Getting started is often the biggest challenge I have heard from many people. I think first and foremost you need to know why you have chosen to go plant based. Health ethical or environmental are among the one’s I know.
My was a health related decision. I suffer from allergies asthma and arthritis, the triple A! When I started 5 years ago I went cold turkey. Sunday lamb roast Monday tofu. The idea came from the movie The Game Changers. It was the first food documentary I saw with a positive message. Their main focus was to promote the idea of increased athletic performance with a plant based diet. There may have been a small section about increased erection size. Considering I was 59 and wasn’t going to be competing in anything remotely athletic I therefore concluded athletic performance was my reasoning.
I had a semiannual blood test coming in a few weeks so I figured I could make any further decision about the diet based on scientific data as opposed to a Hollywood opinion. The results came back that something was changing in certain values, so I was convinced to carry on for another 6 month as a comparison. The second blood test had my doctor asking what I had done. He looked at me like I was crazy, which was alarming considering he’s my neurologist. I have since learned nutrition isn’t a big topic in medical schools. Yet there I sat in his office with data showing a diet does matter.
The quick start going from high animal protein intake to zero was more experimental than planned. Fortunately I love to cook and I would highly recommend anyone interested in going plant based better love to cook. Simply eliminating animal products from your existing diet doesn’t work very well. A balance diet is necessary for your physical as well as mental health.
My previous diet was based on an outdated American diet of a meat a starch and a veggie for dinner a ham sandwich for lunch and probably something eggy for breakfast. I tended to eat till I was full or until everything was finished. I wasn’t gluttonous but I probably ate more than I need too often.
Going plant based changed that completely. I now planned meals. Calorie counting wasn’t as important as knowing the specific content of my food. I was going for straight science. I needed to know if I had enough protein carbs fats and fiber. In doing so I indeed lost weight more than 15 kilos, and currently have not fluctuated more than +/- a kilo once I reached a optimal weight five years ago. Finding and maintaining this equilibrium was a result and never an intended goal.
The plant based product choices have multiplied tenfold since I started. I remember my first shopping trip after choosing this diet. My grocery shopping was usually quick almost automated, what looked good or what was on sale influenced my purchases. I could literally shop for a few days in well under an hour door to door. I was a bit dumbfounded during my first plant based shopping tour. I became a label reader and this took more than double the time than I had expected. When I wasn’t standing in the middle of the aisle like a lost kid in a library I was at home googling nutritional values. I invested a huge amount of time to try to get it right. I wish I would have made more notes or at least kept them. The easiest way to do this is download a chart form the web.
My main goal was to consume at least 80 grams of protein daily. I didn’t specifically care about the rest in the beginning because I knew if I cooked with olive oil I was getting fats if I had nuts and seeds I would get fiber as well as fats and I would get enough carbs from grains and rice. The best way to guarantee hitting my target was with protein powder.
That was my first stop on day one was to go to a store and get a plant based protein powder. I have tried so many different ones but I am now locked into pea based products. They personally taste better and are high in protein.
If you are wondering how to get started when your motivation is anything other than health related, I would recommend a slower transition. My stomach and bowels took a little time adjusting primarily due to the added intake of fiber. However my chronic heartburn disappeared. I went from burp it taste it to fart it waste it. I’m not sure but I imagine had I gone slower in the transitioning I would have been a bit quieter to live with.
Our fridge was still full of meat products I couldn’t bring myself to eat or throw away. Luckily I have a hungry family that wasn’t going 100% plant based. Still to this day I cook animal products for the family because I don’t believe there exists one universal diet that’s perfect for everyone.