have hormone problems/acne) who recommended doing an elimination diet and also made some recommendations based off a blood panel and saliva test (for hormones). I was already vegan, but I could definitely stand to make some slight tweaks to what I was eating. The elimination diet required not eating night shades and gluten (also dairy and meat, but I already haven't consumed those in a while).  That plus a few recommended supplements (holy basil and vitex/chasteberry for adrenal/hormonal support) my skin is finally looking so much better. So while I wasn't eating that junky before, I feel like reducing nightshades and gluten and generally eating more truly whole-foods-plant-based as helped so much. Hormones are still a work in progress but it is MUCH better than it was, and my periods are starting to become regular again, too!

Also, found that chickpea pasta (banza) is very, very good! Give it a shot if you haven't yet. I also recently tried out a recipe from Chloe's Vegan Kitchen cookbook and it was very, very good. Essentially its a white sauce, except no dairy so you don't get that disgusted bloaty feeling during or afterward.  Someone has copied the recipe here:

https://www.tipsonlifeandlove.com/recipes-2/chloes-kitchen-recipe-fettucine-alfredo

The sauce is a bit thinner, I've found, because you're supposed to coat/toss the pasta in it, but if you use less water you can thicken it up to your liking.

@imadandylion - congrats on going strong and figuring out your food related medical issues. Allergy / food related stuff can be so hard to diagnose.

regarding nightshades - I eat a ton of them, but my friend Gina is hyper sensitive. Early on when I started making videos I interviewed her. Please forgive me the shitty novice video skills here. In any case, you might be interested in her story ...

The interview is 9min 25 seconds long.

https://youtu.be/xBSSydJ8My8
@imadandylion  I have similar issues and see a naturopathic doctor. You should definitely check out Dr. Gundry's book. The Plant Paradox. It will explain why the elimination diet works and then why it quits working. I did that elimination over 6 years ago and healed my gut, but things came back. He explains why that is and it's very eye opening.

@Malaysia41 The nightshades have lectin in them. That's the big thing Gundry says we need to remove. Apparently GMO is making that worse, but also some cultures didn't have many of the lectin containing fruits and vegetables until Columbus opened up trading. All of a sudden things that weren't native were being consumed. Our bodies did not have time for our DNA to change to deal with them. Fun fact: Columbus brought tomatoes to Italy and Italians actually refused to eat them for 2 years. They also got smart in consumption by creating the roma strain. It contained way fewer seeds which cause the most problems and they remove the skins which also cause problems.

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Re: Go Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) in 2019
« Reply #43 on: January 25, 2019, 09:54:11 AM »
Still going strong with the plant based diet, and even getting better at incorporating the 'whole foods' part of whole foods plant based eating into my regular routine. My hormones have always been whacky, but when I got off birth control last spring and was also using a topical retinoid, skin became increasingly terrible. Don't want to go into it all of it unless someone wants me to, but periods were very irregular still, so I ended up seeing a naturopath (got really tired of doctors trying to give me pills/topicals and never figuring out what was wrong with me internally to explain why I have hormone problems/acne) who recommended doing an elimination diet and also made some recommendations based off a blood panel and saliva test (for hormones). I was already vegan, but I could definitely stand to make some slight tweaks to what I was eating. The elimination diet required not eating night shades and gluten (also dairy and meat, but I already haven't consumed those in a while).  That plus a few recommended supplements (holy basil and vitex/chasteberry for adrenal/hormonal support) my skin is finally looking so much better. So while I wasn't eating that junky before, I feel like reducing nightshades and gluten and generally eating more truly whole-foods-plant-based as helped so much. Hormones are still a work in progress but it is MUCH better than it was, and my periods are starting to become regular again, too!



I assume your doctors have checked you for PCOS, right? I have it but wasn't diagnosed until I was almost 30 b/c I didn't fit the stereotype of being overweight (though a good bunch of women who have it are actually normal weight).  It's quite common.

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Re: Go Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) in 2019
« Reply #44 on: January 25, 2019, 09:57:36 AM »
On topic, my sister reported on a delicious vegan 'comfort dish' that she threw together yesterday.  She sauteed garlic, ginger, smoked paprika, and a small amount of onion, then dumped in a can of pumpkin and can of coconut milk.  She served it over some sort of mushroom (?) noodles (I've never had these).  It sounds great, though I would have to find a way to drastically cut the fat level...maybe half lite coconut milk and half almond or cashew milk.

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Re: Go Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) in 2019
« Reply #45 on: January 25, 2019, 08:54:59 PM »
It was definitely easier for me to eat primarily vegetables when I lived in the PNW.

I still have access to veggies year-round, but I really did feel different eating salad greens and root veggies that were bought at the city farm and picked myself, as opposed to grocery store produce. Or when I've grown my own in the summer :)

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Re: Go Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) in 2019
« Reply #46 on: January 26, 2019, 09:53:16 AM »

Have you all seen the new Canada Food Guide from our Fed Govt? It is a VAST improvement on the previous ones and leans very heavily towards WFPB. Thought I would share! https://food-guide.canada.ca/en/

Another Canadian here.  This is a home run in my opinion!  I am seriously impressed with what they have done including things like "be mindful of how you eat".  "Cook at home".  Drink water.

Agreed, @FIRE_at_45 :) (fellow Vancouverite, I see! Hi!) What a huge difference, now that Big Ag lobby groups were not influencing the guide.  Science FTW!  Especially impressed by the new "protein foods" section which is heavily plant-based and has absorbed the previous separate meat and dairy categories.

Relatedly, I have been noticing that more and more people I know are adopting plant-based eating, or at least a "plant-slant." Now this could be that Vancouver / the PNW are a bit of a veggie bubble, but I do feel it is spreading more and more. It is just so much easier now than it was when I first started (1997!). So many options, a wide range of compelling arguments, and much more mainstream awareness/acceptance. It gives me hope!

I'd like to borrow some of that hope. The most recent video I made,  about methane emissions from animal ag, got me feeling less hopeful. But hey, you wake up everyday and keep trying.  I head to DC in two weeks to lobby congress to end animal ag subsidies, so there's that. I'm feeling terribly outmatched, though.  But science is on our side. And Americans tend to hate the idea of market-distorting subsidies, so we've got that going for us. Which is nice.

We need to take a cue from Canada and put up a fire-wall between our USDA scientists and industry. We also need to end the conflicting goals of the USDA to both recommend nutrition and market animal foods to us. And do campaign finance reform, public financing of election campaigns, etc. Oh wait, sorry, what thread am I in?

Oh yeah. my husband made this the other night - yum:  https://elavegan.com/vegan-mushroom-stroganoff-gluten-free-recipe/

Caoineag

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Re: Go Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) in 2019
« Reply #47 on: January 27, 2019, 10:59:09 AM »
That mushroom Stroganoff looks yummy. It reminds me that I need to make my country gravy meatless as well. I had planned to substitute mushrooms for the meat and keep the sausage spices (I always did my own seasoning mix so that makes the substitution easy)so it still has that flavor.

Strangely I find that mushrooms are my go to meat replacement not legumes, probably because they stop the other things I am eating from messing with my blood sugar. Legumes just aren't as effective for me.

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Re: Go Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) in 2019
« Reply #48 on: February 07, 2019, 06:15:55 PM »
Thanks for posting that mushroom stroganoff recipe. I made it tonight and it was delicious. I just got this new mushroom umami spice mix from Trader Joe’s, and I used it as the flavor base instead of the spice mix in the recipe. The only other spice I added was paprika. It tasted amazing. The sauce didn’t quite get thick enough, but that was because I used up some extra coconut beverage from a carton instead of real coconut milk from a can. I’ll switch it up next time.

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Re: Go Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) in 2019
« Reply #49 on: February 08, 2019, 05:23:16 PM »
Did Korean vegetable pancakes recently and they were delicious. We got our recipe from Maangchi's website. Her pancake just used flour and water and we had no problem with them holding together. Not sure why so many other recipes try to add egg. It's completely unnecessary for holding it together.

We seem to have decided that for us non fish meat can easily be limited to once per month and fish we don't limit because we tend to only get that once per month on average anyways. We are about 2 1/2 months into this jourmey. Whether we will cut back even more will depend on who we are eating with since both sets of parents seem to think that meat should be at least twice a day. On the other hand, most of my extended family on one side is mostly vegan or vegetarian in their dietary habits so that will be much easier.

I figure for us it will be a journey over time to see just how little animal products we can get away with consuming, especially since I won't do vegan frankenfoods anymore than I will do regular frankenfoods (food chemicals and I do not get along) so some items will simply have to go out of our diet completely once given up (ie butter sigh). We even decided that one of the restaurants we used to visit as a treat will probably be a never again since they are so meat centric that there are maybe 2 items on their massive menu that we could eat and there are other restaurants that do better with having non meat options.

Since there seems to be only one milk replacement that doesn't add gums and occasionally it's hard to find while traveling, we are going to try making our own oat milk. If that works, it will be cheaper and easier than what we are currently buying so that will help (especially since we have a hard time finishing off 16 oz prior to it going bad so we could make smaller batches).