Day 3: Eat Plant-Based
This is the single biggest thing you can do to save the world (and maybe even yourself : )
“Many of us, myself included, engage in painless, performative environmentalism,” Manjoo writes. “We’ll give up plastic straws and tweet passionately that someone should do something about the Amazon, yet few of us make space in our worldview to acknowledge the carcass in the room: the irrefutable evidence that our addiction to meat is killing the planet right before our eyes. ” Manjoo explains that omnivores classify vegans as “preachy” only because their mere existence exposes the cognative dissonance people experience when continuing to support animal cruelty and enviornmental destruction by eating animal products.
Farhad Manjoo, The New York Times
According to a recent study published in The Lancet, one of the most prestigious and oldest peer-reviewed medical journals, eating a plant-based diet has up to 84% less impact than one that includes meat, fish, eggs and dairy.
The new study, led by Nicole Blackstone, assessed six categories of environmental impact:
- Land use,
- Water depletion
- Climate change
- Respiratory inorganics
- Marine water eutrophication
- Freshwater eutrophication
Nearly all of the categories were affected up to 84 percent less by a plant-based diet when compared to one that included animal products.
Pretty compelling right?
If that’s not enough then do it for your HEALTH.
- It’s been proven to reduce the risk of many types of cancer and heart disease
- It lowers blood sugar levels and improves kidney functions
- Makes you SO regular (super healthy poops!)
- Reduces pain from arthritis
- It’s rich in nutrients
From my own experience:
- I feel so energetic
- I’m fitter, stronger and have more stamina than I’ve ever had (seriously, I run up mountains for fun!)
If going cold turkey (or should that be cold tofu? ; ) is too much of a jump for you, try these initial steps:
- Order Nude Meals from Nude Foods which are made from scratch by the Nude Foods chef, are always plant-based and take about 5 minutes from jar to table.
- Chef’s Choice – something like a riotto / quinoa / buddha bowl with 2 sides
- Asian Fusion – curry or Asian-inspired dish with rice / quinoa / noodles and a yummy side
- Soup – hearty soup with gluten free bread and a delicious salad
- Start with plant-based food replacements. Instead of sausages, buy vegan sausages, instead of cheese, buy vegan cheese (like our vegan herbed feta), instead of cow breast milk buy Oat milk, instead of butter buy margarine or vegan butter. This way you don’t have to change your whole mindset of what you’re eating immediately. My faves are:
- We love Meati– the vegan version of the classic can-you-hear-that-crunch crispy chicken cutlet.
- Oat milk – I love Oatis. It’s all organic and made locally here in Boulder.
- Vegan Butter – I’m obsessed with Earth Balance‘s AMAZING vegan butter. Yum. (Find it at Nude Foods Market without any of the packaging : )
- Use flaxmeal instead of eggs (1 tablespoon of flaxmeal + 3 tablespoons of water = 1 egg in baking). I recommend going for plant-based recipes that already have this built-in as I’ve never tried simply doing a direct replacement
- Let go of the belief that every meal needs a central ‘thing’ to make it a meal. This was hard (and still is) for me. What do I mean by this? Non-plant-based meals are led by the meat e.g. CHICKEN with mashed potatoes and peas, FISH and chips, STEAK, green beans and potatoes, cheese-based LASAGNE and salad. Instead think of a meal as a more equally balanced plate consisting of things you might traditionally think of as sides.
- Here are a few of my fave meals and snacks for inspiration plus a WHOLE HEAP MORE HERE complete with links to buy.
| Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner | Snacks |
Verity’s Chocolate Pot
Put it all in a mason jar, shake it up and just add oat milk for the MOST delicious, protein packed, healthy snack that feels like a total sweet treat anytime of day. I prep 7 at a time and have one available for every day of the week. |
Toasted sourdough, avocado, tomato and hot sauce (I like Green Belly) |
Buy: Short grain brown rice, vegetable broth, nutritional yeast (use in place of parmesan), tamari, salt, peppe |
Apples and peanut butter |
| Banana Oat Pancakes | Zoodles (zuchinni / courgette noodles)
Tofu squares Fried Red onion Tamari |
Buy: Tofu, tamari, arrowroot starch, olive oil, sesame oil, quinoa, maple syrup, sesame seeds BYO veggies or grab our produce box |
Avocado Toast with salt / chilli flakes |
| Overnight Oats
Buy: Oats, maple syrup, peanut butter, chia seeds, oat milk, granola |
4 Ingredient Tomato Soup |
10-minute TVP Tacos with homemade flour tortillas Buy: Textured Vegetable Protein (super versatile and yummy), tamari, olive oil, flour, baking powder, salt, vegetable oil BYO salsa, red peppers and taco seasoning or make your own seasoning with chili, garlic and onion powder, red pepper flakes, oregano, paprika, cumi |
Banana and peanut butter sandwiches / tortilla rolls |
| Cinnamon Raisin Oatmeal | Salad – lettuce, quinoa, olives, chopped apple, roasted sweet potato cubes, homemade balsamic dressing |
Buy: Olive oil, Tofu , tamari, nutritional yeast, carrots, celery, an onion, 2 cloves of garlic, 1 bay leaf, dried parsley, vegan broth, pasta and lemon juice. (All these veggies are available at Nude Foods) |
Chips and guac / salsa |
| Carrot Cake and Zucchini bread Oatmeal (so yum!)
Buy: Steel cut oats, oat milk, carrot, zucchini, salt, nutmeg, ground cloves, cinnamon, maple syrup, pecans and vanilla extract |
Pasta and vegan pesto with zucchini/cherry tomatoes | Creamy Peanut Butter Pineapple Tofu Rice
Buy: Short grain brown rice, Olive oil, Tofu, Pineapple (we have these at Nude Foods this week : ), peanut butter, tamari, maple syrup, rice vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, coconut milk, chili |
Cherry Cacao Patter Bars |
| Smoothie (1 scoop protein, 1 tbsp Mac, 2 tbsp Flaxmeal, 1 banana, blend with water or plant-based milk) | Nude’s Best Selling Lemony Lentil Soup | Nude Food’s Chef’s Choice Meal | Dairy-Free Cheese Puffs |
| Granola and Plant-based Milk | Mulligatawny Soup | Nude Food’s Soup-of-the-Week Meal | Nooch Popcorn |
| Bagel with vegan cheese | Susan’s Samosas | Nude Food’s Asian Fusion Meal | Trail Mix |
Challenge 3:
Plan to eat all plant-based one day this week. Post in the Facebook group about what you’re planning to eat : )
Also let us know if you try any of these recipes and how they are! Bonus points for including a photo.