Plant-based nutrition has been around since the days of Adam and Eve. . .however, it’s been gaining popularity in recent years as science has uncovered its many benefits such as lowering blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar. And, for those who have struggled with lifelong food addictions, they eradicate them as well. (The practical tips how to escape them are in my book, Starved to Obesity.)
As a result, nowadays there are so many plant-based recipes and food plans that it can become overwhelming.
The best health comes from the basics: G-BOMBS; Dr. Fuhrman’s acronym for greens, beans, onions, mushrooms, berries, seeds. . . and “the salad is the main dish.”
If you can keep those two facts a priority, and not make plant-based nutrition complicated, you’ll be able to navigate your way to optimal health for the long haul.
In 2008, I spent the first three months of reclaiming my health—in crisis mode—due to my late son’s illnesses. In fact, the crises began just four days after making the commitment to change. I wrote about the details in my book, but bottom line, I prepped food for the better part of three months from a cooler stored in the trunk of my car. I had no recipes, no high-speed blender, no spices, no dressings, no kitchen sink, and no utensils except a can opener. I even ate beans straight out of the can!
But guess what?
It worked.
I lost forty pounds those first three months—and even more importantly, the cravings for highly salted, sugary, high-fat processed foods had completely vanished. Food addiction was gone for the first time in my life!
Today, I have a high-speed blender, an Instant Pot, a collection of favorite recipes, bamboo steaming baskets, and even a dehydrator.
But whether you have a state-of-the-art kitchen—or just the trunk of your car—you can eat for health, no matter what.
Plant-based nutrition: keep it simple, nutrient-dense, practical, and cost effective (I’m also spending half the amount on food now versus when I was addicted to the Standard American Diet!).
I seldom make the same salad twice—and I include more than just lettuce and a tomato that most restaurants consider to be a salad. Instead, I chop kale, collard greens, Bok Choy, brocolli, and the like. (And I prefer a variety of dressings too.)
Emily Boller, artist, mother, and author of Starved to Obesity, lost 100 pounds more than twelve years ago by eating an abundance of high-nutrient, plant-rich food. Today, she’s certified in whole plant food nutrition from the Nutritarian Education Institute. She’s on a mission to combine practical, no-nonsense and cost effective tips—with easy to understand science—in order to help anyone escape the addictive grip of the Standard American Diet.