Tag: plantbaseddiet

skeleton full of candy
Nutrition and Food

Study finds Vegan diets more than double the risk of a broken hip- Here’s what you need to know

Sarah Miller, RD

By now I’m sure many of you have seen the headline making news this week about a study following more than 50,000 British people over two decades finding that vegans were 43% more likely to suffer a fracture compared to people who ate meat and fish. You can read an article summarizing the study here.

Without analyzing the data and doing a complete deep dive on everything the study found, including any potential flaws, the methods and limitations, it’s important to take a moment to recognize that yes, following a vegan diet will require some planning to ensure that you’re meeting your micronutrient needs. Honestly, most any diet in today’s modern food system that meets all of your nutritional needs is going to require some level of planning, so don’t let that discourage you from making the change to eating more plant-based.

Ways to meet your needs

Lucky for today’s vegans and other dairy-free individuals, many products on the market are fortified with important vitamins and minerals that can be lacking in a vegan diet. A few commonly fortified nutrients that can be lacking in a vegan diet include vitamin B12, vitamin D, and calcium.

Vitamin B12

The only source of vegan vitamin B12 comes from fortified foods, supplements, and nutritional yeast. Vitamin B12 is found almost exclusively in animal products including meat and dairy products. I recommend requesting to have your Physician monitor your vitamin B12 levels when you first begin a vegan diet to establish if your levels are optimal and then monitor annually after that to ensure that you’re continually meeting your needs. The general recommendation is for anyone following a vegan diet to take a vitamin B12 supplement. I personally have had a low vitamin B12 level which is embarrassing to admit because I’m a nutrition professional. But we’re all human and it can happen to anyone. Having your vitamin B12 levels out of range can cause permanent damage if not rectified, but luckily your levels increase pretty quickly with supplementation or the use of B12 shots, if indicated. Your Physician or Registered Dietitian can provide you with more information regarding vitamin B12 specific to your needs and lifestyle.

Calcium

Calcium is another nutrient that can be lacking when following a vegan diet and doesn’t always get as much attention as vitamin B12. Calcium is tightly regulated in your body and is required for a ton of processes including vascular contraction and dilation (think blood vessels constricting or expanding), hormone secretion, and muscle function. The level of calcium in your blood does not fluctuate with dietary intake changes which makes it sometimes challenging to find a calcium deficiency because there aren’t any obvious symptoms in the short term. Most low calcium levels result from other medical conditions such as renal failure or use of certain medications. Instead of not having enough calcium to function, your body will steal calcium from its massive reservoir: your bones and teeth. This can be problematic for your bone mineral health if your body keeps leaching calcium out of them. According to the FDA, “adequate calcium and vitamin D as part of a healthful diet, along with physical activity, may reduce the risk of osteoporosis in later life.” 

The nuances involved with bone health and remodeling are much too involved to include in this post. The short story is that calcium and vitamin D in conjunction with phosphorus work to keep your bones healthy. If any of these end up out of their recommended range it can have a detrimental effect on your body. A sedentary lifestyle lacking weight-bearing exercises and resistance training can also negatively impact your bone mineral density (BMD). Your body individual ability to maintain calcium balance is based on a lot of factors that you have no control over including calcium excretion in your urine and feces and calcium absorption in your intestines as well as your dietary intake of calcium.

There are many vegan foods fortified with calcium, such as vegan milks, but most people limiting or avoiding animal product consumption will need to have an awareness of what plant foods can also help them meet their daily needs. If you continue to eat dairy products these foods can provide you with calcium and vitamin D. Plant-based sources of calcium include fortified orange juices, chia seeds, tofu, fortified cereals, raw broccoli, cooked kale, bok choy and supplements. Here you can find more vegan sources of various nutrients.

The RDA (recommended daily intake) is the average daily level of intake that is sufficient to meet the needs of nearly all healthy individuals. For a healthy individual between the ages of 19-50 years old, the RDA for calcium is 1,000mg daily. This number changes for women due to hormonal changes that affect their bodies but stays pretty consistent for men until they’re 71+years old. Vegetarians and vegans should also keep in mind that their absorption levels of calcium may be slightly lower due to increased intake of oxalic and phytic acids from plants. Don’t start stressing about having another thing to keep track of. This just means you need an awareness of your intake since oxalic and phytic acids block your bodys ability to fully absorb calcium. That being said, it’s also important to note that more isn’t always better. You can consume too much of a good thing.

Hypercalcemia (elevated calcium)

Excessively high levels of calcium can cause problems including soft tissue calcification, renal insufficiency and even kidney stones and constipation. Make sure to discuss your personal calcium needs with a Registered Dietitian if you have any questions or concerns related to your calcium needs. 

Further Reading

Interested in reading more? Here are some links to credible sources you can trust:

NIH on calcium

NIH on vitamin B12

NIH on vitamin D

Meeting Calcium Recommendations on a Vegan Diet from The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

appetizer bowl bread breakfast
Nutrition and Food, Recipes

Soup Season

Sarah Miller, RD

It’s my favorite time of the year for so many reasons, one of them being soup! There is nothing more cozy than a fresh homemade soup at the end of the day. But making a big pot of soup can be overwhelming when your household is smaller. I know for us making a soup sometimes means we’re eating soup for the next 3-4 days in our house. In an effort to mix it up and not get bored with your favorite soup, here’s a tip: freeze that leftover soup. But don’t just stick it in any tupperware and freeze, continue reading for my favorite way to store leftover soups, stews, and chilis.

Freezing Soup

One of my favorite kitchen finds is the Souper Cube on Amazon.

This gadget is perfect if you’re a small household. Simply fill the cubes and place in the freezer. Whenever you’re in the mood for some soup, simply heat up the pre-portioned servings.

Favorites

Here are some of my favorite soup recipes:

https://www.savorytooth.com/instant-pot-tomato-soup/ This one was shared with me by a friend and she was right- it’s delicious and super easy to make! I made it constantly last season. I recommend pairing a bowl of this with a vegan (you can use dairy if you’re into that) grilled cheese sandwich ????

Thug Kitchen Cookbook Coconut Curry Soup *Language Warning. Thug Kitchen has some rather colorful ways of expressing themselves, but their recipes are amazing. Don’t let the foul language fool you.

One Pot Everyday Lentil Soup One pot?! Yes, please. Lentils are such a great source of protein; this soup makes a hearty meal on its own.

The Best Vegan Tortilla Soup I love a good tortilla soup! The Thug Kitchen Cookbook also has an amazing recipe, but this one is a little easier to make.

As per usual if you’re making a soup that recommends blending, I highly recommend the Blendtec.

Have a favorite soup recipe you want to share? I’d love to hear from you! Comment below.

flat lay photography of three tray of foods
Nutrition and Food

Meal Prepping Tips & Ideas

Sarah Miller, RD

Weeknight dinner planning can be a challenge. With long hours and long commutes, it’s sometimes impossible to find enough time available for preparing a healthy, delicious meal. 

Luckily fall is finally here and so are some amazing in-season vegetables!

One of my favorite meal prep techniques is spending Sunday morning roasting every vegetable I can get my hands on. Brussels sprouts, various squash including acorn and butternut, cauliflower, broccoli, potatoes, I could go on forever. The beauty of roasting vegetables is that they retain their flavor in the days to come after being cooked. They also tend to hold their texture where sometimes frozen vegetables end up soggy. I don’t know about you, but frozen broccoli is probably one of my least favorite quick foods. I’m much happier when I’ve roasted a head of broccoli in advance for the week instead of settling for heating up frozen broccoli.

Another tip for meal prep is to have canned beans in your cupboard. I have an instant pot and prefer to cook dried beans whenever possible, but sometimes life gets the best of me and I need food now. Whenever this happens I’m always glad that my pantry is stocked with backup canned beans. Simply drain, rinse, heat and portion out your serving to add plant protein to your meal.

Not really into beans? Try roasting a block of tofu, pre-make a batch of lentils instead of beans, or even heat and cut-up your favorite veggie burger patty to add! 

Speaking of my instant pot, other great food items you can prep in advance for weeknight dinners are quinoa, sorghum, rice, or bulgur. I personally love to cook these in my instant pot simply because I don’t like to stand over a hot stove, especially for 30min or more. Cooking extra servings of my grains to have throughout the week makes this food hack a no brainer.

You could also pre-make a pot of high protein pasta to store for portioning out during the week. Just make sure to mix with some olive oil if you plan to refrigerate it sans sauce. This will help to minimize the pasta sticking together.

Putting it all together

Using my roasted vegetables, beans, and grain of choice I find an easy weekday dinner or lunch is to portion that out into a bowl and top with my favorite fixings. Depending on the variety, I might add some fresh avocado, sprinkle on some hemp hearts, or even add a sauce or peanut dressing. Another way to add flavor is to add fresh herbs and some lemon juice to keep it low sodium friendly. Experiment with different combinations to find what you and your family prefer.

Stay tuned for more meal prep ideas and tips!

Nutrition and Food, Recipes

Vegan Pumpkin Spice Hemp Seed Bread

Sarah Miller, RD

Ingredients

  • 1 and 2/3 c whole wheat flour
  • 1 c sugar
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp nutmeg
  • 1 tbsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground cloves
  • 1 tbsp pumpkin spice
  • 1-2 ripe bananas, mashed
  • 1 c canned pumpkin
  • 1/2 c olive oil
  • 1/2 c water
  • 1/2 c hemp seeds
  • 1/2 c dried cranberries
  • 1/2 c dairy free dark chocolate chips
  • nonstick spray

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 ℉.
  2. In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and pumpkin spice.
  3. In another bowl combine mashed banana, pumpkin, water, and olive oil.
  4. Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients until moistened.
  5. Fold in hemp seeds, dried cranberries, and chocolate chips.
  6. Spray a 9×5 inch bread loaf pan with nonstick spray. Pour batter into greased pan.
  7. Bake for 60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean and top of the bread is slightly browned and crunchy.
  8. Let cool and enjoy!

Tips

  1. Banana quantity can be decided according to how moist you like your breads. To make it more moist like a cake use 2 whole mashed bananas. For slightly less cake-like density use 1- 1.5 whole mashed bananas.
  2. Try having a piece warmed with your favorite cup of coffee!
close up photo of sugar cubes in glass jar
Nutrition and Food

Bittersweet Truth

Sarah Miller, RD

There are numerous negative health effects of a diet high in sugar including increase of dental caries and increase in body weight, potentially leading to multiple chronic diseases including heart disease and type 2 diabetes. The information in this article applies to individuals who have no blood sugar management issues such as type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, or gestational diabetes. If you have been diagnosed with a type of diabetes, including pre-diabetes, I strongly recommend that you request a referral from your Doctor to receive a consultation for diet education from a Registered Dietitian to teach you proper carbohydrate counting and other methods for managing your diet and blood sugars. Your future self will thank you for following the appropriate diet recommendations and managing your blood sugars.

No matter what sweetener you are using, whether it’s brown sugar, maple or date syrup, or even organic cane sugar, it is still a source of extra calories. Unless of course the sweetener you’re using is a non-nutritive sugar substitute like splenda, erythritol or stevia. 

The problem with sugar is the quantity of sugar we consume daily. There are times in life when we want to have a treat, and that’s ok! Moderation really is important for so many things nutrition-related, especially sugar. I’m not here to tell everyone to stop eating sugar; we honestly couldn’t even if we tried. And why should we? Sugar can be a delicious part of a well rounded diet. 

Added Sugar vs Naturally Occurring Sugar

Added sugars and naturally occurring sugars are not the same. The sugar in fruit is not the same as the sugar added to processed foods and baked goods. Fruits do contain sugar, but fruits are also loaded with fiber to help your digestive tract and vitamins/minerals to support your metabolism and other bodily functions. The fiber in fruit slows down how quickly the sugar in that fruit reaches your blood stream as it slows the transit time through your gastrointestinal tract. Slower transit time means you feel satisfied for longer so you will likely not need to eat again for a little while. When you eat foods with added sugars, like a candy bar, there is generally no fiber to slow down digestion and generally no vitamins/minerals for your body to take in and use.

Let’s compare the nutrition of 1 tbsp white cane sugar and 1 medium banana. According to the USDA 1 medium banana (118g) provides 105 calories, 422mg potassium, 1mg sodium, 3.1g fiber, 14g sugar (about 3.5 tsp), and 1.3g protein. One tablespoon of cane sugar provides 48 calories, 0mg potassium, 0mg sodium, 12.6g sugar (about 3.15 tbsp), and 0g protein. When comparing the two, you’ll notice that the banana and the plain tablespoon of sugar are almost identical in the grams of sugar provided and both are a low/no sodium food. The important difference is that the banana also provides potassium, fiber, and protein. This means that you’ll feel more satisfied eating 1 medium banana than 1 tbsp of sugar and your body’s metabolic processes will thank you for the potassium.

Sugar in some common foods:

  1. Many low-fat flavored yogurts can have 45g of sugar or more per serving. That’s approximately 11.25 teaspoons of added sugar.
  2. One frosted blueberry Pop-tart contains 18g of sugar. That’s 4.5 tsp in only 1 pop tart. Who eats only 1 pop-tart? They come 2 per pack and we all know 1 isn’t enough for satiety.
  3. One can of Red Bull has 5.35 teaspoons of sugar. Mixing that with alcohol? Don’t forget the sugar in your liquor of choice.
  4. Snickers bars contain 57g sugar per servings. That’s 5.83 tablespoons!

Sugar Intake Recommendations

The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends limiting your daily added sugar to no more than 10% of your discretionary calories. Discretionary calories means the “extra” calories you have after your body has met all of its macro and micronutrient needs. For example, if you require 2000 calories/day but meet all of your body’s minimum needs of macro and micronutrients with only 1900 calories, this leaves you 100 discretionary calories. The AHA also notes that the amount of added sugar daily for women should be limited to approximately 6 tsp daily and 9 tsp daily for men. That means if you ate 1 low-fat flavored yogurt today, you’re already over the recommended amount of added daily added sugar consumption.

Remember that all foods can fit into a well balanced diet, including sugary ones. Eating isn’t only about survival and fueling our bodies, it should be fun, too. Check out some of my favorite sweet recipes including banana nice cream and frozen pumpkin spice bites! 

bottles in refrigerator
Nutrition and Food

Dairy Dilemma

Sarah Miller, RD

If you are converting to a plant-based diet, you might find it difficult to decide which animal products to continue consuming, if any. Dairy products, which are among my husband’s favorites (????????????) can be among the hardest to navigate, in part because of the valuable nutrition they provide, but also the way that dairy cows are treated in modern agriculture. Let’s take a closer look.

Nutrition

Dairy can be a part of a balanced diet. Nutritionally dairy products can be a good source of protein, vitamins/minerals, and carbohydrates. Choosing low or non-fat dairy provides all of the benefits of dairy products while minimizing the saturated fat you’re consuming. You can read more about the nutrient and health benefits of dairy products here. Within the dairy category there is organic and conventional. Nutritionally they provide almost exactly the same- for reference, 1c of low fat (2%) milk contains about 100calories, 8g protein, 107mg sodium, 13g sugar (naturally occurring as lactose), 366mg potassium, calcium and vitamin D.

The spectrum of dairy substitutes such as vegan cheeses or plant-based milks makes it difficult to lump them all into one category. Within the dairy substitutions category there are numerous differences in their nutrition profiles. For our purposes we’ll compare using the non-dairy option Ripple Milk (amazon link). Ripple milk is a pea protein based milk substitute. The unsweetened original flavor provides 8g of protein, 0g sugar, calcium, vitamin D, DHA omega-3s all while being lactose-, nut-, and gluten-free. Ripple as a brand is also concerned about sustainability and how their business practices affect the world.

Looking only at the nutrition content of dairy and comparing it to non-dairy substitutions, you can see there are now more options on the market with food makers creating alternatives that rival their dairy counterparts. Therefore, deciding based on nutrition alone you can see that dairy isn’t inherently “bad” for you but can provide a lot of essential nutrients in your diet. The non-dairy options on the market are not all nutritionally equal, but there are products available that provide a comparable nutritional profile to dairy.

Organic vs Conventional Dairy

The organic label on milk/dairy tells you about the practices and how the cows are cared for- nothing about nutritional content. But even with the organic farm requirements, according to a study conducted at Oregon State University, “many organic and conventional dairies in the study did not meet standards set by three commonly used cattle welfare programs.” Additionally they found that the overall health outcomes for the cows were similar in both organic and conventional dairy farms even though the standards for how the cows were treated are different.

Vegan Lifestyle

Veganism is a lifestyle. Vegans avoid all animal foods, dairy, eggs, honey and any animal derived materials. Following veganism beliefs also means that any products tested on animals or products made from animals are not acceptable. The Vegan Society has a great history and thorough explanation on veganism available to review.

Many people choose to avoid dairy because they’re vegan- they both eat vegan and follow vegan ethical beliefs. Vegans believe that exploitation of animals for any purpose is unacceptable. In addition to the mistreatment of cows, dairy farming is considered a form of animal exploitation. Choosing to avoid dairy products tends to be more about beliefs and ethics rather than the nutrition provided by dairy products.

As with anything in life there will be caveats. Being vegan isn’t black and white, but has a lot of gray. For example, many medications use gel capsules which contain gelatin. Gelatin is not a vegan-friendly ingredient. Assuming there is no other substitution and an individual is prescribed a potentially life-saving medication that contains gelatin, I think we can all agree that the individual should take the medication. Individuals following veganism would likely ask their Pharmacist or their Doctor if there’s an alternative or another form of the medication that does not contain animal products, but sometimes there is no substitute available. In that case, The Vegan Society and Vegans around the world would agree that this is an exception to the rule. This is one of many examples of the shades of gray within the vegan belief system.

The decision of whether or not to consume dairy has multiple factors. There are also environmental impacts to consider, but we’ll discuss those another time. As you can see there is no clear right or wrong answer, but there are tradeoffs. It really depends on what your personal belief system is about the consumption of dairy products and whether or not you are okay with those decisions. This is not a place for judgement, but instead a place for you to find credible information to help you make the most informed decision possible. I hope that this was helpful in your decision making process! ????

agriculture cows curious pasture
Nutrition and Food

Animal-Sourced Ingredients

Sarah Miller, RD

Eliminating animal products from your diet is a process. The more you learn the easier it becomes to be label savvy. Here are some common ingredients in some foods that you may not realize are not vegetarian and/or vegan friendly. Checking for ingredients requires reading the ingredients portion of the nutrition label. This is not a comprehensive list of all animal ingredients, but is instead a curated short list for those new to plant-based eating and deciding which category they fall into.

Gelatin

Gelatin is the collagen from animal body parts. Gelatin is used as a gelling agent in foods and also as a thickener or stabilizer. Gelatin can be found in Jell-o, marshmallows, many gummy candies including candy corn, gelatinous desserts, most gel capsule medications, and even sometimes in ice cream and yogurts! Luckily there are vegan and vegetarian friendly options for some of these foods including vegan marshmallows, yogurts and ice creams.

Rennet

Rennet is found in many cheeses and is derived from the stomach of a calf. It is used to thicken the milk during the cheesemaking process. This means that many cheese options available on the market are not vegetarian friendly. To know if a cheese product has animal rennet or a microbial or vegetable rennet requires reading the ingredients label. If the rennet the cheesemaker used is vegetarian friendly, it will say whether it’s microbial or vegetable rennet. Another tip is that usually if the ingredients label uses the word “enzymes” or simply “rennet”, this is likely animal rennet and not vegetarian friendly.

Honey

Honey is produced by honey bees. This makes it an animal product. Bees produce it and we steal it. Therefore consuming honey exploits the work of bees. There’s also issues with how the bees are treated. Many large scale bee operations can harm the bees, which would again be an argument against the use of honey. But within the vegan community you will find that some individuals allow honey. Remember that when someone identifies themselves as vegan, this includes their lifestyle. Like anything in life there are elements that make a vegan lifestyle contradictory, but that’s for another post. I firmly believe that individuals can make exceptions for certain products without being considered fake or not truly vegan. But I digress. For now just know that honey is technically not vegan but is vegetarian friendly.

Shellac / Confectioner’s Glaze

Confectioner’s glaze (also known as shellac) is used to give foods a shiny appearance. Shellac is hardened Kerria lace bug secretions and therefore not vegan friendly. You can find shellac in many candies like jelly beans and malted milk balls. Whether or not this ingredient is vegetarian friendly is somewhat up for debate. Shellac isn’t made from the Kerria bug bodies but from the bug’s secretion. This makes it similar to honey as honey isn’t made from bee bodies but from the work the bees have conducted.

Want more?

Two of the most comprehensive lists I’ve found are available on vegan.com and peta.com. Remember that lists of animal products are meant to be a guide and not necessarily a rule. You ultimately decide what ingredients are acceptable for you.

Nutrition and Food, Recipes

Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake ???? Day?!

Sarah Miller, RD

OMG, apparently today is Pumpkin Cheesecake Day! I didn’t even know this is a thing, but the timing is perfect! Here is an amazing vegan no-bake pumpkin cheesecake recipe I followed last week that I highly recommend. It was so good that my husband and I devoured it quicker than I’d like to admit. ????

You won’t be sorry. This recipe definitely requires a good blender though and you all know I love my blendtec. It made preparation really easy. My particular model is full price but Amazon has this model on special for only $259.99 today! That’s almost 50% off!!

I didn’t know how much I missed a good cheesecake until I made this recipe. Not particularly interested in pumpkin spice stuff? Simply follow the recipe as is, omit the pumpkin spice and pumpkin, and use your favorite fruit for the top layer instead! ????

person holding sliced vegetable
Nutrition and Food

Getting Started on a Plant-Based Diet

Sarah Miller, RD

Switching your diet to being more plant-based can be overwhelming; there are numerous external factors and personal reasons for making a diet and lifestyle change. The first step is to critically analyze where you are with your current diet and decide what your goal is. Check out this post if you want to read a break down of the various types of plant-based diets. One size does not fit all and can even vary throughout our lifespan. 

Do you currently eat a mostly meat diet? Maybe a good start is becoming a flexitarian or pesco-vegetarian. Are you currently lacto-ovo vegetarian thinking about making the switch to vegan? Try eliminating dairy and eggs one at a time rather than both at once. No matter where you are on the plant-based diet spectrum, it’s important to be realistic with yourself and set achievable goals. Know which foods you’re just not ready to give up or try substitutions for.

How I transitioned to a vegan diet

Using myself as an example, I spent over a decade as a lacto-ovo vegetarian. I loved cheese and eggs and the substitutions on the market were not nearly as good as they are now. For many reasons I eventually decided that I wanted to eliminate those products from my diet. Having to choose between eggs and dairy, I decided removing eggs first was the best way for me to be successful in my quest to eating a diet free of all animal products. I mean honestly, eggs aren’t very appetizing if you really think about where they come from. But I’ll keep my personal opinions of foods to myself so that I don’t accidentally ruin one of your favorites. The point is I knew that I liked my dairy products more than eggs and wasn’t ready to use plant-based substitutions. Giving up the eggs first enabled me to continue working toward a vegan diet.

I also found it helpful to continuously remind myself why I was choosing to eliminate all animal products from my diet. Remembering your why for changes you’re making in your life helps to keep you going. There will be a time when someone starts asking you why you’re giving up animal products and you don’t have to explain yourself if you don’t want to. But if you do, please remember to explain your choice in a kind and non-judgmental way. The pretentious attitude, name calling and judgement that has traditionally been paired with veganism can unfortunately turn many people off from all of it’s good points. Be kind, always.

Is there a shortcut?

By simply increasing the amount of fruits/vegetables/legumes on your plate, you can work toward making plant-based eating your new diet choice. Increasing plants in your diet can mean for you that you’re increasing the quality of the plants you choose to eat. At mealtime take a quick inventory of your plate to make sure you have balance (think vegetables/fruit, protein, healthy fat). Cater your goals to where you are. If you’re still insisting that corn is the only vegetable you’ll eat, maybe start by making your first goal be to try having leafy greens or broccoli instead. Be realistic with yourself; you don’t have to change everything all at once to achieve your goal.

Working on your diet quality along with your diet label goals can help you find your optimum eating style without being overwhelmed. Lifestyle changes aren’t one size fits all; do what’s right for you. I strongly believe that if you don’t like a certain vegetable, you probably haven’t yet had it prepared in a way that you find appealing. Broccoli is a perfect example. Steamed broccoli is boring and gross. But roasted broccoli with some spices and a light amount of olive oil brings out a whole new flavor profile! You might have a new favorite food if you’re willing to try it prepared new ways. Don’t be afraid to experiment with your food.

Find substitutions

Another important strategy is to find plant-based substitutions that you enjoy. Because the demand for vegan options has pushed the food industry to create more palatable options it’s a lot easier now to find one that you’ll like. A few years ago, I remember trying to eliminate dairy products from my diet, but the choices for plant-based milks and ice creams left me with mostly only soy to choose from. Now the options are endless! You can have oat milk, almond milk, pea milk (don’t knock it until you try it), and even hemp or hazelnut milk and the texture of many vegan products is just like the dairy equivalent you’re used to! Keeping an open mind to the options available on the market will improve your chances of success.

Create a community

Talk about your plant-based diet goals with your friends and family or others who may be supportive. Share with people why you want to make the switch, what changes you’ve made, and how you plan to keep yourself accountable. Talk about the awesome new products you found at your local store. Making permanent big lifestyle changes is less difficult when you have a solid support system.

My husband is a perfect example of the importance of keeping an open mind to new products. He refused to have vegan dairy products after he once caught me giving him Daiya shredded cheese in a quesadilla. No matter how much I tried to convince him that there might be another brand he would enjoy, he refused to try another vegan cheese. He insisted that all vegan cheeses are “gross”. I continued to buy dairy products for him and vegan dairy options for me. But I wasn’t giving up, and the day came that I decided to try being sneaky again. I made both of us vegan grilled cheese sandwiches and didn’t say anything. He thought it was so delicious that he didn’t believe me when I told him it was vegan cheese. The power of being open and not giving up after one bad experience can make all of the difference. For those curious, the grilled cheese that changed his mind was made with Miyoko’s pepper jack cheese.

Be kind to yourself

Remember that making any change requires patience. It takes time for your new diet and lifestyle changes to become your new habits. Don’t berate yourself if you make a “mistake.” No one is perfect and you’ll learn strategies and words along the way that will minimize plant-based diet blunders. You decide what plant-based diet works best for you and how to best incorporate it into your life.

items organized on shelves
Nutrition and Food

Let’s Talk About Diet Quality

Sarah Miller, RD

Many foods have a health halo thanks to wonderful marketing teams. We’ve all seen the phrases like “super food” pasted all over the front of the food’s packaging, as if that phrase has any scientific meaning (it doesn’t). Having the “vegan” label on foods is also sometimes given that same health halo. It’s as if you are to believe that as long as a food product is free from animal products that it is inherently better for you.

Let’s talk about food deserts (???????? not ????????)

Living in the US, it’s pretty easy to have a nutrition-lacking diet. Many packaged/convenience foods are full of calories but void of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients our bodies need. Unfortunately some Americans live in what we call “food deserts” where access to fresh, whole foods is scarce. Hopefully that doesn’t apply to you, dear reader, but the reality is that many Americans only have liquor stores and quick stop shops to purchase the food they need. It is likely that individuals living in food deserts have a diet filled with processed, packaged foods and only minimal intake of nutritious fruits, vegetables, and other whole foods. (If you can’t stop thinking about desserts, then I have you covered).

For some of us, we don’t live in a food desert, but we still choose to consume highly processed fast foods for other reasons. My point today is that you can’t decide to start a plant-based diet assuming that it will “fix” the way that you eat. It’s very easy to eat a plant-based diet that is full of non-nutritious foods (like vegan protein bars), just like it’s easy to have a flexitarian diet full of overly processed foods (like cheez-its and cheetos). There are a ton of foods that are vegan that don’t provide a lot of nutrition (like oreos and vegan toaster pastries). If the bulk of your diet is filled with highly processed foods, it doesn’t matter what type of eating style you choose. Your body is starving for more nutrition.

What’s my point?

The take-away for going plant-based with your diet is that you should bring an awareness of the type of fuel you are putting into your body. I like to think of the human body as a high-end luxury car- because it is! Our bodies do amazing things every day and deserve to be treated well! You don’t want to put the cheap gas in a Ferrari, right? So then why would you put anything less than the best fuel into your body? Respecting yourself and your body enough to fuel it properly is a good foundation for any diet, whether you continue to include meat or exclude it completely (and you can eat healthy either way!)

So the next time you’re grocery shopping, take a moment to inventory your cart. Are the foods you’ve selected mostly whole and minimally processed? Are they something that someone from another culture would recognize as food? If the answer is yes, then you’re probably on the right track with your plant-based journey.

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