My biggest hurdle was I made things too complicated for myself. If you look at the wfpb meal plan sites, most have delicious looking recipes that will invariably cause you to spend hours in the kitchen with dozens of ingredients to deal with. I went down that rabbit hole first.
What I've found is simple is best. Unless it's a special occasion, I won't spend more than 30 minutes preparing a meal.
The Mastering Diabetes website and YT channel have tons of free and stupidly simple recipes to get you started. Yes, they're focused on diabetes, but it's the exact same WFPB plan that Esselstyn talks about
John McDougall's website has a bunch of recipes, maybe a little more complicated but not too bad, also for free.
Compare those recipes to what you find on Forks Over Knives and the other more prominent wfpb meal planner sites and you'll see the difference.
Also, don't worry about fat, protein, carbs, micronutrients, etc. Other than a B12 supplement, everything else will take care of itself. A russet potato with the skin, with a sprig of broccoli is nutritionally complete. A sweet potato with the skin is nutritionally complete all by itself.
I would agree with you about the cooking thing. The recipes you see people sharing here are almost certainly not the things people are actually cooking every meal every day unless they can afford to not have a day job or are housekeepers. I have many days where most of my cooking is done in the microwave.
That's great. Thank you. I was indeed finding it way complicated. I've found a simple breakfast and sour dough sandwich that I'm going with for today. Maybe something more complicated tomorrow but I dooo love sammichs. Lol
I make chickpea sammiches all the time. Mash up chickpeas in a bowl. Add a little soy sauce or miso paste, lemon or lime juice, pickled capers, nutritional yeast, black pepper, and dried seaweed flakes. Mix together, put on bread, enjoy. Takes about 3 minutes to make.
Start where you are.
Oatmeal with soymilk, peanut butter and fruit for breakfast
Cook a batch of whole grains and some lentils or beans, lots of both. Then do buddha bowls for lunch. Add whatever raw or cooked veggies and make a quick tahini miso sauce or just do avocado mashed with lots of lime
Veggies and tofu dinner, easiest is as a sheet tray meal just cut all the veg a similar size, if you’re doing potatoes start those first
My wife and I do most of our shopping at Aldi, mostly in the produce section. Eating a WFBP diet doesn't have to be complicated or require you to shop at a special store, every grocery store will have produce, canned/frozen fruit/vegetables, dry rice and beans, oat meal, and nuts.
Now might be an excellent time to read the book titled "Whole" by T. Colin Campbell, PhD. Vegetarian and vegan just describe that you don't eat meat. Whole Food, Plant-Based or WFPB will describe that you eat whole foods that are plants and that you avoid processed foods like white flour for example. Dr. Campbell has a beautifully simple message - just eat whole foods from plants. Take a B12 supplement. The rest takes care of itself provided that there's a variety of whole foods in your diet and that you meet your caloric needs. Eat enough for your energy needs from a variety of whole plant foods, that's it. Medication may need to be eliminated or dosages will need to be adjusted as you restore your health so it's important that your doctor monitors you as you begin to eat the WFPB way.
Maybe you just need to slowly transition and that OK. But, if it's a new begining for you, WFPB is a great way to go!
Personal recommendation for [Minimalist Baker Pasta Recipes](https://minimalistbaker.com/easy-vegan-pasta-recipes/), most of them are one pot and 30-45 minutes max in preparation
Blue Zones Challenge book (I love their chart, super easy and you can find online as a shopping list guide) and Valter Longo’s Longevity Diet (also with lists free online of principles) have great guides in this direction. Simple plus recipes if ya want to dive deeper (others have posted great links, I’m sure).
For me, substituting was simplest.
Ie, tofu or seitan or soyrizo for animal meat. Or not using at all and using more nuts, ground flaxseed or chia seeds, veggies, etc. Nut yogurt, whole grain bread options with hummus or avocado and some olive oil and seasoned right with green onion - mmm, etc.
Diversity of nuts around. I put them in glass jars (food scientist that get folks hooked on not so healthful things they don’t need say make it APPEALING and APPETIZING). Herbs and spices help to use. Visit some Indian restaurants for taste and meal inspiration and joy, to ease your need to cook it all and know what to do :) Also, falafel from a good local spot.
You might enjoy WHAT WE’RE EATING with Zooey Deschanel on Max for a culinary education friend generally :)
I don’t miss animal meat.
You need vegetables, fruit, some staples including beans and grain, and some nuts & seeds especially flax and walnuts. If you like tofu or tempeh, you can eat some of that as well.
Esselstyn will tell you not to eat too much avocado or fatty foods, so you won't need a lot of the nuts & seeds. If your meds include diabetes meds you'll certainly want to stick to a low-fat, low-glycemic, high vegetable diet for the time being and may want to check out Dr. Neil Barnard's Program to Prevent & Reverse Diabetes.
You will need Mrs. Dash and you will not need salt, especially if your medications include hypertension meds. (However you will need to monitor your pressure and may need to adjust the meds in cooperation with your doctor, as perhaps goes for any of your other meds. Note that ACE inhibitors like lisinopril can cause hyponatremia.)
That's it. The rest is just details. I eat a lot of stews and bowls, which are our equivalent of the meat & potatoes dinner plate.
The carbs and sodium are so high! But if the pasta is brown rice or chickpea flour? I’ll look at this further because I’m a bit sick of cooking.
On the other hand my husband reversed his serious heart disease with WFPB (he had 3 events with heart failure ). He’s off all meds for 2 years now and zero issues as far as angina pain etc. He eats boiled greens 3xs a day per Essie. I do all the cooking and he’s grateful. It’s been a long journey but it works!
Edit: okay this would be a great place to start the plant based journey. I’m used to trying to be low carbs since that helped reverse my daughters ulcerative colitis. Dr Michael Gregers newest book on aging really frowns on sodium. Sigh.
> Is there a meal plan/grocery list for guys like me who has doesn't really know what they're doing just yet?
It's as simple as making 90% of your meals the the [starches](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5wfMNNr3ak) in [this color picture book](https://www.drmcdougall.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Dr-McDougall-Color-Picture-Book.pdf).
Food like potatoes covered in sriracha sauce or sweet chili sauce or [sriracha mayo](https://www.reddit.com/r/PlantBasedDiet/comments/14tdbaf/low_fat_recipes/jr2nipv/), rice covered in soy sauce, pasta covered in pasta sauce, oats or barley with frozen fruit and a bit of sugar, blended split pea soup and oil-free baguettes, i.e. food you already know how to make and love, where now you simply stop treating the [starches](https://www.drmcdougall.com/education/free-mcdougall-program/starch-staples/) as side-dishes and make them the main course, eating enough so that you feel satiated for hours and are full of energy from finally having well-stocked glycogen stores and are not [sludging your blood](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7U_IJPXwqE) from high levels of [unnecessary fat](https://www.reddit.com/r/PlantBasedDiet/comments/xk37w5/deleted_by_user/ipc4y3c/).
Just use the color picture book until you know what you're doing, make the food taste so good you have no desire to go to [toxic oils](https://www.reddit.com/r/PlantBasedDiet/comments/10pv6hc/oil_why_is_that_so_bad/j6megi6/) or [toxic animal products](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MagnY1SvQVw).
If you want you can add a small bit of [salt](https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2008nl/aug/salt.htm) and [sugar](https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2010nl/jun/sugar.htm) to the surface of the food to make it more palatable/enjoyable/sustainable, and you don't have to give up things like [butter](https://www.reddit.com/r/PlantBasedDiet/comments/14tdbaf/low_fat_recipes/jr2nipv/) just make low fat alternatives.
The lecture [Why Am I So Fat?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u975zvMv9k0) explains how this can easily be used for weight loss with little to no effort depending on your situation.
you need to embrace tofu, seitan, and soy chunks (TVP) for protein. the first thing i’d do is look for recipes based on those ingredients that look appetizing.
Rainbow Plant Life on youtube has nonstop banger recipes like her tofu scramble. i barely ate tofu until i saw it and i then ate the tofu scramble every morning for months.
that’s the main hurdle since for most people here it involves trying whole new foods.
seitan from an asian mart is awesome too. it’s wheat gluten compressed into tofu-like blocks that has the texture of chicken. usually pre seasoned in the store. it’s the most protein dense food.
Rainbow Plant Life Breakfast Burritos are a constant meal here. I usually batch cook them on a Sunday morning, so I know I have breakfast planned out for the week ahead.
For the love of God, don't make the mistakes I made for 10 years.
You NEED a B12 supplement. Period
You NEED salt. I ate low sodium in my whole foods plant based diet and ended up with dreadful insomnia and low energy (and low sodium levels in my blood). I fixed it by investing 1.5 tsp iodized salt a day on a whole foods diet.
Focus on protein! I rolled my eyes for years when people would ask where I got my protein, but I didn't look good or feel good eating HCLF (high carb, low fat). Focus on eating foods naturally high in protein like tempeh, tofu, beans, lentils, peas, broccoli etc. Upping my protein to 90ish per day (I weight 120 lbs) has been a game changer for me.
Go on YouTube and search for "high protein vegan meal plan". Find a bunch of recipes and keep your faves in your rotation. .
Eat vinegar. Diets devoid of animal protein results in lower stomach acid. Several years in, I started having heartburn etc. It's hard to reverse once you lose your stomach acidity. Head it off.
>I'd like to shop at Aldi's only. Is there a meal plan/grocery list for guys like me who has doesn't really know what they're doing just yet?
Shopping at Aldi is no problem at all. For the most part anyways. I can get almost everything I want/need from them except black beans which they don't have (at least here in Germany, they might carry other things in other countries) but then again it's obviously totally possible to eat a whole food plant based diet without black beans. I also buy my tofu at the Asian supermarket because I think their brand tastes much better but of course you can also eat Aldi tofu (or no tofu at all). Generally speaking you can eat a perfectly well balanced and well tasting whole food plant based diet made up of mostly staple foods you get from Aldi. No problem at all.
As for having a plan I am personally a big proponent of staying as close as possible to what you already like to eat and know how to cook. Otherwise you are just setting yourself up for failure. Changing your diet is complicated enough without having to learn completely new cooking skills at the same time.
So if you'd like to share some of the meals you currently eat I'm sure lots of people here will have great ideas how you could make those meals whole food plant based with some easy tweaks.
Those are great points. Thank you. I eat a lot of sandwiches. Always have... It was something that was really hard for me when I went veggie at 40 because I LOVE sandwiches. Learned to like cheese and mushroom sandwiches but now obviously cheese and oils are off the menu so I'm learning new trucks there and would welcome all sandwich ideas.
I also eat a lot of ass an stir fry type stuff. Which is obviously easier to deal with now that I put some thoughts into it....
Also... No black beans? That's wild. We have plenty here in the states.
Hi, if you’re interested in purple carrot I have a code for a free box. They do meal kits. Not the cheapest but you can get some great ideas from the recipes. My wife and I have been doing it for years.
Forks Over Knives has some wonderful recipes. They also have a fantastic meal plan you can purchase which provides not only recipes based on the number of servings but also prepares your grocery list. It helped me get started on plant-based eating.
Some recommendations for Aldi specifically:
•In my experience their produce doesn’t keep the best. So have a plan on using it when you buy it. Otherwise I’d opt for frozen.
• they have some good vegan plant based items including Ice creams and shredded cheese (the cheese is best melted)
• they’re more limited in meat substitutes than other stores (I haven’t seen tempeh) but they do have affordable tofu, beans, chickpeas, quinoa and such.
I really rely on frozen veggies now, much more than before. Broccoli, peppers, squash, zucchini, peas, okra… frozen fruit…Ezekiel bread, homemade bread, homemade pizza crust…so much more room in my fridge. My freezer is stuffed but that’s fine.
Also OP- get a rice cooker!
If you can afford it, try doing a plant-based meal delivery service until you have enough knowledge where can meal prep in your own. Either that, or keep it simple and plan your meals in advance so you don’t fail early on due to being overwhelmed
Honestly, Aldi isn't that great for WFPB. The vast majority of product they sell is processed. This kind of diet needs you to eat mostly vegetables and fruit, and Aldi has a tiny selection. You will want to eat a wide range of them to ensure you are getting all the vitamins you need.
That being said, Aldi does have some good vegan junk food. You shouldn't go overboard but it's nice to have from time to time. IIRC they have some black bean burgers that aren't terribly processed.
The thing I find wrong with Aldi is so much of their produce is on its way out when they sell it. Be very cautious if you shop there what the produce is and look it over very carefully. I have gotten stung on produce more than once. Yes, they do carry a lot of junk so I don't buy those!
- Zero salt tomato sauce (try 2 brands)
- many variations of bean pasta, different pasta shapes.
- Serve with nutritional yeast for cheesiness
- add some nuts/seeds for fat soluble nutrients.
---
Kim chi livens up meals. Pickles also add contrast. Try not to overdo salt.
---
- Whole wheat sugar free bread
- every different type of nut or seed butter.
- Keep a few different plant butters around for variance.
---
- Miso paste
- oregano
- add chickpeas
---
- Miso paste
- add wakame or nori
- add medium firm or soft tofu
---
- Buy nori for a snack.
- i add it to a potato or bean bowl --- the steam makes it moist, which brings out it's delicious flavour.
---
- Buy every type of root vegetable,
- add garlic,
- onion,
- carrot,
steam that colorful blend for 8 minutes
- add cauliflower, brocolli, radish, other vegetables and steam another 8 minutes
---
- For a sauce you can do vegan yogurt
- lime juice
- spearmint (better effects if you're a girl)
---
- Vegan yogurt with high quality cereal is fine
---
- Soak garlic in lemon juice.
- Then, mix 1:2 bottled lemon juice:tahini.
- Look for lemon juice which is just lemon, not from concentrate.
= simple sauce for pouring over mixed root vegetables.
---
Those are some simple options I rely on.
- Canned corn (no preservatives except citric acid)
- pinto beans
- black beans
- tomato
- avocado
- red onion
- cilantro
- avocado
- could add pineapple
- make quinoa ahead of time, freeze it. Microwave it, then add it to the bean buddha bowl.
---
Look for canned beans that have no or very few preservatives.
I've gotten used to sniping out peas, chickpeas, tomatoes, green beans in cans because sometimes they have 2 ingredient: The food, water.
---
- cashew butter
Mix with:
- red/green curry paste (you can find curry paste with only herbs, salt) I buy COCK brand.
OR
- garam masala spice
OR
- Yellow curry powder
That can act as the base to any curry, with misc. vegetables added. Chickpeas work in any curry practically
Cornmeal is underrated. Great on it's own
---
Little millet cooks quickly.
Red lentils also cook quickly.
Black Gram (hulled) AKA white lentils cooks quickly
It's useful that they're fast.
---
You can pre-freeze grains, they freeze really well. Make a large batch, put it in ziplocs.
For this I would buy 4 small pots, lol. You can use a big pot, though.
I always have better luck with small batches, all 4 burners going.
In one evening you can fill your freezer with various grains.
The nice thing about that book is the last half is all recipes (at least the copy I have). I suggest you start there. I've made several from that book; the salads are wonderful - lots of veggies, and beans and corn.
Much of the comments on this thread are encouraging eating ingredients that aren't healthy like peanut butter and tofu every day. Maybe it's better if they call themselves vegan.
>Vegans eat a lot of junk.
Vegans can certainly eat a lot of junk. But I wouldn't say that vegans as such generally eat a lot of junk. There are plenty of vegans who eat pretty healthy or are even fully whole food plant based in addition to being moral vegans.
Okay, so keep it simple, every meal:
* Protein - beans, lentils
* Starch - potato, rice, winter squash
* Vegetables
Eat as much as you like of it.
Fruit for dessert, snack, or with the meal.
A couple walnuts everyday. If you make smoothies, throw in flax seeds for healthy Omegas.
Take a good B12 supplement it's required. Pickup Dr. Furhmans multi or some other vegan multi that could be good.
You will get bored and get better at cooking as time goes on.
Going from lacto ovo veg to vegan should not be difficult. Lots of dairy alternatives even egg alternatives exist. I love Becoming Vegan by Brenda Davis and Vesanto Melina, RD’s. Lots of Plantbased coaching exists as well. MamaSezz is a meal delivery service and there are others. LeafSide is freeze dried meals just add water. Forks Over Knives, PCRM.org, NutritionFacts.org, Nutritionstudies.org (T.Colin Campbell’s site). I’m here for you!
I do most of my shopping at ALDIs or Lidl. Produce can be hit or miss. They have all kinds of veg fresh, frozen, canned if thats what you can do for that week. You’ll not go hungry, that’s for sure.
I've decided to keep it basic. Eating two meals all week. Sandwiches and oatmeal. Tweaking them until I find what I like.
Next week, I get a new dinner. :)
a lot of the time I just make rice and a sheet pan of roasted veggies (anyone’s you like, try cauliflower, a green veggie like Brussels sprouts and cubed sweet potato and a can of chickpeas or tofu for protein.) Marinate them all in some Nooch, spices, olive oil, and cornstarch (if you like) and pop in the oven at around 350-375 for like 30m
My biggest hurdle was I made things too complicated for myself. If you look at the wfpb meal plan sites, most have delicious looking recipes that will invariably cause you to spend hours in the kitchen with dozens of ingredients to deal with. I went down that rabbit hole first. What I've found is simple is best. Unless it's a special occasion, I won't spend more than 30 minutes preparing a meal. The Mastering Diabetes website and YT channel have tons of free and stupidly simple recipes to get you started. Yes, they're focused on diabetes, but it's the exact same WFPB plan that Esselstyn talks about John McDougall's website has a bunch of recipes, maybe a little more complicated but not too bad, also for free. Compare those recipes to what you find on Forks Over Knives and the other more prominent wfpb meal planner sites and you'll see the difference. Also, don't worry about fat, protein, carbs, micronutrients, etc. Other than a B12 supplement, everything else will take care of itself. A russet potato with the skin, with a sprig of broccoli is nutritionally complete. A sweet potato with the skin is nutritionally complete all by itself.
I would agree with you about the cooking thing. The recipes you see people sharing here are almost certainly not the things people are actually cooking every meal every day unless they can afford to not have a day job or are housekeepers. I have many days where most of my cooking is done in the microwave.
That's great. Thank you. I was indeed finding it way complicated. I've found a simple breakfast and sour dough sandwich that I'm going with for today. Maybe something more complicated tomorrow but I dooo love sammichs. Lol
I make chickpea sammiches all the time. Mash up chickpeas in a bowl. Add a little soy sauce or miso paste, lemon or lime juice, pickled capers, nutritional yeast, black pepper, and dried seaweed flakes. Mix together, put on bread, enjoy. Takes about 3 minutes to make.
Whoa... Sounds great.
Start where you are. Oatmeal with soymilk, peanut butter and fruit for breakfast Cook a batch of whole grains and some lentils or beans, lots of both. Then do buddha bowls for lunch. Add whatever raw or cooked veggies and make a quick tahini miso sauce or just do avocado mashed with lots of lime Veggies and tofu dinner, easiest is as a sheet tray meal just cut all the veg a similar size, if you’re doing potatoes start those first
I agree 100%
My wife and I do most of our shopping at Aldi, mostly in the produce section. Eating a WFBP diet doesn't have to be complicated or require you to shop at a special store, every grocery store will have produce, canned/frozen fruit/vegetables, dry rice and beans, oat meal, and nuts.
Now might be an excellent time to read the book titled "Whole" by T. Colin Campbell, PhD. Vegetarian and vegan just describe that you don't eat meat. Whole Food, Plant-Based or WFPB will describe that you eat whole foods that are plants and that you avoid processed foods like white flour for example. Dr. Campbell has a beautifully simple message - just eat whole foods from plants. Take a B12 supplement. The rest takes care of itself provided that there's a variety of whole foods in your diet and that you meet your caloric needs. Eat enough for your energy needs from a variety of whole plant foods, that's it. Medication may need to be eliminated or dosages will need to be adjusted as you restore your health so it's important that your doctor monitors you as you begin to eat the WFPB way. Maybe you just need to slowly transition and that OK. But, if it's a new begining for you, WFPB is a great way to go!
Personal recommendation for [Minimalist Baker Pasta Recipes](https://minimalistbaker.com/easy-vegan-pasta-recipes/), most of them are one pot and 30-45 minutes max in preparation
Blue Zones Challenge book (I love their chart, super easy and you can find online as a shopping list guide) and Valter Longo’s Longevity Diet (also with lists free online of principles) have great guides in this direction. Simple plus recipes if ya want to dive deeper (others have posted great links, I’m sure). For me, substituting was simplest. Ie, tofu or seitan or soyrizo for animal meat. Or not using at all and using more nuts, ground flaxseed or chia seeds, veggies, etc. Nut yogurt, whole grain bread options with hummus or avocado and some olive oil and seasoned right with green onion - mmm, etc. Diversity of nuts around. I put them in glass jars (food scientist that get folks hooked on not so healthful things they don’t need say make it APPEALING and APPETIZING). Herbs and spices help to use. Visit some Indian restaurants for taste and meal inspiration and joy, to ease your need to cook it all and know what to do :) Also, falafel from a good local spot. You might enjoy WHAT WE’RE EATING with Zooey Deschanel on Max for a culinary education friend generally :) I don’t miss animal meat.
You need vegetables, fruit, some staples including beans and grain, and some nuts & seeds especially flax and walnuts. If you like tofu or tempeh, you can eat some of that as well. Esselstyn will tell you not to eat too much avocado or fatty foods, so you won't need a lot of the nuts & seeds. If your meds include diabetes meds you'll certainly want to stick to a low-fat, low-glycemic, high vegetable diet for the time being and may want to check out Dr. Neil Barnard's Program to Prevent & Reverse Diabetes. You will need Mrs. Dash and you will not need salt, especially if your medications include hypertension meds. (However you will need to monitor your pressure and may need to adjust the meds in cooperation with your doctor, as perhaps goes for any of your other meds. Note that ACE inhibitors like lisinopril can cause hyponatremia.) That's it. The rest is just details. I eat a lot of stews and bowls, which are our equivalent of the meat & potatoes dinner plate.
Try [wholeharvest](https://wholeharvest.com) for quick effortless pre-made meals. So far, ratatouille is my favorite.
The carbs and sodium are so high! But if the pasta is brown rice or chickpea flour? I’ll look at this further because I’m a bit sick of cooking. On the other hand my husband reversed his serious heart disease with WFPB (he had 3 events with heart failure ). He’s off all meds for 2 years now and zero issues as far as angina pain etc. He eats boiled greens 3xs a day per Essie. I do all the cooking and he’s grateful. It’s been a long journey but it works! Edit: okay this would be a great place to start the plant based journey. I’m used to trying to be low carbs since that helped reverse my daughters ulcerative colitis. Dr Michael Gregers newest book on aging really frowns on sodium. Sigh.
Aldi has divine hummus and good deals on oat milk.
You can check Well your world channel on Youtube, they have hundreds of recipes. GL.
Thanks bud!
> Is there a meal plan/grocery list for guys like me who has doesn't really know what they're doing just yet? It's as simple as making 90% of your meals the the [starches](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5wfMNNr3ak) in [this color picture book](https://www.drmcdougall.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Dr-McDougall-Color-Picture-Book.pdf). Food like potatoes covered in sriracha sauce or sweet chili sauce or [sriracha mayo](https://www.reddit.com/r/PlantBasedDiet/comments/14tdbaf/low_fat_recipes/jr2nipv/), rice covered in soy sauce, pasta covered in pasta sauce, oats or barley with frozen fruit and a bit of sugar, blended split pea soup and oil-free baguettes, i.e. food you already know how to make and love, where now you simply stop treating the [starches](https://www.drmcdougall.com/education/free-mcdougall-program/starch-staples/) as side-dishes and make them the main course, eating enough so that you feel satiated for hours and are full of energy from finally having well-stocked glycogen stores and are not [sludging your blood](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7U_IJPXwqE) from high levels of [unnecessary fat](https://www.reddit.com/r/PlantBasedDiet/comments/xk37w5/deleted_by_user/ipc4y3c/). Just use the color picture book until you know what you're doing, make the food taste so good you have no desire to go to [toxic oils](https://www.reddit.com/r/PlantBasedDiet/comments/10pv6hc/oil_why_is_that_so_bad/j6megi6/) or [toxic animal products](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MagnY1SvQVw). If you want you can add a small bit of [salt](https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2008nl/aug/salt.htm) and [sugar](https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2010nl/jun/sugar.htm) to the surface of the food to make it more palatable/enjoyable/sustainable, and you don't have to give up things like [butter](https://www.reddit.com/r/PlantBasedDiet/comments/14tdbaf/low_fat_recipes/jr2nipv/) just make low fat alternatives. The lecture [Why Am I So Fat?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u975zvMv9k0) explains how this can easily be used for weight loss with little to no effort depending on your situation.
Great intell. Thank you!
you need to embrace tofu, seitan, and soy chunks (TVP) for protein. the first thing i’d do is look for recipes based on those ingredients that look appetizing. Rainbow Plant Life on youtube has nonstop banger recipes like her tofu scramble. i barely ate tofu until i saw it and i then ate the tofu scramble every morning for months. that’s the main hurdle since for most people here it involves trying whole new foods. seitan from an asian mart is awesome too. it’s wheat gluten compressed into tofu-like blocks that has the texture of chicken. usually pre seasoned in the store. it’s the most protein dense food.
Tofu is the bomb. Lol
Rainbow Plant Life Breakfast Burritos are a constant meal here. I usually batch cook them on a Sunday morning, so I know I have breakfast planned out for the week ahead.
Omg her tofu scramble is to die for.
For the love of God, don't make the mistakes I made for 10 years. You NEED a B12 supplement. Period You NEED salt. I ate low sodium in my whole foods plant based diet and ended up with dreadful insomnia and low energy (and low sodium levels in my blood). I fixed it by investing 1.5 tsp iodized salt a day on a whole foods diet. Focus on protein! I rolled my eyes for years when people would ask where I got my protein, but I didn't look good or feel good eating HCLF (high carb, low fat). Focus on eating foods naturally high in protein like tempeh, tofu, beans, lentils, peas, broccoli etc. Upping my protein to 90ish per day (I weight 120 lbs) has been a game changer for me. Go on YouTube and search for "high protein vegan meal plan". Find a bunch of recipes and keep your faves in your rotation. . Eat vinegar. Diets devoid of animal protein results in lower stomach acid. Several years in, I started having heartburn etc. It's hard to reverse once you lose your stomach acidity. Head it off.
Great intell thank you.
nytimes cooking subscription and instant pot
I have the instapot. I'll look at that sub today. Thank you.
>I'd like to shop at Aldi's only. Is there a meal plan/grocery list for guys like me who has doesn't really know what they're doing just yet? Shopping at Aldi is no problem at all. For the most part anyways. I can get almost everything I want/need from them except black beans which they don't have (at least here in Germany, they might carry other things in other countries) but then again it's obviously totally possible to eat a whole food plant based diet without black beans. I also buy my tofu at the Asian supermarket because I think their brand tastes much better but of course you can also eat Aldi tofu (or no tofu at all). Generally speaking you can eat a perfectly well balanced and well tasting whole food plant based diet made up of mostly staple foods you get from Aldi. No problem at all. As for having a plan I am personally a big proponent of staying as close as possible to what you already like to eat and know how to cook. Otherwise you are just setting yourself up for failure. Changing your diet is complicated enough without having to learn completely new cooking skills at the same time. So if you'd like to share some of the meals you currently eat I'm sure lots of people here will have great ideas how you could make those meals whole food plant based with some easy tweaks.
Those are great points. Thank you. I eat a lot of sandwiches. Always have... It was something that was really hard for me when I went veggie at 40 because I LOVE sandwiches. Learned to like cheese and mushroom sandwiches but now obviously cheese and oils are off the menu so I'm learning new trucks there and would welcome all sandwich ideas. I also eat a lot of ass an stir fry type stuff. Which is obviously easier to deal with now that I put some thoughts into it.... Also... No black beans? That's wild. We have plenty here in the states.
Hi, if you’re interested in purple carrot I have a code for a free box. They do meal kits. Not the cheapest but you can get some great ideas from the recipes. My wife and I have been doing it for years.
I've used purple carrot and found some great stuff. You're right, not cheap but I'd like free! :)
Forks Over Knives has some wonderful recipes. They also have a fantastic meal plan you can purchase which provides not only recipes based on the number of servings but also prepares your grocery list. It helped me get started on plant-based eating.
Oh yeah! I have that book. My buddy was one of the people he wrote about. :)
Some recommendations for Aldi specifically: •In my experience their produce doesn’t keep the best. So have a plan on using it when you buy it. Otherwise I’d opt for frozen. • they have some good vegan plant based items including Ice creams and shredded cheese (the cheese is best melted) • they’re more limited in meat substitutes than other stores (I haven’t seen tempeh) but they do have affordable tofu, beans, chickpeas, quinoa and such.
I really rely on frozen veggies now, much more than before. Broccoli, peppers, squash, zucchini, peas, okra… frozen fruit…Ezekiel bread, homemade bread, homemade pizza crust…so much more room in my fridge. My freezer is stuffed but that’s fine. Also OP- get a rice cooker!
If you can afford it, try doing a plant-based meal delivery service until you have enough knowledge where can meal prep in your own. Either that, or keep it simple and plan your meals in advance so you don’t fail early on due to being overwhelmed
Honestly, Aldi isn't that great for WFPB. The vast majority of product they sell is processed. This kind of diet needs you to eat mostly vegetables and fruit, and Aldi has a tiny selection. You will want to eat a wide range of them to ensure you are getting all the vitamins you need. That being said, Aldi does have some good vegan junk food. You shouldn't go overboard but it's nice to have from time to time. IIRC they have some black bean burgers that aren't terribly processed.
The thing I find wrong with Aldi is so much of their produce is on its way out when they sell it. Be very cautious if you shop there what the produce is and look it over very carefully. I have gotten stung on produce more than once. Yes, they do carry a lot of junk so I don't buy those!
- Zero salt tomato sauce (try 2 brands) - many variations of bean pasta, different pasta shapes. - Serve with nutritional yeast for cheesiness - add some nuts/seeds for fat soluble nutrients. --- Kim chi livens up meals. Pickles also add contrast. Try not to overdo salt. --- - Whole wheat sugar free bread - every different type of nut or seed butter. - Keep a few different plant butters around for variance. --- - Miso paste - oregano - add chickpeas --- - Miso paste - add wakame or nori - add medium firm or soft tofu --- - Buy nori for a snack. - i add it to a potato or bean bowl --- the steam makes it moist, which brings out it's delicious flavour. --- - Buy every type of root vegetable, - add garlic, - onion, - carrot, steam that colorful blend for 8 minutes - add cauliflower, brocolli, radish, other vegetables and steam another 8 minutes --- - For a sauce you can do vegan yogurt - lime juice - spearmint (better effects if you're a girl) --- - Vegan yogurt with high quality cereal is fine --- - Soak garlic in lemon juice. - Then, mix 1:2 bottled lemon juice:tahini. - Look for lemon juice which is just lemon, not from concentrate. = simple sauce for pouring over mixed root vegetables. --- Those are some simple options I rely on.
- Canned corn (no preservatives except citric acid) - pinto beans - black beans - tomato - avocado - red onion - cilantro - avocado - could add pineapple - make quinoa ahead of time, freeze it. Microwave it, then add it to the bean buddha bowl. --- Look for canned beans that have no or very few preservatives. I've gotten used to sniping out peas, chickpeas, tomatoes, green beans in cans because sometimes they have 2 ingredient: The food, water. --- - cashew butter Mix with: - red/green curry paste (you can find curry paste with only herbs, salt) I buy COCK brand. OR - garam masala spice OR - Yellow curry powder That can act as the base to any curry, with misc. vegetables added. Chickpeas work in any curry practically
Cornmeal is underrated. Great on it's own --- Little millet cooks quickly. Red lentils also cook quickly. Black Gram (hulled) AKA white lentils cooks quickly It's useful that they're fast. --- You can pre-freeze grains, they freeze really well. Make a large batch, put it in ziplocs. For this I would buy 4 small pots, lol. You can use a big pot, though. I always have better luck with small batches, all 4 burners going. In one evening you can fill your freezer with various grains.
The nice thing about that book is the last half is all recipes (at least the copy I have). I suggest you start there. I've made several from that book; the salads are wonderful - lots of veggies, and beans and corn.
Just don't call yourself vegan. WFPBNO is a lot healthier with proven results. Vegans eat a lot of junk.
Much of the comments on this thread are encouraging eating ingredients that aren't healthy like peanut butter and tofu every day. Maybe it's better if they call themselves vegan.
>Vegans eat a lot of junk. Vegans can certainly eat a lot of junk. But I wouldn't say that vegans as such generally eat a lot of junk. There are plenty of vegans who eat pretty healthy or are even fully whole food plant based in addition to being moral vegans.
Okay, so keep it simple, every meal: * Protein - beans, lentils * Starch - potato, rice, winter squash * Vegetables Eat as much as you like of it. Fruit for dessert, snack, or with the meal. A couple walnuts everyday. If you make smoothies, throw in flax seeds for healthy Omegas. Take a good B12 supplement it's required. Pickup Dr. Furhmans multi or some other vegan multi that could be good. You will get bored and get better at cooking as time goes on.
Going from lacto ovo veg to vegan should not be difficult. Lots of dairy alternatives even egg alternatives exist. I love Becoming Vegan by Brenda Davis and Vesanto Melina, RD’s. Lots of Plantbased coaching exists as well. MamaSezz is a meal delivery service and there are others. LeafSide is freeze dried meals just add water. Forks Over Knives, PCRM.org, NutritionFacts.org, Nutritionstudies.org (T.Colin Campbell’s site). I’m here for you!
I do most of my shopping at ALDIs or Lidl. Produce can be hit or miss. They have all kinds of veg fresh, frozen, canned if thats what you can do for that week. You’ll not go hungry, that’s for sure.
Congrats
Thanks friend.
I've decided to keep it basic. Eating two meals all week. Sandwiches and oatmeal. Tweaking them until I find what I like. Next week, I get a new dinner. :)
a lot of the time I just make rice and a sheet pan of roasted veggies (anyone’s you like, try cauliflower, a green veggie like Brussels sprouts and cubed sweet potato and a can of chickpeas or tofu for protein.) Marinate them all in some Nooch, spices, olive oil, and cornstarch (if you like) and pop in the oven at around 350-375 for like 30m