Uncomplicated
Adopting a new eating style can be totally daunting. One easy way forward is to keep your eating simple and uncomplicated. For me, this often means just sticking a bunch of whole plant foods in a bowl, topping them with something tasty, and then eating until I am full. My first year of eating plant-based, I had a pound of frozen broccoli and an air-fried russet potato with ketchup for lunch nearly every single day. While this wasn’t optimal in terms of plant diversity or protein, it was easy and doable, which made it possible for me to be consistent and successful.
So, dear friends, I encourage you to pop some plants in a bowl (preferably including some legumes, a whole grain, a ton of veg, a leafy green, and some nuts or seeds), add a tasty, nutrient-rich sauce on top, and proceed with living. If you do this day in and day out, your body will start to heal, your good gut microbes will rejoice, your weight will start to fall into a healthy BMI range, your health markers will likely improve, and you may even feel less depressed. There is tons of research on the protective power of plants for body, mind, and emotional well-being. I’ll keep reporting these findings for you. For today, though, just focus on keeping it simple, so that you can be consistent and successful.
My “toss some plants in a bowl” approach can be seen in my more complicated Buddha or Burrito bowls, but more often than not, it is just making a huge salad or stir-fry. For salads, try a dressing made from lemon and tahini or from equal parts maple syrup and dijon mustard. For stir fry, I often just add some tamari, a little fresh garlic, a squeeze of white miso paste, and a little sriracha. I don’t bother measuring these. I literally just squeeze them into the pan and stir. It takes almost no time.
Here was today’s superfood stir-fry. It contained:
Bok choy and spinach for my greens (good for reducing Alzheimer’s risk and just about everything else)
Shiitake and baby bella mushrooms for Ergothioneine and breast cancer reduction
www.thewell-nourishedbrain.com/blog/mushrooms-and-ergothioneineGarlic for flavor and antioxidants
Pre-cooked edamame and canned Cannellini beans for protein
A sauce made from tamari, sriracha, and white miso (with live probiotics to improve my microbiome diversity)
Topped with black sesame seeds for extra protein and omega-3 fats
I just water-sautéed the mushrooms, added in the beans and veg, threw in my sauce ingredients, and topped it all off with the black sesame seeds. It was delicious.
I had some Golden Hami melon and a couple of rambutans for dessert. Yum!!!
My meal was large and satisfying (zero deprivation), low calorie density and high nutrient density, packed with plant fiber, and easy peasy.
It doesn’t need to be fancy or gourmet. Keep it simple to be consistent and successful!
🌱💕