My husband and I are looking to transition to vegan. We are also looking to do whole foods, and no refined oils. That means I basically need to throw away my current meal plan and start over. I thought I would have trouble finding recipes but oh my goodness there are so many options. I literally am overwhelmed trying to pick things out. Where do I start? What are your go to staple meals that you eat on a somewhat weekly basis? I figure for snacks I'll start simple with fruits and veggie sticks and hummus, but for meals I am at a complete loss.
Overwhelmed by options
- Thread starter Serafaerie
- Start date
- Joined
- Dec 2, 2017
- Reaction score
- 1,209
- Age
- 50
- Lifestyle
- Vegan
Hi there and welcome. You can go to the Food threads where most of the things people post are vegan. I say "most" because sometimes people post things that appear to be dairy but are vegan versions and that isn't always clarified. This board recently merged with another that was vegetarian/vegan and due to long time members knowing each other apparently it's just to be assumed. But, most everything otherwise is clearly vegan.
Most of my meals involve grains (wholegrains and sometimes not), legumes or legume products like tofu, tubers, vegetables, and seeds (sometimes nuts). I eat fruit too, but not as much.
It's wise to keep in mind that your body will go through a transition period. It's important, especially at first, to make sure you get enough fiber and resistant starch to help develop the gut microbiome you want in residence. It's also important to remember to get enough calories. Generally that means eating a bit more. A couple of potatoes, some veg and a steak may have done it before, now you'll have to replace the steak's calories with something else. More potatoes. Whole grains. Tubers. Seeds/nuts. Fruit. A meal should fill you up and be satisfying, hunger is a sign you haven't eaten enough, or not eaten enough of the kind of foods the new resident bacteria like to process and send out the full signal.
More hints: Soak brown rice, beans in fairly large batches overnight. Then bag in the freezer. This saves you from constantly soaking foods that either require it, or require it for quick cooking.
Eating plant based really opens up a whole new world of foods. I eat a much larger range of foods and ways they're put together than I did as omnivore.
I make up a lot of bowl style foods, incorporating a whole grain, veggies, greens, beans or nuts and some kind of sauce. All kinds of soups stews and chilis. Burgers and loaves. I love tofu made alone and incorporated in recipes. Tempeh. Seitan. stir fries. casseroles.Indian, Mexican, Chinese, Thai , Italian, Greek, Lebanese all lend themselves to vegan options
There are several "what I ate-made-baked-eating-supper vegan threads.
And yes, it's fine to assume foods are vegan version, and feel to ask!
Vegan only means no animal products, without implying what you DO eat, so you'll find everything from whole food plant based healthy, to more traditional type foods with oils and sugars
I make up a lot of bowl style foods, incorporating a whole grain, veggies, greens, beans or nuts and some kind of sauce. All kinds of soups stews and chilis. Burgers and loaves. I love tofu made alone and incorporated in recipes. Tempeh. Seitan. stir fries. casseroles.Indian, Mexican, Chinese, Thai , Italian, Greek, Lebanese all lend themselves to vegan options
There are several "what I ate-made-baked-eating-supper vegan threads.
And yes, it's fine to assume foods are vegan version, and feel to ask!
Vegan only means no animal products, without implying what you DO eat, so you'll find everything from whole food plant based healthy, to more traditional type foods with oils and sugars
Lou
Forum Legend
So the term you need to use is "Whole Foods Plant-Based".
I'm a little fuzzy on whether WFPB is always vegan. Vegan is not always WFPB. The two are compatible. And I think most people who do WFPB were vegan to start with.
Anyway, I highly recommend taking a class or getting a book. There are lots of good books. The Forks Over Knives people have a whole bunch of books. If the libraries were open I would recommend going over there and getting one. Maybe you can find an ebook to download from your library.
But maybe even better is to take a course. there are several good ones out there.
I never did this course* but it is very highly regarded.
The 21-Day Vegan Kickstart from PCRM
It's free. It has an app. Plus it is WFPB.
* I did Colleen Patrick Goudreaux's 30-Day Vegan Challenge. Back then it was free but not it costs $30. But it was great.
I'm a little fuzzy on whether WFPB is always vegan. Vegan is not always WFPB. The two are compatible. And I think most people who do WFPB were vegan to start with.
Anyway, I highly recommend taking a class or getting a book. There are lots of good books. The Forks Over Knives people have a whole bunch of books. If the libraries were open I would recommend going over there and getting one. Maybe you can find an ebook to download from your library.
But maybe even better is to take a course. there are several good ones out there.
I never did this course* but it is very highly regarded.
The 21-Day Vegan Kickstart from PCRM
It's free. It has an app. Plus it is WFPB.
* I did Colleen Patrick Goudreaux's 30-Day Vegan Challenge. Back then it was free but not it costs $30. But it was great.
