Plant-Based Diet

Is anyone on a plant-based diet?  I'm not a vegan, and I do love meat, cheese, eggs and milk, but I thought I would try eating veggies, fruits, and grains for a while.  Being winter, hot food for dinner is a must.

I made some veggie minestrone which is good but lacks calories.  Well, I made some veggie stock and hated the idea of tossing the over-cooked veggies.  I was looking at my sweet potatoes and thought of a sweet potato / ginger / and the over-cooked veggies (sans the celery which imparts its own unique flavor).  I steamed one of my large SP and pureed everything together.  Pretty good.

I will be Searching our recipes to see if I can come up with other menus to try or modify.

sanderson, I am going to head towards beans and rice recipes and beans as in hummus recipes this year. I am looking forward to next July and roasted peppers and garlic hummus on toasted pita bread. It has been too long. I have taken the last few years off to learn and share what I have learned rather than seriously growing anything but I miss the freshness of the foods, we can instantly harvest from our gardens. The freshness makes me 10 times the chef I really am. I hopefully will also get to see the scape hawks that begin circling the garden and asking how things are growing at the end of May, beginning of June.

Sanderson, this is great!  For health reasons, my husband and I have committed to moving towards a whole-foods, planted-based (WFPB) lifestyle.  I've been dancing around the edges of it for years.  After doing some research on his own, DH has decided it's the way to go. He's fully on board and we're heading in the WFPB direction, transitioning into 'vegan,' first. (The difference between 'vegan' and WFPB, is that WFPB eliminates all processed oil and added sweeteners, focusing on eating fruits, veggies, and grains in their whole, unrefined forms.)

Some of the resources I use:

Forks Over Knives is an excellent source for planted-based recipes.  https://www.forksoverknives.com/

Dr. Joel Fuhrman recommends a 'nutritarian', greens and beans diet, sharing recipes at: https://www.drfuhrman.com/recipes

Ocean Robbins was heir to the famed Baskin Robbins ice cream empire, but followed his father (Dr. John Robbins) into plant-based, healthy living. Recipes and more info can be found at the Food Revolution Network website: https://foodrevolution.org/blog/plant-based-recipes-from-around-the-world/

And, lastly (for the sake of this post), Dr. Neal Barnard is a wealth of information on diet and nutrition. He also follows a WFPB lifestlye. He has authored a cookbook, but rather than having a specific website (that I could find), most of his presentations are educational, posted on social media. I highly recommend watching some of the videos he's posted on YouTube.

After my Prostate Cancer diagnosis at the end of August 2019, I switched to a Whole Food Plant Base diet. I have eliminated all meats, dairy, eggs, and as much processed food as possible from my diet.

Dr. Michael Greger has a website https://nutritionfacts.org/ and has published books such as "How Not to Die" and "How Not to Diet".  All proceeds from his books go to charity.  He does not do research of his own but he has a team of researchers who bring together the good information from published, peer-reviewed, scientific research (research sponsored by food industries such as dairy are discounted).

Plant Pure Nation is good ... https://www.plantpurenation.com/pages/watch-the-film

Also Dr. Esselstyn ...  http://www.dresselstyn.com/site/sample-recipes-from-prevent-reverse/

On a plant based diet I sailed through my PCa radiation treatments and have maintained good energy levels.  I also exercise every day as part of my lifestyle changes to help beat the two cancers that I have (Prostate and kidney).

I am glad your are optimistic and do not give up. 

Cooked our very first Instant Pot meal today ... Plant Based Paella (no oil). It was very good.

Kelejan wrote:I am glad your are optimistic and do not give up. 

Thanks KJ.  Have to admit that I am not always optimistic. It plays on my mind. Keeping busy helps.

Dan, GingerBlue and TD, thanks for suggestions.

I have everything for the paella except saffron, so I will cook that next. I will use coconut oil, a medium-chain triglyceride.

sanderson wrote:Dan, GingerBlue and TD, thanks for suggestions.

I have everything for the paella except saffron, so I will cook that next.  I will use coconut oil, a medium-chain triglyceride.

Coconut oil is full of saturated fats.

"Coconut oil is about 90% saturated fat, which is a higher percentage than butter (about 64% saturated fat), beef fat (40%), or even lard (also 40%). Too much saturated fat in the diet is unhealthy because it raises "bad" LDL cholesterol levels, which increases the risk of heart disease."

Thanks.  Mine isn't as pretty as your paella but the peas were from the garden. I only had an orange bell and I added slices black olives and curry powder instead of saffron. I wish I had put some capers like some recipes listed.

free recipes, children tested all in color

Congratulations to All who are eating a more Plant Based Diet than before. 

In 2017, I began having problems with Dairy. Swollen lips from an Organic Greek yogurt that a ND suggested had to do with the Casein protein in milk. Then problems swallowing after consuming any dairy which an allergy test failed to give a clear result. Doctor said I wasn't allergic? But another Doctor said the test wasn't administered correctly?? 

I decided the best route was to just give up Dairy altogether. I began drinking Almond milk, but husband dislikes it and I find it bitter. So I changed to Cashew milk which we find closest to Cow's milk in taste so an easier transition. I've also used soy and oat milks. 

Biggest hurdle was plant based cheese. We have become accustomed to meals covered in ooey, gooey melted cheese. I found that much plant based cheez to be overpowering. So I tried pizza in a very good organic restaurant and discovered the secret. Moderation! And experimentation with a few different brands until I found one or two that I really enjoyed. There is a brand from Denmark that I can actually sit down and eat as if I were eating cow's milk mozzarella! Didn't think that were possible. And substitutions of ice cream are ridiculously expensive and not enough variety in flavours. So I collected recipes from plant based cookbooks and have a couple of frozen desserts that I now make on a regular basis. 

Finally, in November 2019 I had Dental surgery for Dentures. I have temporary dentures while everything heals and am  still experiencing difficulty eating meat with the exception of Instant Pot prepared beef stew and Chicken Breasts.  So many of my meals contain falafel, hummus, BBQ Instant Pot beans and Mary McCartney's Bean Burgers that she says are her Dad Paul's favourite to BBQ. They are amazing!  With a few exceptions, I am not missing meat at all!

Try some gaham masala spice with basmati rice and olive oil. Also look up veggie version of the Italian grandmas bean soup. Fozoli? Tofu chocolate cream pie is great if you want sweet but also protein. Use shelf stable firm tofu, 1can coconut milk, and honey to sweeten, 1 bag dairy free chocolate chips melted. Very creamy and grandson loves it even frozen for his ice cream

Sounds pretty yummy, June. Thanks!

June, 
That does sound good! Thanks for the suggestion. 

TD, 

There's a new book by Dr Steven R Gundry entitled the Plant Paradox Family Cookbook. Over 80 one pot recipes for Instant Pot, Slowcooker and sheet pan. 

I have it on order through our library system. I'm next on the waiting list and actually, it's on it's way to me now. Looking forward to reading it. I just thought I'd mention it since you are new to the Instant Pot and a recent convert to Plant Based foods.

sanderson wrote:Is anyone on a plant-based diet?  

I am. I am also a plant-based chef and recipe developer! I've been plant-based for 2.5 years and am truly loving the variety of foods I've been eating. I am also whole foods (whole grain, etc) and mostly oil-free.

Your soup looks great!

The 2020 Mastering Diabetes Summit is in progress. Three days of video interviews are posted and the summit runs until the 23rd.  Excellent information about the benefits of a whole foods, planted based lifestyle for anyone with diabetes, cancer, or other chronic diseases.

https://www.masteringdiabetes.org/summit/

LilBittyBean wrote:

sanderson wrote:Is anyone on a plant-based diet?  

I am. I am also a plant-based chef and recipe developer! I've been plant-based for 2.5 years and am truly loving the variety of foods I've been eating. I am also whole foods (whole grain, etc) and mostly oil-free.

Your soup looks great!

I need some good recipes. I can't keep eating the same 3 soups and TD's paella. If you have a couple of hot meal recipes, I would love it. No beets or Swedes. I did make Manhattan clam chowder. The 2 cans of minced clam meat weighed about 3 oz. so I don't consider it much of a animal protein as much as a flavor. About 6 servings. LBB, If you have one or two recipes to share, I would love and appreciate it.

sanderson wrote:

LilBittyBean wrote:

sanderson wrote:Is anyone on a plant-based diet?  

I am. I am also a plant-based chef and recipe developer! I've been plant-based for 2.5 years and am truly loving the variety of foods I've been eating. I am also whole foods (whole grain, etc) and mostly oil-free.

Your soup looks great!

I need some good recipes.  I can't keep eating the same 3 soups and TD's paella.  If you have a couple of hot meal recipes, I would love it.  No beets or Swedes.  I did make Manhattan clam chowder.  The 2 cans of minced clam meat weighed about 3 oz. so I don't consider it much of a animal protein as much as a flavor.  About 6 servings.  LBB,  If you have one or two recipes to share, I would love and appreciate it.

A couple of our favourites are portabello mushroom pot roast (no meat) and portabello mushroom hamburgers. There should be recipes online.

Sorry to say that your clams are not plant based .

We are Whole Food Plant Based ... no animals (meat, poultry, fish), no dairy products, no eggs and no or very limited processed oils (that includes olive oil). I do cheat once in a while and have a small portion of fresh wild salmon.

A whole food plant based diet works well for me. My triglycerides and cholesterol are all in the good range as is my blood pressure (no meds). Even though I am dealing with two cancers my energy levels are good. Yesterday I walked 6 kilometres (almost 4 miles) in less than 50 minutes.

trolleydriver wrote:A whole food plant based diet works well for me. My triglycerides and cholesterol are all in the good range as is my blood pressure (no meds). Even though I am dealing with two cancers my energy levels are good. Yesterday I walked 6 kilometres (almost 4 miles) in less than 50 minutes.

TD, I've been following your story since I signed up here on the forum. You continue to inspire me (and countless others, I'm sure). So glad to hear that your energy level is good. I'm in your corner and pulling for you every day!

In 2012 or so, my hubby and I watched the Forks Over Knives movie along with a few other health-related documentaries. We did some reading up on studies about heart health and cancer prevention via diet. Back then, we began doing meatless Mondays and "simple before 6", which was basically plant-based and meatless for breakfast and lunch. 

In 2017, we had two heart health scares in my husband's family. Subsequently, hubby had some labs done and had some high readings on Lipoprotein (a) aka "Lipo a" and coronary calcium, as did some members of his family. My hubby is amazingly fit and the picture of health, but to hear about all the crazy readings in his labs coupled with the events in his family, he felt a change was needed. He then decided to commit to following the Whole Food Plant-Based No Oil (WFPBNO) lifestyle. I jumped on board because a) I do all the cooking for hubby and b) my father passed away from colon cancer. While I don't know what caused his cancer, I feel that going the WFPBNO route is a tool in my personal arsenal against cancer. I only wish I'd understood the wholistic link between diet and health back then. It might have helped my father in his battle. Hindsight is 20/20, though...

sanderson, I have some recipes on my blog, which is linked in my profile here. I also have some recipe ideas and tips/tricks on my Instagram. (I did not see a way to add an Instagram link in my profile here. Let me know if you want it.) A lot of what's there on IG are pics of daily food I'm eating plus pics of recipes I am developing to sell off to other entities. (Kind of like ghostwriting.)

I'm going to look through my files and post a few recipes here that I've not put up on my blog yet. Will take a few mins to get all typed up.

Thank you! I will look at your website. Made me hungry just looking at the photos:D .

LilBittyBean wrote:TD, I've been following your story since I signed up here on the forum. You continue to inspire me (and countless others, I'm sure). So glad to hear that your energy level is good. I'm in your corner and pulling for you every day!
 

Thanks. I didn't exercise this morning so thid afternoon I am very fatigued from the hormone therapy.  Glad to hear you are WFPBNO.