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Over the last 5 years I have transitioned to an entirely plant-based diet and can't imagine ever going back. My entire life experience has changed dramatically

Over the last 5 years I have transitioned to an entirely plant-based diet and can't imagine ever going back. My entire life experience has changed dramatically in the form of mental clarity, sustained energy, and absence of cravings. Sugar simply disappeared from my life and I haven't looked back, although it took a while for that to happen. Likewise, I eat cooked meals twice a week at most. Most of my meals consist of raw food like vegetables, fruit, nuts and seeds. I supplement things like flaxseed oil for omega fatty acids, and rely on plants such as wheatgrass, moringa leaf and turmeric for micronutrients. Hemp protein has been one of my recent favorites, literal jet fuel for your body!

jmiskovic 7y ago
Can you recommend any good materials for making this switch practical? I imagine I'd have to rethink my shopping lists, learn recipes, change the kitchen appliances, adjust social habits... Seems overwhelming and hard to do all at once.
- ntlk 7y ago
  Luckily you don’t have to do it all at once. You could start by trying out some new recipes, and eating plant based meals more frequently than now, and learning what you like.
- dvno42 7y ago
  Consider a slow cooker. I make a lot of lentil and other bean based things soaked in spices, broth, onions, etc. Lots of left overs and easy to set and forget. Tons of recipes out there too. Low effort and delicious.
- skilled 7y ago
  This is probably not the answer you're looking for, but I made this transition entirely as a self-responsibility. In the first year, I struggled with iron deficiency because I hadn't really figured out how cutting out dairy and meat would affect me in the long run. Gradually, I started adding more seeds and nuts to my diet (of which there are endless varieties) and immediately noticed great results. I started traveling in Asia later on and developed a deep admiration for fruit, which has become the foundation of my diet for the most part. I enjoy brown rice, lentils, and buckwheat which are very easy for your gut to digest. Once you find foods that work really great with your body, you can start experimenting with different types of supplements. For example, there are a lot of varieties of algae which are extremely healthy and provide a significant "high" when consumed. And yes, spirulina tastes like rectum but you can find ways to make it bearable. Lastly, rather than focusing on "rethinking", look at your current diet and recognize the stuff that might not the best for you. I mean, I might be a vegan (though I don't identify as such), but I cannot tell you stop eating meat or dairy because you have to make this decision on your own. As for social habits, nowadays there are so many cafes and restaurants that specialize in healthy food, you can always visit and yield a ton of inspiration. On most days, my food shelves look like a scientific laboratory. And it can get all kinds of funny reactions from people. But, as I said, the benefits and changes I have experienced have been monumental.
krageon 7y ago
When I last tried it, the core trouble of a diet like this (to me) was increased cost. Like the other extreme (eating basically only meat), an atypical diet means you need to dip into uncommon ingredients in order to end up with a balanced diet (for plant matter, getting the vitamins you normally get from meat can be challenging - especially to your wallet). How did you solve this? If you did not, what would you estimate the percentage increase of your food spending to be? Can you give some insight into what part of the world you are (Africa/Asia/Europe/North America/South America or something of that granularity is fine), if you are comfortable with doing so?
- skilled 7y ago
  I think this (cost) is the biggest "roadblock" most people see when thinking about a plant-based diet. I currently live in Asia, but travel back and forth between Europe every few months. One of the ways I solved this is by being comfortable to have meals that consist of nothing but raw food. So, raw nuts, raw vegetables and fruit, and legumes whenever I desire. But I also try to look at it realistically. For example, a tub of Kale Powder (120g) will set me back around 20USD. But, how likely am I to consume that tub in one day? In fact, it will last me for up to 4 weeks. The same goes for 350 grams of Hemp Protein. It's 20USD but I'm going to be having that over a period of at least 2 weeks. One difference between Asia and Europe is that in Asia I can get a much bigger variety of fruit, which is generally my go-to food besides everything else. But even then, I never leave the supermarket having spent more than 30USD for 4-5 days worth of food. If I had to be specific, for the entirety of a whole month I'll be spending about 250-300USD on food. I'm honestly not familiar with other diets and not sure how much they can run up over a month. What I do know is that I never have any leftovers. Everything gets consumed one way or another.
  - krageon 7y ago
    I think for my location (Europe, mainly) that is a fairly typical amount of spending for a month of food. However, I spend that for roughly two people and from the times I've had to buy food in Asia (admittedly some years ago) it is quite a lot cheaper than it would be here. That would put it at maybe twice as expensive (or even slightly more) as a non-restricted diet. Is that a fair assessment?
sridca 7y ago
I had the same improvement as you, except I went in the other direction. http://meatheals.com/ http://meatheals.com/
- whenchamenia 7y ago
  While I think that may be just seen as contrarian, I have noticed an effect just by switching to only ethically sourced meats. The quality of grass grazed, un-processed beef and chicken is almost unlike what you see in the supermarkets creepy saran wrapped isles.
  - sridca 7y ago
    Yes. Not just quality, but taste is also positively affected. The ground beef I get from http://www.lamauve.com/ http://www.lamauve.com/ for example tastes so much better than that of local grocery stores (which always has a slightly bitter and uninspiring taste).
- gumbi_nz 7y ago
  I'm carnivore too. I was going to make the point to the OP that the mental clarity, feeling of wellbeing etc. is probably due to abstinence from processed carbs i.e. sugar, not plants

jmiskovic 7y ago

Can you recommend any good materials for making this switch practical? I imagine I'd have to rethink my shopping lists, learn recipes, change the kitchen appliances, adjust social habits... Seems overwhelming and hard to do all at once.

ntlk 7y ago
Luckily you don’t have to do it all at once. You could start by trying out some new recipes, and eating plant based meals more frequently than now, and learning what you like.
dvno42 7y ago
Consider a slow cooker. I make a lot of lentil and other bean based things soaked in spices, broth, onions, etc. Lots of left overs and easy to set and forget. Tons of recipes out there too. Low effort and delicious.
skilled 7y ago
This is probably not the answer you're looking for, but I made this transition entirely as a self-responsibility. In the first year, I struggled with iron deficiency because I hadn't really figured out how cutting out dairy and meat would affect me in the long run. Gradually, I started adding more seeds and nuts to my diet (of which there are endless varieties) and immediately noticed great results. I started traveling in Asia later on and developed a deep admiration for fruit, which has become the foundation of my diet for the most part. I enjoy brown rice, lentils, and buckwheat which are very easy for your gut to digest. Once you find foods that work really great with your body, you can start experimenting with different types of supplements. For example, there are a lot of varieties of algae which are extremely healthy and provide a significant "high" when consumed. And yes, spirulina tastes like rectum but you can find ways to make it bearable. Lastly, rather than focusing on "rethinking", look at your current diet and recognize the stuff that might not the best for you. I mean, I might be a vegan (though I don't identify as such), but I cannot tell you stop eating meat or dairy because you have to make this decision on your own. As for social habits, nowadays there are so many cafes and restaurants that specialize in healthy food, you can always visit and yield a ton of inspiration. On most days, my food shelves look like a scientific laboratory. And it can get all kinds of funny reactions from people. But, as I said, the benefits and changes I have experienced have been monumental.

krageon 7y ago

When I last tried it, the core trouble of a diet like this (to me) was increased cost. Like the other extreme (eating basically only meat), an atypical diet means you need to dip into uncommon ingredients in order to end up with a balanced diet (for plant matter, getting the vitamins you normally get from meat can be challenging - especially to your wallet). How did you solve this? If you did not, what would you estimate the percentage increase of your food spending to be? Can you give some insight into what part of the world you are (Africa/Asia/Europe/North America/South America or something of that granularity is fine), if you are comfortable with doing so?

skilled 7y ago
I think this (cost) is the biggest "roadblock" most people see when thinking about a plant-based diet. I currently live in Asia, but travel back and forth between Europe every few months. One of the ways I solved this is by being comfortable to have meals that consist of nothing but raw food. So, raw nuts, raw vegetables and fruit, and legumes whenever I desire. But I also try to look at it realistically. For example, a tub of Kale Powder (120g) will set me back around 20USD. But, how likely am I to consume that tub in one day? In fact, it will last me for up to 4 weeks. The same goes for 350 grams of Hemp Protein. It's 20USD but I'm going to be having that over a period of at least 2 weeks. One difference between Asia and Europe is that in Asia I can get a much bigger variety of fruit, which is generally my go-to food besides everything else. But even then, I never leave the supermarket having spent more than 30USD for 4-5 days worth of food. If I had to be specific, for the entirety of a whole month I'll be spending about 250-300USD on food. I'm honestly not familiar with other diets and not sure how much they can run up over a month. What I do know is that I never have any leftovers. Everything gets consumed one way or another.
- krageon 7y ago
  I think for my location (Europe, mainly) that is a fairly typical amount of spending for a month of food. However, I spend that for roughly two people and from the times I've had to buy food in Asia (admittedly some years ago) it is quite a lot cheaper than it would be here. That would put it at maybe twice as expensive (or even slightly more) as a non-restricted diet. Is that a fair assessment?

sridca 7y ago

I had the same improvement as you, except I went in the other direction. http://meatheals.com/ http://meatheals.com/

whenchamenia 7y ago
While I think that may be just seen as contrarian, I have noticed an effect just by switching to only ethically sourced meats. The quality of grass grazed, un-processed beef and chicken is almost unlike what you see in the supermarkets creepy saran wrapped isles.
- sridca 7y ago
  Yes. Not just quality, but taste is also positively affected. The ground beef I get from http://www.lamauve.com/ http://www.lamauve.com/ for example tastes so much better than that of local grocery stores (which always has a slightly bitter and uninspiring taste).
gumbi_nz 7y ago
I'm carnivore too. I was going to make the point to the OP that the mental clarity, feeling of wellbeing etc. is probably due to abstinence from processed carbs i.e. sugar, not plants