All the questions about plant-based eating I will attempt to answer here:
Where do you get your nutritional information?
Most of the information here are adapted from Dr. Furhman’s and Dr. Greger’s books and website. Dr. Furhman is know for his books Eat To Live. His other books are Super Immunity, Disease Proof Your Kids, The End Of Heart Disease, The End Of Dieting. I have read them all because all the information are addicitng. Dr. Greger is known for his website Nurition Facts dot Org and his book How Not To Die. Both have had PBS specials and changed thousands of lives for the better. I leaned a lot of good tips from a pvery supportive plantbased facebook page I am a member in. Plus my personal experience too.
How is plantbased different from vegetarian or vegan?
As much as I hate to nitpick since all comes with good intention, but plantbased don’t eat highly processed food, use sugar, salt and oil. Vegans can still Oreos, and we strive not to. Hopefully we loose the taste for them too. Vegetarians consume dairy and eggs. We dont because they are highly inflammatory and can be root for many chronic illnesses.
Is it expensive?
It doesn’t have to be. That’s what I love about going plantbased because I didn’t have to buy special and costly sugars, flours and oils. I get the plants I am familiar with but in bigger (way bigger) volumes. The only unique and staple addition I have on this diet are dates, nut butters and flaxseeds. Even the first two I don’t use as much nowadays.
Is it complicated?
I am not going to lie, it has a steep learning curve. Which is to be expected because it is very NEW to us and we were raised differently. But once you have your system down it will simplify a lot of things for you. I honestly think my old life with the traditional diet is more complicated. Even doing the dishes has cut down for me because batch prep and I don’t have to deal with oily and bloody (ew) residues for pots, pans and plates.
Do we still need to exercise?
Fortunately or unfortunately, depending from your perspective, yes. Our body needs it in order to achieve optimal health. But the good news is you don’t have to spend two hours in the gym to lose or maintain your weight. Nor panic if you can’t get an exercise in for a few days. As long you stick to the plan, you will be eating highly nutritious foods that are very low in calories, so you will be just fine. This is one of the many liberating part being on a plantbased diet that I think. A few weeks ago we went on a family vacation and I didn’t have to worry about how I was going to launder my sweaty workout clothes while we were away.
Will add more questions as the day gets along. Or you can help me out by asking me one too.