1. As a kid, the closest I came to a vegetable were french fries. Later, as a wannabe bodybuilder in my twenties, I ate more meat in a typical day than Kobayashi. I made butchers wealthy, and buffet owners closed down the prime rib station when I came around. 

2. Vegans, like Crossfitters, get a bad rap for trying to convert everyone to their lifestyle. I’d never judge someone for eating meat, I salivate over steak just like most people.

Despite all that, I cut almost all meat out of my diet in 2019. A year and a half into this journey, I wanted to share why I did it, my experiences, and what surprised me. And if you’re going to give a plant-based diet a try, I’ve included some practical tips and plans to succeed.

Why I Went Full Kale (Sort of)

In 2019, I had to slow down from the hectic, deadline-driven corporate world. My solution: a month of farm living in rural Vietnam and Myanmar.

There I witnessed things you just don’t see in the city, like chickens and cows being butched for supper. I’m not naive about how meat gets to our plates, but it was visceral to see it up close every day.

I hadn’t realized the sacrifice that’s made to satisfy my palate. So I asked myself: can I get by without meat? Do I need it to survive? It became a challenge  –  a test of discipline, which inspired me to give it a shot.

What It Was Like

Shortly before New Year’s, I ate my last chicken breast. I started planning my restrictive diet. My first question was: how can I possibly get enough protein without meat? My solution was to take supplements and eat some responsibility-sourced animal byproducts. On occasion, I eat a small amount of wild-caught seafood, known as a pescatarian diet. 

[Quick aside: Some vegans will condemn me for eating animal-based foods at all. Some pose moral ultimatums and demand extreme change. And this is what causes most people to give up on a plant based diet or never try one. If everyone just ate slightly less meat, it would relieve so many of the environmental and social ills that animal agriculture causes.]

Okay, so the change wasn’t as difficult as I expected. It’s not like, say, quitting smoking. The cravings weren’t super intense. I’ve done low carb and low-fat diets that I found much harder to transition to. The hardest aspect was social events; parties, barbeques, picnics, etc. Dining out can be tough, especially when the sole veggie option is a sad salad.  Big surprise: social distancing from steak is more challenging when you’re at a steakhouse. But alas, I found solutions (more on that in a moment).

What Happened to My Body

Not a lot!  My energy levels and digestion seemed to improve a bit.  I did not shrink into a raisin, as some prophesized. My strength went down somewhat, but I chalk that up to a lack of gym equipment due to the quarantine. I run, bike, and swim, and my cardio output didn’t change much. So, claims that cutting meat improves your athleticism seems to be overblown. 

Does it make you healthier? It depends. French fries and ice cream are vegetarian, but eating those all day won’t help your physique (trust me, I tried). But substituting meat with healthy vegetables, grains, and legumes likely will. From WebMD:

 According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, an evidence-based review showed that a vegetarian diet is associated with a lower risk of death from ischemic heart disease. Vegetarians appear to have lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure, and lower rates of hypertension and type 2 diabetes than meat-eaters. Vegetarians also tend to have a lower body mass index, lower overall cancer rates, and lower risk of chronic disease. 

The Protein Predicament

You don’t need to revamp your whole diet to go vegetarian. If you’re like me, your biggest concern is getting enough protein. When I lifted weights every day, I aimed for one gram per pound of bodyweight. That’s quite difficult without chicken, pork, and beef, and demanded some thoughtful dieting. Let’s go over some great substitutes and a sample meal plan.

Tofu comes from soybeans and can replace almost any meat. I recommend buying the extra-firm kind, some of which are high in protein. Squeeze out the water, then add them to a stir fry or barbeque. Tempeh is firmer, granier, and nuttier than tofu. It’s easier than tofu because you don’t have to press it. It’s a good substitute for fish. Seitan is made of hydrated gluten (avoid if you have an allergy). It has a dense, chewy texture, tastes like chicken, and can be cooked in many ways.  

Several fruits and vegetables substitute well for meat.  Jackfruit has a mild taste, a chewy texture, and takes on most flavors and spices. It’s a great stand-in for pulled pork or shredded beef. White sweet potatoes are great in wraps, and cauliflower can be a good substitute for fried finger foods like wings. 

Grains and Legumes are also excellent sources of protein—mix quinoa into meatless burger patties. Lentils are great in soups, curries, or salads. Portobello mushrooms are a filling burger substitute. 

Some popular commercial meat substitutes are worth mentioning. Beyond and Impossible Foods are plant-based alternatives to ground beef. They taste eerily like and are high in protein with less fat. They also have sausage links and patties. Gardein is a mainstream brand of plant-based foods. They produce everything from chicken tenders, wings, beef tips, meatballs, and more. 

Lastly, I use supplements to round out my diet. Protein Shakes are a great way to get an extra 20-30 grams of protein each day. They’re also convenient and inexpensive. I take a Men’s multivitamin to fill in any nutritional gaps and Omega-3 capsules to get more healthy fats. 

Quick, Hearty High Protein Meal Plans

There are many great vegetarian recipe books and blogs out there for free, so I won’t try to outdo them here. Instead, I’ll share my sample meal plan and link recipes – just enough to get you started:

Breakfast

• Option 1: Greek Yogurt with Granola and Berries
• Option 2: Whole Wheat Muffin Egg & Cheese Sandwiches
• Option 3: WW Breakfast Burritos
• Option 4: WW Bagel (add Lox if Pescatarian)

Lunch

• Option 1: Egg Salad Sandwich (Tuna Salad if Pescatarian)
• Option 2: Black-Bean Burgers
• Option 3: Quinoa Salad
• Option 4:  Falafel Wraps 

Dinner

• Option 1:  WW or High-protein Spaghetti with Impossible Ground
• Option 2: Tofu Stir Fry with Brown Rice (use a store-bought sauce to save time)
• Option 3: Wild Caught Shrimp or Fish Tacos (if Pescatarian) 
• Option 4:  Jackfruit Sliders 

 
Final Tips

A veggie-first diet can save you money, improve your health, and help the planet. Although it’s easier than ever to switch, it requires lifestyle adjustments. You might need to contact the host of a party to see if there are meatless options. If not, you’ll have to bring your own, or change plans. If you’re traveling, research restaurants that will cater to your dietary preference. Bring protein bars and shakes with you on long trips, where whole foods aren’t available.

Expect that some people won’t get your desire to sacrifice a staple of modern life. Be patient with those that don’t understand your diet or think you’re stubborn. Have your reasons, but don’t thrust them on others. Focus on long term sustainability. If you’re craving steak, have it. Every diet has some concept of a cheat meal. Don’t deprive yourself to the point that discipline feels like a prison. Soon enough, you’ll forget ever missing it.

Photo Credits

Photos are Royalty Free from Pexels

Guest Author Bio
Chris Tubbs

Chris is an accomplished sales and business development leader with experience at companies like Microsoft, Salesforce, and Dropbox. He went from being kicked out of high school twice to earning an MBA at UC Berkeley, and from being a pack-a-day smoker and aquaphobe to marathoner and triathlete. He writes about self improvement for knowyourbest.com.

The two of us met at a local food summit, which brought together chefs, growers, educators, extension agents, policy wonks, journalists — different fields but all of us advocates looking to make local food accessible to everyone. Muriel taught me it starts by growing some of what you eat. “Everything you plant should be edible.”

Easy for her, with her field boasting cowpeas in excellent, established rows. I love legumes, but until then, knew them only from the cooking and eating end. That was all good. Since meeting Muriel of Miami’s Little River Cooperative, I grow my own beans, and that’s better. I began as an uneasy, unpracticed gardener. Undaunted, I prepared my garden, planted my cowpeas and crossed my fingers. A mere three days later, the first tender shoots appeared — your standard-issue everyday miracle, which nonetheless made me swoony with pleasure. Hey, I’m not the first.

“What shall I learn of beans or beans of me? I cherish them, I hoe them,” wrote Henry David Thoreau in Walden.

Thoreau estimated he had seven miles of bean rows. I’m an urban girl with an urban garden, and if I have seven meters of bean rows, I’m lucky. But I cherish my beans no less for having fewer of them, and I have an advantage Thoreau did not. Seven miles of beans is a lot of beans, and whole sections would produce while he was busy working elsewhere. Field to table takes on a whole new meaning when the field is right outside the kitchen door. I can tend my beans and take in their every beany nuance in a few strides. Thoreau would appreciate that. He might even be jealous.

Last year’s cranberry beans

Thoreau tended to be fonder of plants than of people. “I find it wholesome to be alone the greater part of the time,” he wrote. “To be in company, even with the best, is so wearisome and dissipating. I love to be alone. I never found the companion that was so companionable as solitude.” All right, Henry, we get it. But I think you missed out on the magic. It’s right in the beans.

Not only does planting beans replenish the soil, just a few will offer over a pound of beans, even in a small garden like mine. That’s a generous yield. And beans make you generous — I believe that. Home cooks from Morocco to Mumbai have shown me a million ways to love lentils. In New Orleans, I made a new friend over crowders and okra. My Middle Eastern grocer fed me the mashed favas from his homeland and turned me on to za’atar, the secret spice blend of sumac and sesame that gives them their haunting flavor. I’ve swapped heirloom beans and seedlings with other growers, swapped recipes with chefs and home cooks and shelled beans on the porch with master gardeners, farmers, food justice advocates, herbalists and physicians. I’m compelled to feed the people I love dishes like luscious black-eyed peas with fennel, white beans with lemon and sage, black beans with cumin and orange, that soulful Southern New Year’s Day tradition, hopping john — black-eyed peas and rice, and summer-perfect Caribbean pigeon peas and rice.

Caribbean pigeon peas and rice

Since Muriel gave me my first handful of beans, she’s become a mother and her farm is part of a local community sponsored agriculture program. My own world has grown, along with my beans.

There’s serenity in solitude, as Thoreau said, but the real joy — and magic — of beans comes from sharing them, growing them, and feeding them to each other.

For more cover crop wisdom from Muriel Olivares, read Cover Cropping.

Photo Credits

Black Eyed Peas – Wikimedia Creative Commons

All other images by Ellen Kanner – All Rights Reserved

Guest Author Bio
Ellen Kanner

Ellen Kanner is the award-winning author of Feeding the Hungry Ghost: Life, Faith and What to Eat for Dinner ( VegNews’ Book of the Year, PETA’s debut Book of the Month Club pick), Huffington Post’s Meatless Monday blogger, Miami Herald syndicated columnist the Edgy Veggie and soulful vegan writer and recipe developer for numerous publications.

With her personal food consulting service Veg Therapy, she guides people to make more conscious food choices. As Miami EatWith host, she gathers others at her table and serves up plant-based feasts.

Ellen believes that food is the great connector, because however different we are, we all need to eat. An ardent advocate for sustainable, accessible food, she serves on multiple Miami boards. She’s a fourth-generation Floridian living la vida vegan in Miami with her husband.

Be sure to check out Ellen’s book Feeding the Hungry Ghost

Visit her website: Ellen Kanner

Connect with Ellen: Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Youtube

Pink lemonade? Forget about flavor crystals with artificial color and evil aspartame. This simple homemade version is so light and clean, so good and so good for you, you’ll want to have a pitcher in the fridge for the rest of the summer. Cleansing, alkaline, detoxifying and delish, you can whip it up in minutes and serve it at any civilized summer afternoon garden gathering. The kids’ll love it too – especially if you let them squeeze the lemons.

Homemade Pink Lemonade
makes a pitcher of 8 small glasses

• 1 dozen large, ripe organic strawberries
• 4-5 small juicy lemons
• 8 cups spring water
• 5 quick squirts agave nectar
• mint sprigs for garnish

Blend strawberries with a little water. Squeeze in lemon juice, straining out the seeds. Stir in agave nectar and top pitcher with water. Mix well, taste, and adjust sweet-sour flavors to your liking. Serve in wine glasses with a strawberry and mint garnish.

 Photo Credits

Photos By Moira Nordholt – All Rights Reserved

First Published At Feel Good Guru

One bite in, and everyone was going back for more, with accompanying mmm’s and oooh-what-is-this’s. I take delicious pleasure in watching non-cleansing, non-vegan, non-healthy-eating peeps enjoy really really healthy food. This recipe is easy-shmeasy, uses simple ingredients, and has been tested on a tough crowd for taste-worthiness. Enjoy! Oh, and if you have a sexier name for it, please shout it out – open to suggestions!

Raw Carrot Walnut Pate

• 4 large garden carrots, grated (approx 4 cups, packed)
• 4 handfuls organic walnuts (approx 2 cups)
• 1 small red pepper, diced
• 2 Tbsp miso (mild)
• 3 Tbsp nutritional yeast
• 2 tsp sea salt (or to taste)
• fresh ground pepper to taste
• 2 sprigs fresh garden rosemary (or any other fresh-picked herbs)

Blend everything in a cuisinart until smooth. Form into a block on a plate and refrigerate for an hour before serving to firm it up a bit. You’ll have extra, so just scoop into a bowl and reserve for another day. This goes great with endives as an elegant appetizer, makes a wonderful veggie dip, and spreads beautifully on crackers or bread.

 Photo Credits

Photos By Moira Nordholt – All Rights Reserved

First Published At Feel Good Guru

Ancient Aztec Indians believed that eating the fruit from the cacao tree brought wisdom and power. The legend, still alive today, if you ask any chocolate lover, was that cacao seeds had been brought from Paradise.

Revered the world over for its sweet taste and creamy texture, chocolate is also considered by many to be an aphrodisiac – and a perfect dessert or gift for loved ones on Valentine’s Day or a birthday or as a delicious accompaniment to any special occasion feast.

With over a hundred medicinal uses for cocoa and chocolate, and the mysteries and legends that surround it, it’s no wonder we go crazy for cocoa in the dead of winter when we most need a jolt of antioxidants and some feel-good brain chemicals to get us through to spring!

These dairy-free chocolate truffles will cure what ails you – and bring you and your guests rapturous delight!

Truffles for Angels

• 1 ½ cups raw cashews
• 3 dozen organic dates
• ½ an organic lemon
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• Half a pound of high quality organic fair trade dark chocolate. (Or 1 package of dark chocolate vegan baking chips.)

Place dates in a small saucepan and add enough spring water to cover bottom of pan. Bring to a boil and simmer while stirring until dates soften and a thick “date jam” is formed.

Turn off heat and allow to cool.

In a powerful blender or cuisinart, blend cashews, juice of lemon, dates and vanilla extract until smooth and creamy.

Place in a bowl in the freezer and allow to harden for an hour or overnight.

In a double boiler, melt the dark chocolate to liquid. Keep the heat on minimum once it’s melted, and work quickly.

Using a melon-baller or a small round spoon, scoop out the cashew-date mixture and drop into a larger round spoon. Ladle melted chocolate over the ball, covering it entirely. Set truffle on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and dusted with organic cocoa powder. (For Valentine’s Day, use a heart-shaped candy mould.)

When you’re finished, there should be about 3 dozen Truffles for Angels. Put the cookie sheet in the fridge to allow the chocolate to set. Once they’ve set, you can take them out and store them in a cool place.

Arrange beautifully on a plate and sprinkle with organic cocoa powder.

Photo Credits

Photo By Moira Nordholt – All Rights Reserved

First Published At Feel Good Guru

The variety out in force at the moment happens to be the Reed. These babies are large and full, much more-so than the Haas. They’re rich and smooth, with a decadent creamy taste, and absolutely perfect for guacamole. As cosmic intelligence would have it, August Pride Peaches also happen to be dropping from local trees. I believe that nature intended these two magical fruits to be together…

The synergy between the sweet, slightly tart peaches and the butter-cream smoothness of the avocados is a revelation. My honored guests, mouths full of this creamy peachy sweet and buttery guac, left the planet one by one for a transcendental several seconds, only returning to exclaim, “Oh my God! This is the best guacamole I’ve ever tasted!” then off they’d go again with another bite. Yes. It’s all about the ingredients – fresh, local, in season, ripe. Mother Nature rocks, doesn’t she?

Peachy Guacamole

• 2 large ripe organic Reed avocados
• 1 small organic August Pride peach, diced finely
• 2 Tbsp red onion, diced in fine dice
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 large pinches coarse grain Balinese sea salt

Mash the avocados with a fork, keeping it nice and chunky, mixing in garlic and sea salt. Top with peaches and red onions. Garnish with an edible flower or a mint or basil sprig and serve with a really good quality organic corn chip or flat bread. Expect oohs and aahs. Make more.

Photo Credits

Photo By Moira Nordholt – All Rights Reserved

First Published At Feel Good Guru

Here’s how for about 3 dozen small choc chip oat cookies:

• 2 cups organic whole wheat flour
• 2 cups organic rolled oats
• 1 package of organic semi-sweet vegan chocolate chips (available at health food stores)
• 2 teaspoons aluminum-free baking powder
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• half a cup pure maple syrup
• half a cup organic sunflower oil
• 1 cup organic cocoa or vanilla soy (or rice or almond) milk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients. In a large glass measuring cup, mix wet ingredients.

Add wet to dry and stir until flour is absorbed.

Drop with a spoon onto lightly oiled cookie sheets and bake at 350 for about 20-25 minutes. Take out of the oven and cool on a rack.

Photo Credits

Photo By Moira Nordholt – All Rights Reserved

First Published At Feel Good Guru

Cantaloupe is at its ripest and juiciest right now, and offers us a powerhouse of immune system-boosting nutrients with few calories. Avocados are at their summer best, as well, and deliver high quality essential fatty acids, great for the skin and hair. Coconut water, among its many miraculous health benefits, balances the body’s water content and helps lubricate the digestive system. Peaches give the drink a boost of sweet vitamin C, and bananas add a calming creaminess. Whip it up in seconds and do yourself a world of good.

Mellow Melon Smoothie For 3:

• 1/2 small organic cantaloupe
• 1 banana
• 1 ripe avocado
• 1 small organic peach
• 1/2 liter coconut water

Blend until smooth and creamy. Sip, and share the bliss.

Photo Credits

Photo By Moira Nordholt – All Rights Reserved

First Published At Feel Good Guru

It’s rich and creamy and sweet and dense with sweet potatoes and coconut milk with a balance of brightness from ginger and lime. The color is soothing and it’s absolutely delish. I swear it’s the ultimate cure for the common cold…and the blues…and lovesickness…and just about any virus, bacteria or bug life wants to throw at you.

It’s so easy you’ll wonder why you ever bought soup in a tetrapac. Never again! You’ll shout upon feeling the first spoonful of this velvety vegan soup on your lips.

Here’s the how-to:

Sweet Potato Coconut Ginger Soup

• 2 organic sweet potatoes
• 1 organic carrot
• 2 celery stalks
• 3 large cloves garlic
• 1 onion
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1 lime
• 2-inch piece of fresh gingerroot
• pinch sea salt
• pepper
• coriander
• 1 tbsp olive oil

In a soup pot on medium heat, sautee minced garlic and diced onion in a little olive oil. Stir until they sweat (about 5 minutes).

Add diced carrot and celery and stir.

Add diced sweet potatoes and stir.

Mince the ginger and add to pot. Stir.

Cover everything with spring water and bring to a boil. Turn heat down again and simmer until potatoes are cooked (about 25 minutes).

Take off the heat and blend with a little sea salt, the juice of 1 lime and a can of coconut milk.

Grind a little fresh pepper in your bowl and serve garnished with coriander.

As always, this soup will be even better tomorrow. Leave it out on the stove overnight (off, of course) and dig back in for lunch. Seriously swoon-inducing sweetness.

Photo Credits

Photo By Moira Nordholt – All Rights Reserved

First Published At Feel Good Guru

Put on a pot of organic short grain brown rice, whip up your pesto and devour this delicious clean green dish with crunchy red peppers, fine kale ribbons and fresh picked zucchini.

Arugula Pesto Risotto

• 5 cups packed fresh organic baby arugula
• 1 cup olive oil
• 1 cup organic sunflower seeds
• 1 large tbsp miso (cold mountain mellow white)
• 2 large cloves garlic

Blend all ingredients in cuisinart.

Stir in to warm brown rice with kale ribbons, diced red pepper and diced zucchini.

Photo Credits

Photo By Moira Nordholt – All Rights Reserved

First Published At Feel Good Guru