What do you eat? My main focus is plant based foods; loads of fruits, vegetables, grains, whole wheat everything, nuts and seeds.
What don’t you eat? Here are the things that I don’t consume often or at all:
- Refined anything: white flour, white pasta, white sugar. This includes candy and soda.
- Dairy: I’ve swapped out milk for almond, soy and coconut(my favorite)
- Anything with weird additives and chemicals
- Red meat, white meat, fish and eggs
Advice for someone interested in starting this lifestyle? There’s absolutely no need for you to change your entire lifestyle overnight. I suggest a transition done at your own pace; clean eating is a great start. You can try adding one plant based meal a day and by swapping out the animal products with plant based alternatives. Making more of these changes every week will result in big changes.
Where do you get your protein? This is a question that I get a lot (a lot, a lot), but I don’t mind answering if it is to educate someone. The belief that protein only comes from meat and eggs, it’s not true and outdated. There are plants with tons and tons of proteins. For example: beans, chickpeas, lentils, quinoa, nuts & seeds, such as, chia seeds, flaxseeds and hemp seeds. Other sources can be: maca powder, spirulina, all of those leafy greens that are ignored by most of the population and slightly controversial bee pollen.
How’s your B-12? It’s fine, don’t worry 🙂
Do you only eat organic food? Living on an island makes everything twice as hard; so finding every single thing that I consume to be organic, it’s kind of unrealistic. Let’s just say that I eat a mix of organic and non-organic. Organic is not a big deal, you’re going to be fine and you’re definitely not going to die.
How do I eat this way on a budget? Here’s the thing, eating like this is actually cheaper than eating a meats and processed foods. Everything (except for fresh fruits & veggies) can be bought in bulk and won’t go bad in within a month.
Should I follow a plant based diet strictly? Of course not, everybody’s different. It might take some time, but you’ll find what suits you best. Being healthy should be fun and satisfying, under no circumstances it should feel like a diet.
What kind of changes can you expect when adopting a plant-based diet? More energy, clear skin, better digestion and probably some weight-loss(in time).
Where’s the nutritional information of your recipes? I’m not a registered nutritionist, so I’m not comfortable providing that information. Also I don’t count calories, I choose to focus on the nutritional benefits of my meals. When it comes to this lifestyle you don’t need to count the calories. If you eat enough, you’ll get the right nutrition. Just listen to your body.
If you’re worried about this or have specific questions, talk to a nutritionist who specializes vegetarian and vegan lifestyles. They can help with your meals and check that everything is in balance.
