Plant-Based Diet Articles

Cheat Sheet / Updated 02-25-2022

What's great about a plant-based diet is that it's not just a diet — it's a lifestyle. As such, it encompasses many different aspects of your life, and it can be hard to remember everything you want to remember. This Cheat Sheet is here to help you implement your plant-based diet and to be your pocket-sized cheerleader. This lifestyle can help you be healthy — not just for the next month, but for the rest of your life. It's that simple.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 12-21-2021

A plant-based diet is not only good for your health, the animals, and the environment, but also is versatile and delicious! If you’re new to this way of eating, it can be hard to remember everything you want to remember. This Cheat Sheet helps you implement your plant-based diet and acts as your pocket-size cheerleader. This lifestyle can help you be healthy — not just for the next month, but for the rest of your life. It’s that simple.

Step by Step / Updated 04-10-2017

The plant world contains a natural army of foods that are ready to fight — infections, that is! Getting a steady supply of the following foods helps you build up immunity so that, when that cold comes for you, you may be able to block it entirely — or, at the very least, not let it affect you as much. In addition to eating these ten foods regularly, you can use them to make home remedies at the first sign of a cold or flu! Check here to find out which cooking utensils you'll need for preparing these infection-fighting foods. Medicinal herbs are another great way to naturally boost your immunity.

Step by Step / Updated 03-27-2016

Don’t be fooled — some non-plant-based foods present themselves as plant-based. Look closely at labels on these innocent-looking foods, and you may find ingredients you don’t want in your body. Some of the foods you think are safe actually aren’t.

Step by Step / Updated 03-27-2016

Did you know that any good commercial beauty product likely contains extracts of plant-based whole foods? If you look at the ingredients closely, you’ll see them — maybe hidden between all the other (toxic) chemicals that are put into most skin products. Why not go right to the source and put these foods directly on your skin, without the fillers and additives?

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

Making sure you have the right ingredients in your kitchen when starting (and maintaining) a plant-based lifestyle is essential to making delicious food at home and sticking to your plant-based goals. Always keep these must-haves stocked: Vegetables: Choose a wide variety of colorful veggies on a regular basis, along with leafy greens like kale and collards. Basically, don't stick to just one color all the time! Fresh fruit: The same color rule applies here; however, also choose fresh fruits that are in season (hint: berries aren't fresh in the winter!). Whole grains: Become familiar with different grains in their whole forms. Experiment with ones like kamut, spelt, quinoa, and oats. You can also get breads and pastas made from these grains. Beans: Explore the diversity of beans. Chickpeas, kidney beans, black beans, and lentils are easy to cook with, and they're loaded with protein too. Healthy oils: Stock up on oils like olive oil, flax oil, and coconut oil. They all come in handy for different occasions and can be used in everything from salads to baking. Nuts and seeds: Keep a variety of nuts and seeds on hand. Almonds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and hempseeds are good essentials. They make great additions to breakfast oats or smoothies and are a quick snack. Other extras: Get ahold of basics like maple syrup, Dijon mustard, tamari (natural soy sauce), almond butter, sea salt, and apple-cider vinegar.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

When planning your day of plant-based eating out, you ideally want to think about how you can choose a balance of meals that offer your body enough variety to keep you satisfied and full. These options can help you organize your day: Breakfast: Berry smoothie with plant-based protein powder; whole-grain toast with almond butter and sliced banana; oatmeal with walnuts, raisins, and cinnamon; or scrambled tofu with a slice of toast and avocado Lunch and dinner: Large salad with a variety of vegetables, nuts, seeds, avocado, chickpeas, and homemade dressing; pesto with brown-rice pasta topped with white beans and steamed broccoli; whole-grain wrap with hummus, lettuce, sprouts, carrots, and avocado; vegetarian brown-rice sushi and a bowl of miso soup; or baked tempeh, mashed yams, and steamed greens topped with tahini Snacks: Trail mix with almonds, raisins, pumpkin seeds, and cashews; an apple or pear with a tablespoon of nut butter; a handful or two of corn chips with salsa or guacamole; a homemade cookie or muffin with seed butter; or a green smoothie with kale, banana, hempseeds, and avocado

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

The process of transitioning to a plant-based diet can be as big or small a deal as you want to make it. It's just about how you approach it and want to make it happen. You have to have a desire to eat better, feel better, and live longer. Here are some ways you can maintain your motivation and increase your knowledge about eating a plant-based diet. Read books on plant-based living. Watch videos on healthy eating. Talk to other people who eat this way. Make a list of all the reasons plant-based eating appeals to you. Go out for some good plant-based meals at restaurants to get inspired.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

When it comes to planning kid-friendly, plant-based meals, it's about finding a happy medium that makes kids happy while giving you the satisfaction that you're feeding them something healthy. Ideally, they should eat whatever you eat, because — let's face it — the last thing you want to do is make two or three meals for one family. Consider the following when taking on this task to make sure everyone is on the same page, has enough choices, and doesn't get bored: Show kids that fruits and vegetables — and healthy eating in general — are delicious and fun. Share a meal with your loved ones. Making food together and taking time out of the day to eat together is a great way to bond and teach kids valuable life skills (like healthy eating)! Build healthy dietary habits that kids can use for the rest of their lives by reducing or eliminating processed sugar, excess unnatural fats, and animal-based products like meat and dairy from your kitchen. Feed kids foods that give them long-lasting, stable energy to keep them running all day long. Macaroni and not-cheese Everyone loves macaroni and cheese. Clean up your favorite comfort food with some healthy substitutions: Replace those white elbow noodles with brown-rice pasta and that artificially colored cheddar-cheese powder with some commercial nondairy, non-soy cheese or homemade vegan cashew or hempseed cheese. Macaroni and not-cheese is also a great place to hide some yummy veggies, such as wilted spinach, peas, or sautéed onions (or all three!). Quinoa Kids love quinoa because it's a blank canvas for many recipes. It's quite plain, so it takes on any flavor you give it. Quinoa is easy to digest and makes a fantastic meal for any time of day. Try it for breakfast as a cereal, serve it for lunch as a quick salad with chopped veggies and avocado, or make it for dinner as a side dish or entree. Quinoa can be topped with tomato sauce, Asian sauces, or anything else they desire. The best part is that it only takes 15 minutes to cook. Homemade pizza Who says pizza isn't healthy? When you make your pizza from scratch, you know exactly what's going into it. Choose a whole-grain flour, such as spelt or kamut, which is much higher in protein than wheat flours. Tired of traditional tomato sauce? Some fresh pesto or straight-up roasted garlic are mouth-watering ways to spice things up. There's a big difference between a "fattening" food and a food that is loaded with healthy fat. Cut out the conventional cheese and replace it with some sliced avocado, crumbled organic goat cheese, or a sprinkling of commercial nondairy cheese. Cover your pizza with tons of yummy veggies (broccoli, bell peppers, onions . . . the sky's the limit), bake it, and you're good to go. You know what's an amazing topping to add when your pizza is finished baking? Arugula. If that doesn't fly with the kids (it's a somewhat peppery green), try some spinach, sprouts, or other field greens. Vegetarian nori rolls Seaweed — what?! This stuff is an incredibly nutritious superfood; incorporate it any way you can (well, in moderation, of course). One way to do this is to make vegetarian nori rolls. They're super fun to make with the kiddos on a Saturday afternoon. It's a somewhat time-consuming process, but it's so worth it for the fun of making them and the adventure of introducing your kids to an interesting and exotic food, and you can stuff them with all of your favorite veggies. Try adding some basil and sliced mango to your homemade nori rolls for an outrageously amazing flavor. Stir-fry A stir-fry is great when you just don't know what else to cook. Pick your favorite veggies and add a healthy protein, such as marinated tempeh, roasted chickpeas, or whatever else tickles your fancy, to a wok or frying pan with a little grapeseed or coconut oil. Then serve over your favorite whole grain. A tasty homemade sauce is your best friend when it comes to making a killer stir-fry, so make sure you whip one up. Try tamari, brown rice vinegar, sesame oil, and ginger for a winning combination. Quesadillas Quesadillas are a great option when you're in a bit of a rush and need to put something together fast. It's especially helpful if you've done some prep work in advance and already have veggies sliced and ready to throw on a sprouted-grain tortilla. Next, you probably want something to hold your quesadilla together. Try some avocado (or, even better, guacamole), hummus, black-bean dip, or nondairy cheese. Veggie burgers and sweet potato fries Veggie burgers are something everyone should keep on hand in the freezer to fry up on a busy night. They're particularly delightful when homemade, but if you need to pick some up from the grocery store, just make sure you're looking at labels and staying away from the bad ones, especially the ones with sugar and preservatives. Sandwich your burger patty between two romaine lettuce leaves or two marinated portobello mushrooms, depending on how adventurous your kids are feeling that night. And when you're having a burger, you have to have fries to go along with it. Baked sweet potato fries are the perfect alternative to blood-sugar-spiking white potatoes. Chunky or blended soups You can hide anything in a nice big bowl of soup. Those picky eaters won't stand a chance. Pick a base your kids like and then toss in what you want: onions, garlic, herbs and spices, mushrooms, spinach, broccoli, beans, lentils . . . anything. Leave the soup super chunky or use an immersion blender for a pureed, creamy soup. You can use plant-based ingredients like cauliflower and rice milk to thicken soups without any cream or milk. Soaked oats What if your kids could put whatever they wanted into bowls of oats for breakfast? This turns plain oats into a new and exciting way to start the day. You can make a pot of oats in the morning or try soaking them overnight to save time. Then have a lineup of fresh and dried fruits, nuts, and seeds for the kids to use as toppings. Voila, the perfect plant-based breakfast! Breakfast pancakes A perfect golden pancake doesn't have to contain buttermilk. Pancakes can be made with plant-based whole-grain flours and still taste delicious. Using rice milk instead of dairy milk, ground flax instead of egg, spelt or brown-rice flour instead of white flour, and coconut oil in the pan instead of butter is your perfect solution to an amazing pancake. Then the kids can top them with their individual favorites, such as dark chocolate chips, maple syrup, banana slices, or other fresh fruits.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

Making smoothies is one of the best ways to start the day — and an easy way to help transition yourself to a plant-based diet. Smoothie recipes and ingredients are easy to find. And, of course, you can buy premade ones at the grocery store or smoothie stand. The best ones, though, are always the ones you make yourself. (Don't know where to begin? You'll find a basic recipe further down!) Here are five simple reasons why you should be making smoothies and blending your way to health: They save time: Smoothies take all of five or ten minutes to make (depending on how prepared you are), can be taken on the go, and last all day in a stainless-steel bottle. They're easy to absorb: Liquids are easier to digest, enabling nutrients to absorb into your cells for immediate uptake. Making a smoothie is the easiest way to absorb a whole bunch of nutrients at once. They're the whole package: You can get a whole lot of goodness into one blender! Smoothies are full of fiber and vitamins and — depending on what you put into them — can also give you your daily dose of protein, antioxidants, and healthy fats. They're super fun: Every day you can create a new theme in your blender using different flavors, tastes, and textures, but the smoothies all have one thing in common — they're packed full of raw, organic fruits, vegetables, and superfoods. Enjoy the process and get creative with colorful ingredients and textures. (You can even add some granola and eat it with a spoon.) They're liquid energy: Use superfoods to give you a boost. Make your own blend and enjoy it in the morning, in the afternoon, or pre- or post-workout! Here's how to blend your way to health, using any blender: Start with 2 cups of liquid: rice milk, almond milk, hemp milk, or coconut water. Choose your protein (2 tablespoons or more): raw brown-rice protein, hemp protein, hemp hearts, or almonds. Choose your fruit (1/2 to 1 cup): blueberries, raspberries, bananas, mangos, avocados, or dates. Choose your greens: one handful of spinach, kale, chard, sprouts, or cucumber; or 1 teaspoon of greens powder, spirulina, or chlorella. Choose your superfoods (1 tablespoon of one or more): goji berries, cacao nibs, maca, hempseeds, raw honey, chia seeds, or matcha green tea. Have fun and get creative!