The Mother of All Whole-Food Plant-Based Resources for Plant Based Newbies

Today I’m rewinding this track and bringing it waaaaay back to basics.

If you’re brand new to eating mostly plants this is for you. A collection of whole-food plant-based resources so let’s pass go and collect our $200 (shout out to my fave childhood board game).

This post contains the most frequently asked questions from people who are brand spankin’ new to this way of eating, and helpful answers to start you off on the right foot. Once you understand the basics, we can swim into deeper waters.

Click on the links below to get to the relevant topic areas.

1. Basic definitions for Whole-Food Plant-Based and vegan.
2. What do you eat on a Whole-Food Plant-Based lifestyle.
3. What about green smoothies.
4. Whole-Food Plant-Based abbreviations.
5. What about soy? Should I be worried about it?
6. What do you eat for breakfast?
7. The 411 on farting when you go Whole-Food Plant-Based.
8. What? No oil? But why? I thought olive oil was healthy.
9. What about nutrients and supplements?
10. Kitchen gadgets. What do I need to have?
11. Detoxing and what to expect.
12. Counting calories.
13. Don’t overcomplicate shit.
14. Traveling while plant based

Let’s start with some basic definitions.

Vegan: 

Veganism is a movement against animal cruelty. Vegans don’t eat food or buy products (including clothes, bags, furniture, etc..) that are made with animal derived ingredients. No meat, no seafood, no fowl, no eggs, no dairy, no honey, no leather, no gelatin – anything that comes from animals, or is a bi-product of animals is a red light – in every area of life.

Whole-Food Plant-Based (WFPB):

A way of eating that focuses on nutrient dense, whole plant foods. This includes veggies, fruits, whole grains, beans & legumes, and nuts & seeds. When eating Whole-Food Plant-Based, all processed foods are avoided. This includes oil, refined sugar, refined white flour and any overly processed foods and ingredients, even the vegan ones (I’m talking to you vegan ice cream).

Plant Based:

This is an umbrella term that is used interchangeably to describe people who eat vegan and people who eat a Whole-Food Plant-Based diet. When you hear something described as “plant based” you can bet your britches that it won’t have any animal products, but it might have oil or refined ingredients.

If you want to dive deeper into Vegan vs. Whole-Food Plant-Based, here are six blog posts that will help you understand it better.

• My transition from Vegan to Whole-Food Plant-Based
• An easy blueprint to help you make the switch to Vegan or Whole-Food Plant-Based
• My take on faux meat
• Understanding the difference between Vegan food and Whole-Food Plant-Based food
• A full downloadable list of Whole-Food Plant-Based ingredients
• All about minimally processed plant foods, like soy milk, sprouted bread and tofu.

Now that you understand all of the different shades of plant based, let’s talk about what the hell to eat.

Whether you dive in head first and make the change overnight or you slowly dip your toes in, your process is unique to you. How you proceed depends on your motivation for making these life supporting changes.

If you’re doing this for health reasons and you KNOW it’s time to get your shit together, jumping in and making the switch overnight isn’t a bad idea. But if you’re just curious about this way of eating, there’s nothing wrong with adding a few plant based meals in here and there and testing the waters.

There is no right or wrong way to do this. Listen to your gut and heart and decide what you want to do. And then do it. Either way, we have you covered.

• You can start with our free whole-food plant-based recipes. We have tons of free recipes that have been tested and approved by thousands of people, (including skeptical partners and kids) and we add a new recipe every week.
• If you don’t want to think about what to cook, join our weekly plant based meeal plans. We tell you exactly what’s on the menu each week, along with a detailed grocery list, batch cooking instructions, and how to throw it all together to make scrumptious meals throughout the week.
• If it’s snacks you’re looking for, here’s a list of whole-food plant-based snack ideas.

I know this is a lot of information, but my advice is to not overthink it. Pick one recipe and follow along or sign up for our plant-based meal plans.

One thing that’s really important during this transition is that the food tastes good, and I can tell you with confidence that our recipes are fucking delicious. That’s because Team Dirty knows the food has to taste good in order for this to be enjoyable.

So what’s happening with green smoothies?

When done right, green smoothies are nutrient powerhouse aces. When I talk about green smoothies I’m talking about a pure nutrient boost in liquid form that you make in your blender, filled with veggies and seeds and berries and even sometimes spices and sweet potatoes (sounds weird, tastes delicious).

I’m not talking about smoothies that are prepackaged or fruit smoothies from Jamba Juice or some bullshit place like that. Those are usually filled with sugar and they don’t have a single raw leafy green in them.

I’ve had one green smoothie a day for the past decade and I love them.

Below are a few of my favorite green smoothie recipes.

• Beginner Green Smoothie Recipe
• One of my fave green smoothies
• Super easy and super tasty green smoothie
• Frothy Cacao Cooler 

Next let’s talk whole-food plant-based abbreviations.

If you’re in our private Facebook group (which for the love, I hope you are because it’s the BEST), you may have noticed what looks like people writing in secret code. Here’s a cheat sheet that explains these abbreviations.

So here’s a fact. People are shit scared of soy.

Here’s another fact. There is no reason to be shit scared of soy. Watch this video of me and Brenda Davis, RD, clearing up this confusing and often heated topic. If you’re not sure what role soy foods should play in your life, this video is your answer. And here’s a hint – if you think soy is evil, you’ve been bamboozled. It’s actually just a bean.

Let’s talk whole-food plant-based breakfast.

This one comes up A LOT with new riders on the plant based bus. Turns out, breakfast is actually a lot easier when eating plants than people realize. I wrote a whole post about it here that includes breakfast recipes and ideas. This post will clear up your breakfast confusion and give you lots of plant based breakfast solutions.

In addition to that, here’ a whole category of whole-food plant-based breakfast food ideas and recipes for you.

Bloating, farting and probiotics in the whole-food plant-based diet world. Yes – we’re going there!

When you transition to plant based eating, it takes your gut a bit of time to catch up. During this time you will be farty and probably bloated (and if you’re super lucky, both!). Your gut bacteria needs a couple weeks before it can break down all the fiber-rich foods in a way that’s um…more silent and comfortable. To help you through this bubbly transition, read the posts below.

• Healthy poop explained
• Bloating and farting and how to transition to fiber-rich foods with ease
• Tips and tricks to help you fart way less
• Balancing your gut bacteria without taking expensive probiotics

Moving on to oil.

Processed oil is not included in the Whole-Food Plant-Based way of eating (not even coconut or olive oil).

This one really trips people up like an uneven sidewalk. And I get it – we’ve all heard over and over again how heart healthy olive oil is and how coconut oil can cure just about anything.

Here’s the deal. The doctors and scientists who have been studying and practicing nutrition based science for decades suggest skipping oil completely. Dr. Michael Greger, Dr. Joel Fuhrman, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn – they all agree that oil (again – this is all types, even coconut oil and olive oil) are too overly processed, making the ratio of calories to nutrients a poor choice of fat.

Now of course we need some fat, but we can easily get healthy fat from avocados and nuts and seeds. And when we do this, we get the added benefit of fiber, vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals to boot.

Here’s the other thing – oil is not at all necessary for cooking damn tasty food. It might seem weird at first, but after a few weeks of going without, you won’t miss it. And then when you do eat something with oil, it will feel totally out of place and weird in your mouth. Also, doing the dishes when you don’t cook with oil is much faster and easier.

Here are some helpful blog posts about oil that will help you better understand why it might be a good idea to skip it.

• Clearing up the confusion about oil
• All about the different types of fat
• All about saturated fat
• Reasons to avoid oil

Let’s talk nutrients and supplements when you’re whole-food plant-based.

You know what gets me? You can eat like shit for decades and no one says anything about nutrient deficiencies, but the moment you remove meat, eggs, dairy and processed food from your diet, suddenly everyone becomes an expert and tries to school you about protein, calcium and nutrients. Come on! When you start eating healthy, THAT’S when people become concerned? It doesn’t compute.

People who switch to a Whole-Food Plant-Based diet generally get way more nutrients than people eating a typical Western diet, not to mention tons of beneficial fiber, quality plant protein (yes, plants have more than enough protein), healthy complex carbohydrates and protective phytochemicals. Most people think that if you’re not eating meat and dairy then you won’t get enough protein, calcium, iron, and other nutrients. It’s pure sparkling  bullshit. Don’t let people fuck with your plant eating game!

The only supplements plant eaters have to take is definitely B12 and possibly vitamin D. There are also some nutrients that you want to be mindful of getting enough of through your food, but there’s no need to stress about not getting enough protein or becoming sickly and malnourished on your plant based journey. You also don’t have to spend a shitload of money on supplements and protein powder. Don’t believe the hype.

Below are some posts that explain more about protein,  B12, vitamin D, and the rest of the nutrients that you want to make sure you’re eating enough of.

• All about protein and exactly how much you need
• B12, D and calcium
• Iron, Dha / EPA / Iodine
• Dr. Fuhrman and I talk about nutritional excellence

Some people love kitchen gadgets. Some people do not.

I personally do not love kitchen gadgets. I like to get by with the most low maintenance kitchen as possible. You can fancy it up and buy all kinds of things to help you in the kitchen, but you don’t have to (until a few months ago my salad spinner was a $2 buy from a garage sale and was duct taped together). Below are a few posts and a quick video that will help you understand that cooking this way is much less complicated than people think.

• Helpful kitchen tools (one)
• Helpful kitchen tools (two)
• Video about how I wash and store my greens each week
• Blenders. We’ve sorted through all the brands so you don’t have to

Detoxing is a bitch. Let’s talk about it.

If you keep hearing about how much energy people have and how awesome they feel after switching to plants and you have NO IDEA what they’re talking about because you have zero energy and you feel like a tractor just ran you over, I got you.

There’s actually good reason for this and it’s all about the body processing out toxins. And the more toxins your body has, the worse you will feel – in the beginning. But trust me when I tell you, this will not last long and you will feel better soon.

Below is a post that will help you understand what your body goes through when you detox and why you feel like shit when you’re just starting out on your plant based adventure. Before you read it, know that feeling crappy only lasts about a week (give or take) and as long as you stay the course, you will feel better and have a ton of energy soon. #yougotthis

• Read about the body’s detox process here
• Why detoxes are bullshit

Getting out of the habit of being a mad scientist with your food. I’m talking combining, portions, counting and ratios.

A lot of people are used to the diet mindset. They think that getting enough protein is hard if they don’t eat meat. They’re convinced that carbs are the enemy and starchy carbs are even worse. They’re used to putting their food into a tracker and relying on a screen to tell them if they’ve made smart eating choices.

For the love of all things good in the world, let’s stop the madness and walk away from the points and charts and diagrams and tracking apps and percentages and numbers and breaking food down to the sum of its parts. And instead, let’s find freedom in the simple act of eating quality food.

Eating like a badass, getting super healthy, and maintaining a healthy weight for your frame isn’t about the quantity of your food, it’s about the quality of your food.

I know this is new information to most people, and it takes a while to unlearn what the dieting industry and has hammered into society for the past half a century.

Here are some posts that will give you clarity around this and help you understand why counting and measuring your food might actually be holding you back.

• Why counting calories doesn’t make sense
• Dieting is a bitch of a cycle
• Understanding carbohydrates and low carb diets

And if you still have questions about whether or not you should portion out or meals, focus on macronutrient ratios, count calories, avoid nuts and seeds, and worry about food combining, the answer is no. We offer nutrition info in Clean Food Dirty Girl for those who want it.

Don’t overcomplicate this.

Focus on eating a wide range of whole plant foods (veggies, fruit, whole grains, beans and legumes, nuts and seeds) so that you have plenty of nutritional diversity. And then eat when you’re hungry and stop when you’re no longer hungry.

This is all about listening to your body.

Our plant-based meal plans are hand crafted each and every week with nutritional diversity in mind. And if you want a little more guidance on this, I recommend downloading Dr. Greger’s free app, The Daily Dozen (find it in your iOS or Android app store).

This will help you make sure that you’re getting enough of all the whole plant foods that you need every day. This app is great for people just starting out. After doing this for about a month, you won’t have to think about it, you’ll just eat ALL the plant foods and be free, happy and energized.

The internet is a noisy place and there’s a lot of bullshit information out there, especially about food.

Sorting out the people and resources you can trust from the people and resources who don’t have your health or best interest in mind is hard, especially when you’re new to all of this. I’ve been working in this industry for a long time and below is a list of plant-based doctors and whole-food plant-based resources that I trust.

• Trusted plant-based doctors, whole-food plant-based resources, websites, books and dietitians. Plus the best website to find a plant based doctor near you. 

Possibly the most important piece of advice for you is to not overcomplicate this.

When you start a new chapter of your life, it’s important to be informed and learn the basics of how to navigate your new way of life, but for the love, don’t ponder so much that it stops you from taking any action at all. When you start down the rabbit hole of plant based analysis paralysis, remember my words:

Eat more whole plant foods and less of everything else.

Traveling while whole-food plant-based. Yes, it’s doable.

This was one of the big motivating factors for me in creating this whole-food plant-based resource. Staying 100% whole-food plant-based while traveling might be a stretch because of oil but if you’re flexible, if you leave for your trip prepared, and if you don’t mind getting creative then you can stick to your plant based way of eating wherever you go in the world.

• Blog posts about traveling while eating a whole-food plant-based diet

Go back to this whole-food plant-based resource as many times as you need. And in the meantime, here’s a little story about not overthinking shit, or as I like to call it, stop squeezing the cat.

May your plant based journey be long and thriving, and may your delicious body reap the benefits. To help you on your journey, be sure to sign up for my Sweary Saturday Love Letters.

Today’s recipe is perfect for all newbies.

Wishing you a happy week. May it be filled with taking action.

Xo
Molly