Let’s begin with a story.
Years ago, I was in a tennis group and one of the men had just returned from Hawaii where he almost drowned in an undertow. While he was churning in the water, he thought to himself: If I’m going to die this way at a relatively young age, why did I eat so healthfully all these years?
Apologies for the scary visual, but it got me thinking.
It struck me that we want to eat healthfully to gain and maintain optimal health and increase our chances of extending and enjoying our lives. But for me, and many people, food is also fun and a way to be creative and social.
Thus, my motto is everything in moderation.
As we have previously discussed, for me eating plant-based means ONLY plants. Zero animal products. That is non-negotiable. So, everything in moderation applies to vegan vs. whole food plant-based.
When I first began eating plant-based it was simply a vegan diet: Anything that wasn’t animal-based was an option.
Sure, I ate oatmeal for breakfast and salads for lunch a few days a week. But before I learned how to cook plant-based, there was a lot of ordering from restaurants, or eating pre-packaged vegan food.
EATING VEGAN WAS AN EXCELLENT FIRST STEP TOWARD EATING PLANT-BASED.
No animals were harmed on my behalf and the foods I ate did not contribute to climate issues like factory farming does.
In the beginning, I did miss some of my usual foods, and sought to replicate them via the veganized version.
Examples are: tofu-based egg salad sandwich with vegan mayo; teriyaki tofu from Sam Turnbull at It Doesn’t Taste Like Chicken; plant-based cheese. All of these foods are SO delicious and I still make all of them. And for the record, I don’t miss dairy cheese, chicken or eggs with that vegan yumminess in my life.
But none of these recipes are super healthy- they all contain oils or sugars.
For the longest time, this was totally fine with me (and I didn’t know the difference anyway).
Then I attended the online Plant-Based Nutrition program at Cornell. The education gave me a much better understanding of the difference between vegan food and eating whole food plant-based.
And, once you know something, you cannot unknow it. As a result, I have chosen to move toward a cleaner whole food plant-based lifestyle.
I do my best to eat cleaner, but I still eat meals in restaurants, and we get take-out too.
For some of you reading this, the idea of eating exclusively plant-based is already challenging and whole food plant-based is out of the question. Others may be horrified at the idea of not eating whole food plant-based because for you, food is solely a source of nutrition. Or maybe you share my motto: everything in moderation.
And for the record, this is not to say that eating whole food plant-based isn’t yummy. I have learned to make some amazingly healthy meals that are also delicious. There are incredibly creative chefs using spices and food combinations that are unbelievable. It’s just a balance.
We all have our reasons for being where we are on our plant-based or vegan journeys. At some point most of us were Pregan (pre-vegan). Maybe this can also be an opportunity to practice non-judgment of other’s choices.
That’s why I love Veganuary. It’s an opportunity to try something new, or double down on your resolve to eat only plants, or to up your game and eat closer to whole food plant-based. Check out the books and films we have been sharing each week in our group and newsletter. They can be enlightening.
As always, we are here to support you wherever you are on your plant-based journey!