Going Plant Strong

If you are new to the concept of whole foods plant-based nutrition you might need some assistance in working out how to eat for optimal health. For some, it is being convinced of the WHY that takes time and after that the rest is easy – sheer determination will get them there. For others, understanding the WHAT can be confusing: cutting the animal products is straightforward, but working out the right combination of foods from the plant-based food groups can be difficult. For many, the HOW is what they need: recipes, meal plans, cooking techniques. In this section we will try to link to information and resources to help you transition to a whole foods plant-based, or at least a “plant strong” diet.

Plant strong nutrition is actually about eating more rather than less. It is about maximising the consumption of nutrient dense, minimally processed plant-based foods and minimising the intake of animal-based and highly processed foods that are responsible for the rise in chronic diseases around the world. The use of the term “plant-strong” reflects the inclusiveness of our approach – some people are already vegetarian, vegan or eating exclusively whole plant foods, others are not quite ready to make significant changes but want to head in the direction of eating more “plant-based”.

How quickly you make the change to a plant-based diet will depend on a number of factors:

  • How convinced are you of the need to change to a WFPB diet?
  • How much support to you have in your community to make the change?
  • If you have a diagnosed medical condition that can be managed through WFPB nutrition, how urgent is the need to change?

Getting started

How you approach the whole foods plant based diet is your choice. Some people just gradually change in small steps and this seems to be the current conservative nutritional advice (although this advice usually tells you not to change much). Small steps are all right, and this approach gives you the opportunity to revise a small section of your diet at a time, such as how to cook without oil, or what to eat for breakfast. That way you can try out some plant based meals and snacks and build up a repertoire of recipes so that a completely whole foods plant based diet will not be as difficult.

(more content coming soon)