Let’s talk about transitioning to a plant based diet…
Helpful Tips for a Successful Plant Based Diet|Your Mom’s Vegan
I’m going to give you tips to make the transition to a whole foods, plant based diet easier.
When I started transitioning, I had recently watched some documentaries that completely disturbed me about how the animals that we eat are treated. So it was an easy decision to go through my freezer and fridge and toss out all the meat. I gave most of it away. Some I threw away.
The dairy was harder for me. It really is an addiction to the casein in dairy that makes it so hard to give up.
If you have others in the house that are not on board, you’ll just leave the animal products for them to use up. At some point you’ll decide whether you can still cook those things for others or not.
Some people find it easiest to get rid of all things at once. Others find it suits them better to slowly use up the animal products and not buy any more.
Either way that you do it, start adding more potatoes, corn and rice to your daily diet. I have had great weight loss success with eating a whole foods, starch based diet. This only works if you eliminate all oils and saturated fats from your diet. You can learn more about that by clicking the links at the bottom of this post.
In the beginning, keep your meals simple. Lots of potatoes, rice or corn with some beans, veggies and a little fruit. And don’t use any oils.
I use my Instant Pot to cook a batch of potatoes that I keep in the fridge for snacks and meals. I do the same with rice and beans. If you have a bowl of cooked potatoes, a bowl of rice and a pot of beans in your fridge, you will have lots of quick meals to throw together. Like the one in the picture above. Add in a couple different sauces and some steamed veggies and you can eat for days without any serious time consuming cooking.
In my freezer I have bags of mixed veggies, hash browns (look for the brands that do not contain any oil) and containers of cooked rice and cooked beans.
Check this post for Cooking Rice | Instant Pot and Stove Top Instructions
Check this post for How to Make Refried Beans in the Instant Pot
How to sauté without oil…
Be sure that your pan is hot. Add your onions (or whatever you’re sautéing) to the pan. As the food releases some of it’s water, stir it around. Let it begin to stick a little and then add a splash of water, veggie broth or wine. Just a splash. At the same time, scrape up the stuck veggie and stir it around. Each time the food sticks, you get a little browned bit that you can loosen with the liquid that you splash in. This is called “deglazing” the pan. It creates a lovely browning or caramelization. Continue this process over medium heat until your veggies are cooked to your liking.
What to replace oil with in baked goods…
I find that apple sauce works well in most baked goods. If you don’t want the sweet flavor you can use a little bit of nut butter, tahini or sunbutter (made with sunflower seeds).
If the recipe doesn’t call for much oil at all, I just omit it.
So, go for it! Check out the links below to learn more about why you should avoid oil.
https://www.drmcdougall.com/health/education/cpb/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Plzs2ntI_dQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dH2789MC8eA
Is “just a splash” 2 Tablespoons and is “not much (oil) at all” less than a quarter cup? I’m new and need specifics. Can’t wait to try some recipes!
I don’t use oil at all because of the negative health effects, so I would have to say no to any oil. It’s really not hard to do all your cooking oil-free. If you let me know where you struggle with this, I’d be happy to give you some tips to make it easier. Thanks so much for visiting my blog!
Hi Erica, sorry for the delay in my reply. We’ve been in the middle of remodeling the kitchen and I’ve not been blogging.
Just a splash is a tablespoon or two. Not much oil…for me, that means none. Or the amount that might be a residual on a cast iron pan. I don’t use oil at all. I hope that helps and I hope you have tried some of the recipes and enjoyed them.
Have been looking for a way to follow you. I can’t do it thru Google as my connection to Google is not working properly.
I am working on getting an email list going, but for now, you can follow my Facebook page. Please “like” it to follow. You can also join the Plant-Based Recipe Blogger group on Facebook and see my posts there. Thank you so much for your support!