Plant-Based Eating Is About Choosing To

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All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the the author.

In other words, don’t copy any of my work, sell it for profit, or pass it off as your own. That would be wrong. But you already knew that.

The suggestions recommended in this book are not intended as a substitute for any dietary regimen prescribed by your doctor.

As with any nutritional intervention, you should obtain your doctor’s approval before beginning. Further, and preferably, your physician should perform an overall assessment of your health and readiness.

Ryan D. Andrews hereby disclaims any liability or loss in connection with the use of this guide and advice herein.

“One of the greatest opportunities to live our values - or betray them - lies in the food we put on our plates.”

― Jonathan Safran Foer

“Go too long without it on this earth and you leavin’ it Americans wastin’ it on some leisure shit And other nations be desperately seekin’ it” -New World Water by Mos Def

I remember listening to the song New World Water by Mos Def back in 1999. As a rap fan, I quickly realized this wasn’t your typical rap fare.

He wasn’t talking about bling, booty, or Cristal.

He was talking about being responsible with water. Yes, water.

The song challenged me. It was different. And listening to it felt right. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was craving betterment. I was waiting for someone to open my eyes to more important issues.

I’m no Mos Def. But one of my goals with this book is to challenge you to betterment. I want to raise your awareness about the effect of your daily food choices.

That’s it. No hidden motives.

We all know that our food choices matter, but too often we forget why. It’s not just about dropping a few pounds and getting swole for tank top season (although that can occur as a byproduct of eating a certain way). It’s about ALL the other stuff. What we eat influences everything (seriously, everything). The repercussions of our dietary decisions extend far beyond selfies or the bathroom scale.

While I don’t have all the answers (and never will), I’ve devoted my life to figuring out a better way to approach our three daily meals. And I think I’m on the right track.

Here’s what I've learned so far...

“How we produce and consume food has a bigger impact on Americans’ well-being than any other human activity. The food industry is the largest sector of our economy; food touches everything from our health to the environment, climate change, economic inequality and the federal budget.” -Mark Bittman, Michael Pollan, Ricardo Salvador, Olivier De Schutter (Washington Post - November 2014)

I had an epiphany in 2004. And because I’ve only had a few epiphanies in my life, I remember it pretty clearly.

I was taking an ethics in research class during graduate school, and we were learning about using animals in research. I didn’t feel comfortable harming animals for extraneous research, and I was discussing this with a lab assistant.

“So ... do you eat meat?” she asked.

“Sure,” I said, shrugging.

“Well, you’re harming animals every day then,” she pointed out.

And that was it for me. I decided right then that I wanted no part in contributing to animal harm, and I haven’t eaten meat since (and this was after several years of eating about one pound of it per day1).

I began to think: what if I learn more about where food comes from and how it influences the planet?

So that’s what I did. I learned a lot of stuff.

I learned that our current approach to eating isn’t working. We’ve hit a dead end. We’re eating ourselves into illness. We’re eating a diet that encourages animal suffering. We’re eating the earth’s resources into depletion.

1 I was a competitive bodybuilder for about six years and my diet was built around chicken, steak, eggs, fish, cottage cheese, and whey protein powder. Those were my staples. My diet was animal-food-centric. One pound of meat, a dozen eggs (10 whites and 2 whole), and cottage cheese straight from the container was my daily fare. Heck, my roommate and I even built a pyramid in our college apartment with empty whey protein jugs.

Some of us ignore these realities related to our daily food choices. Which we’re entitled to do. We can ignore what we want to ignore.

But ignoring reality doesn’t make it a non-reality.

When we ignore the deeper realities around how our daily food choices influence the environment, farmworker welfare, and animal welfare -- we’ll be blinded to the ultimate solutions. Instead, we’ll distract ourselves with surface level fixes.

We download dieting apps, calorie trackers, and cut carbs or fat in an effort to solve a much deeper problem.

Until we reconnect with food and where it comes from, and develop a deeper respect for it, I don’t believe we’ll see any measurable shift in societal health and weight.

I relate it to marriage. Downloading an app to remind you to compliment your partner or reading a book about how to communicate better in relationships might be helpful, but at the foundation, if you don’t respect your partner, you’re probably going to run into problems. And this is where we stand with food --- we don’t respect it.

It’s my contention that if we address the deeper realities and solutions instead of distracting ourselves with surface level fixes (which often can lead to more problems), a byproduct of our dedication to a cause greater than ourselves can be a healthier body.

There's nothing wrong with changes rooted in self-interest (e.g. wanting to have six-pack abs or massive biceps). That’s how I first became interested in nutrition. However, I also recognize that a healthy hobby can turn into a destructive habit that creates blinders to other important issues in the world.

How we look in the mirror or perform athletically can most definitely be part of why we change our eating, but if it’s the only focus, we probably won’t see any big societal shifts in health.

We need to think bigger.

● A survey of 246 self-identified vegan eaters found that those who ate the diet for ethical reasons were more likely to follow the diet for a longer period of time.

● Researchers have found that when people identify “bigger-than-self” goals2, they feel more hopeful, curious, caring, grateful, inspired, and excited.

2 Think of bigger-than-self goals as juicier, meatier sources of motivation. (Well, maybe “meatier” isn’t the appropriate term here, but you know what I mean).

● Researchers have also found that when people focus exclusively on “self-focused” goals, there’s a good chance they’ll feel more confused, anxious, angry, envious, and lonely.

Which points to something powerful:

When a cause is bigger than us, we’re more likely to tap into a deep well of motivation that allows us to follow through with our goals long-term.

Let’s think bigger Let’s eat in a way that acknowledges the critical realities we face and gets us thinking bigger. A Guide to Plant-Based Eating is about choosing to:

● Eat more minimally processed plant foods ● Eat less animal products and highly processed foods ● Waste less food ● Take time to prepare more food and learn about where it comes from ● Spend more on organic and/or local food ● Support companies that promote working conditions that are humane/safe ● Basically, consider our bigger-than-self values

If, as a society, we collectively make these choices, I believe things will finally start to shift in a positive direction.

In the following pages, I will highlight 8 realities that I believe are preventing us from moving forward, both in terms of individual health, as well as the health of our planet.

Reality #1. We don’t eat enough beans

I have bad news, and I have really bad news.

First, the bad news. Each person in the U.S. will only eat about 7 pounds of beans this year.

Now the really bad news. Each person in the U.S. will also eat about 216 pounds of meat/fish.

If this seems out of balance, that’s because it is.

Beans are inexpensive and tasty. They also have a low potential of foodborne illness, and can reduce the risk of diabetes and heart disease. Additionally, beans are good for the environment: Producing 1 kg of protein from beans requires nine times less fuel than producing 1 kg of protein from beef. Furthermore, they don’t require much irrigation, and growing them improves land quality as they help to fix nitrogen into the soil.

I don’t know about you, but for the first 20 years of my life, I ate beans about four times per year: Three times at Taco Bell, and once at the summer family reunion picnic (the heap of baked beans next to my hot dog and burger). Now I eat at least one type of bean nearly every day.

Think about how you might be able to include more beans in your diet. Some of my favorite bean-centric dishes include: split pea soup, black bean burrito, falafel, hummus, and lentil burgers.

Reality #2. We eat too many animal products

“Current rates of meat consumption in wealthy countries – particularly red meat – are unsustainable under any circumstances, and must be reduced due to the burgeoning health and environmental impacts.” -Olivier De Schutter, Hans Herren and Emile Frison [on behalf of the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems (IPES-Food)]

Put aside absolutes for a moment. I’m not talking about veganism or vegetarianism.

Instead think about this: Just 55% of the world’s crop calories feed people directly. The other 45% are fed to livestock (~36%) or processed into biofuels and industrial products (~9%).

Crops given to livestock tend to be a losing proposition: For every 100 calories of grain3 we feed animals, we only get about 40 new calories of milk, 22 calories of eggs, 12 of chicken meat, 10 of pork, or 3 of beef.

And the world of seafood doesn’t look promising either. Since 1970, the number of fish in the sea has dropped by nearly half. At this pace, it’s estimated that world fish populations will completely collapse by 2048.

3 I acknowledge that this could be different in grass-fed/pasture-raised farming operations. I wanted to use the grain example since the vast majority of livestock are currently being fed grain.

The hard reality is: The rate of animal food consumption in wealthy countries is unsustainable under any circumstances, not to mention inefficient and inhumane.

Relying on animal foods as dietary staples in a growing population is quickly becoming antiquated. We have a lot of mouths to feed on this planet, and as our population continues to grow (218,000 more people each day), shifting to more plant foods that provide similar nutrients will allow us to decrease our reliance on animal products.

I love what yogi Seane Corn says:“The diet we choose to sustain us must also sustain the planet.”

As a society, if we consumed less meat, this could allow for less intensified meat production methods, such as more humane, pasture-raised options. But if we continue to eat the same amount of meat, we’ll forever be trapped in a cycle of factory farming to meet the overwhelming demand.

An interesting note: Since 2010 it’s been difficult to capture the full environmental toll that meat production has because congress passed a provision that prevents the Environmental Protection Agency from tracking emissions from meat producers.

So, when the U.S. reports its emissions data to the United Nations each year, we are underreporting to due to lack of accurate livestock data. Not good.

Reality #3. We don’t spend much money on food

Adapted from Vox: http://www.vox.com/2014/7/6/5874499/map-heres-how-much-every-country-spends-on-food

As North Americans, we don't spend much of our income on food. In fact, Americans spend less on food than people in any other country in the world.

(Not to rain on the "healthy food is too expensive" parade.)

Now, your common sense alarm might be going off right about now. As countries get richer, they spend more on other things and proportionately less on food. So it makes sense that the U.S. would have proportionately low food spending simply due to higher overall household expenditures. (However, this relationship doesn’t always pan out - compare the U.S. versus France: Two comparable countries in terms of wealth, but France spends over double on food.)

In the end, there are two important considerations with this reality:

Consideration #1: A big reason why we aren’t spending much on food directly is because of farm subsidies.

If you pay taxes in the U.S., then you contribute to the $20 billion per year farm subsidy cash pot.

What are farm subsidies? Since agriculture is unpredictable (e.g., weather, pests, etc), the federal government offers subsidies to farmers as a way to buffer variations in production and profits.

No crops after the drought? Here’s some money to help! No crops after the pest rampage? Here’s some money to help!

This sounds like some serious love from the government towards farmers, right? Well, unfortunately, the vast majority of subsidies have little to do with droughts and pests, and simply go to farmers producing one (or more) of five items: corn, soy, wheat, cotton, and rice.

I know what you’re thinking: Corn, soy, and wheat are being subsidized in order to support our massive nationwide consumption of corn on the cob, tofu, and wheat berry pilaf, right?

Ummm, no.

Corn, soy, and wheat are subsidized because they are major players in livestock feed and highly processed junk food and drinks.

Most of the farmers managing smaller farms with a variety of nutritious vegetables, fruits, and legumes won’t see these subsidies.

This partly explains why a double quarter pounder with cheese is the same price as one bunch of organic kale.

Consideration #2: Food prices have become artificially low, largely because we’ve externalized the costs. While we get excited spending only a few dollars at the grocery store, there’s a price being paid somewhere -- often by farm workers (low wages), animals (poor living conditions), the public (higher taxes, see Consideration #1), and the environment (harmful chemicals being applied to crops to get them to grow faster, kill weeds, and eliminate pests).

What if instead of trying to eat as much as possible for the lowest cost, we aim to spend more on quality food and eat a bit less?

Reality #4. We waste food

Every Thursday at 7am I go to a grocery store and pick up between 10 and 30 boxes/bags of nutritious food that’s about to be trashed. Forgotten. Discarded.

And then I take this food and donate it to food pantries and schools so it can be distributed to people who need it. There are organizations4 all over the world making sure perfectly good food doesn’t go into the landfill.

Wendell Berry once wrote that we often treat food like a one night stand. We don’t want to know anything about where food came from, and we don’t want to think about it after we’re done with it.

It’s a crude comparison, but when you begin to learn about statistics around food waste, you’ll likely agree with Mr. Berry.

We waste 25% of all food purchased for the home. This is up by 50% since 1970. This is basically like going to the grocery store, picking up four bags of groceries, and then taking one bag directly to the dumpster. Fifteen-mile-per-gallon Suburban thinks this is wasteful.

Food waste is the single largest component of our trash. To compound this problem, landfilling food waste creates methane, which has 25 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide.

When we throw out food, we also throw away the time, effort, money, and fossil fuels that were necessary to grow, process, and transport that food.

Even worse? The food most often wasted at home? Meat/seafood.

So basically, we feed and water an animal until it’s fully grown, kill it, process/package it, and throw away the meat.

“Makes sense!” said no one.

4 Shout out to Food Link MA.

Reality #5. We don’t spend time preparing food

I count my “bodybuilding days” blessings regularly, because it was this sport that provided me with the incentive to get into the kitchen at a young age to learn basic food preparation.

At 16 I logged many hours in the kitchen in order to have my fridge well stocked. Meanwhile, I was watching my peers struggle to microwave a Pop-Tart. My high school peers are now adults, but the statistics still aren’t promising.

American adults spend just over 27 minutes per day on food prep. And we spend 40 minutes per day on Facebook and 169 minutes watching TV.

I can already hear the Twitterverse blowing up. “Ryan, welcome to 2016: I’m busy! I have a life! I have a job! I don’t have time to toil in the kitchen! You just don’t get it.”

Exactly. I don’t get it.

Now, let me first say, I do understand that some people are working longer hours to make enough money to buy food, pay rent, and turn on lights. Living can be pricey these days.

But, I also see how people spend their leisure time, which often involves a tech device and chair rather than a cutting board, knife, and mixing bowl.

While I don’t currently identify as a “foodie” who spends hours in the kitchen experimenting with exotic herbs and oils, I do believe two important things related to time spent on food prep:

1) Leisure time can include food prep. (Seriously. It can be fun. Good music/podcasts + Friends/family/spouse + A cast iron pot = Good times.)

2) Spending a small chunk of your day/week preparing some tasty food is an absolutely critical investment in the future of the earth and your long term health. Taking the time to prepare food at home helps us build respect for food. And when we respect something, we’re less likely to take it for granted and mistreat it.

Reality #6. We are running out of water

“Seven hundred of the world's top water experts conclude that water demand by agriculture will double by 2050....that amount of water doesn't exist.” -Joel K. Bourne Jr., The End of Plenty

Barely 1% of the world’s water is safe to drink. So while there is the illusion of being surrounded by this resource, we don’t actually have an abundance of the drinkable kind.

(Um, is it just me or are you suddenly thirsty too?)

Water use for animal products tends to be larger than the water use for crop products with equivalent nutritional value. For example, to produce 1 kg of protein from beans requires about ten times less water than producing 1 kg of protein from beef.

The more plants we eat in place of animal products, the lower our water footprint.

Certain plants can be quite thirsty too (mainly nuts). But overall, unless someone is literally living on nuts (what a nut!), a plant-based diet will use much less water overall5.

Gradual changes add up here. For example, eating plant-based with minimal dairy, eggs five days per week, and meat twice per week could decrease water use (and land use and greenhouse-gas emissions) by nearly 45%. Cutting animal products completely decreases water demand by 70% compared to omnivores.

5 Source for table: http://waterfootprint.org/en/water-footprint/product-water-footprint/water-footprint-crop-and-animal-products

Reality #7. We eat too many highly processed foods

Pick any random person on any North American street. If you count up all of the calories they’re eating, there’s a good chance more than 60% of them are coming from highly processed foods (e.g., soda, pre-packaged pastries, pizza pockets, fast food, candy, chips, etc.).

This is the elephant in the room.

While dietary camps debate carb timing, raw milk, and the proper way to soak chia seeds – I’m lying in bed at night thinking about how everyone’s diet is built around pastries and pizza pockets.

Quick question for you: How many commercials/billboards/ads have you seen in the past month for McDonald’s and/or Coca-Cola?

Now, what about commercials/billboards/ads for lentils and/or zucchini?

That’s what I thought.

We are all part of a massive psychology experiment. We are told in multiple formats that we should be eating highly processed foods, that they taste good, that they are consumed regularly by athletes/celebrities, and that they will make us happy/satisfied/powerful/complete.

That’s a lot of psychological baggage to sort out.

Like it or not, much of what we internalize and accept as truth is delivered to us via advertising. And our feelings/beliefs about commercial foods are no exception.

Have you ever wondered why Coke, McDonald’s, and Cheerios are associated with warm and fuzzy feelings about family, friends, and good times? Is it because you’ve really had such consistently positive experiences with these brands or are you being subtly influenced by advertising?

Some people are already highly aware of this, others are not. I challenge you to be aware of the advertising for the products you consume, and how it might have shaped your current beliefs about food.

Reality #8. We don’t know (or care) who provides our food

“If you were under the impression that a slaughterhouse wouldn’t be the safest place to work, you would be correct.” -Wyatt Marshall

At the farm I volunteer at, my task one day was to clean out the hen house. This is a small-scale farm, and hosts maybe 30 to 40 hens. I raked up feathers and collected poop in the wheelbarrow. I inhaled a lot of...well...I’m not sure, but it came out in tissues later that day. My eyes were slits in order to prevent whatever was flaking off the ceiling from lodging in my cornea.

And I swear, that rooster outside the door? Strutting around with his chest out, staring me down with his beady eyes? He was just mocking me.

Worst. Afternoon. Ever.

Well, not really. But it was crummy. And not something I’d want to do more than once per year. (Or, most mercifully, per lifetime.)

When we buy animal products, we support jobs that facilitate getting these animal products to our plates.

Whether that’s hen house sweepers, assembly line workers in the slaughterhouse, chicken sexers6, or tail dockers (someone who removes the tail from a cow) on dairy farms.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports injury and illness rates for the meat packing industry as 2 ½ times higher than the national average. And nearly 1/3 of the workers in the meat industry are immigrants, and less likely to report an injury for fear of losing their jobs (so keep in mind that these injury/illness rates may be even higher).

And what about the folks who harvest veggies and fruits? 70% of workers in U.S. fields come from Mexico or Central America with 40% of them being undocumented.

While in the fields, exposure to pesticides poisons as many as 20,000 farmworkers every year (this is also likely underreported). Further, farmworkers have an elevated risk for prostate cancer, esophageal cancer, and oral cavity cancers. If that wasn’t scary enough, pesticide exposure is attributed to higher rates of birth defects, developmental delays, leukemia, and brain cancer among farmworker children.

6 Chicken sexers are people who distinguish the sex of baby chicks. They determine the sex in order to separate the females (which are kept to lay eggs) from the males (which are often discarded/killed).

And in a really ironic twist, 60% of the people responsible for bringing food to our plates each day live in poverty and don’t have enough food for themselves.

A willingness to spend more on food could help to secure these hard workers a more fair wage and more ethical workplace standards. Additionally, supporting organic agriculture practices can ensure these laborers aren’t spending their days working around such toxic chemicals.

“The idea of eating a plant-based diet is worse than actually eating a plant-based diet.” -Ryan D. Andrews7

I’m a bit embarrassed to look back at my first attempts at plant-based meals. But cut me some slack….it was uncharted territory! I didn’t grow up knowing people who ate this way. And looking to the rest of society for guidance isn’t very helpful since everybody’s plate is stacked with burgers, chicken breasts, and lots of cheese.

Fortunately, as I began my transition to eating more plant-based I was also in the process of receiving graduate level education in nutrition and health [cue smug look].

But I’ll be honest, I was still kinda scared. And I felt very much alone. I had a constant loop of questions buzzing in my mind, including:

● Can I get all of my nutrients from plant foods? ● Will limiting animal products harm my health? ● Do people who eat no meat turn into frail hippies? (kind of joking, kind of serious) ● What’s the deal with soy? Will it shrink my testicles? (kind of joking, kind of serious) ● How do I get protein if I don’t eat meat, fish, dairy, and eggs? ● Can I eat plant-based and still have a healthy, fit body? ● Do I have to eat a bunch of weird foods I don’t enjoy? ● Will I be able to go out to eat with friends and family without being judged/pitied/ridiculed?

Hands down, one of my biggest fears was lack of protein (remember, I came from a protein-obsessed bodybuilding culture). I thought that in order to get enough protein I would have to combine specific foods at specific times, start a commune, wear tie-dye, and live in a yurt in the Colorado mountains.

Maybe you've wondered the same things.

Well, I bring good news.

7 Yes, I just quoted myself. Shut up.

It’s been 12 years so far on my plant-based eating path. I’m healthy (well, as far as I know based on lab markers and metrics). My testosterone is at the upper end of normal (and I eat soy!). I eat foods I enjoy until I’m satisfied. I don’t worry about tallying my nutrients for the day or combining certain foods at certain times. I don’t live in a yurt (at least not yet). And I only get minimal weird looks when eating out with family and friends.

As you can see, through experience, thoughtful contemplation, and plain old trial and error, I've learned a bunch of things in my transition from protein-obsessed bodybuilder to a healthy plant-based eater. I'd like to share some tips and ideas to help you make this transition too (assuming you are interested).

Your kitchen probably needs some adjustment

Let’s begin with your kitchen. I’ve found that this is an area you’ll want to have in order. Plant-based eating begins with Berardi’s8 First Law:

If a food is in your possession or located in your residence, either you, someone you love, or someone you marginally tolerate will eventually eat it.

Translation: Keep food around that you want to eat more of.

I guess now is probably a good time for a quick thought experiment: If a food and/or drink isn’t conducive to your values and quality of life, consider why you might still be keeping it around.

Take back control of your kitchen, and start eating in accordance with what you really care about.

At this point, I know what you’re thinking: You’ve had plenty of plant-based meals that are delicious, but they required booking the whole afternoon off to prepare them.

Remember, not all of your meals have to be big occasions. Plant foods are simple, tasty, satisfying, and contain lots of nutrients. Here’s the simple equation:

Find the foods you enjoy + Put a bunch of them on a plate + Eat.

It could be chopped bell peppers, sliced strawberries, cooked lentils, whole grain bread, and a jar of sunflower seed butter – stuff like that. We’re talking 3rd grade nutrition skills here.

8 AKA Dr. John Berardi - one of the brightest minds I’ve ever been associated with.

Just throw on your favorite tunes and allow yourself a few hours each week (3 hours shopping/food prep subtracted from 168 total hours in a week allows 165 hours for other stuff) to stock up and prepare your favorite plant foods. Stocking and preparing food ahead of time will prevent late night 7-11 benders. Trust me.

To put together an actual day of real life plant-based eating, you have a couple of options.

1) Select meal ideas from this book, assemble them, and then eat when you are hungry each day.

2) If you’re crunched for time or are allergic to your kitchen, hire a chef or subscribe to a plant-based meal delivery service, like The Purple Carrot, Hello Fresh, or Veestro (or just Google a plant-based meal delivery service in your area). Making the switch

Speaking of simple meal ideas… I have some!

Review the options below. Pick 2-4 breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. These can be your go-to meals that you rotate through9.

First, a few quick notes.

Note #1: Don't like my ideas? Fine! Come up with your own! [storms off] Only kidding. Remember, these are just examples. Choose meals you like.

Note #2: Yes - the rest of the family (kids, spouse, and grandma) can eat these meals too. Why would you feed your family something you wouldn’t eat yourself?

Note #3: Pick 1-2 wild card animal foods here if you want them in the mix. Maybe it’s eggs from humanely raised chickens. Maybe it’s local yogurt from pastured cows. Or maybe it’s 7-11 beef taquitos. Your call.

Note #4: Variety is your friend. If you have peanuts for breakfast, try not to have peanuts again at lunch and dinner. If you have soy for breakfast, try not to have soy again at lunch and dinner. If you are having kale for dinner, try not to have kale for breakfast and lunch. Mix it up. Variety better ensures that you are getting all the nutrients you need. If variety over the course of a day sounds too complex, at least consider variety over the course of a week.

Note #5: Dry beans/lentils are wicked cheap. Making homemade granola is too. Cha-ching!

9 You’ve heard that 40 is the new 30. Well, simple is the new complex. Most of the ideas in this guide contain minimal ingredients. It’s the whole food, plant-based, minimalist approach. Interestingly, eating this way will make it more likely that 40 is indeed the new 30.

21 BREAKFAST Tofu or egg scramble with veggies Tempeh bacon and greens Oat or spelt flakes with seeds and fruit Smoothie with greens, protein powder, fruit, milk or yogurt, nut butter Buckwheat pancakes Breakfast burrito with black beans, avocado, salsa Sprouted grain toast with nut butter and fruit Granola with non-dairy milk or yogurt

LUNCH Peanut butter sandwich and cut up raw veggies Almond butter sandwich and fruit Lentil soup and toast Lentil burger and baked potato Veggie burger and sweet potato Bean burrito with grilled veggies and rice Mock tuna salad (using chickpeas instead of tuna) and potato wedges (or chips) Tempeh bacon, tomato, lettuce, avocado sandwich

DINNER Falafel salad Bean burrito and grilled veggies Tofu and veggie stir-fry Veggie burger and salad Hummus/veggie wrap Chili and cornbread Veggie lasagna and salad Split pea soup with baked sweet potato wedges Lentil/quinoa pasta with marinara sauce and side salad

SNACKS Hummus and veggies Dry roasted edamame/chickpeas Good quality bars (e.g., Organic Food Bar, Larabar, GoMacro Bar, Vega Bars, etc) Soy or seitan jerky Fruit Rice cakes with nut/seed butter

22 DESSERTS Your choice. In the mood for something light? Try a sweet fruit (e.g., pineapple, dates, grapes, dried figs, etc.). In the mood for something, well, more like dessert? There are plenty of non-dairy ice creams (Ben & Jerry’s is tasty), cookies, cakes, etc., or you can make your own. There are plenty of ways to get your sweet tooth on while eating plant-based.

Notice that these meals contain a mix of: ● Vegetables ● Fruits ● Legumes/beans (pinto, lentils, peas, black, aduki, lima, navy, etc.) ● Nuts/seeds (almonds, cashews, walnuts, flax seeds, hemp seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, peanuts, etc.) ● Whole grains (oats, quinoa, wild rice, brown rice, whole grain breads, corn, amaranth, etc.)

As mentioned, meals that contain a variety of plant foods will more likely ensure adequate nutrient intake (and perhaps more importantly, deliciousness).

When you have your 2-4 go-to meals, write them down and plan your meals for the week.

Here are some examples of my favorites…

Example #1

Breakfast: Tofu or egg10 scramble with spinach and mushrooms Lunch: Mock tuna w/ a baked potato (or sweet potato): Dinner: Lentil burger with salad (frozen veggie burgers work too) Snack: An apple with peanut butter

10 Eggs and dairy don’t make up much of my diet. When I do include them, I do my darndest to make sure I am comfortable with how the animal is treated. Check out the “How to be a better omnivore” section for more on selecting dairy and eggs with higher animal welfare standards.

23 Example #2

Breakfast: Granola with fruit and non-dairy milk Lunch: Tempeh bacon, Lettuce, Tomato sandwich (TLT, baby!) with canned tomato soup Dinner: Burrito bowl with chips and salsa Dessert: Coconut or hemp ice cream

Example #3

Breakfast: Shake with protein powder, hemp seeds, greens, fruit Lunch: Split pea hummus wrap with roasted veggies (peppers, eggplant, squash) Dinner: Basmati rice with black-eyed peas and sunflower seeds Snack: Larabar

Once you’ve spent some time dreaming about delicious plant-based foods, you’ll want to buy the necessary ingredients to assemble each meal. A quick Google search will bring up countless recipe options that fit your taste, budget, and schedule.

Now, I bet this has sparked a bunch of questions.

What about fresh versus frozen veggies? Or canned versus dried beans? Is spinach better than romaine? Should I cook with olive oil or coconut oil?

Honestly…I don’t care. And neither should you. Just have good foods you need on hand so you can actually eat them.

If you can shop for seasonal, organic, local food items…all the better. But don’t drive yourself crazy either. I mean that. I did. It’s not worth it. Learn from my mistakes11.

Some people might start to gripe about the environmental cost of not being able to eat mostly local foods. Maybe they are eating avocados from Mexico, bananas from Costa Rica, and almonds from California.

Ahhhh! Are these international food choices single-handedly ending the planet because of the transport?

11 If you try to catch two rabbits, they both escape. Crap - bad analogy in a book about plant-based eating and non-violence but you get the idea. If you choose to focus mainly on eating plant-based, other things might have to slide a … bit (e.g., you won’t be able to eat ALL local or ALL organic, etc).

Probably not. Remember, eating plant-based is a nutritional strategy that’s quite sustainable, no matter if your food is grown down the street or across the country12.

Now that you have your shopping list, head over to the grocery store or farmer’s market, and get your goods.

After you buy all of your food, you might be griping about food prices. If this is the case, I have one word for you: Pollan.

“Cheap food is an illusion. There’s no such thing. The real cost is paid somewhere. If not at the cash register, it’s charged to the environment, the public purse (in the form of subsidies), or to your health. You get what you pay for.” -Michael Pollan

If A Guide to Plant-Based Eating had an altar, there would be a framed picture of Michael Pollan at its centre. And maybe a bowl of hemp seeds. Look him up.

After you get back from the store, don’t pat yourself on the back quite yet. The grocery shopping experience doesn’t end when you unpack your bag at home.

The fun is just starting!

It’s time to get intimate with your food.

Wash and cut the veggies. Rinse and soak the beans. If you have no idea how to do this, ask the internet or a good friend/family member who knows their way around a kitchen.

I am encouraging you to have the food ready to eat. Not many people are willing to wait 90 minutes for lentil burgers when they are hungry NOW. As my wife likes to say: “Nom, nom, nom….” (Which is normally cute, but when she gets hungry, it’s scary. Best to have some pre-made lentil burgers on hand.)

Moving forward

Adjusting one's environment seems kind of old-school, but remember that we are extremely sensitive to and profoundly influenced by environment.

Healthy eaters have healthy homes. And healthy people ensure that their environment supports their goals. Changing your surroundings is one of the best ways to start your plant-based eating journey13.

12 Transportation to the final point of sale accounts for less than 10% of greenhouse gas emissions associated with the American diet. Translation: Not much. 13 Oh - and PS, and don’t forget to eat plenty of foods you truly enjoy.

You know it and I know it. There’s a lot of nutrition misinformation out there. This section covers some of the most common misinformation I come across.

First, I should probably offer a disclosure: I don’t have all the answers.

I haven’t read every book, seen every documentary, talked to every expert, taken every class, been to every conference, or read every journal article. No one has.

I’m always evolving and learning. So, while I offer you some myth-busting in this section, I want to continue to challenge YOU to evolve, keep an open mind, keep learning, and don’t just use me as your only source of information.

I’ll break this section down into subcategories so it’s easier for you to navigate.

● General health/nutrition ● Plant-based eating (including soy, protein, digestion, and so forth) ● Gender/social/cultural/mindset

General health/nutrition “Your metabolism is slow because of your genetics”

It could be. But I doubt it.

Metabolism dwindles for most North Americans because they lead a metabolism dwindling life. We don’t move our body, we spend time glued to screens, we don’t sleep, we are living more isolated lives, we don’t go outside, we use body products with questionable chemicals, and we eat low nutrient, low quality foods.

If we stay active, get away from 24/7 screens, prioritize sleep, have rich social lives, get outside, use body products with better ingredients, do resistance training, and eat a balanced diet with plenty of nutrient dense foods, our metabolism should be fine/normal/healthy.

“You must eat X meals per day”

How often you eat comes down to what you prefer….and how you best manage your overall food intake. If you do well with smaller frequent meals and this helps you feel better, then do it.

If smaller frequent feedings leave you in a never ending food prep, food consumption, food cleanup cycle, then maybe you would thrive eating three larger meals per day.

I've seen healthy people take both approaches. The common theme is that healthy people find what works for them. As long as you eat some nutrient dense foods each day and respect your body cues, you should be set.

“Supplements are necessary/unnecessary”

We've evolved in many areas. We now have medications to treat diseases. We have refrigerators to preserve food. We have bumper plates to prevent cracked gym floors (and cracked weight plates).

If you aren't getting a certain nutrient from food, we’ve got something for that too! You can use a supplement. And you aren't a moral failure if you do so. I rarely meet anyone who is able to attain all of the nutrients they need from whole foods alone, whether they eat animal products or not.

“Counting macro’s and/or calories is accurate and necessary”

Detailed counting of macronutrients and/or calories is a tool for chronic dieters. Instead, check out this equation:

Nutrition awareness + intuition = healthy body (with minimal food-obsession)

Now, I’m all in favor of having knowledge about which foods are more calorie dense, more processed, and more nutritious. For example:

● Desserts, Pop-Tarts, fast food burgers, and vegetable oil? Calorie dense, processed, and not very nutritious. ● Vegetables, fruits, beans, whole grains? Reasonable amount of calories, minimally processed, and nutrient dense.

Having a general awareness of nutrition is very different from obsessing about macronutrients and/or calories, which only gets us further away from our intuition. We were all born with the innate wisdom necessary to regulate our food intake. Use it, along with your ever growing knowledge-base about nutrition, or lose it.

But!

A word of caution: We will never know EVERYTHING about nutrition.

Acting like we know everything is foolish and cocky. And like I talk about later in regard to nutrition science, reducing food down to only four components (calories, fat, carbs, protein) is over-simplistic and ignores the bigger picture.

If someone is coming from a background of calculating exact macronutrient targets each day, trying to continue this practice with minimally processed plant foods (that rarely come in packages with nutrition labels) will only lead to food-obsession and frustration. They might even use it as a reason to NOT continue eating plant-based.

See, when we focus single-mindedly on counting nutrients, it blinds us to the context of the entire food, what else it offers, where it comes from, if it matches our deeper values, and if it agrees with our body.

If someone builds a meal that satisfies a macro target, they might do it at the expense of satisfying a moral target. I’m not much concerned with macros when I sit down to a meal, Rather, I’m more concerned with what foods I like, what foods I feel best after eating, what foods offer me nutrients, what foods are available, and what foods align with my morals.

Remember...

Nutrition awareness + intuition = healthy body (with minimal food-obsession)

“You must be on a strict exercise and diet plan to be lean, muscular and healthy”

I guess it depends on your definition of “lean, muscular, and healthy”. But I can say this.

I’m not the strongest guy. I’m not the biggest guy. I’m not the leanest guy.

But you know what? I’m hella consistent. And this is likely why I've kept a decently lean, muscular and healthy body for over a decade.

I have days of eating three perfectly balanced freshly cooked meals in exact accordance to my hunger cues, biking 30 minutes outside in the sun, doing 60 minutes of resistance training supersets at the gym, 15 minutes of corrective exercise in the morning, and rounding out the day with my dessert of a fresh medjool date. I know, I’m a nutrition/fitness boss on those days!

And then I have days where I take a 20 minute walk to the grocery store, eat some salad with my mac and cheese dinner (Earth Balance brand mac and cheese is legit), and have a couple scoops of Ben & Jerry’s for dessert. I know, not so bossy on those days.

But the consistency I gain from “better than nothing/not so bossy” days PLUS my boss days adds up to pretty darn good!

Unless you are a physique athlete preparing for a competition, there is no need for rigid training and dieting protocols 24/7.

Health and fitness is a lifelong project, and not enough people play the long game.

Going to the gym three times per week for 15 years? Badass. No dessert binges for 8 years? Off the chain. Never needing a calculator to help make food choices? Shazam.

“You must eat a low fat diet”

There is some compelling science and theory behind a very low fat diet for preventing and reversing cardiovascular diseases. I acknowledge this.

With this being said, in my experience with plant-based eaters, I see too many of them eat excess amounts of refined grains and added sugars in place of nutrient-dense whole foods that contain fat (e.g., nuts, seeds, coconut, olives, and avocadoes).

In other words, if people are overdosing anywhere, it’s on Pop-tarts and fruit juices, and not walnuts, guacamole, and Kalamata olives.

My advice for fat intake? Aim to consume most dietary fat from whole food sources (instead of highly processed oils14) as they provide not only fat, but protein and fiber, as well as other beneficial compounds we likely don’t even know about yet! (Remember nutrition science is a recent science -- see below.)

Further, as a plant-based eater, you’ll want to consume enough of a certain kind of fat known as omega-3 fat. I cover this in more depth later on, but if you are antsy to get started, aim to get at least two servings per day of foods rich in omega-3 fats (e.g., flax seeds, hemp seeds, walnuts, and chia seeds). Consider one serving to be a handful -- the kind of handful that isn’t falling out of your hand and squeezing through your fingers.

“Animal products = guaranteed heart disease, cancer, and illness”

14 Reasonable amounts of oil are likely fine. A bit of Earth Balance on oatmeal, some olive oil in salad dressing, or a stir fry with canola oil aren’t deal breakers. Remember to triage your efforts. Oils become an issue when someone is building their diet around processed foods. And make sure to sustainably source your palm oil!

If someone mixes in the occasional cheese wedge or slice of bacon, they probably won't be doomed to a life of ill health. And from a purely nutritional perspective, animal foods do offer some beneficial nutrients. Consider the context in which the animal food is eaten. Like Chris Rock says, a pork chop will save your life if you're starving to death!

Now, if someone starts to eat an animal-food-rich diet (especially low quality and/or processed animal foods) then all bets are off and illness might be a very real possibility. Further, some people are more sensitive to dietary cholesterol in animal foods, and different subfractions (e.g., different types of LDL and HDL) can give different indications of cardiovascular disease risk.

“Nutritional research will give you all of the answers”

You’ll probably notice that I don’t live and die by peer-reviewed journal article citations and debates.

While I love science, we have to be reasonable about what nutrition science can tell us15.

I prefer to take a bigger picture view of nutrition. While science factors into this bigger picture view, it’s hard to be 100% certain about anything in nutrition science because there are so many moving parts.

Soil quality and farming practices vary.

Nutrients may differ crop to crop, season to season.

Human genetics influence what foods we tolerate.

We each have a unique digestive tract, better and worse at absorbing certain nutrients.

We each process stress in various ways, some of us having negative manifestations in the gut.

Cultural lineage can dictate if you better absorb nutrients from certain foods.

Maybe your brother always forced you to eat his squash, and now you hate it.

Further, so much of nutrition science has been based around isolated nutritional components (e.g., lycopene, leucine, fructose, etc). Focusing on one isolated nutrient

15 Nutrition research reminds me of relationship research. Relationship research is interesting. It adds to our knowledge base, and we can use it to guide decisions (along with gut feelings, lessons from family/friends, and observations in society). But most people aren’t going to base relationship choices exclusively on controlled studies published in scientific journals. Nor should we, simply because controlled studies don’t necessarily mimic real life.

30 doesn’t always tell us how all the other known and unknown components will interact in the body along with it. When we are overly focused on an isolated component, we might be missing other lessons from the food as a whole.

And consider this: Nutrition science has given us plenty of useful information so far. It’s just that people don’t utilize it.

All this to say: We can’t always predict how different foods will interact with different people. And even if we could predict with certainty, people probably wouldn’t heed the prediction.

Does this mean we just give up and eat taquitos? Well, that’s always an option. But I like Wendell Berry’s approach:

The trick is not to find certainty, but to act thoughtfully with partial knowledge.

Let’s take what we do know, and do our best to implement it, while not getting in nutritional research wars.

Plant-based eating

“Eating soy puts you on the fast track to health problems”

Soy has been demonized by many.

Here’s my take: It’s just another legume that’s been a part of various healthy cultures for many years.

If someone is consuming more than 6 ounces of tofu, 4 fl. oz. of soy milk, and ½ cup of edamame every day, then I might be concerned about excessive soy intake. Below that amount, soy is unlikely to cause any problems. If anything, more people would likely be better off including reasonable amounts of soy on a regular basis, as studies have linked soy consumption to positive health outcomes such as better cardiovascular health, lowered risk of certain cancers, etc.

“Plants are incomplete proteins, so you shouldn’t bother eating them”

What would happen if someone only ate steak each day? Would they meet all of their nutrient needs? No. They would fall short on fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, calcium, and maybe vitamin B1. Steak is an incomplete food. We can’t rely on steak alone to meet all of our nutrient needs.

What would happen if someone only ate carrots each day? Would they meet all of their nutrient needs? No. They would fall short on protein, fat, iron, zinc, and vitamin B12. Carrots are an incomplete food. We can’t rely on carrots alone to meet all of our nutrient needs.

No single food is meant to meet all of our nutrient needs.

When someone talks about complete or incomplete protein, this is what they are talking about. They’re singling out one category of foods (plants) over one class of nutrients (essential amino acids), and bashing the food because that food alone cannot meet all of our needs.

Just as someone shouldn’t rely on steak for all of their vitamin C, someone shouldn’t rely on carrots for all of their protein. We need to eat a variety of food groups to provide all necessary nutrients.

Classifying a food as “complete” or “incomplete” protein is antiquated and really only useful when someone is relying on one or two foods to meet protein needs for an extended period of time.

Anyone with access to a variety of foods will get a range of all the essential amino acids they need. I’ll even go as far as saying it’s impossible to create a 100% plant-based diet that is protein deficient as long as the following three requirements are met:

1) You eat enough food to sustain a healthy body size When we meet our energy (calorie) needs, protein can do what it needs to do in the body. However, without enough food coming in each day, protein is diverted to other functions in the body that it isn’t ideal for, like producing energy. If you don't eat enough food, you might become not only protein deficient, but everything deficient.

2) You build a diet around a variety of foods (e.g., vegetables, beans, grains, fruits, nuts, and seeds) Some plant-based diets are heavy on starch-dense foods (e.g., pasta, potatoes, cereal) and fruits. Starch-dense foods and fruits are fine, taste good, and provide nutrients….but you might want to avoid letting them be the foundation of your diet. If you build your diet around only starch-dense foods and fruits, you might run into protein and fat deficiency issues, along with getting an excess of carbohydrates. Same idea goes if someone is relying only on nuts/seeds to meet protein needs. They will be getting too much fat. It’s all about proportions and balance.

Here is a visual representation:

3) You include at least 1 cup of cooked legumes each day Closer to 1 ½ cups if you are bigger, closer to 1 cup if you are smaller. Do this with whatever meal you prefer, or spread it throughout the day. Beans/legumes are underutilized by pretty much everybody. But beans are the new meat! Where you previously ate some meat, trying substituting some legumes. (For nutrition nerds: Legumes are a rich source of lysine and if someone eating plant-based is going to fall short in one of the amino acids, lysine is probably the one.)

Now, if this information about protein is still a bit too general for you, I dedicate more space to protein a bit later in the book. Stay tuned.

“You can’t eat beans and other plants due to bloating and gas”

Now, this is a guide for a wide audience, so I’m writing in generalities. First and foremost, I’ll assume you don’t have any underlying digestive issues. If not, then here is my triaged approach to helping people with bloating and gas.

Step 1. Nix sugar-free items. This include sugar free gum/mints, sugar free candy, and sugar free drinks. The added sugar alcohols can cause bloating.

Step 2. Nix inulin. This might also be listed as “chicory root”. It’s in A LOT of products (e.g,. Granola, protein bars, protein powders, soy meats, cereals, etc). Check the label and get rid of it.

Step 3. Nix carbonated drinks. Drink plenty of water each day, preferably away from meals.

Step 4. Take your time eating. Chew adequately. (This is a big one!)

Step 5. When you start eating beans, start slow. In other words, if you aren't used to eating beans, start with just 1/4 cup cooked per day. Then gradually increase over the coming weeks. Our GI tract can actually adapt over time to better digest legumes, in other words, people who regularly eat beans get better at digesting beans.

Step 5a. Rinse canned beans. If you use canned beans, give them a good rinse in a colander before using.

Step 5b. Soak/cook dried beans. If you use dried beans, give them a 12-24 hour soak. For a bonus, change the water a couple of times.

Step 6. Try different beans. I can eat a full cup of lentils, split peas, black beans, black-eyed peas, or chickpeas no problem. No bloating or discomfort. I feel like a million bucks. But kidney beans? Just a few spoonfuls give me uncomfortable bloating. So, experiment with some different ones and find what works for you.

Step 7. Try a digestive enzyme. Look for products with alpha-galactosidase, which is an enzyme that helps to break down the bloat-inducing starch in beans.

Step 8. If you've exhausted the previous seven steps and still notice excessive bloating/gas, you might want to explore choosing lower FODMAP vegetables, grains, fruits, and nuts/seeds (or exploring other potential food intolerances). I really like the FODMAP resources from Kate Scarlata (http://www.katescarlata.com/)

“You have to choose between being a carnivore OR a vegan”

I talk to a lot of people who love the idea of neatly contained categories and labels. While strong views make for amusing discussions, I think that this mentality is too black-or-white and all-or-nothing, and does a disservice to the future of food.

I have a friend on a farm. Her mom prepares a new recipe each week. She alternates one week making meat dishes and one week making plant-based dishes.

Think about this for a minute.

It’s not a vegan diet. And it’s not an all-meat diet. It’s, it’s, it’s ... a more reasonable approach to nutrition!

What would happen if the majority of Americans simply made this kind of modification? Alternating weeks (or days) of meat meals and vegetarian meals? We would revolutionize the treatment of animals, slaughterhouse laborers, and conserve precious natural resources.

All of us can take steps in our own lives to show more respect towards animals and a sustainable way of eating.

● Maybe it’s an entirely plant-based meal once per week. ● Maybe it’s seeking out eggs from more humane sources. ● Maybe it’s eating 4 ounces of meat instead of the usual 8 ounces (and adding in more beans/veggies in place of the meat). ● Maybe it’s getting more organic food, so the farm laborers aren’t exposed to such harsh chemicals. ● Maybe it’s getting fair trade coffee, chocolate, and tea, so the workers get a better wage. ● Maybe it’s going to help on a farm, to see firsthand how the laborers are treated. ● Maybe it’s staying involved in causes that promote farmworker welfare (like these: http://www.foodchainsfilm.com/ -- https://www.farmworkerjustice.org/) ● And so forth….

“You have to be a ‘vegetarian’ to eat a vegetarian meal”

My wife is a total rebel. Check out this radical move she sometimes pulls:

If she is at a restaurant choosing from a menu or at home picking a recipe to make, and an entrée without animal products sounds good, she chooses it.

And she isn’t “a vegetarian.”

(Yes, it’s true – veg eaters and omnivores can enjoy a happy union).

I can’t tell you how many people have told me that since they aren’t officially a “vegetarian,” they don’t order or prepare any meals that are labeled as such.

So I challenge you to live on the edge, outside labels and boxes...Why not?

“Beans and grains are bad for you”

I meet more and more people these days who are actively trying to minimize their intake of beans and whole grains.

But here are the facts:

● It’s EXTREMELY rare for people in the U.S. to eat beans and whole grains in the first place. ● Beans and whole grains have consistently been linked to better health outcomes. ● Cultures with exemplary longevity tend to include beans and whole grains.

Some folks claim that anti-nutrient compounds like lectins and phytic acid in beans and whole grains are worth avoiding. Here’s what we need to remember: These kinds of compounds are widely distributed in food items commonly consumed by humans, and have been for many centuries. The majority of nutrition experts assume they don’t pose a risk to human health.

Further, modern forms of food prep, such as soaking16, cooking, fermenting, and/or sprouting reduces the amount of these compounds to a healthy level.

Soaking helps to reduce anti-nutrient compounds and will likely improve your body’s ability to digest and absorb nutrients from these foods.

However, soaking lentils, split peas, and raw nuts/seeds shouldn’t be a deal breaker. If you can do it, great. If not, don’t stress! Just do the best you can.

Some other ways to maximize nutrient absorption from beans and whole grains:

● Consume vitamin C rich foods with them, such as guava, bell pepper, kiwi, citrus fruits, strawberries, Brussel sprouts, cantaloupe, papaya, broccoli, sweet potato, pineapple, cauliflower, kale, and parsley ● Use vinegar in salad dressings and recipes that you use alongside beans and grains ● Supplement with digestive enzymes

If someone is doing all of this and still running into mineral deficiency issues, I would suggest:

● Eating mineral fortified foods ● Taking a mineral supplement

16 See appendix for a quick primer on soaking.

Finally, if you’re eating a plant-based diet and have confirmed nutrient deficiencies and you’ve tried all the above strategies with no success, adding small amounts of animal foods on occasion might boost stores of necessary minerals in your body. You aren’t a moral failure if you do this. And you can even choose animal products from farmers who are doing good in the world! Experiment with finding a minimal level of animal food intake that supports your health needs.

“Plant-based diets contain too many carbs”

"Ryan, there are too many carbs in beans. They'll make me fat."

The next person to get fat on beans will be the first.

I’d encourage nutrition triage here. Eating minimally processed plant foods usually doesn’t cause body fat problems (go find all the people you know who have 40 inch waists from eating too many oats, lentils, berries, and greens – I’ll wait).

[Crickets]

I’m not quite sure what’s happening with carb dense foods in the U.S. Statistics indicate that Americans AREN’T eating spelt, barley, wild rice, and potatoes (non french fried) on a regular basis. Yet, people are ACTIVELY trying to avoid them.

Further, the #1 conversation point that comes up when I’m socializing about plant-based eating is….carbs. Or, to put it plainly, many people think that a plant-based diet is too carb dense.

My rebuttal?

A properly designed 100% plant-based diet is more “carb controlled” than most typical North American omnivorous diets!

Let’s compare two days.

DAY ONE

Grams of Carbs in North American Grams of Carbs in Plant-based day of omnivorous day of eating eating

Breakfast carb Bagel – 55 grams (2 grams fiber) Shake with greens, berries, plant protein tally Cream cheese – 1 gram (0 grams fiber) powder, nuts – 30 grams (9 grams fiber) Orange juice – 28 grams (0 grams fiber)

Lunch carb tally 12 inch sub (with meat/cheese) – 80 grams Large mixed vegetable salad with (5 grams fiber) black-eyed peas and sunflower seeds – Potato chips – 23 grams (2 grams fiber) 28 grams (13 grams fiber) Cookie – 54 grams (1 gram fiber)

Dinner carb tally Pasta with meatballs – 106 grams (7 grams Nachos with refried beans, guacamole, fiber) salsa – 55 grams (20 grams fiber) 2 beers – 24 grams (0 grams) Breadstick – 25 grams (1 gram fiber)

Snack carb tally Pretzels, cheese sticks – 30 grams (1 gram Sprouted grain toast with peanut butter fiber) – 20 grams (6 grams fiber)

Total carb tally 426 grams (19 grams fiber) 133 grams (48 grams fiber)

DAY TWO

North American omnivorous day of eating Plant-based day of eating

Breakfast carb Cereal with milk – 55 grams (1 gram fiber) Oatmeal with hemp seeds – 30 grams (9 tally Coffee with sugar – 5 grams (0 grams fiber) grams fiber) Plain green tea - 0 grams

Lunch carb tally Burrito bowl with chicken, rice, cheese, Burrito bowl with beans, rice, veggies, sour cream, guacamole, salsa – 55 grams guacamole, salsa – 71 grams (23 grams (8 grams fiber) fiber)

Dinner carb tally Steak, potato, salad, roll – 75 grams (10 Tofu, potato, salad, roll – 80 grams (11 grams fiber) grams fiber)

Snack carb tally Granola bar, salami – 20 grams (1 gram Granola bar, pistachios – 28 grams (5 fiber) grams fiber)

Total carb tally 210 grams (20 grams fiber) 209 grams (48 grams fiber)

Note: Fiber grams don’t respond in the body like other carbs. As it’s not actually absorbed in a way that influences blood sugar. Resistant starches are similar, and are only found in minimally processed plant foods.

I know, I know. This is one generalized example of a typical American diet. Someone eating a “higher protein, lower carb” diet wouldn’t include stuff like bagels, potatoes, and pretzels. And I included a cookie for the omnivore. Sue me.

But here’s my point….

Typical North American eating is a train wreck. So until the masses start to “control their carbs”, they can’t give the “carb reason” for avoiding a plant-based diet. It’s unjustifiable. 17

“You’ve been eating 100% plant-based diet for over six months, and you just feel crummy”

We all have unique nutritional requirements. And 100% plant-based eating might not be for everyone.

If you feel crummy while eating a 100% plant-based diet, and you’ve consistently implemented the fundamentals I cover in this book, here are some additional factors to consider:

● Are you in a food rut? Some plant-based eaters will go overboard with a limited variety of foods. Remember, all foods have pros and cons. Yes, kale and cabbage are nutritious, AND these cruciferous veggies can also accumulate heavy metals and other problematic compounds that can inhibit normal bodily processes (e.g., production of thyroid hormones). So, if those are the ONLY vegetables you eat, you might start to feel crummy. This applies to all food groups. For example, if you are currently ONLY eating peanut butter, try to rotate with cashew butter, sunflower seed butter, and almond butter. If you are currently ONLY eating soy, try to rotate with lentils, split peas, and aduki beans. If you are currently ONLY eating wheat, try to rotate with spelt, amaranth, and buckwheat. You get the idea. Sometimes eating a more seasonal diet can help naturally cue a rotational approach.

● Some people can’t convert plant carotenoids into the active form of vitamin A. So while it might appear they are consuming enough vitamin A on paper, the body really isn’t getting a usable form. This is one of those unique individuality things. You might do better consuming some preformed vitamin A (called retinol, found in animal foods and supplements).

17 Before you start writing me hate mail, I will acknowledge that it’s possible for veg diets to be heavy on carbs. Some plant-based eaters might build their diets around lots of grains (especially processed grains like cereal, crackers, pastries, and desserts), processed starchy vegetables (chips, fries) and fruit (I hope you know what fruit is). And like I’ve said before, these foods are fine, but it might not be the best idea to use them as the foundation of a diet. Aim for minimally processed vegetables, beans, peas, nuts and seeds first. Then mix in whole grains, starchy veggies and fruits. For more on this, see the previous chapter about how to build more balanced meals.

● Some people don’t do a great job converting the fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) into eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and ultimately docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). If this all looks like a foreign language to you, it basically means that some folks don’t do a good job converting the plant form of omega-3 into the body’s active/usable form of omega-3. This is also one of those unique individuality things. You might do better consuming some EPA/DHA directly (from either algae oil supplements or animal products).

● Are you eating enough protein and fat? When plant-based eaters don’t eat enough protein or fat, they’ll likely feel crummy. Hook up with a plant-based eating dietitian/nutritionist and get a dietary analysis (www.eatright.org).

● Along the lines of the previous point, you might also ask yourself the general question: Am I eating enough FOOD? If you aren’t eating enough food, it’s tough to get enough nourishment and feel good each day.

● Some people can’t tolerate high amounts of FODMAPs, which is a term used for various forms of carbohydrates found in foods that either ferment and cause lots of gas or accumulate and draw water in the gut. If this describes you, you can go through FODMAP food lists and find your threshold for intake - leading to a happier gut. No need to walk around miserable with a bloated, distended abdomen. I really like the FODMAP resources from Kate Scarlata (http://www.katescarlata.com/)

● While it appears that people can thrive on a 100% plant-based diet, this assumption is made based on our current understanding of nutrition. And our current understanding is limited. We don’t know all of the various compounds and nutrients that exist in foods. If you find that you do better including some animal products in your diet, include them. Aim to find that minimal effective dose. Maybe a few humanely raised eggs per week. Some local/organic yogurt every other day. Some pasture-raised meat each month. Remember, the best thing you can do for your health is to know yourself. The next best thing you can do for your health is to trust your instincts.

Gender/social/cultural/mindset

“Unless you eat a vegan diet, you suck and don’t care about animals”

There are many considerations here and I don’t see it as a “you care” or “you don’t care” issue. We’re all doing our best to hold different values in balance. We have culture, tradition, personal health, budget, availability, relationships, and public image to consider.

A big factor here is that many of us have a disconnection from food starting at a young age in America. I remember during my time working as a “lunch lady” at a school cafeteria I heard two students talking about factory farm video footage and how disturbed they felt after seeing it. Aaaaaannd then they both proceeded to get beef nachos with cheese.

If those kids were given an opportunity to select animal foods from farms with more humane practices, I’m confident they would select it.

No matter if you’re an adult grocery shopping for your family or a high schooler getting lunch in a cafeteria - you can still live your values and vote with your fork. Eating eggs and/or dairy? Get them from the local, small pastoral farm. Eating meat? Get it from farmers who treat animals with respect and promote sustainable agriculture. Tell the grocery store and cafeteria manager what kind of products you want to buy. Every choice matters.

“Why do vegans/vegetarians only care about non-human animals?”

Well, here’s how this plays out in my life: Minimizing harm and violence towards all other beings is the way I strive to live, and really, what this guide (and plant-based eating) is about to me.

The well-being of my fellow human is what inspires me to buy organic, local, and fair trade. I don’t buy organic/fair trade because I delici-gasm over juicy heirloom tomatoes, I do it so our grandkids have fertile soil remaining to grow food in, better wages for laborers, and to expose farm workers to fewer pesticides.

When I eat less meat, it means I am demanding less animals be sent through the process of being raised for food. Which means I’m subjecting fewer of my fellow human beings from having to work with animals in a way that I wouldn’t do myself. Eight hour shifts on a slaughterhouse line? No thanks.

“Willpower is critical to dietary success”

Willpower is tricky. For some folks it appears to be kind of like a muscle. They can work it and build it up. They can also overuse it until it cramps and stops working.

So when it comes to handling willpower, I like the analogy of treating it like an exercise routine. It’s an act of smart conservation and smart building.

You don’t want overextend it. And you don’t want to completely neglect it.

To avoid willpower overuse, you want to minimize obvious willpower depleters:

-12 hour work day -two hour commute in traffic -excessive hunger (which usually leads to poor, impulsive food choices) -unlimited supply of foods at home that you have trouble eating a reasonable amount of -unsupportive social connections (e.g., The friends who always says, “Have another one!”) -putting yourself in situations where you don’t trust yourself (e.g. In a deserted candy store with no security cameras.)

And you’ll also want to partake in willpower strengthening:

-checking in with your body cues after the first piece of dessert and realizing that a second piece would put you over the edge -respecting fullness cues during a meal and stopping short of “stuffed” -seeing the cookies in the break room and being mindful in your choice to have one or not -selecting a meal that aligns with your deeper values -having goals that are beyond your own self-interest

“Men eat meat”

Time to get philosophical up in here.

To me, being a man is about living with honesty, integrity, strength, and courage. (And as a bonus, maybe having biceps like Arnold). A diet that includes or excludes animal foods shouldn’t influence those qualities.

“Things should be quick and easy”

There is no such thing as consumption without consequence. But this is exactly how many of us go about our nutrition.

● We want to eat unlimited amounts of “sugar-free” candy... without feeling crummy. ● We want to eat fast food burgers each day... and then take a “fat burner” supplement. ● We want to drink unlimited diet soda...and wonder why fruit doesn’t taste sweet enough.

It doesn’t work in nutrition. And it doesn’t work in life.

● Remember that time you got promoted after sneaking out of work early each day? ● Remember that time you read the back cover of a book… and it was the exact same experience as reading the entire book? ● Remember that time you improved your marriage… by half-assing communication efforts with your partner? ● Remember that time your kids thanked you for not attending their events?

Ummmm. No. That doesn’t happen.

Each of your choices will have a consequence. Each decision we make in life gets us closer to or further from what we truly value. Thus, each food we choose gets us closer to or further from what we truly value. This is a powerful concept to be aware of.

Getting all of the nutrients you need for a healthy body can be tricky when eating plant-based, especially at first. Why? Because animal foods occupy a lot of real estate on most North American plates. Below is a list of nutrients you’ll want to make sure and consume enough of. If you aren’t regularly consuming food sources for a given nutrient, you'll want to use a food-based supplement.

NUTRIENT OF INTEREST FOODS RICH IN THIS NUTRIENT

CALCIUM: We probably don't need as much Kale, collards, beet greens, bok choy, turnip greens calcium as originally thought, especially when we Tofu prepared with calcium sulfate, white beans, aren't consuming animal protein. With that being other legumes said, eat several servings of calcium rich foods Dried figs, dried apricots, dried mulberries, dried each day if possible. plums Sesame seeds/tahini, almonds, hazelnuts Fortified non-dairy milks

ZINC: It can be tough to absorb zinc from plant Quinoa, wheat germ foods due to phytic acid, so don't be afraid to use Aduki beans, lentils, baked beans, chickpeas, green a supplement here (PS - zinc absorption may be peas even worse for men). Not getting enough zinc Cashews, sesame seeds/tahini, almonds, peanuts, may contribute to compromised immunity and a pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds lowered white blood cell count. Keep in mind that Mushrooms, spinach zinc recommendations for the general population Cocoa powder/nibs are based on diets lower in phytic acid. Since Goji berries, dried apricots plant-based eaters eat more phytic acid, zinc requirements will be just about doubled.

IRON: While beans and greens are rich in iron, we Spinach, beet greens, Swiss chard don't absorb much of it. Try to consume iron rich Pumpkin foods with foods rich in vitamin C (and if you Dried plums drink black tea, don’t drink it while you are eating Beans, lentils, tofu, tempeh food), which will enhance absorption. Use a food Cashews, peanuts, hemp seed based iron supplement if you become Cocoa powder/nibs iron-deficient.

IODINE: If you regularly eat raw cruciferous Iodized salt vegetables and/or soy, iodine becomes even Seaweed (kelp, nori, dulse – sprinkling dried flakes more important. If you don’t eat iodized salt or on beans or vegetables can go a long way) seaweed, use a supplement providing 75 to 150 mcg, three or four times per week.

RIBOFLAVIN (VITAMIN B2): This isn't a common Mushrooms, spinach, beet greens deficiency, but it still happens. Wakame Soybeans

44 SELENIUM: Buy Brazil nuts. Eat one each day. Brazil nuts (just one per day, too many can cause You'll be set. toxicity problems) Tofu Whole wheat pasta, barley, oats, brown rice

VITAMIN B12: You’ll find this in fortified plant 5,000 mcg once weekly (sublingual form) foods/beverages…but don't rely on those as your Don’t use spirulina as a source. While spirulina does only source. Use a supplement. contain a plant version of B12, it’s a form that doesn’t get converted into usable B12 in the body.

VITAMIN D: Unless you consume copious This will depend on your geographical longitude and amounts of ultraviolet treated mushrooms or latitude. Seriously. Check out the appendix. live near the equator and spend most of your day outside with minimal clothing on – use a supplement. Look for supplements that use the D3 form, as it's tough to raise blood levels of vitamin D with the D2 form, unless it’s prescription level dosing. Note that few D3 supplements are plant-based, so check your supplement source if you are concerned.

CHOLINE: You might get enough choline from Mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, potatoes, hot chili your diet if you're a nutrition badass, but if you peppers, broccoli don't eat many choline rich foods, mix in a Quinoa, amaranth choline supplement. Flax seeds, pistachios Soybeans, mung beans, lima beans, lentils, soy milk, split peas, chickpeas, navy beans

VITAMIN K2: Vitamin K1 likely won’t be a problem Natto. as it’s abundant in various plants. However, K2 is Translation: Use a supplement. rare in diets, unless you are a natto aficionado. So you’ll probably want to use a vitamin K2 supplement. Vitamin K2 helps direct calcium to where it needs to go in the body. While we make vitamin K2 in the body, amounts can vary widely.

OMEGA-3 FATS: There might be some benefit to Flax seeds, hemp seeds, chia seeds, walnuts supplementing algae oil rich in EPA/DHA Flax oil, hemp oil, chia oil, walnut oil, canola oil (especially for men, as they appear to be less likely to form EPA/DHA from whole plant food sources listed to the right), but if you’re absolutely opposed to extra supplementation, then make sure to regularly consume a few of the food sources listed to the right.

PROBIOTICS: Consuming specific types of Sauerkraut, kimchi, pickles (naturally fermented, bacteria naturally occurring in certain foods unpasteurized), tempeh, miso appears to be beneficial to our health. And not just the health of our gastrointestinal tract, but brain health, immune function, and body composition too. Try 1-2 servings each day of the foods listed to the right.

In most situations you don't HAVE to use supplements (except probably vitamin B12), but they can be useful to correct/prevent deficiency problems.

Here’s a detailed regimen that could help to optimize your health, body composition, and performance. Another option with supplements is to consume them occasionally (e.g., a couple of times per week). I have nothing against part-time supplement users, and you shouldn’t either.

Foundational Brand(s) Amount Notes Supplements*

Vitamin B12 Solgar 5,000 mcg once weekly Gotta take this if you’re a Solaray 100% plant-based eater

Vitamin D3 MRM 2,000 - 5,000 IU daily Dosing depends on your Country Life blood levels and geography (see appendix)

Vitamin K2 Solgar 100 mcg daily We might be able to Whole Foods synthesize our own K2, but the amount can vary

EPA+DHA Ovega-3 200-600 mg of I err on the side of Nordic Naturals EPA+DHA daily caution and recommend Algae this to everyone eating Nu-Tru 100% plant-based (unless contraindicated by their physician)

Bonus Supplements** Brand(s) Amount Notes

Carnosine NOW 500 mg daily This can help to buffer acid buildup in muscles, allowing someone to exercise harder for longer

Taurine Solgar 500-1000 mg daily Helps to keep cell membranes stable; acts as antioxidant;

46 necessary for transmitting messages between cells

L-Carnitine Jarrow 1,000 mg Not everyone is able to synthesize enough in their body. Necessary for energy production

Protein Powder Plantfusion, Genuine 20-30 grams daily Useful if someone has a Health, Thorne, Vega food intolerance or just isn’t getting enough protein

Creatine NOW 3-5 grams daily Can help athletes with Jarrow strength/power development and muscle gain

BCAA + Glutamine MRM 5 grams during workouts May help with workout Designs For Health (if body weight is less recovery and/or immune Clean Machine than 150 pounds) function RivalUS 10 grams during Note: Likely won’t need workouts (if body weight to use this if also using a is 150-200 pounds) protein powder

15 grams during workouts (if body weight is over 200 pounds)

Iron Supplement “Blood Builder” by 1 tablet every other day For men who donate Megafood (go to your doc and get blood 2-3 times per year your iron levels checked OR women who need first to establish supplemental iron appropriate dosing. You might need more or you might need none at all)

ZMA PrimaForce 1-2 capsules for women, May help to promote before bed balanced reproductive 2-3 capsules for men, hormones, immune before bed function, and sleep

*These supplements are likely going to benefit most everyone. **These are supplements to explore if you are an athlete training at a high level OR a plant-based eater who is having health problems. As always, it would be best to troubleshoot with a healthcare professional.

Note #1: A greens powder can be used if vegetable intake is inadequate (e.g., Amazing Grass, Greens+, etc.) Note #2: I’ve done my best to ensure plant-based sources for all the brands listed above, however, sourcing can change, so check with the company if you are concerned. Note #3: Remember, I don’t know your individualized needs. Unnecessarily taking extra supplements can sometimes create problems. So make sure you use supplements only when they serve a specific purpose.

According to a 2010 survey, 72% of respondents didn’t know that plant foods had any protein. Yikes. No wonder people are crushing burgers each day.

We lack information about protein in plants partly because protein promotion in North America is built around meat, dairy, and eggs. When’s the last time you saw a TV commercial pushing dry beans and peas for “max gainz”? Exactly.

While plant foods are often regarded as a poor source of protein, the macronutrients in most plant foods are quite balanced, providing our body what it needs. So it really just becomes a matter of eating enough food to meet energy needs.

If my previous statement means absolutely nothing to you, let me go through some numbers to illustrate.

For a 150 pound adult who doesn't do anything physically active, a minimum daily protein intake goal to prevent deficiency problems would be about 54 grams. This is calculated by figuring that a person needs 0.8 g of protein/kg of ideal body weight18. This is an absolute minimum, and not necessarily an ideal. Further, this number actually doesn’t translate that well to plant-based eaters, because animal foods were used to establish the 0.8 g/kg number, and plant proteins have a lower level of digestibility.

So, if you are a physically INACTIVE plant-based eater, you are going to want to aim for more protein than the above calculation on a consistent basis. Specifically, around 1.0 g/kg of ideal body weight per day. For a 150 pound adult, this would be 68 grams of protein per day.

Just to give you an idea, 68 grams of protein is found in the following:

● Oatmeal with soy milk (½ cup oats + 1 cup soy milk) = 13 grams ● Lentils with hemp seeds (1 cup cooked lentils + 3 TBSP hemp) = 28 grams ● Peanut butter sandwich (2 slices sprouted grain bread + 2 TBSP peanut butter) = 18 grams

18 I use the term ‘ideal body weight’ to describe a body weight that is healthy for you. This can be based on various equations and charts, but I believe it really comes down to knowing and trusting your body, and what size/composition you feel best at. Does this sounds too touchy/feely for you? Fine! Write your own book!

● Brussels sprouts with quinoa (1 cup cooked Brussels + ½ cup cooked quinoa) = 9 grams ● Total combined = 68 grams

Now, for a 150 pound adult who stays physically ACTIVE, has a goal of keeping a healthy and muscular body, eats a plant-based diet, and doesn’t want to play the edge of protein deficiency, consuming a bit more protein is probably a smart idea, between 82 – 95 grams of protein each day (1.2-1.4 g/kg of ideal body weight)19.

The following three days of meals would provide an ideal amount of protein for someone who is physically active, wants to maintain a healthy body composition, and weighs between 165-185 pounds. Each day provides around 105-115 grams of plant protein. If you weigh less/more than 165-185 pounds, simply adjust food intake according to your appetite.

19 If someone is eating a low calorie diet, protein needs would increase per kg of body weight to prevent muscle loss. But since I don’t advocate a low calorie diet, this is a non-issue for us. High-fives!

Notes:

● Using a protein supplement isn’t mandatory - if you avoid supplements, just leave the protein powder out of the shake and replace it with more of the other ingredients (nuts, seeds, fruit, veggies, non-dairy milk). I’ll even throw some cooked legumes in shakes sometimes. Don’t knock it until you try it! Or you could mix and match these meals with some of your favorites that include animal products.

● Protein requirements are estimated based on our metabolic needs over time. While nutrition experts often express protein requirements as a daily rate of intake, this is no implication that adults MUST consume this exact amount every day. Rather, it appears that an average intake meeting basic requirements can be met over a number of days. This is why you don’t suffer from protein energy malnutrition after a 24 hour fast...or after three days of the flu while eating only saltines and broth.

● Whenever you make eating changes, give it a 2-3 week try. After 2-3 weeks, reflect and make adjustments based on progress. If you are losing muscle, first check overall food intake. If overall food intake is adequate, then consider adding a food or supplement that will provide 10-20 grams of protein, and include it daily. Then re-assess.

● I’m not a big fan of measuring out exact portions of foods. Let your body be your guide. I only give the numbers above to offer a more specific idea of how much food I’m talking about.

There you have it. No more protein stress.

● Getting organic and seasonal foods when possible. This benefits farmers, the planet, and prevents an early apocalypse (zombie apocalypse excluded). ● Keeping a running grocery list of items I need. ● Stocking up on frozen fruits and vegetables so I have a backup when the fresh supply runs out. ● Building a kitchen that I enjoy, and one conducive to food prep. I have a stereo, some good knives, a nice blender, a big cutting board, etc. Better mood = better food. ● De-cluttering. The more space I have in the kitchen (and in my life), the better. ● Keeping a large cutting board by the sink. This allows me to quickly slice and dice veggies at the drop of a hat. ● Keeping eco-friendly soap, cleaners, biodegradable sponges, recycled paper towels, and clean towels handy to maintain a clean kitchen. Dirty kitchen = food poisoning, diarrhea, and no friends. ● Balancing out highly processed, lightly cooked, and raw foods. We all know the different dietary camps. Camp #1) Vegans who buy their pets organic, natural, high quality food - but feed themselves Twizzlers and Smarties. Camp #2) No oil, no salt, no sugar eaters who can’t go out to a restaurant. Camp #3) Raw foodists who hate on cooked spelt and lentils. Camp #4) Being realistic, reasonable, and flexible.

It’s your journey/body, so do what you like, but let me give you this advice: Eating zero oil, zero sugar, zero salt, and/or zero cooked foods is REALLY tough. And when you add exercise into the mix, getting all the nutrients/energy you need becomes near impossible (notice I said “near impossible”, not “guaranteed impossible”). This is one of the reasons why I think some people who start eating plant-based go back to eating more animal products. They get too strict and limit too many options, and kinda make things impossible for themselves. At the same time, relying on on candy for most of your diet is kindergarten style nutrition logic. Aim for something in between, and consider a mix of raw and cooked foods, experiment with no oil/sugar/salt options, and treat candy as a treat (and not a staple).

Plant-based eating is pretty freakin’ fantastic on a lot of levels. But it isn’t a panacea. I feel that some people portray it as a way of eating with absolutely no downsides. I’ve run into dilemmas and challenges related to plant-based eating, and I want to tell you about my experiences so you aren't surprised if you ever experience something similar. (Note: This could be a non-issue depending on how far you take your plant-based eating. If you decide to take your eating closer to 90-100% plant-based, this section could be useful).

In other words: You aren’t alone.

I’ll tell you about my experiences hoping that this is a safe space to share. Just like a churchgoer should be able to go to church and express doubts in their beliefs, I want to be able to do the same thing here. Cool? Cool.

● When I first transitioned to a 100% plant-based diet. I got acne, I was bloated, I was fatigued, and I was getting headaches. What the %*&#? I don't know if my body was going through a process of withdrawal or what, but I felt terrible. And anecdotally, I've heard similar stories from others. Here's the good news: After about four weeks of feeling like crap while eating 100% plant-based, I started to feel really good (and still do).

● Confession: I don’t always feel like I eat enough food produced in my region of the U.S. and hence, I feel like I’m not supporting local farmers. I eat a fair amount of tropical fruits, nuts, seeds, coconut, and avocado -- foods not commonly grown in New England! Compromise: I get as much local food as I can (we have greenhouse grown tomatoes and hydroponic lettuce during the winter) and hit up farmers markets during the growing season. And when eggs and dairy are consumed at our house, we do our darndest to make sure they are from New England.

● Based on my experiences at organic farms and reading about sustainable farming systems, it appears that animals play a role in a sustainable farming system, so I’m not 100% confident about eliminating animals from the agricultural model. Thus, I aim to support farms who implement this kind of farming system (e.g., we buy their products). And I don’t hate on people supporting these farms either!

● Sometimes I’ll be at a social event with veg options (but still containing dairy/eggs from unknown sources), and I know that uneaten food will be discarded. Should I throw away the veggie wrap with cheese/mayo and go home to make a fresh wrap without cheese (or cheese from a farm I’m comfortable with)? I’m not a purist, I’m a pragmatist who believes in minimizing animal suffering AND minimizing food waste. I don’t blindly follow principles. I think about the consequences of my actions and make a choice. In other words, I’ve been known to eat non-humanely raised dairy and eggs under certain conditions.

● A guy (me) walks into a bar and orders a veggie burrito (without dairy). BUT, they accidentally leave on the sour cream and cheese. If he sends it back, they throw away the burrito, which doesn’t feel good to this gentleman. If he keeps it, he eats food that he doesn’t feel very comfortable eating. What does he do? He keeps the burrito and eats it. Nobody wins with food waste. And me protesting animal cruelty by throwing away a burrito with cheese and sour cream isn’t a very positive message about plant-based eating to my fellow dinner guests. I’ll scoop off the extra cheese and sour cream and eat the rest. Full disclosure: I’ve only ever had this happen with dairy/eggs. If it happened with meat, I don’t think I would be able to eat it. Eating meat would be quite uncomfortable for me on a spiritual, emotional, and physical level. If this were to happen, I would take it home and save it for a friend/family member or give it away to a person in need of food (and order a different entree for myself).

● I work with a nonprofit that picks up and distributes expiring food. If there is an item with non-humanely raised dairy/egg, and it isn’t needed for distribution, should I discard it anyway, or take it home and eat it? It’s circumstantial. But like the previous two points, I don’t blindly follow principles. I think about the consequences of my actions and make a choice. In other words, I’ve been known to eat non-humanely raised dairy and eggs under certain conditions.

● If I am a guest at someone's house and they offer me a dish with dairy/eggs, should I reject it, or just be grateful they offered me any food at all? I’ve learned from my mistakes. This happened to me on a volunteer trip to Uganda. A nice woman invited me into her small hut, and as a gesture of hospitality she offered me a hard boiled egg and a orange soda. I didn’t eat the egg because it came from an animal who might have been treated poorly. And I didn’t drink the soda because it’s loaded with sugar. Jerk move on my part, right? She was insulted. And I ruined a potential friendship. Now I approach these kinds of situations on a case by case basis. Translation: I’ve been known to eat non-humanely raised dairy and eggs under certain conditions.

● Sometimes 100% plant-based eating requires too much organizing of my life around my diet. And for someone with a history of disordered eating (which kicked off during bodybuilding competition in my teens, before I discovered plant-based eating), this can lead to a life that revolves a bit too much around next meals, adequate nutrients, and food. Fortunately, most of the time my plant-based eating actually has the opposite effect. I attribute this to the idea of “bigger-than-self goals”. In other words, when I dedicate myself to something bigger (e.g., sustainability, animal welfare, farmworker welfare, etc), it allows me to not be so overly self-obsessed. And when it does become too burdensome, then I scale things back and don’t aim for 100% plant-based.

Now you are in for a treat.

I was able to track down some of the best, brightest, and compassionate plant-based eaters around and ask them a few questions. I am extremely grateful for their wisdom and perspective.

To learn more about any of them, make sure to click on the link below their name.

Simone Collins Graphic designer, physique athlete, plant-based eater www.simicollins.com www.facebook.com/simivegan www.instagram.com/simi_collins

Where do most people go wrong with their nutrition?

A lot of people I talk to, especially females, simply don't eat enough to fuel their goals and workouts. Or they don't eat enough of the right foods. I'm all for treats here and there, but if you want results, you have to pay a little more attention to what goes in your body. At least initially, until eating well becomes second nature!

You need plenty of healthy, nutritious whole foods! Supplements can help, but they should be as their name suggests - the definition of supplement is "a thing added to something else in order to complete or enhance it." Don't rely on supplements to fill holes in your nutrition. Get your nutrition right first and use supplements to boost your training and results!

Where do most people go wrong with their workouts?

From a female perspective, I see a lot of women who don't lift weights, or if they do, they're not lifting heavy enough. There are so many benefits to weightlifting besides just building muscle. Weights are ideal for creating shape in the body, increasing metabolism, and maintaining a healthy body composition. Resistance training also decreases the risks of osteoporosis, injury, and chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, back pain, depression and obesity.

In aging women it can be very useful to maintain strength and mobility, and the ability to perform everyday tasks without physical hindrance. But a lot of women lift very light, or skip weights altogether, opting for more cardio-based workouts. I suggest women who are new to lifting weights to start out light, but progressively increase the weights. You need to keep pushing yourself if you want results!

Do you have a favorite quote?

"The Iron" by Henry Rollins - The Iron never lies to you. You can walk outside and listen to all kinds of talk, get told that you're a god or a total bastard. The Iron will always kick you the real deal. The Iron is the great reference point, the all-knowing perspective giver. Always there like a beacon in the pitch black. I have found the Iron to be my greatest friend. It never freaks out on me, never runs. Friends may come and go. But two hundred

57 pounds is always two hundred pounds. "

Another one from my boss and owner of Doherty’s Gym, Tony Doherty: "Don't worry about what you can't do. Focus on what you CAN do."

What is your favorite supplement?

PranaON "Power Plant Protein" - the flavours are amazing and the formulation is perfect - all natural, vegan and organic ingredients!

What has been your worst supplement experience?

Trying unflavoured BCAA's

What are some of your 'go-to' meals and snacks?

Snacks: Raw homemade protein superfood balls, raw food bars, nuts and seeds, fruit, PranaON protein shakes. My meals often include tofu, tempeh, vegetables, grains (rice, oats, quinoa, buckwheat, millet, amaranth) raw salads. Basically as much wholefoods as I want! My favourite treats are vegan chocolate, coconut ice-cream, and Oreos (yes - most flavours are vegan!)

Finish the following sentences…

The most embarrassing song on my ipod is…

I have to admit I have some Linkin Park on there.

The most embarrassing thing in my fridge/freezer/pantry is…

My homemade "healthy dog mix" - it's a combination of blended and cooked legumes and vegetables, sweet potato, beetroot, flax oil and coconut oil. It's a weird pink lumpy goo. Sometimes I add in a little of Augustine Approved Super Boost (an organic superfood mix designed for dogs) and it turns slime green. It looks so weird, but they love it!

Jasey Baker COO, Precision Nutrition coaching transformation winner, plant-based eater [email protected]

Where do most people go wrong with their nutrition?

Irregular, low nutritional value meals. If you eat frequently and eat large quantities of nutrient dense whole foods (vegetables, fruit, legumes, nuts) you don’t crave junk food. Every time you eat, you have an opportunity to feed your muscles or feed your beer belly.

Where do most people go wrong with their workouts?

Thinking about workouts as a chore to get out of the way. There are millions of workouts and as many places to get a workout. Consider your workout as "me time". Find an activity that is fun for you and go hard.

Do you have a favorite quote?

It changes every day. Today: "Animals are my friends... and I don’t eat my friends." -George Bernard Shaw

What is your favorite supplement?

Plain old creatine monohydrate.

What has been your worst supplement experience?

One time I got a free sample of some kind of super creatine with my protein powder order. The ingredients seemed harmless enough and I took it before a late night workout. It turns out the "proprietary blend" must have been pure Columbian cocaine, cause I spent the next eight hours scratching my neck like a tweaker and lost a whole night’s sleep.

What are some of your 'go-to' meals and snacks? Snacks: 1. Banana and peanut butter super shake 2. Clif Builder’s Bar with a cucumber and Brazil nuts

Meals:

59 Lentils are a definite go-to. They cook fast; don’t require soaking and the possibilities are endless. You can stuff them into peppers, make lentil burgers, soup, daal or Ethiopian stew.

Finish the following sentences…

The most embarrassing song on my ipod is…

Pink "Just Like a Pill." Don't knock it before you listen to it while running sprints.

The most embarrassing thing in my fridge/freezer/pantry is…

Gummy King Vitamins. And I don’t have kids.

Jessica Hinds Monkey Bar Gym-er, trainer, plant-based eater http://monkeybargym.com/

Where do most people go wrong with their nutrition?

I think that most people go wrong with nutrition in thinking that the word is synonymous with diet, especially when discussing plant-based options. I also think people tend to make a mistake in thinking that plant-based is the same as being vegan.

Where do most people go wrong with their workouts?

I feel that most people tend to either go too hard in their workouts or too soft. You may tend to push too hard or on the flip side, go so easy because you're afraid to fail. This is when workouts begin to suffer and the healthy lifestyle becomes more difficult to attain. I've recognized both ways of training in myself.

Do you have a favorite quote?

Yes, Satchel Paige "Sometimes I sits and thinks and sometimes I just sits."

This quote has helped me bring things back into perspective when I feel imbalanced. I don't have to do everything 100% all of the time. I can take a break. Whether it's at my job or in my training.

What is your favorite supplement?

My favorite supplement is called ZeoForce from HealthForce Nutritionals. You can drink it or use it as a mask. I do both. I love the way it makes my skin look.

But really, I don't believe in taking many supplements. I feel that you can and should get all you need from your eating. This can be a tough realization for many people, it was for me, but I honestly believe if I'm eating the right foods and practicing balance in my life, I shouldn't need to supplement.

What has been your worst supplement experience?

Many years ago, when I first started training, I decided to try creatine. I took it infrequently, so I didn't notice the muscle gain or quick recovery, but I did feel the bloat from being too dehydrated.

While not directly related to a supplement, I've found that I've overdone smoothies. For example, having a smoothie filled with too many nutrient rich foods can leave me feeling lethargic and bloated afterwards.

What are some of your 'go-to' meals and snacks?

I have the luxury of being able to cook my meals and I tend to make something different every day but I do have a mung bean recipe that I love to make because it's simple and quick. It's for those nights when I'm just not in the mood to go through an elaborate cooking process!

Finish the following sentences…

The most embarrassing song on my ipod is…

I don't use an iPod but I do use Pandora. I guess the most embarrassing stations, well at least to some, are Hall & Oates and a Smooth Jazz station. Many of my friends and family hate listening to those stations. I love them! I have tried to train to them. Those workouts were very uneventful!!

The most embarrassing thing in my fridge/freezer/pantry is…

I don't feel embarrassed about the foods I have in my fridge, but if someone were to come in and take a look they'd see that I have a thumbprint cookie that's topped with jelly. Yummy!

Rob Cheeke All around athlete, good guy, website owner, plant-based eater www.veganbodybuilding.com

Where do most people go wrong with their nutrition?

When people fall short of their nutrition and fitness goals, I often see a lack of consistency as the key reason for their shortcomings. Consistency is a major factor in anything we do from learning another language to becoming bigger, stronger, faster and smarter. If you’re not achieving what you set out to achieve, take a close and honest look at your level of commitment and see how much effort you’re really putting into your approach to better health and fitness.

Where do most people go wrong with their workouts?

I don’t know if there is one universal reason why we may not get the most out of our workouts, but I imagine work ethic, consistency, drive, desire, and other priorities in life are all contributing factors. When my workouts have gone awry, it is usually a result of other interests taking precedence in my life, or my own lack of interest in training and subsequently, a lack of consistency. That is probably the case for many of us.

Do you have a favorite quote?

I have a couple of favorite quotes: “To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.” -Steve Prefontaine “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do, than by the ones you did do.” -Mark Twain I’m also a fan of, “Let yourself be silently drawn by the strong pull of what you love.” -Rumi

What is your favorite supplement?

I don’t use any supplements these days aside from Vitamin B12. I stopped using supplements in 2012 when I took Dr. T. Colin Campbell's Plant-Based Nutrition Certification course at the Center For Nutrition Studies through eCornell.

What has been your worst supplement experience?

I think my worst supplement experience is reflecting back on the past ten years of supplement use, recognizing they were almost completely unnecessary. Therefore, I don’t use supplements at the present moment. I focus on eating whole foods and getting nourishment from the foods that provide the greatest nutritional return on investment.

What are some of your 'go-to' meals and snacks?

My go-to meals and snacks are almost exclusively fruits. I eat fruit all throughout the day, at meals, as meals, and as snacks. In general, with a very active travel schedule, having groceries, especially produce with me at all times, is a great way for me to get quick, healthy nutrition regularly. I also visit international restaurants while traveling with Indian, Thai, Ethiopian, Japanese and Mexican being my favorite dishes. Other favorite snacks include Larabars or Vega Snack Bars and preferred go-to foods include potatoes, rice, beans, lentils, oats, and as much fruit as I can eat.

Finish the following sentences…

The most embarrassing song on my ipod is…

I don’t have an iPod or any other Mp3 player. I don’t listen to music while training. But, my friends just borrowed my Prius and thanked me for leaving a Backstreet Boys CD in the player.

The most embarrassing thing in my fridge/freezer/pantry is…

I try to live transparently and free myself from feelings of embarrassment so I don’t know of anything that would stand out as a bizarre item in my refrigerator. I have been on the road for months and don’t have a refrigerator while traveling. At home, perhaps the most unique item in my refrigerator or freezer is a lone orange popsicle that awaits my return.

Jon Hinds Monkey Bar Gym founder, fitness guru, plant-based eater www.monkeybargym.com

Where do most people go wrong with their nutrition?

The big things I see all the time: 1) Eating too much period. Eating too much is almost always the case. If folks have a plant strong nutrition plan, eat only when hungry, only until satisfied, and drink lots of water, they're set! 2) Short term diets and not having a plan for life. Short term diets never work, you gotta find something you can maintain for life and be happy with.

Where do most people go wrong with their workouts?

Simple -- not planning and not progressing. They just shoot from the hip and guess. This works for very few people. Having a clear goal, progressively working towards that goal, and having rest and recovery balanced into the plan, that's the way to go!

Do you have a favorite quote?

Wow. Yes, I have several favorites. Bruce Lee - "Be like water." - meaning do not resist but go with the flow and this can pertain to anything. Listening to your body is very important. "Can't climb a smooth mountain." - I say this all the time. Meaning that life throws obstacles at us all the time. You can either look at them as walls or just hand holds to move up to the next level. This puts a positive vibe on these challenges and lets you know it's part of your growth and helps you develop/get stronger and move up in life! My own quote: "Simple & Strong.” Another one I always say and how I like to live my life.

What is your favorite supplement?

No doubt here, I've never really promoted or said that "product X" is the best and highest quality supplement ever! I promote whole foods. A supplement is needed “if” a deficit is in the diet, so first eat right, eat strong. Then second, if you must supplement, use a whole food plant-based one (that’s organic, raw, and sprouted if possible. Some brands I like include Garden of Life and Warrior HealthForce - both are whole food based - actual food).

Recently I was introduced to Warrior HealthForce products. These aren't supplements, but rather actual food. This stuff is off the charts as far as quality, pureness and overall

65 health. It's just the best! Nothing fake about it. I now take their Warrior Elite Greens, Warrior Food, Endurance, Foundation, and antioxidants daily and love them!

What has been your worst supplement experience?

Lots. All the way from bloating to gas to nausea. So many supplements have caused this that I could not name them all.

Here's what I've learned though: stay away from any that have manmade "taste good" fillers, maltodextrin, cane sugars, sucralose, etc. Also, avoid any that have a high sodium content. A simple guide is sodium should be less than the calories per serving. Also, avoid supplements that have "isolated" anything in them from isolated soy to isolated brown rice or pea protein. Keep it simple and strong is something I always say! Simple - few ingredients, all easy to say. Strong – potent and high nutrient content.

What are some of your 'go-to' meals and snacks?

Snacks - Coconut water and Garden of Life Super Green Food or Warrior Greens. Mix those up after a workout and feel amazing! Coconut water is nature's Gatorade, except healthier. The greens powders provide tons of nutrients and protein following a workout!

Meals - Whole Foods Market or salad bars at health food stores. It's easy, I get tons of greens and beans, and best of all it tastes awesome! Other quick options include sweet potatoes and hummus = awesome! Apple and nut butter or veggies and hummus = all whole foods, all plant strong!

Finish the following sentences…

The most embarrassing song on my ipod is…

La Esperanza. It's Spanish guitar music. Not sure if that's embarrassing or not. If I don't like something or listen to it anymore I delete it.

The most embarrassing thing in my fridge/freezer/pantry is…

Don't really have anything embarrassing as I do not feel I eat anything "bad." I actually feel anything is fine in moderation, as I do not believe in any diets. So if we have cookies….cool. Pizza once in awhile...cool. Feel me? I stick to eating plant strong 90% or more, and if I treat myself in that 10%, cool. I don’t beat myself up. Enjoy it. Know it’s possible repercussions and move on from there!

Ed Bauer All around athlete, gym owner, plant-based eater http://edbauerfit.com/ http://plantfitpdx.com/

Where do most people go wrong with their nutrition?

I think most people underestimate the power of protein, and get less then they need to keep body fat under control. Not only does protein go to repairing damaged muscle tissue (assuming muscle is damaged from the tough workouts that you should be pushing yourself through), it also has the ability to curb sugar cravings. Further, protein we consume is more metabolically costly to digest than carbohydrates.

People who want to lean out or build muscle should get at least 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight. There are many formulas and complex equations outlining how much protein you need, but I can only speak from personal experience. Meeting my daily protein goal of 175 grams (or higher) helps to keep me lean and satisfied.

As a vegan (since 1996), I do not consume any meat, fish, eggs, dairy, whey protein, or any other product that comes from an animal. For protein, I eat beans, tofu, nuts, tempeh, pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, sunflower seeds, flax seeds, seitan, rice and pea protein powder, veggie analog meats usually with tofu and wheat protein, sometimes quinoa, and oats, and a variety of green veggies, like broccoli, spinach, kale, chard, and spirulina.

Another area where people go wrong is they are completely afraid of soy. While it seems accurate that going overboard on soy can be harmful, having a limited amount in your diet has proven beneficial. It will not turn you into a woman (if you are a man) and it does not influence your sex drive. I try to limit my daily soy intake to around 50 grams, mostly from whole food sources like tempeh and tofu. A little more on occasion has never been a problem for me.

Where do most people go wrong with their workouts?

They waste time on isolated movements. This is one of the biggest problems I've seen with the fitness industry as a whole. People are convinced that they need elaborate machines and pulley systems to efficiently work the body. What this ends up doing is teaching the body to move within the artificial confines of a machine's preset range of motion. Because of these established faulty motor recruitment patterns, people are more likely to get injured when they move or try something without those confines (such as moving in real life). I have embraced Crossfit principles of constantly varied, high intensity, functional movement because I have gotten stronger, leaner, and look better with less gym time than I did when I approached workouts like a bodybuilder.

Also, having a community (i.e. a few workout buddies) and/or a group dynamic really helps push me to the next level in fitness. I always try to get a workout partner, and preferably one who is "better" than me in some way. This makes me push harder. This gets better results and is much more satisfying in the long run. I suggest other people do the same.

Do you have a favorite quote?

“If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him … we need not wait to see what others do.” - Mohandas K. Gandhi

"Reject the anthropocentric falsehood that maintains the oppressive hierarchy of mankind over the animals. It's time to set them free." -Earth Crisis

What is your favorite supplement?

PlantFusion Protein Powder.

What has been your worst supplement experience?

N.O. Xplode. It made me too jittery and I had to constantly run to the bathroom. Neither makes for a good workout.

What are some of your 'go-to' meals and snacks?

--1/2 pack of Hickory Smoked Tofurky deli slices, eggplant hummus, and raw broccoli florets --A PlantFusion Protein shake with a banana and a handful of almonds --Vega Sport Protein Bar, Clif Builder's Bar, or Organic Food Protein Bar --Primal Strips Vegan Jerky --Peanut Butter and baby carrots --Protein Pudding: 1 scoop protein powder, cocoa powder, almond butter, and unsweetened almond milk

Finish the following sentences…

The most embarrassing song on my ipod is…

Heaven Is a Place On Earth, Belinda Carlisle.

The most embarrassing thing in my fridge/freezer/pantry is…

Dots Candy. What can I say? I still have a sweet tooth.

Ryan Andrews* Plant-based eating boss

Where do most people go wrong with their nutrition?

Simple answer: Most people don't eat enough nutritious foods and then overeat non-nutritious processed foods later on. This leads to less muscle, more body fat, more processed food cravings, and poor energy.

Deeper answer: Most people are completely disconnected from where food comes from AND don't take ownership of their eating.

Where do most people go wrong with their workouts?

Lack of consistency. You don't have to pound yourself into the ground during each workout. Just keep the body active and challenge yourself in a reasonable way. Do this year after year and you'll have a fit body.

Do you have a favorite quote?

"A year from now you will wish you had started today." – Karen Lamb

What is your favorite supplement?

I go in phases with supplements. Sometimes using several. Sometimes using just one. Over the years I’ve enjoyed protein powder (pea, hemp, or rice). Plantfusion, Vega, and Genuine Health are good brands. And I often use a DHA/EPA supplement from algae oil, vitamin D3, and vitamin B12.

What has been your worst supplement experience?

It was the year 2000. I took the old school ephedrine/caffeine/aspirin stack before leg day. I thought my heart was going to explode (both during and after the workout). Never again.

What are some of your 'go-to' meals and snacks?

All of the meals/snacks I listed earlier in the book!

Finish the following sentences…

The most embarrassing song on my ipod is…

All my songs rule, including "Shake You Down" by Gregory Abbott.

The most embarrassing thing in my fridge/freezer/pantry is…

I'm proud of the food I purchase, not embarrassed. If you are embarrassed by what you purchase, it’s probably a sign to reevaluate your approach with food. The most non-nutritious/processed things I have at home right now are soy veggie crumbles, dairy-free mayo, and vegan cookies.

*I know, I know - It’s my book and I’m featuring my own profile. Listen: My book. My rules.

Yasmin Gow Yogi, ayurvedic practitioner, plant-based eater http://yasminyoga.com/

Where do most people go wrong with their nutrition?

Most people misuse their digestive system. In our fast paced world, we eat in a rush, skip meals and often don’t pay attention to our food regardless of how “healthy” or “unhealthy” it may be. Being distracted while eating and eating in a loud unsettled environment strains our nervous system as well as our ability to properly digest and metabolize nutrients. It’s not only about what we eat, but how we eat that’s important. Creating a routine and spending time to plan, prepare and enjoy meals is a key factor in health and nutrition.

Where do most people go wrong with their workouts?

Workouts that are too hard and too fast lead to injury and burnout. Sustainability is paramount. If a training program can sustain both mental and physical interest over time, then I consider it beneficial. Expectations and training needs to be long-term and must be adjusted to our ever-changing needs. Discipline is important, but in my view, discipline does not mean forcing oneself to train the same way everyday, but rather to show up and modify the intensity and pace of the practice or workout to our immediate needs. This includes making adjustments for injuries and our natural energetic and hormonal cycles. In yoga, I call this approach “Sustainable Yoga for Longterm Happiness” or “SuYoLoH”, and I encourage my students to incorporate it in every practice.

Do you have a favorite quote?

Not really. Many of the Rumi quotes, particularly “Let the beauty of what you love be what you do,” and “There are a thousand ways to kneel and kiss the earth.” These have both stayed with me over time. I think Marianne Williamson is always brilliant and eloquent. I also love this quote from Yoda: “Do or do not. There is no try.”

What is your favorite supplement?

I am more into whole foods and superfoods. For me, supplements are based on need. If the food plan is tailored to the individual and rich in superfoods, that’s ideal. This said, I am a big fan of Arbonne’s Phytosport athletic line and their Daily Protein Boost. It only has three ingredients: pea protein, rice protein and cranberry. It’s carb free, easy to digest and the texture is very smooth. Plus, because it has a neutral flavor, I can blend into to savory or sweet dishes, juices, smoothies and sauces! Being an ayurvedic practitioner, I use a lot of herbs, which I suppose are supplements. I often suggest and

71 use triphala to aid digestion and shatavari to help balance hormones. Lastly, I incorporate a lot turmeric (high in antioxidants, good for inflammation and immunity), raw chocolate (also high in antioxidants), aloe vera gel (for digestion and inflammation), seeds and other high quality fats into my diet.

What has been your worst supplement experience?

Taking too many supplements at the same time. The body can only metabolize a few things at a time. A client once brought me a full grocery bag of different supplements she was taking and her digestive system was completely out of whack. No wonder. Plus, not all supplements are from whole-food sources, which means that the body can’t always assimilate them.

What are some of your 'go-to' meals and snacks?

I like easy. My husband jokes that ‘God invented granola and hummus just so I would survive!’ But actually, I am becoming more interested in cooking and preparing meals, although I don’t use recipes. I just make what inspires me. Steamed veggies over brown rice or quinoa and some seeds is perfect me. I also like lentil soup and curries. Avocado on toast is very popular in my house and weekly gluten-free blueberry protein pancakes is a must. I also make a lot of super smoothies and share my creations on Instagram #yysmoothies.

Finish the following sentences…

The most embarrassing song on my ipod is…

I’m a big Cyndi Lauper fan, but I’m not embarrassed to say so! She is awesome.

The most embarrassing thing in my fridge/freezer/pantry is…

Probably Ketchup. I do enjoy this condiment with grilled (rice) cheese sandwiches.

John Pierre Trainer, non-profit/volunteer stud, plant-based eater http://www.johnpierre.com/

Where do most people go wrong with their nutrition?

Most people are trying to satisfy macronutrient needs and focus on obtaining protein, fats, and carbohydrates. The challenge is to meet the micronutrients we require. This includes getting the necessary vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients lacking in most diets dominated by processed foods. The key is to include plenty of green leafy vegetables and a rainbow of colors when eating salads. Include red bell peppers, sweet potatoes, beans, tomatoes, kale, and all kinds of greens. The more colors in the salad, the better.

Where do most people go wrong with their workouts?

Many people try to do too much when starting a fitness program and end up burning themselves out. The key is to be consistent but not exhaust oneself to the point of becoming unmotivated and depressed. Enjoyment is an important factor and picking sports or activities that we can look forward to is more important than choosing the same old workouts that become monotonous and dreaded. If we look forward to a workout, we will continue to perform it. If we don't, we will look for any excuse to avoid it. Enjoyment is the key.

Do you have a favorite quote?

I like Mahatma Gandhi's quote - "Be the change you want to see in the world."

When people think about creating positive change in the world, it can often appear to be overwhelming. With so many things needing our assistance, where do we start? Many people think they need to do something big and if they cannot, then doing something small will not make much of a difference. That is not the case. It's the small, daily actions that add up to big changes over the long term and affect everyone for the better. I always say "Think good thoughts, do good deeds". All positive thoughts and gestures are important and accumulate over time.

What's your favorite supplement?

I think that vitamin B12 is really essential for most people and should be included for overall health.

What has been your worst supplement experience?

Luckily, I have not had any!

What are some of your 'go-to' meals and snacks?

Fruits and vegetables are always a favorite but I also enjoy a quick smoothie and a healthy bar on occasion. Some of my favorite bars are the Journey Bar brand and the Boku brand. I shared many of my favorite recipes on my three cooking DVD’s available on my website (www.johnpierre.com).

Finish the following sentences…

The most embarrassing song on my ipod is…

I'm still trying to figure out how to use my VCR! I'll get to the iPod eventually...

The most embarrassing thing in my fridge/freezer/pantry is…

I keep Allison's Gourmet Vegan Brownies as special treats for guests and friends. The ingredients are organic and fair-trade and everyone enjoys a sweet dessert occasionally.

Jennifer Koslo Dietitian, author, all around athlete, plant-based eater http://www.koslosnutritionsolutions.com/

Where do most people go wrong with their nutrition?

Following rigid "rules" about what to eat, eliminating food groups, following trends without knowing if it is for them (i.e. gluten free) where the outcome is a less healthy diet.

Where do most people go wrong with their workouts?

Doing too much too soon; not mixing things up; not attending to rest and recovery.

Do you have a favorite quote?

"Whether you think you can or you think you can't -- you are right". - Henry Ford

What is your favorite supplement?

I have several.

Vegan protein powder favorites: Nutiva Hemp protein, Vega One, Life Basics veggie protein with Greens, Nitrofusion.

Other "supplements" I love are chia seeds and hemp seeds.

What has been your worst supplement experience?

Nasty tasting flavored BCAAs; multi-vitamin with high dose niacin that resulted in a niacin flush.

What are some of your 'go-to' meals and snacks?

Meals: Breakfast - homemade vegan muffins Lunch - lentils and tofu Snacks - almonds, snap/snow peas, edamame Dinners - soofoo original http://www.soofoo.com, lots of veggies plus Gardein veggie chicken or tenderloins; or sweet potatoes plus veggies and Gardein.

Finish the following sentences…

The most embarrassing song on my ipod is…

I am embarrassed to say that I have several and I don't use them.

The most embarrassing thing in my fridge/freezer/pantry is…

Nothing!

Torre Washington* Physique athlete, plant-based eater https://www.torrewashington.com/

Where do most people go wrong with their nutrition?

They decide that certain foods should not be eaten and it turns out to be the very foods that they enjoy and then they end up binging on them instead. Also their nutrition becomes a chore rather than a lifestyle.

Where do most people go wrong with their workouts?

Jumping on the next fad workout rather than focusing on the foundational basics of exercise and the mechanics of specific movements. They also focus on quantity over quality.

Do you have a favorite quote?

To try is to make an attempt to fail, just do it!

What is your favorite supplement?

Water, sunlight and japanese sweet potatoes

What are some of your 'go-to' meals and snacks?

Meals: Oatmeal, scrambled tofu and toast; Seitan, asparagus and japanese sweet potato Snacks: Peanut butter & banana; Grapefruit; Cherries; Blueberries

*Torre was only available to answer 5 of the questions. Give him a break, he’s out winning bodybuilding titles!

Scott Shetler Gym owner, fitness guru, plant-based eater http://www.scottshetler.com/

Where do most people go wrong with their nutrition?

I think people focus too much on protein intake and not enough on fresh fruits, vegetables and fiber. I also hate the way carbohydrates have gotten a bad rap, and feel that they are crucial for health and performance.

Where do most people go wrong with their workouts?

I think people fail to make strength a priority and are not consistent with their workouts. I see too many people jumping onto the “what’s cool right now in fitness” bandwagon and ultimately fall for a bunch of crap. You even see a lot of program hopping in the strength community as well. I feel that if people had more clearly defined goals programming would be less chaotic. Consistency and focus lead to long-term sustained progress.

Do you have a favorite quote?

“Reality is the basis of every booger up your nose, every pit-stain in your dad’s T-shirts, and every dingleberry on your ass.” - Brad Warner, Hardcore Zen: Punk Rock, Monster Movies and the Truth About Reality

What is your favorite supplement?

I am a big fan of Mike Mahler’s Aggressive Strength supplement line, particularly his Restorezyme and Testosterone Booster.

What has been your worst supplement experience?

EAS’s Andro-6 was pretty bad and I think their Betagen was a little overhyped.

What are some of your 'go-to' meals and snacks?

I make a huge green smoothie almost every morning with a ton of greens (kale, spinach, dandelion, collards, chard, etc.); broccoli; banana; mixed berries; flax meal; hemp seeds; ginger root and turmeric root. I’m a big fan of bean burritos, avocados, oatmeal, and I love fresh fruit and nuts/seeds for snacks.

One of my favorite easy to make meals is a simple stir-fry with rice, bean sprouts, tofu, mushrooms, bok choy and cabbage with sesame seeds and Nama Shoyu. I probably eat

78 close to my body-weight in almond or peanut butter sandwiches every week as well. I don’t rely on protein powders except on heavy training days where I make a protein/carbohydrate drink with plant-based protein powder and non-dairy chocolate milk (usually around 20g of protein to 40-60g of carbs) and drink ⅓ - ½ pre-workout and the rest after. I really only drink water, coffee (I’m a huge fan of cold-brew iced coffee), hot or iced tea, and a little non-dairy milk.

My favorite “less-than-healthy” foods are pizza, the occasional vegan donut, and I have gotten a little too into the Lenny’s and Larry’s Complete Cookies lately!

Finish the following sentences…

The most embarrassing song on my ipod is…

“Waking Up In Vegas” by Katy Perry.

The most embarrassing thing in my fridge/freezer/pantry is…

Red velvet Oreos.

Chris Willitts Writer, all around athlete, plant-based eater https://www.vegetarianbodybuilding.com/

Where do most people go wrong with their nutrition?

First, let me say that I don’t think there’s one universal diet that is ideal for 100% of the population. Biochemistry suggests that our respective genetics are simply too diverse for that to be true. There are more like three to four really good diets to try as a foundation. For instance, paleo, pescetarian, semi-vegetarian, and vegetarian diets are all solid options. So the first task is to try all of the good ones for a period of time and observe closely. Once the best one for you has been identified, the final task is to tailor it so it fits like a custom suit.

Here is the primary problem as I see it is: information overload and lack of focus. We are basically monkeys with iPhones these days. Seriously, look around.

Most of us don’t stay on one nutritional path long enough to effectively observe what’s working and what’s not. It’s important to be consistent, isolate changes, and only make one to two alterations within a period of 60-90 days. Combine our “ADHD culture” with constant bombardment from social media news feeds and exciting magazine headlines, there’s a tendency to become impatient and make numerous changes over a short period of time. I’m guilty of this myself, and proceeding in this way makes it virtually impossible to learn about what’s really working.

Where do most people go wrong with their workouts?

Sometimes, we simply don’t change things up enough to consistently stimulate the muscle in such a way it’s forced to adapt and grow stronger. Again, this is something I have been guilty of myself. Not too long ago, I trained for three years with the same routine, expecting to get stronger. This was humbling and makes one wonder how folks like myself with 20+ years' experience can have such big blind spots.

Changing things up can be done through adjusting amount of reps and sets, time between sets, velocity, exercises, frequency of workouts, etc. In fact, I started my Brazilian Jiu Jijtsu training in order to add another dimension of strength training and flexibility to the mix. We have to get creative.

Do you have a favorite quote?

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit." - Aristotle

What is your favorite supplement?

I’m not big on supplements and think the industry as a whole is a sham. That being said, I think some are worth using. I really like beta-alanine and a half cup of coffee as a pre-workout.

What has been your worst supplement experience?

N/A

What are some of your "go-to" meals and snacks?

My breakfast is a glass of water + four ounces of aloe juice and I also drink a plant-based protein drink (powder + water). This is also my last snack/meal of the day.

Finish the following sentences …

The most embarrassing song on my iPod is …

“Addicted to Love” by Robert Palmer.

The most embarrassing thing in my fridge/freezer/pantry is …

Organic Peanut Butter and Cocoa Balls cereal (not currently, but I have phases).

81 m.c. schraefel All around athlete, tech guru, plant-based eater http://www.begin2dig.com/p/about-mc.html

Where do most people go wrong with their nutrition?

Oh gosh, that implies they’re making a conscious attempt at nutrition. If that’s so, usually, not enough greens, too much processed food, too much reliance on animal products, and increasingly I’m noticing a lack of fermented/biologically active foods. But, that’s all most often ignorance rather than intent.

Where do most people go wrong with their workouts?

That’s an interesting question too. Perhaps again not “wrong” since that means they have figured out a particular effect they want and have a plan and that what they are doing will not deliver that plan. Or that their aspiration for which they have a plan is “wrong” (e.g. ripped in 4 weeks).

That said, most folks I know have no workout, no plan. But of those that do have a workout, “wrong” may be that their actions are not aligned with their goals. This is not deliberate, but it’s kinda wrong.

Like a guy I know who sorta deadlifts to be fit, strong, lean. He’s fat, his nutrition is poor, and he doesn’t work out hard enough to get anywhere near where he says he wants to be. And to the question: “How’s that working for you?” The reply may be, “great!” Really? Based on what measure?

Is that wrong? And if I’m not their coach but they’re asking me, wrong for me can be “trying to help”.

Do you have a favorite quote?

Yes, mine. By me at my PhD defense. “Yes I can answer that question. I can explain anything as long as I’m not constrained by accuracy.”

What is your favorite supplement?

Favorite isn’t a term I’d associate with supplements. But I use the following regularly: magnesium, vitamin D, omega-3 of some kind.

What has been your worst supplement experience?

Nothing much. Maybe too much beta-alanine by accident and got a little too tingly before a workout.

What are some of your 'go-to' meals and snacks?

Morning I don’t usually eat breakfast - I like to workout in the AM too so I will have essential amino acids or branched chain amino acids, greens, creatine, citrulline malate, and if I’m about to workout I’ll add beta-alanine mixed with cold green tea. Maybe glucomannan for bulk/fiber. Have that pretty religiously. Great to travel with the powder in tupperware.

For a snack, if I’m trying to lean out I’ll have glutamine with some branched chain amino acids and true nutrition flavoring. Or rice protein powder and some greens. If a blender is available I may add a few frozen blueberries and frozen banana slices and ice and flax seeds.

Finish the following sentences…

The most embarrassing song on my ipod is…

There is nothing on my digital device I would not be pleased to stand up and sing or recite aloud.

The most embarrassing thing in my fridge/freezer/pantry is…

Let's see. Nope. No apologies, even on the road.

Fraser Bayley Physique athlete, website owner, plant-based eater www.EvolvingAlpha.com www.Facebook.com/evolvingalpha www.Instagram.com/evolvingalpha

Where do most people go wrong with their nutrition?

They tend to focus too much on macronutrients and not micronutrients (minerals & vitamins). Yes, total calories (protein/carbs/fats) come into play, but in terms of optimal hormonal function, brain function, gut health, immunity, and essentially how well the body handles nutrition and assimilates it - micronutrients are so vital. Many people have holes in their micronutrient targets and they end up craving all kinds of poor foods, feeling lethargic and weak and then blame the diet as a whole. When in reality it was poor micronutrient intake.

Where do most people go wrong with their workouts?

They don’t focus enough on resistance training and rely too much on cardio to lose body fat. Not realizing that muscle mass is like our metabolic engine – the more muscle we can grow, the easier it becomes to get and stay lean. Cardio should be used like a finisher or supplement to a good resistance training routine and diet. If your goal is optimal body composition. If you enjoy running, by all means do it! But if you do extended cardio sessions for the sole reason of fat loss – try switching over to large compound weight training lifts, 8-12 reps, with short rest periods instead.

Do you have a favorite quote?

“We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.” - T.S. Eliot

What is your favorite supplement?

Plantfusion protein powder. Mainly just gives my post workout greens smoothie a great creamy vanilla kick!

What has been your worst supplement experience?

Yohimbe – many years ago, looking for quick solutions. Yohimbe is like a stimulant and you need to dose it slowly at first to learn your threshold for it. I took too much and felt like I was having a heart attack! (Lesson learned! I am a supplement minimalist now)

What are some of your 'go-to' meals and snacks?

Snacks - Rice cakes with hummus or nut butter. Fruit normally banana, papaya or oranges. Granola/oatmeal.

Meals ● Tempeh, beans, rice and mixed veg ● Veg sushi rolls ● Quinoa burger and veg wraps ● Quinoa cranberry salad ● Homemade chipotle style sofrita bowl

Finish the following sentences…

The most embarrassing song on my ipod is…

Iggy Azalea – Team! Lol.

The most embarrassing thing in my fridge/freezer/pantry is…

The nasty, funky rotten unused veggies that tends to accumulate in the bottom drawer and it's only when we begin to smell it do we remember! Haha!

Mark Rifkin Dietitian, nutrition guru, plant-based eater http://www.balancednutritiononline.com/

Where do most people go wrong with their nutrition?

Most people go wrong in trying to set unnecessary rules (e.g., no added salt/oil/sugar, absolutely no processed food, etc) that provide little if any health/nutrition benefit, but increase the difficulty of sustaining a plant-based diet and ultimately, increase the chance of failure.

Where do most people go wrong with their workouts?

Most people go wrong with their workouts by not doing it! Or, by not sustaining it. Assuming one is continuing a workout, the most common mistake is trying to advance too much too quickly (e.g., run farther, lift/push/pull more weight) before the body is suitably prepared.

Do you have a favorite quote?

"Perfection is the enemy of progress." Attributed to Churchill

What is your favorite supplement?

Favorite supplement is NuTru Omega-zen-3 for DHA.

What has been your worst supplement experience?

I guess my worst experience would be trying to use the powder residue at the bottom of a bottle of kelp tablets. There were at least 5-10 doses of kelp powder left in the bottom. Tasted horrible ---like powdery grass. But no permanent effects.

What are some of your "go-to" meals and snacks?

Go-to meals: Black beans and collard greens in a tomato-based stew with sauteed onions and miscellaneous veggies, finished with hot sauce and molasses, served over any whole grain. Buying a container of sauce from the local Chinese carryout ($1!) and using it for my own tofu (or tempeh or seitan) and veggies. Saves a ton of money!

Go-to snacks: Peanut butter spread on apple slices; slightly-thawed frozen fruit; grilled plantain.

Finish the following sentences …

The most embarrassing song on my iPod is…

I don't have an iPod. But re: my CD collection, I'd say "The Stroke" by Billy Squier.

The most embarrassing thing in my fridge/freezer/pantry is…

Frozen French fries. That's my vice---or one of them, anyway.

Jeff Novick Dietitian, nutrition guru, plant-based eater http://www.jeffnovick.com/RD/Home.html

Where do most people go wrong with their nutrition?

- Too many refined and overly processed foods (including added sugars, oils and fats) - Too many animal based foods (including dairy) - Not understanding the difference between information that is really marketing and advertising and information that is truly credible science. - Majoring in minor things by getting lost in the fine details and missing the bigger picture.

Where do most people go wrong with their workouts?

Not doing enough or doing too much. Optimal health requires a certain minimum level of activity, exercise, strength and fitness. However, more exercise/activity does not always equal greater health and too much exercise can often mean less than optimal health.

Do you have a favorite quote?

“Your health is your greatest wealth.”

What is your favorite supplement?

Vit E (exercise) and Vit S (sunshine)!

What has been your worst supplement experience?

I don’t routinely recommend supplements but I do work with many vegans and there are still some who don’t recognize the importance of Vitamin B12.

What are some of your "go-to" meals and snacks?

My favorite meals and snacks are just minimally processed fruits, veggies, starchy veggies, intact whole grains and legumes simply prepared on a plate. The simpler the better, no recipe required. Right now, loving plain baked Hannah Sweet potatoes and fresh Fuji Apples.

Finish the following sentences …

The most embarrassing song on my iPod is…

The Muppets. My wife and I love their, "Life’s A Happy Song!"

The most embarrassing thing in my fridge/freezer/pantry is…

Nothing really. But, I do have some traditional “fast-food” mustard and ketchup packets. I keep them for when guests come over and we serve my veggie burgers.

Julieanna Hever Dietitian, author, plant-based eater http://plantbaseddietitian.com/

Where do most people go wrong with their nutrition?

Many people are overly concerned with specific nutrients, such as searching for more protein and/or avoiding carbs. All intact foods have some combination of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats and it is misleading to categorize a food as a "protein" or a "carb." Focusing on whole plant foods, with their perfect packaging of just the right amount of nutrients and the most nutritional bang for their caloric buck, is a far more effective and simple way to achieve a health-promoting diet.

Where do most people go wrong with their workouts?

Getting stuck in a rut is the most common mistake I see with my clients, performing the same exercises and routines for months at a time. Because our bodies adapt, it is crucial to continuously change up your workout to ensure your body is challenged and can make appropriate progression. Inspire your body by trying new classes, new modalities of exercise, new strategies for resistance, and different paces, durations, and intensities. This also helps with motivation because it keeps things interesting.

Do you have a favorite quote?

I have so many favorite quotes! One of my most recent favorites is by Dr. Michael Greger, "The best kept secret in medicine is that under the right conditions, the body can heal itself."

What is your favorite supplement?

Because I work primarily with plant-based diets, I like to ensure all vegans are taking their vitamin B12. I also like plant-based microalgae omega-3 supplements.

What has been your worst supplement experience?

Finding out a vegetarian capsule is made with gelatin. I wish the labels were clearer on supplements on all added ingredients.

What are some of your "go-to" meals and snacks?

Hummus should be a food group. I love it on and with everything. I also love huge, substantial, and creative salads with beans and other exciting and colorful additions.

Finish the following sentences …

The most embarrassing song on my iPod is…

Debbie Gibson's Lost In your Eyes (LOVE that song!)

The most embarrassing thing in my fridge/freezer/pantry is…

The vegetables I washed, chopped, and prepped and then found their way to the back of my fridge and became rotten.

Mike Mahler Fitness guru, website owner, plant-based eater http://mikemahler.com/

Where do most people go wrong with their nutrition?

Too much processed food, sugar, hydrogenated oil, and animal protein (especially factory farm based animal protein). Moreover not enough intake of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes and other power foods.

Where do most people go wrong with their workouts?

Too many “major in minor” things and making training overly complicated. The basic compound exercises in particular squats and deadlifts will always have the most impact on transforming your physique and developing serious strength.

Do you have a favorite quote?

"I like things to happen, and if they don't happen I like to make them happen." - Winston Churchill

What is your favorite supplement?

The Aggressive Strength Testosterone Booster Aggressive Strength Testosterone Booster - Mahler's Aggressive Strength

What has been your worst supplement experience?

Taking Sam-E as it caused pretty serious depression.

What are some of your 'go-to' meals and snacks?

Trail mixes made of pumpkin seeds, brazil nuts, cashews, hemp seeds, dates, dark chocolate, and goji berries.

Finish the following sentences…

The most embarrassing song on my ipod is…

None. I am not embarrassed by any song on my iPod.

The most embarrassing thing in my fridge/freezer/pantry is…

None. I don't have any guilt or embarrassment over anything I eat and I think such feelings are unhealthy.

Alex Picot-Annand Nutrition guru, critical thinker, plant-based eater, editor of this book http://www.alexpicotannand.com/

Where do most people go wrong with their nutrition?

Good nutrition is a lot simpler and a lot more boring than people think. I don't mean boring in that one's experience eating nutritiously is boring, but that the concepts behind good nutrition are pretty boring.

I have five boring concepts to offer:

1) Have most of the food you eat be as close as possible to its original, whole food form, and try to cook it yourself if you have time. 2) Eat a variety of colorful plants, quality proteins, and quality fats at every meal. 3) Feeling "full" after a meal is not the goal. Feel comfortable. Feel ready for adventure. 4) Enjoy your food. Be interested in it, pay attention to it, and give it respect. That's true whether you're eating broccoli or chocolate cake. Enjoy it all. 5) Be consistent. Even on holidays, even when travelling, even when work gets crazy, be as consistent as you can. And don't beat yourself up when you truly can't. Just do your best, over and over.

Also, let go of the idea that it's willpower that will help you to make significant lifestyle changes. Willpower is part of it, but what significant change is really fuelled by is a mindset shift. Come up with values and reasons that you like that support your goals, and then see how much easier it is to stick to your new habits.

Where do most people go wrong with their workouts?

First, don't workout to lose weight. It's hard to burn off enough calories to make a difference if you're still overeating, and it also sets up a relationship with exercise where exercise = punishment for eating too many chips.

You don't have to get crazy with exercise. Again, I think consistency is the key here. Just establish a habit, and make the driving force behind it be "Because I love this damn body and damnit it likes to move".

Cut the drama. The mental resistance people create in response to exercise is far more painful than the workout itself. Just put on your sneakers and go.

Personally I'm more concerned with general health, so I don't think it's so important what type of exercise a person does. However, from an aesthetics point of view, you can't beat weightlifting.

Do you have a favorite quote?

I try to govern myself by one by Pema Chodron: "Be kinder to yourself. And then let your kindness flood the world."

I love that. And it's a hard one to follow especially for those of us who are nurturers and people pleasers. But it's so true. You will have SO much more to give if you figure out your non-negotiable needs and consistently tend to them. I am outrageously good-natured and generous and productive when I take care of myself.

Another one that I love is by Lord Byron: "There is pleasure in the pathless woods." Delicious. These words feel truthful to me both literally and metaphorically.

What is your favorite supplement?

Protein powders single-handedly make my life at least 17% easier.

What has been your worst supplement experience?

I have a lot of experience in the supplements industry which also means I have a lot of terrible stories, most of them involving loose bowels.

What are some of your 'go-to' meals and snacks?

For snacks I usually do fresh fruit and raw nuts. For meals, I tend to follow a rotating matrix of three choose-your-own-adventure components:

Root vegetables (steamed or roasted) + Lean protein + Something green (steamed, stir-fried, or salad) + Fatty goodness (Coconut oil, olive oil, or butter)

In the winter I eat a lot of hearty soups, and in the summer I eat a lot of hearty salads.

SEE? Boring and simple. (But joyful, delicious, and satisfying.)

Finish the following sentences…

95 The most embarrassing song on my ipod is…

"Work from Home" by Fifth Harmony, in a sea of hardcore rap music. Whatever it's my jam get off me.

The most embarrassing thing in my fridge/freezer/pantry is…

I don't currently have it anymore, but for about five years I had a package of penis-shaped pasta. I don't think I ever ate it.

Victoria Moran Author, speaker, plant-based eater http://mainstreetvegan.net/

Where do most people go wrong with their nutrition?

Thinking that foods in boxes and bags are as good as fresh foods, spurred on by the oft-repeated recommendation to always read the label. It's great to read the nutrition information on the packaged foods that we buy, but the best foods are label-less -- veggies, fruits, beans, nuts. These don't have nutrition information – – they just have nutrition!

Where do most people go wrong with their workouts?

Simply not making it from the seated position to the workout. I actually coin a phrase in my last book, The Good Karma Diet, and that phrase is activity resistance disorder – – ARD for short. I believe that this is a real condition and that I've had it myself. It's related to depression and its main symptom is such an unwillingness to get out and move that the unwillingness seems almost like inability. The way to overcome this, I believe, is to just do something: a restorative yoga class, even getting a massage and being reminded that your body below the neck actually exists can be enough to steer an ARD sufferer back into more vigorous activity.

Do you have a favorite quote?

"To every creature, his own life is very dear." - Mahavira, saint of the Jain religion of India, who lived 599 BC to 527 BC

What is your favorite supplement?

A new one actually: Baxyl. It's a tasteless liquid hyaluronan supplement recommended for joint health, but I learned about it from an RN in the cosmetic dermatology field, who told me that it's also believed to boost collagen production in the skin.

What has been your worst supplement experience?

Taking zinc on an empty stomach and getting nauseated.

What are some of your 'go-to' meals and snacks?

I don't snack -- that's been a godsend in my long term recovery from binge eating -- and go-to meals include my breakfast smoothie full of superfoods (cinnamon, clove, ginger,

97 maca, macuna, reishi mushroom powder), a quick lunch of beans and greens (I saute onions and garlic with turmeric and black pepper, and then add mushrooms, some kind of beans, and finally whatever greens I have on hand -- baby kale, arugula, cilantro, spinach -- and some tamari), and my husband's favorite, my "Cheapish Chili" with a tiny pinch of cocoa powder to bring out the tomato flavor of the broth.

Finish the following sentences…

The most embarrassing song on my ipod is…

"Rhinestone Cowboy" -- as an ethical vegan, I detest rodeos, but I love this old Glen Campbell song about a guy trying to make it in New York City.

The most embarrassing thing in my fridge/freezer/pantry is…

My husband's Coke Zero -- teaching me the valuable lesson that it's our fridge, not mine.

Here are some resources that have been helpful on my journey so far. http://www.precisionnutrition.com/ - Website I’ve worked with for nearly a decade. Offers coaching programs for general public and fitness pros. http://www.veganhealth.org/ - Nutrition website from Jack Norris, RD. Always keeping up with the latest and greatest in plant-based nutrition. http://www.theveganrd.com/ - Nutrition website from Ginny Messina, RD. Offers fantastic information about plant-based diets. http://www.balancednutritiononline.com/ - Nutrition website from Mark Rifkin, RD. Offers coaching services and resources. https://www.bookpubco.com/ - The publishing company of my first book, Drop the Fat Act and Live Lean. http://www.vrg.org/ - A classic resource for vegetarians. http://www.compassionatecook.com/ - A website from a pioneer in the plant-based eating world, Colleen Patrick-Goudreau. And if you are looking for some cookbooks, buy hers! http://www.mercyforanimals.org/ - A non-profit doing important work to expose inhumane farming practices. http://mainstreetvegan.net/ - A website from Victoria Moran, someone who had a major influeence on my plant-based eating journey. If you are looking for some good books to read, pick up any of hers! http://vegnews.com/ - I love magazines….including this one! http://earthlings.com/ - A film that had a major influence on my plant-based eating journey.

99 http://www.wendellberrybooks.com/ - This guy has some important things to say about the future of agriculture. http://michaelpollan.com/ - One of my favorite writers. http://markbittman.com/ - One of my favorite writers. http://farmforward.com/ - A non-profit doing important work to end factory farming. http://www.foodchainsfilm.com/ - A film that had a major influence on my eating journey. http://www.katescarlata.com/ - Wonderful resources from Kate Scarlata, RD related to digestive health.

Mangels R. The Everything Vegan Pregnancy Book. 2011. Adams Media. - When Reed Mangels, PhD, RD, talks about vegan pregnancy, I listen!

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Supplementing vitamin D depends a lot on your geographical longitude and latitude.

If you are south of LA/Dallas/Atlanta/Cairo

● 15-30 minutes of mid-day sun (15 for those with lighter skin, 30 for darker skin) ● OR 2,000 IU supplemental vitamin D daily

If you are around Portland/Chicago/Toronto/NYC/Boston/Rome/Beijing

From February – November

● 15-30 minutes of mid-day sun (15 for those with lighter skin, 30 for darker) ● OR 2,000 IU supplemental vitamin D daily

From December – January

● 2,000 IU supplemental vitamin D daily

If you are around Edmonton/London/Berlin/Moscow

From March – October

● 15-30 minutes of mid-day sun (15 for those with lighter skin, 30 for darker) ● OR 2,000 IU supplemental vitamin D daily

From November – February

● 2,000 IU supplemental vitamin D daily

If you are north of Edmonton/London/Berlin/Moscow

From April – September

● 15-30 minutes of mid-day sun (15 for those with lighter skin, 30 for darker) ● OR 2,000 IU supplemental vitamin D daily

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From November – February

● 2,000 IU supplemental vitamin D daily

If you are very confused right now, check out this map.

When using vitamin D supplements also consider body fat percentage, physical activity, baseline vitamin D and calcium status, oral contraceptive use, and race-ethnicity. All of those factors can influence how much you need. Most importantly, check with your doc before starting/stopping a supplement.

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Some folks struggle to eat enough food each day (including me, at least some of the time).

And when you add plant-based eating to this equation (e.g., foods that tend to be quite filling and yet calorie dilute), this can lead to unintentional weight loss and trouble with recovery from physical activity/exercise.

Here are some simple energy-dense food combinations and other meal ideas that can help to boost daily calorie intake:

● Almond butter on medjool dates ● Walnuts with dried figs ● At each meal, include a glass of flavored non-dairy milk (e.g., chocolate almond milk, vanilla coconut milk, etc.) ● At each meal, include a handful of nuts/seeds ● Try black bean brownies as a dessert or snack (recipe #1) (recipe #2) ● Try chickpea cookie dough as a dessert or snack ● Try chickpea blondies as a dessert or snack ● Add non-dairy margarine or coconut oil to your baked potatoes/sweet potatoes ● Snack on trail mix with peanuts, dry roasted chickpeas, dry roasted edamame, raisins, and dark chocolate chips

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Here’s the deal: I’m not much for boxing people into different dietary camps. And that’s one of the things I try to convey with this book.

But just in case you got the vibe that I was drawing a line in the sand at “purely animal free diet”, I’m not. I understand that an animal free diet isn’t appealing to some people for various reasons.

So, I’m dedicating a section here with three practical ways that someone can be a better 20 omnivore….starting today.

1. Find your minimum effective “dose” of animal products. This is all about trial and error. There’s a big difference between eating animal products at every meal “just because” and making a conscious choice to eat them X times per day/week/month. 2. Eat meat from cows instead of chickens/fish. Why? Three reasons. 1) Pastured cattle raised in a sustainable way can be beneficial to enriching soils and the cycle of farming. 2) A person who gives up eating chickens entirely, even if they replace all of the chicken they used to eat with beef/pork will spare 27-28 animals. If the entire country (U.S.) did that, the number of farm animals killed each year in the U.S. would drop from about 8.5 billion to 1 billion21. 3) Many people switch from red meat to chicken as a way to greatly improve health, but there’s really not much of a difference between these two animal foods in terms of health outcomes. While there might be a few perks to colon health, the biggest issue is simply keeping total intake of meat lower (no matter red or white meat), with plenty of plant foods. 3. Shop for animal products at stores that have higher animal welfare standards in place (such as Whole Foods Market). Farmer’s markets fit here too. It’s a great opportunity to chat with the farm crew and ask about animal welfare practices. This matters a lot. Conventional/cheap dairy and eggs will be coming from deplorable places. It’s worth paying a few extra dollars for higher quality sources. With quality animal foods, it often comes down to “spending a bit more and eating a bit less”. Some other resources are: Cornucopia Dairy Scorecard, Cornucopia Egg Scorecard, Marine Stewardship Council, Buying Poultry, and The Better World Shopping Guide.

20 By “better” I’m referring to being more environmentally conscious and aware of animal/farmworker welfare. 21 From Veganomics by Nick Cooney.

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Maybe you just finished reading this book and really aren’t interested/ready to change anything at all about your own food choices. At the same time, some of what I talked about in this book makes sense to you and you’d like to help in some way. What can you do?

Here are a few ideas:

-Donate money to a charity that helps farm animals. Examples: Mercy for Animals or Farm Forward

You might think this doesn’t really matter. But it does.

In America we give over $1 billion to animal welfare groups each year. But only a miniscule sliver of that money (about four-fifths of 1%), goes to charities focused on protecting farm animals. Check out the image below for an illustration of this.

Adapted from Animal Charity Evaluators: www.animalcharityevaluators.org/research/foundational-research/number-of-animals-vs-amount-of-donations

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-Donate money to a charity that support rights of farmworkers. Example: Farm Worker Justice

-Keep learning. There are always new documentary films and books coming out discussing important causes in agriculture, the environment, and animal welfare. Here are a few to get you started.

Films ● Dive! The Film ● Cooked ● In Defense of Food ● Earthlings ● Food Chains ● Food, Inc. ● FRESH ● Time to Choose

Books ● Eating Animals, Jonathan Safran-Foer ● Farmacology, Daphne Miller ● In Defense of Food, Michael Pollan ● Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, Barbara Kingsolver ● Project Animal Farm, Sonja Faruqi ● The End of Plenty, Joel K. Bourne

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○ For whole grains* (e.g., spelt, rice, kamut, barley, etc): ■ Rinse in a colander ■ Put the grains in a bowl filled with enough water to cover ■ Let soak for 8-12 hours at room temp ■ Drain and then cook until tender

○ For dried beans (e.g., black beans, aduki beans, pinto beans, etc): ■ Rinse in a colander ■ Put the beans in a bowl filled with enough water to cover by a couple of inches ■ Let soak for 12-24 hours at room temp ■ Drain and then cook until tender

○ For lentils/split peas*: ■ Rinse in a colander ■ Put the lentils/split peas in a bowl filled with enough water to cover by a couple of inches ■ Soak for 8 hours at room temp ■ Drain and then cook until tender

○ For raw nuts/seeds*: ■ Rinse in a colander ■ Put the raw nuts/seeds in a bowl filled with enough water to cover by an inch or so ■ Soak for 8 hours at room temp ■ Drain and air dry (or lightly roast)

*You don’t have to soak these. But some people like to.

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Agu J. Pre-bed casein ingestion: is it really necessary? Alan Aragon Research Review. June 2015.

Aragon A. Can vegans and fish-avoiders meet their omega-3 needs through plant foods, or is supplementation needed? Alan Aragon Research Review. March 2016.

Armah SM. Fractional zinc absorption for men, women, and adolescents is overestimated in the current Dietary Reference Intakes. J Nutr 2016;146:1276-1280.

Cooney N. Veganomics. 2013. Lantern.

Crocker, J, Olivier M, Nuer N. Self-image goals and compassionate goals: costs and benefits. Self Identity 2009;8:251-269.

Crocker J. The paradoxical consequences of interpersonal goals: Relationships, distress, and the self. Psychological Studies 2011;56:142-150.

Davis G. Proteinaholic. 2015. HarperOne. (yes, I’ve read Denise Minger’s rebuttal to Proteinaholic as well)

Davis B. Vegetarian nutrition for a healthy body. FNCE Session Summary. Vegetarian Nutrition Update. Volume XXVI, Number 3, 2016.

Duggal A. Nutrition and supplementation considerations for the vegan athlete. Alan Aragon Research Review. July 2015.

Greenfield B. How to be extremely active and eat a plant-based diet without destroying your body. http://www.bengreenfieldfitness.com/2012/02/plant-based-diet/

Greenfield B. The Zen of customizing your diet to your unique body and goals - for vegans, females, seniors, kids, fasting, & ketosis. http://www.bengreenfieldfitness.com/2013/07/how-to-customize-your-diet/

Greger M. How not to die. 2015. Flatiron.

McGonigal K. The Upside of Stress. 2015. Avery.

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Miller D. Farmacology. 2013. William Morrow.

Minger D. For Vegans. http://rawfoodsos.com/for-vegans/

Norris J & Messina V. Vegan for Life. 2011. Da Capo.

Pollan M. In Defense of Food. 2009. Penguin.

Position of the American Dietetic Association: Vegetarian Diets. J Am Diet Assoc 2009;109:1266-1282.

Radnitz C, Beezhold B, DiMatteo J. Investigation of lifestyle choices of individuals following a vegan diet for health and ethical reasons. Appetite 2015;90:31-36.

Taylor R. A vegan-oriented guide to protein intake and supplementation for bodybuilding and strength performance. Alan Aragon Research Review. March/April 2015. van Vliet S, et al. The skeletal muscle anabolic response to plant- versus animal-based protein consumption. J Nutr 2015;145:1981-1991.

Zinchenko A & Cumbley C. Vegan yays and nays: An objective examination of 80-10-10 and raw vegan diets. Alan Aragon Research Review. October 2015.

Zinchenko A. The complete ‘incomplete protein’ story. December 2015. http://sciencestrength.com/2015/12/07/the-complete-incomplete-protein-story/

Zinchenko A. Meal strategies to maximize muscle protein synthesis. February 2015. http://sciencestrength.com/2015/02/21/meal-strategies-to-maximise-muscle-protein-synth esis/

References for the 8 realities

Reality #1 1. Mitchell DC, et al. Consumption of dry beans, peas, and lentils could improve diet quality of the U.S. population. J Am Diet Assoc 2009;109:909-913. 2. Sabate J, et al. The environmental cost of protein food choices. Public Health Nutrition 2014;Nov 6:1-7. 3. Per Capita Consumption of Poultry and Livestock, 1965 to Estimated 2016, in Pounds. National Chicken Council. Accessed 7/2/2016: http://www.nationalchickencouncil.org/about-the-industry/statistics/per-capita-con sumption-of-poultry-and-livestock-1965-to-estimated-2012-in-pounds/

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4. Kenny C. The Economic Case for Taxing Meat. Bloomberg. March 21, 2014. Accessed 7/2/2016: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-03-31/the-economic-case-for-taxing-m eat 5. Production Facts & FAQs. U.S. Dry Bean Council. Accessed 7/2/2016: http://www.usdrybeans.com/resources/production/production-facts/ 6. Beans 101. The Bean Institute. Accessed 7/2/2016: http://beaninstitute.com/beans-101-2/

Reality #2 1. Where will we find enough food for 9 billion? National Geographic. Accessed 7/2/2016: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/foodfeatures/feeding-9-billion/ 2. Minois G. Too much life on earth? NY Times Op-Ed. July 13, 2011. Accessed 7/2/2016: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/14/opinion/14iht-edminois14.html?_r=0 3. Ranganathan J, et al. Shifting diets for a sustainable food future. World Resources Institute. Accessed 7/2/2016: http://www.wri.org/publication/shifting-diets 4. De Schutter O, Herren H, Frison E on behalf of the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems (IPES-Food). Calculating livestock’s environmental footprint is complex - but other questions are simple. #LivestockDebate. January 17, 2016. Accessed 7/2/2016: http://www.arc2020.eu/2016/01/calculating-livestocks-environmental-footprint-is-c omplex-but-other-questions-are-simple/ 5. Halverson N. Why isn’t the U.S. counting meat producers’ climate emissions? Grist. January 4, 2016. Accessed 7/2/2016: http://grist.org/article/why-isnt-the-u-s-counting-meat-producers-climate-emissions / 6. Cooney N. Veganomics. 2013. Lantern. 7. Klein E & Locke S. 40 maps that explain food in America. Vox. June 9, 2014. Accessed 7/2/2016: http://www.vox.com/a/explain-food-america 8. Biello D. Overfishing could take seafood off the menu by 2048. Scientific American. November 2, 2006. Accessed 7/3/2016: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=overfishing-could-take-se 9. National Geographic. Overfishing. Accessed 7/3/2016: http://ocean.nationalgeographic.com/ocean/critical-issues-overfishing/ 10. Plumer B. The end of fish, in one chart. The Washington Post. May 20, 2012. Accessed 7/3/2016: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/post/the-end-of-fish-in-one-chart /2012/05/19/gIQAgcIBbU_blog.html 11. Chester T. Number of fish in the sea has dropped by nearly half since 1970, report says. September 16, 2015. Mashable. Accessed 7/3/2016: http://mashable.com/2015/09/16/marine-population-halved-since-1970/#sypSCX9 OVOkc

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Reality #3 1. Jones N. Mapping Global Food Spending. Civil Eats. March 29, 2011. Access 7/2/2016: http://civileats.com/2011/03/29/mapping-global-food-spending-infographic/ 2. Battistoni A. America spends less on food than any other country. Mother Jones. February 1, 2012. Accessed 7/2/2016: http://www.motherjones.com/blue-marble/2012/01/america-food-spending-less 3. Washington State Magazine. Annual income spent on food. Accessed 7/2/2016: http://wsm.wsu.edu/researcher/WSMaug11_billions.pdf 4. Mendes E. Americans spend $151 a week on food; the high-income, $180. Gallup. August 2, 2012. Accessed 7/2/2016: http://www.gallup.com/poll/156416/americans-spend-151-week-food-high-income-1 80.aspx 5. Plumer B. Map: Here’s how much each country spends on food. Vox. August 19, 2015. Accessed 7/2/2016: http://www.vox.com/2014/7/6/5874499/map-heres-how-much-every-country-spen ds-on-food 6. Farm Subsidy Primer. Environmental Working Group. Accessed 7/17/2016: https://farm.ewg.org/subsidyprimer.php 7. Farm Subsidies. Milking taxpayers. Economist.com. February 14, 2015. Accessed 7/17/2016: http://www.economist.com/news/united-states/21643191-crop-prices-fall-farmers-gr ow-subsidies-instead-milking-taxpayers

Reality #4 1. Buzby JC & Hyman J. Total and per capita value of food loss in the United States. Food Policy 2012;561-570. rd 2. March 3 , 2016 Hunger & Environmental Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group Webinar with JoAnne Berkenkamp, RD. 3. Food Shift. Accessed 7/2/2016: http://foodshift.net/ 4. Waste Land: Does the large amount of food discarded in the U.S. take a toll on the environment? March 3, 2010. Scientific American. Accessed 7/3/2016: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/earth-talk-waste-land/ 5. Gustavsson J, et al. Global food losses and food waste. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations website. Published 2011. Accessed 7/3/2016: http://www.fao.org/docrep/014/mb060e/mb060e.pdf 6. Overview of Greenhouse Gases. EPA. Accessed 7/17/2016: https://www3.epa.gov/climatechange/ghgemissions/gases/ch4.html

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Reality #5 1. Society at a Glance. OECD Social Indicators: Accessed 7/3/2016: http://www.oecd.org/social/soc/47573390.pdf 2. Bureau of Labor Statistics. American Time Use Survey. Household Activities. Accessed 7/17/2016: http://www.bls.gov/tus/charts/household.htm 3. Bureau of Labor Statistics. American Time Use Survey. Leisure and Sports Activities. Accessed 7/17/2016: 4. http://www.bls.gov/TUS/CHARTS/LEISURE.HTM 5. Frier S. Facebook’s second-quarter revenue, profit tops estimates. Bloomberg Technology. July 23, 2014. Accessed 7/3/2016: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-07-23/facebook-posts-second-qua rter-revenue-profit-topping-estimates

Reality #6 1. U.S. Department of the Interior. Summary of the water cycle. Accessed 7/4/2016: 2. http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/watercyclesummary.html 3. Louv R. The Nature Principle. 2011. Page 170. Chapel Hill. 4. GRID-Arendal. The following four images. Accessed 7/4/2016: 5. http://www.grida.no/graphicslib/detail/water-for-food_162c# 6. http://www.grida.no/graphicslib/detail/water-requirements-for-food-production-196 0-2050_9d90 7. http://www.grida.no/graphicslib/detail/freshwater-stress_af68# 8. http://www.grida.no/graphicslib/detail/world-fresh-water-supply_6ad1# 9. Barlow M. Where has all the water gone? May 23, 2008. The American Prospect. Accessed 7/4/2016: http://prospect.org/cs/articles?article=where_has_all_the_water_gone 10. Sabate J, et al. The environmental cost of protein food choices. Public Health Nutrition 2014;Nov 6:1-7. 11. Krebs-Smith SM, et al. Healthfulness of the U.S. food supply. Am J Prev Med 2010;38:472-477. 12. Kim K. Water leaves a ‘footprint’ in our food; here’s how it works. April 17, 2015. Los Angeles Times. Accessed 7/4/2016: http://www.latimes.com/visuals/graphics/la-g-food-water-footprint-20150410-htmlst ory.html 13. Bourne Jr. JK. The End of Plenty. 2015. Norton. 14. Ruini LF, et al. Working toward healthy and sustainable diets; the “Double pyramid model” developed by the Barilla Center for Food and Nutrition to raise awareness about the environmental and nutritional impacts of foods. Front. Nutr. 2015. http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnut.2015.00009/full

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Reality #7 1. Poti JM, et al. Is the degree of food processing and convenience linked with the nutritional quality of foods purchased by U.S. households? Am J Clin Nutr. May 2015. http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/early/2015/05/06/ajcn.114.100925.abstract

2. By any other name it’s still sweetener. American Heart Association. February 4, 2016. Accessed 7/4/2016: http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/NutritionCenter/HealthyEating/B y-Any-Other-Name-Its-Still-Sweetener_UCM_437368_Article.jsp

Reality #8 1. Philpott T. 6 things I would ask the presidential candidates about food and farming. February 17, 2016. Mother Jones. Accessed 7/4/2016: http://www.motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2016/02/6-food-and-ag-questions-grillin g-presidental-candidates 2. Occupational Safety & Health Administration. Meat packing industry. United States Department of Labor. Safety and Health topics. Accessed 7/4/2016: https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/meatpacking/ 3. Marshall W. Meat and poultry processing plants are incredibly dangerous places to work. May 30, 2016. Munchies. Accessed 7/4/2016: https://munchies.vice.com/en/articles/meat-and-poultry-processing-plants-are-incr edibly-dangerous-places-to-work 4. Harvesting Justice - A blog by farmworker justice. Hunger amidst plenty: Food assistance in farmworker communities. July 12, 2016. Accessed 7/15/2016: https://www.farmworkerjustice.org/fj-blog/2016/07/hunger-amidst-plenty-food-assi stance-farmworker-communities 5. Exposed and Ignored. A report by Farmworker Justice. 2013. Accessed 7/15/2016: https://www.farmworkerjustice.org/sites/default/files/aExposed%20and%20Ignore d%20by%20Farmworker%20Justice%20singles%20compressed.pdf

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