February 12, 2024 • 23 mins
Are you drawn to a plant-based lifestyle, but can't seem to make the switch because you think there are hurdles standing in your way?
Today we lay out the playbook for effortlessly hopping over these 7 common barriers to a plant-based diet:
- I’m worried I won’t get enough protein
- I’m worried people will think I’m a freak
- I feel like I’m gonna do it wrong and I don’t have enough time to research
- I’m worried I won’t get the nutrition I need
- Vegan food is gross
- I’m too broke to go plant-based
- Its too hard
We hope this episode can shed some light on these worries for you and help you take the steps you need to this wonderful way of eating!
Resources from this Episode:
Get My Plant-Based Starter Kit Here!
Previous Episodes:
Episode 14: Busting Protein Myths
Episode 113: A Guide to Answering Questions About Why You are Plant-Based
Darë Cheese
Bloggers:
Minimalist Baker
PlantYou
Plant-Based on a Budget
Chloe Coscarelli Vegan Italian Kitchen Cookbook
The Post Punk Kitchen - Isa Chandra Moskowitz
_____________________________________________________________________
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
Have a question, suggestion or comment for the podcast? Fill out form here
Plant Centered Nutrition Essential Resources:
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to the Plant-Centered and Thriving
Podcast.
I'm your host, ashley Kitchens.
I'm a plant-based registereddietitian and virtual nutrition
mentor.
I was raised on an Angus CattleFarm, grew up with a lot of GI
issues and used the power ofplant-based eating to promote
healing.
Here you'll find inspiration,ideas and encouragement for your
(00:23):
own plant-based journey.
I'm so thrilled you're heretoday.
Let's get started.
Welcome to the showPlant-Centered listeners.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
My name is Ashley and I'm Katie, and I just learned
how to wear a turtleneck theright way, Diving right into the
real deal.
No, we're so, so happy thatyou're here, but, seriously, I'm
wearing a turtleneck right nowand Katie informed me that you
can flip it on the inside.
How to bring it on the outside.
I don't know if that makessense, but if you're wearing a
turtleneck right now, give it atry.
That's actually pretty cool.
(00:53):
Thanks, TikTok.
We are so excited for today'stopic.
It's seven walls we help youknock down when going
plant-based.
I just picture this wall maybenot real bricks, but paper
bricks and you're just going upand kicking it down.
Yes, we're going to get rid ofall of the excuses.
We're going to let you knowthat there are ways around them,
(01:15):
so there is nothing stoppingyou If you're in that phase
where you're thinking aboutgoing plant-based.
This episode is brought to youby our plant-based starter kit,
which is a great guide if you'rejust looking to kick off your
plant-based journey.
There's a lot of great thingsin there, for recipes, meal
plans to guidance on how to findyour why, to really help you
(01:35):
get over that hump and startgoing plant-based today, yes,
I'm going to talk about all thehumps that we face that may
prevent us from doing it, and sothat starter kit is really
going to help jumpstart thatjourney.
Yes, okay, you know we have totalk about the first one being
I'm so worried that I'm notgoing to get enough protein on a
plant-based diet.
So, number one, we can let goof that.
(01:57):
You're how many years goingstrong?
12 years, over 12 years?
Yeah, and it's February, so Ijust had my meat-free
anniversary 14 years.
I'm very happy with you guys,but I don't know about you, but
I've never met anybody anyvegans that have died from
protein deficiency.
Nope, it's actually very, veryrare.
It's actually very hard to do.
(02:17):
You'd have to work pretty hard,especially in the US, let's put
it that way.
So, yes, it's not something youhave to worry about and it's
something that can be reallyeasily obtained, especially if
you're one getting enoughcalories.
Two, getting in variety.
We know that variety is reallyimportant.
I wouldn't tell you to eat 10cups of kale a day, because we
know kale is good for you.
(02:37):
But the reason I wouldn'trecommend that is because then
that's going to crowd out yougetting in other leafy greens or
vegetables or whatever that maybe.
So that's number two is gettingin that variety.
And also three, leaning intothose protein dense foods.
So things like tofu, tempeh,seitan, nuts, legumes, dark
leafy greens, all those greatthings.
(02:58):
All plants have protein.
All plants have protein.
And in the starter kit itactually gives you a bit more
tips and tricks on how to makesure that you are getting enough
protein.
So it gives you some guidancethere as well.
And of course not of course, Iguess we haven't started this
yet, but we are, katie and I arein the process of creating a
high protein plant based snackkit.
(03:18):
We've been getting a few kindof questions about that.
So we figured why not put itinto a kit that you can take and
use in your home?
Yes, so it won't be an excuseanymore.
We're going to let you have areally nice digestible list of
some easy go tos for gettingyour protein in.
And if anyone asks you where toget your protein, I mean really
one of the best responses isPlants have all of the protein
(03:42):
you need.
There really is no need toworry about it.
So what we kind of say is letthe critics, the plant-based
protein critics, worry aboutwhere you get your protein,
because you don't have to worryabout it.
And if you want to do a deeperdive, we have I'll link up our
previous episode that we kind ofdive into protein and all that
good stuff.
So I'll make sure that in theshow notes that you guys can
dive into that previous episode.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
All right, so what's number two?
Speaker 2 (04:05):
number two, oh my gosh.
What if everybody thinks of afreak?
Oh, yes, a freak like us?
That's a good thing to be, is agood thing to be.
So, number one, I think and youhere, Ash, and I talk about
this a lot is Understanding yourwhy.
Why are you drawn to this way ofliving?
Is it because, when I feelbetter, you want to have more
energy?
Is the animals, environment?
(04:27):
It doesn't really matter ifeverybody else understands your
why.
It matters that you understandyour why.
Whatever draws you to it isgonna help you Hold and your
convictions and really help inthose difficult conversations of
family and friends challengeyou.
Yes, yeah, and the thing is nowI feel like it's becoming a bit
more normalized.
I mean, people still get madefun of and that you know, maybe
(04:48):
given a hard time for beingplant-based vegan, whatever it
may be, katie, I met someone soI judged a vegan mac and cheese
contest, oh yeah.
And I met someone who had beenvegan for 30 years and she said
you wouldn't believe the thingspeople label me as because I was
vegan also, too, if they loveyou the people in your circle,
because, honestly, that's whomatters most friends of family,
(05:09):
if they truly love you, they'regoing to want what's best for
you and it's really importantthat you do with us for you to
along the way.
We have a couple of episodeswhere we talk about difficult
conversations and some scriptsto use.
But I always tell people ishave a little script going and
then practice it in the mirrorso you can practice saying it.
You know, sometimes withtalking about plant-based,
(05:31):
there's some kind of science Edata stuff that you might want
to to use as kind of evidence,and sometimes that might take
some Some getting used to kindof rolling off the tongue.
So it may sound silly, but I'malways one for being prepared.
So yeah, saying in the mirror,making you feel more confident
about it, I think it's a reallygreat idea.
And then, one thing that wealways recommend is when anyone
(05:53):
is asking you questions or maybeeven challenging you, which you
can challenge someone in a kindway.
But it's really important torecognize whether or not they're
coming at you from a place ofgenuine curiosity.
Do they really want to know whyyou're plant-based or why
you're doing what you're doing,or they come into a place of
judgment so you can kind ofNavigate where that person is
coming from and decide foryourself whether or not you want
(06:13):
to proceed the conversation.
It's coming from judge and belike see ya, and it's so funny.
Actually I were talking aboutthis how in high school it
wasn't really cool to stand out,and I think now it's much
cooler, so it's okay to be, youknow, the only one at the table
that eats.
A certain way, I kind of wearit as a badge of pride, yeah.
I like my free flag.
(06:34):
The third thing we wanted tomention is that I feel like I'm
going to do it wrong and I don'thave enough time to research
and we know Gray rat right now,because everyone is so busy, we
don't have time to be spendingtime on Dr Google trying to
figure out how to perfectly eata plant-based diet.
When you're going plant-based,it can be very beneficial to get
(06:58):
out of that planning phase andjust start.
It could be you starting withone meal, like starting with
breakfast, starting with a snack, starting with dinner once a
week, whatever that may looklike for you.
Just get out of being in thatwishy-washy planning phase.
Just start taking those steps.
You are going to be so gladthat you did it and guess what
you will learn along the way.
(07:19):
That's pretty much how we didit, but I struggled with this a
lot in the beginning because Iam I call myself a recovering
perfectionist and sometimes thatanalysis proposes it prevents
any progress from happening andthat's, you know, the opposite
of what we're trying to do.
So those little steps and thatgoes for anything in your life
(07:41):
If you want to clean your house,if you want to start working
out you know you don'timmediately go to the gym and
start lifting 200 pounds.
You got to take baby steps towork up to it, so just start,
just do something.
I think that's the secret sauce.
Yes, yeah, and I think it'sreally important, especially
when veganism and plant-basedhas a little bit of kind of like
(08:02):
this movement, this kind ofcultural movement behind it.
When we're talking aboutethical and environmental
implications, a lot of times youhave this pressure to be all or
nothing.
If I'm not 100% vegan, thenthey're not gonna let me in the
club, and that's just not true.
It's so much better for you totake those little steps as
(08:26):
opposed to trying to doeverything all at once overnight
.
That's just really setting usup for failure.
I could not agree more.
The fourth one is saying I'mworried I won't get the
nutrition I need, and Icompletely.
I mean this is such a validthought process because when
you're transitioning from thestandard American diet which
most of us were raised on, itcan be concerning scary to go
(08:50):
plant-based and be like wait asec, I thought protein came from
meat or I thought I needed gosh.
I don't even know anymore.
What are you saying?
I'm a product store Cow's milkfor calcium, like that type of
thing.
There are some valid questionsthat maybe you need to figure
out for yourself, but the greatthing about a plant-based diet
is it can provide everythingthat you need, which, of course,
(09:12):
we do talk about vitamin B12.
We're cutting out the middleman.
We're just going straight tothe supplements, because now
animals are supplemented withvitamin B12, so we don't need
them anymore.
The great thing is, we live inthis modern day and age where we
have access to all differentsorts of plant-based foods and
supplements that can helpsupplement our diet Absolutely,
and I think this is where, ifyou do take the time to do some
(09:32):
research, I think this is theplace to start, and our starter
kit is a great place to startbecause we'll touch on kind of
the basics and sometimes you godown that rabbit hole and it can
be overwhelming.
So, if you really want tounderstand, just start with the
basics.
You know you can start slowwith this process.
(09:53):
You don't have to jump in andgo plant-based overnight, and so
I think that's important too.
Going slow is going to alsoallow you to figure out things
as you go, to learn from otherpeople, whether you're following
people on social media, talkingto a dietician or a doctor who
promotes a plant-based diet, ormaybe you know a friend or a
cousin who has gone plant-based.
You can kind of just get alittle bit of information from
(10:13):
them.
We don't want you.
The thing with the planning iswe don't want that to prevent
you from moving forward.
Sometimes that's just a startand then figure out things as
you go.
The thing is you're not goingto get a nutrient deficiency
overnight.
So that's good news, absolutely.
And if you think about it,especially like how I ate as a
child, my diet was anythingabout balance, eating the
(10:33):
standard American diet.
It was chicken nuggets, it waspizza, it was mac and cheese and
that was pretty much it.
So if you follow that adage,eat more plants, that's it.
We're not even talking abouteliminating anything.
If you just start there, Ithink that's a great rule of
thumb Just incorporate moreplants into your diet.
You know APPC.
Have you seen Katie usingdifferent like reels or memes
(10:57):
where someone presents a dish tosomebody and like, hey, try my
delicious pie.
And then, like, after they eatit, like, oh wow, that's so good
.
And like, oh well, let's begin.
What I knew there was somethingoff of this dish.
I know it tasted funny.
So that's number five isMunching up, thinking a vegan
food is gross, when in fact weknow that it can be, can be very
(11:19):
delicious, just like any otherway of eating.
Oh my gosh, ashley and I justchow down on, shout out to dairy
cheese.
Oh my gosh, it is the bestvegan cheese ever, so good.
I think they're out ofAsheville.
Yeah, right, in North Carolinawith cacoledickey yeah, it was
so good, so I was part of ourlunch today.
But With vegan food, especiallywith plant-based food, just
(11:41):
kind of start with some easyswaps again.
It doesn't have to be this bigchange that you make overnight.
We're just like starting toswap out things periodically.
Like if you drink cow's milkright now, maybe try Soy milk or
almond milk or P milk.
Like just try a few and seewhat you like.
Or if you tend to do a lot ofburgers, like try switching it
out for a veggie burger, blackbean burger, even like a beyond
(12:02):
or impossible burger, and seewhat you think and that can help
get you acclimated toplant-based foods.
We are lucky enough to be in theinternet age.
Recipe Anything dreams couldimagine.
It is out there and isveganized for you.
So we have a couple bloggersthat we really like that are
(12:23):
usually simple, few ingredients.
So minimalist Baker if you wantto join our newsletter, we post
recipes every week and she isusually among them.
Plant you Carly is a greatInstagram page and then Tony
with plant-based on a budget.
So if you are a budget shopper,like I am really delicious
(12:44):
recipes but super, super simpleand very cost effective.
And the plant-based foodsinclude things like fruits, red
most people love red, red andvegan apples are vegan Veggies.
You know it.
Just, it doesn't have to bethis like bland pizza, tofu that
you're eating.
It can be a lot of really coolthing.
My goodness, instagram thesedays.
(13:04):
You type in like plant-basedrecipes, plant-based foods, and
you're just in a date of likeall these gorgeous meals, so
delicious.
And this is I think this is oneof the biggest myths, I think is
that going plant-based or goingvegan it's too expensive.
So that's gonna prevent me frommaking that goal, and I think
(13:24):
that's a big myth because a lotof the what we call kind of
transition foods the plant-basedAlternative, plant-based meat
alternatives can be reallyexpensive.
And if you stick to kind ofsimple foods potatoes, grains,
rice, bananas, banana, all ofthat stuff you know this peasant
(13:45):
food is vegan and it's verycost-effective, so you know
you're not really required toeat these kind of plant
alternatives.
Those are really just serves asto kind of get you over the
hump if you want to.
But those are kind of specialoccasion foods at my house.
Yeah, I would say so too.
(14:05):
I typically eat those like onthe weekends and they are
expensive.
And I add that if you buy a lotof those convenient plant-based
foods it can get pretty pricey,but, like Katie was saying, I
mean a lot of whole plant-basedfoods are really affordable.
We didn't mention beans goshbeans are gonna be on there.
I'm sorry.
Actually I think it was.
Pcrm did a study that showedyou can save around 16% on your
(14:30):
grocery bill 16% by switchingfrom a standard American diet to
a plant-based diet.
I've seen studies show that youcan save like $500 a year, $750
a year.
I'll give some anecdotalevidence those of you who know
that Ashley and I used to worktogether this is where I think
planning can be beneficial.
She taught me how to meal planon a plant-based diet and my
(14:53):
budget was cut in half, half,50%.
It was amazing, and so I'm a.
She turned me into a believerfor sure.
Again, I'm walking proof that itdoesn't have to be expensive,
that you can actually save money.
Yes, big time, and especiallywith the rising prices with eat
(15:14):
dairy eggs like my beef is theway to go, in my opinion.
I'm feeling that it's not goingto get any better.
Yes, also, we talk a lot aboutyou know if you want to go to
your local farmers market,sometimes that can be beneficial
in saving you some money.
Buying in season can be helpful, not just in saving money, but
the food typically tastes better.
Buying in bulk, whether it'sfrom a place like Costco, sam's,
(15:37):
even Amazon, can help you savesome money on those ingredients
that you use frequently.
I have Mewch as a subscriptionin bulk because we go through it
so often.
Shout out to Nudes which isnutritionally east.
So I have an Amazon subscriptionfor that, because the stuff at
the grocery store comes in asmall container and I'm like oh,
oh, oh you can't do that, gothrough like cups a day or not a
(16:01):
day a week Busted, but I thinkit's a good reminder that any
effort is better than no effort.
So, 80%, if you're 80%plant-based during the week and
then you want to eat whateveryou want on the weekends, that's
better than 0%.
(16:21):
So, again, let go of that kindof perfectionist mindset and
start slow and just see whatworks for you.
Yeah, I could not agree more.
The last one that we wanted tomention and this is something
that we see in the many, manyclients that we've worked with
and just people that we talkwith on social media is that
it's too hard or it ischallenging, and there are
aspects of plant-based that canbe challenging because, again,
(16:44):
you're doing somethingcompletely different or, for the
most part, pretty differentthan what you've done growing up
or how you were raised or whatyou've been doing for the past
few years.
The thing is, katie hadmentioned meal planning.
That can be your saving graceto making this transition easier
.
We cannot recommend mealplanning enough and, I'll be
honest, I was so resistant tomeal planning at one point in my
(17:07):
life even meal prepping, andnow I can't imagine a life
without it because it saves meso much time and energy.
I go to the grocery store, Iknow exactly what I'm getting
for the week.
I don't overbuy, I don'tunderbuy usually, so it can be
just really beneficial inhelping you make that transition
.
So if you feel like goingplant-based, just this big brick
, actual brick wall that youhave to knock down meal planning
(17:29):
can be really, reallybeneficial, just setting aside
even just like 30 minutes ofyour week to plan out your meals
for the week and really behelpful.
I'm I'll preach about me a planto the day.
I die because I don't know aboutyou guys, but it just caused so
much stress for me during theweek and this makes it the
(17:49):
Elimination of that stress isjust worth it tenfold.
I think of how many timesyou're going to the grocery if
you don't.
Oh, I know I haven't been tothe grocery store and I can't.
I order.
I can't.
Yeah, I can't.
Speaker 1 (18:01):
I cannot remember the loss I would at the grocery
store.
Speaker 2 (18:03):
But that's because of meal planning.
I may.
I list and I know exactly.
I do one order, one week andEasy-peasy.
It's like clockwork and set upwhat do you want.
Or, for me personally, I wasmaking lots of convenience
choices, so it just makes goingplant-based so much easier when
(18:24):
you have that kind of guidelineto help steer you, yes, where
you want to go.
Yeah, one thing that can makethe meal planning process fun,
and even going plant-based fun,is having themed nights.
So you've heard of taco Tuesday, so imagine doing that for the
other days of the week, just tomake your life a little bit
easier, so that each week youknow, oh, I don't have to come
(18:45):
up with this brand new recipe oridea for dinner.
I'm following sort of aguideline that I set up for
myself.
So you could do like aMediterranean Monday at taco
Tuesday.
Am I gonna do?
You can make tacos.
So many different ways, so manylentils you can buy, you know,
free made vegan ground beef ifyou wanted to.
My favorite is oh.
(19:06):
It's just like it, guys.
I'm not even joking.
It is so good cauliflower tacoslike.
There's just so many differentthings that you can do.
A Few other ideas to see.
Wednesday could be like instantpot Wednesday.
Pizza night Friday can't forgetthat we had pizza nights every
night when I was growing up,from Domino's, right, yeah, but
now it's like what?
(19:27):
How many different iterationsof pizza can we make?
Plant-based?
Yeah?
so many, so many.
I think my sister does like acurry Thursday.
So there's just a lot ofdifferent ways.
Especially if you're cookingfor Several people in your
family can be nice to have thattheme and that waiver could be
like oh, we're having tacostonight, like this is kind of
what I want you know for theweek, or whatever it is.
Oh, my god, we forgot yourfavorite game breakfast for
dinner.
Speaker 1 (19:47):
Oh, breakfast for dinner.
Yes, you have to try that onetoo.
That's definitely my favorite.
Speaker 2 (19:52):
And then cookbooks.
They're so actually, I'm justtalking about this how many good
cookbooks there are out there.
I'm gonna show Ed.
Oh, like I mentioned, tony hasa great cookbook and you has a
great cookbook, ed was just onour loving bread.
I know Ed was just on Ed andhis partner was just on for the
podcast bread it's a bigno-workout person.
(20:13):
Beautiful cookbook, oh my god.
Yeah, if you love sourdough,that's definitely cookbooks you
get.
So I think cookbooks give yousome inspiration, especially if
you're the type of person thatloves to be in the kitchen.
You want to be inspired, youwant to try stuff and experiment
.
Yeah, I think cookbooks are agreat way to kind of make it
feel more fun, more easy.
Definitely, yeah, and we talkedabout earlier with
(20:35):
transitioning to plant-based.
If it does seem like a bighurdle, starting with one meal
Whether it's one meal a week,one meal a day can help make the
transition of it easier too.
It just gets you formated towhat shopping for a plant-based
meal looks like, what evenlooking for a plant-based recipe
Looks like and cooking one.
So it gives you sort of a nicelittle intro to what this
lifestyle is.
(20:55):
Amazing lifestyle.
I think it's about settingyourself up for success.
Like you know, look around.
What can make life easier foryou.
So is it what?
An insta pot?
Would that make Cooking beansbe easier for you?
Or, like we said, buying acookbook with that?
Give you a Direction to go toif you really like Italian food
(21:19):
guess what?
There's Chloe, what's her name?
From post-pump kitchen.
Speaker 1 (21:23):
Yeah, that's her.
Speaker 2 (21:24):
Yeah, she has an Italian cookbook.
That's on this too, yeah, butI've heard it's fantastic.
So there's, there's lots ofdifferent things that you can do
to kind of set yourself up forsuccess, to kind of Make your
path as easy as possible.
Yeah, yeah, no matter howyou're knocking down these walls
, what we do know is that Babysteps, small changes, add up
(21:46):
over time.
They add up to big results overtime.
And so, even if you're justknocking down one brick at a
time, over and over again,you're eventually gonna break
through that wall and you'regonna be on the other side and
you're gonna be like, oh, we didit and and think about that
future self.
That's kind of the goal, that'swhat you're gonna get, get, get
(22:06):
towards, and it feels likeyou're like looking up at Mount
Everest.
But just think about it.
It's not that it's hard, it'sjust different.
Yes, right.
Speaker 1 (22:16):
Yeah, that's someone our favorite business mantras
yeah not hard, it's just new, or?
Speaker 2 (22:21):
different?
Yeah, just new.
So I think it's a little bit ofa mindset shift, just one
little step at a time.
Yeah, yep, either way, nomatter where you're at on your
plant-based journey, we lovehelping you not just break down
walls, but if you're already onthe other side, and
congratulations to you.
I know that there were probablysome walls that you had to knock
down on your own end to get towhere you're at today.
So we're on the other side ofthis mic cheering you on through
(22:42):
your headphones.
If you're looking for a bitmore guidance, that starter kit
is really a great place to startto kind of help get you over
some of these humps, thesehurdles, these little brick
walls, and Highly recommend thatyou can click below in the show
notes to access that starterkit really easily.
It's amazing and and we reallydeveloped it with that in mind
that To try to take away some ofthe struggles that we faced
(23:05):
when we first started.
So we know we've been there, sowe did the work for you Well,
thank you so much for tuning intoday.
We appreciate you.
We can't thank you enough forbeing here.
We hope you have a lovely restof your day.
Thanks, we'll catch you on thenext episode.
I know we're ready.
It's good.
It's gonna be a good February.
Yep, yeah.
Speaker 1 (23:28):
Thank you so much for listening to the plant centered
and thriving podcast today.
If you found this episodeinspiring, please share it with
a friend or post it on socialmedia and tag me so I can
personally say thank you.
Until next time, keep thriving.
Welcome to the Plant-Centered and Thriving
Podcast.
I'm your host, ashley Kitchens.
I'm a plant-based registereddietitian and virtual nutrition
mentor.
I was raised on an Angus CattleFarm, grew up with a lot of GI
issues and used the power ofplant-based eating to promote
healing.
Here you'll find inspiration,ideas and encouragement for your
(00:23):
own plant-based journey.
I'm so thrilled you're heretoday.
Let's get started.
Welcome to the showPlant-Centered listeners.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
My name is Ashley and I'm Katie, and I just learned
how to wear a turtleneck theright way, Diving right into the
real deal.
No, we're so, so happy thatyou're here, but, seriously, I'm
wearing a turtleneck right nowand Katie informed me that you
can flip it on the inside.
How to bring it on the outside.
I don't know if that makessense, but if you're wearing a
turtleneck right now, give it atry.
That's actually pretty cool.
(00:53):
Thanks, TikTok.
We are so excited for today'stopic.
It's seven walls we help youknock down when going
plant-based.
I just picture this wall maybenot real bricks, but paper
bricks and you're just going upand kicking it down.
Yes, we're going to get rid ofall of the excuses.
We're going to let you knowthat there are ways around them,
(01:15):
so there is nothing stoppingyou If you're in that phase
where you're thinking aboutgoing plant-based.
This episode is brought to youby our plant-based starter kit,
which is a great guide if you'rejust looking to kick off your
plant-based journey.
There's a lot of great thingsin there, for recipes, meal
plans to guidance on how to findyour why, to really help you
(01:35):
get over that hump and startgoing plant-based today, yes,
I'm going to talk about all thehumps that we face that may
prevent us from doing it, and sothat starter kit is really
going to help jumpstart thatjourney.
Yes, okay, you know we have totalk about the first one being
I'm so worried that I'm notgoing to get enough protein on a
plant-based diet.
So, number one, we can let goof that.
(01:57):
You're how many years goingstrong?
12 years, over 12 years?
Yeah, and it's February, so Ijust had my meat-free
anniversary 14 years.
I'm very happy with you guys,but I don't know about you, but
I've never met anybody anyvegans that have died from
protein deficiency.
Nope, it's actually very, veryrare.
It's actually very hard to do.
(02:17):
You'd have to work pretty hard,especially in the US, let's put
it that way.
So, yes, it's not something youhave to worry about and it's
something that can be reallyeasily obtained, especially if
you're one getting enoughcalories.
Two, getting in variety.
We know that variety is reallyimportant.
I wouldn't tell you to eat 10cups of kale a day, because we
know kale is good for you.
(02:37):
But the reason I wouldn'trecommend that is because then
that's going to crowd out yougetting in other leafy greens or
vegetables or whatever that maybe.
So that's number two is gettingin that variety.
And also three, leaning intothose protein dense foods.
So things like tofu, tempeh,seitan, nuts, legumes, dark
leafy greens, all those greatthings.
(02:58):
All plants have protein.
All plants have protein.
And in the starter kit itactually gives you a bit more
tips and tricks on how to makesure that you are getting enough
protein.
So it gives you some guidancethere as well.
And of course not of course, Iguess we haven't started this
yet, but we are, katie and I arein the process of creating a
high protein plant based snackkit.
(03:18):
We've been getting a few kindof questions about that.
So we figured why not put itinto a kit that you can take and
use in your home?
Yes, so it won't be an excuseanymore.
We're going to let you have areally nice digestible list of
some easy go tos for gettingyour protein in.
And if anyone asks you where toget your protein, I mean really
one of the best responses isPlants have all of the protein
(03:42):
you need.
There really is no need toworry about it.
So what we kind of say is letthe critics, the plant-based
protein critics, worry aboutwhere you get your protein,
because you don't have to worryabout it.
And if you want to do a deeperdive, we have I'll link up our
previous episode that we kind ofdive into protein and all that
good stuff.
So I'll make sure that in theshow notes that you guys can
dive into that previous episode.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
All right, so what's number two?
Speaker 2 (04:05):
number two, oh my gosh.
What if everybody thinks of afreak?
Oh, yes, a freak like us?
That's a good thing to be, is agood thing to be.
So, number one, I think and youhere, Ash, and I talk about
this a lot is Understanding yourwhy.
Why are you drawn to this way ofliving?
Is it because, when I feelbetter, you want to have more
energy?
Is the animals, environment?
(04:27):
It doesn't really matter ifeverybody else understands your
why.
It matters that you understandyour why.
Whatever draws you to it isgonna help you Hold and your
convictions and really help inthose difficult conversations of
family and friends challengeyou.
Yes, yeah, and the thing is nowI feel like it's becoming a bit
more normalized.
I mean, people still get madefun of and that you know, maybe
(04:48):
given a hard time for beingplant-based vegan, whatever it
may be, katie, I met someone soI judged a vegan mac and cheese
contest, oh yeah.
And I met someone who had beenvegan for 30 years and she said
you wouldn't believe the thingspeople label me as because I was
vegan also, too, if they loveyou the people in your circle,
because, honestly, that's whomatters most friends of family,
(05:09):
if they truly love you, they'regoing to want what's best for
you and it's really importantthat you do with us for you to
along the way.
We have a couple of episodeswhere we talk about difficult
conversations and some scriptsto use.
But I always tell people ishave a little script going and
then practice it in the mirrorso you can practice saying it.
You know, sometimes withtalking about plant-based,
(05:31):
there's some kind of science Edata stuff that you might want
to to use as kind of evidence,and sometimes that might take
some Some getting used to kindof rolling off the tongue.
So it may sound silly, but I'malways one for being prepared.
So yeah, saying in the mirror,making you feel more confident
about it, I think it's a reallygreat idea.
And then, one thing that wealways recommend is when anyone
(05:53):
is asking you questions or maybeeven challenging you, which you
can challenge someone in a kindway.
But it's really important torecognize whether or not they're
coming at you from a place ofgenuine curiosity.
Do they really want to know whyyou're plant-based or why
you're doing what you're doing,or they come into a place of
judgment so you can kind ofNavigate where that person is
coming from and decide foryourself whether or not you want
(06:13):
to proceed the conversation.
It's coming from judge and belike see ya, and it's so funny.
Actually I were talking aboutthis how in high school it
wasn't really cool to stand out,and I think now it's much
cooler, so it's okay to be, youknow, the only one at the table
that eats.
A certain way, I kind of wearit as a badge of pride, yeah.
I like my free flag.
(06:34):
The third thing we wanted tomention is that I feel like I'm
going to do it wrong and I don'thave enough time to research
and we know Gray rat right now,because everyone is so busy, we
don't have time to be spendingtime on Dr Google trying to
figure out how to perfectly eata plant-based diet.
When you're going plant-based,it can be very beneficial to get
(06:58):
out of that planning phase andjust start.
It could be you starting withone meal, like starting with
breakfast, starting with a snack, starting with dinner once a
week, whatever that may looklike for you.
Just get out of being in thatwishy-washy planning phase.
Just start taking those steps.
You are going to be so gladthat you did it and guess what
you will learn along the way.
(07:19):
That's pretty much how we didit, but I struggled with this a
lot in the beginning because Iam I call myself a recovering
perfectionist and sometimes thatanalysis proposes it prevents
any progress from happening andthat's, you know, the opposite
of what we're trying to do.
So those little steps and thatgoes for anything in your life
(07:41):
If you want to clean your house,if you want to start working
out you know you don'timmediately go to the gym and
start lifting 200 pounds.
You got to take baby steps towork up to it, so just start,
just do something.
I think that's the secret sauce.
Yes, yeah, and I think it'sreally important, especially
when veganism and plant-basedhas a little bit of kind of like
(08:02):
this movement, this kind ofcultural movement behind it.
When we're talking aboutethical and environmental
implications, a lot of times youhave this pressure to be all or
nothing.
If I'm not 100% vegan, thenthey're not gonna let me in the
club, and that's just not true.
It's so much better for you totake those little steps as
(08:26):
opposed to trying to doeverything all at once overnight
.
That's just really setting usup for failure.
I could not agree more.
The fourth one is saying I'mworried I won't get the
nutrition I need, and Icompletely.
I mean this is such a validthought process because when
you're transitioning from thestandard American diet which
most of us were raised on, itcan be concerning scary to go
(08:50):
plant-based and be like wait asec, I thought protein came from
meat or I thought I needed gosh.
I don't even know anymore.
What are you saying?
I'm a product store Cow's milkfor calcium, like that type of
thing.
There are some valid questionsthat maybe you need to figure
out for yourself, but the greatthing about a plant-based diet
is it can provide everythingthat you need, which, of course,
(09:12):
we do talk about vitamin B12.
We're cutting out the middleman.
We're just going straight tothe supplements, because now
animals are supplemented withvitamin B12, so we don't need
them anymore.
The great thing is, we live inthis modern day and age where we
have access to all differentsorts of plant-based foods and
supplements that can helpsupplement our diet Absolutely,
and I think this is where, ifyou do take the time to do some
(09:32):
research, I think this is theplace to start, and our starter
kit is a great place to startbecause we'll touch on kind of
the basics and sometimes you godown that rabbit hole and it can
be overwhelming.
So, if you really want tounderstand, just start with the
basics.
You know you can start slowwith this process.
(09:53):
You don't have to jump in andgo plant-based overnight, and so
I think that's important too.
Going slow is going to alsoallow you to figure out things
as you go, to learn from otherpeople, whether you're following
people on social media, talkingto a dietician or a doctor who
promotes a plant-based diet, ormaybe you know a friend or a
cousin who has gone plant-based.
You can kind of just get alittle bit of information from
(10:13):
them.
We don't want you.
The thing with the planning iswe don't want that to prevent
you from moving forward.
Sometimes that's just a startand then figure out things as
you go.
The thing is you're not goingto get a nutrient deficiency
overnight.
So that's good news, absolutely.
And if you think about it,especially like how I ate as a
child, my diet was anythingabout balance, eating the
(10:33):
standard American diet.
It was chicken nuggets, it waspizza, it was mac and cheese and
that was pretty much it.
So if you follow that adage,eat more plants, that's it.
We're not even talking abouteliminating anything.
If you just start there, Ithink that's a great rule of
thumb Just incorporate moreplants into your diet.
You know APPC.
Have you seen Katie usingdifferent like reels or memes
(10:57):
where someone presents a dish tosomebody and like, hey, try my
delicious pie.
And then, like, after they eatit, like, oh wow, that's so good
.
And like, oh well, let's begin.
What I knew there was somethingoff of this dish.
I know it tasted funny.
So that's number five isMunching up, thinking a vegan
food is gross, when in fact weknow that it can be, can be very
(11:19):
delicious, just like any otherway of eating.
Oh my gosh, ashley and I justchow down on, shout out to dairy
cheese.
Oh my gosh, it is the bestvegan cheese ever, so good.
I think they're out ofAsheville.
Yeah, right, in North Carolinawith cacoledickey yeah, it was
so good, so I was part of ourlunch today.
But With vegan food, especiallywith plant-based food, just
(11:41):
kind of start with some easyswaps again.
It doesn't have to be this bigchange that you make overnight.
We're just like starting toswap out things periodically.
Like if you drink cow's milkright now, maybe try Soy milk or
almond milk or P milk.
Like just try a few and seewhat you like.
Or if you tend to do a lot ofburgers, like try switching it
out for a veggie burger, blackbean burger, even like a beyond
(12:02):
or impossible burger, and seewhat you think and that can help
get you acclimated toplant-based foods.
We are lucky enough to be in theinternet age.
Recipe Anything dreams couldimagine.
It is out there and isveganized for you.
So we have a couple bloggersthat we really like that are
(12:23):
usually simple, few ingredients.
So minimalist Baker if you wantto join our newsletter, we post
recipes every week and she isusually among them.
Plant you Carly is a greatInstagram page and then Tony
with plant-based on a budget.
So if you are a budget shopper,like I am really delicious
(12:44):
recipes but super, super simpleand very cost effective.
And the plant-based foodsinclude things like fruits, red
most people love red, red andvegan apples are vegan Veggies.
You know it.
Just, it doesn't have to bethis like bland pizza, tofu that
you're eating.
It can be a lot of really coolthing.
My goodness, instagram thesedays.
(13:04):
You type in like plant-basedrecipes, plant-based foods, and
you're just in a date of likeall these gorgeous meals, so
delicious.
And this is I think this is oneof the biggest myths, I think is
that going plant-based or goingvegan it's too expensive.
So that's gonna prevent me frommaking that goal, and I think
(13:24):
that's a big myth because a lotof the what we call kind of
transition foods the plant-basedAlternative, plant-based meat
alternatives can be reallyexpensive.
And if you stick to kind ofsimple foods potatoes, grains,
rice, bananas, banana, all ofthat stuff you know this peasant
(13:45):
food is vegan and it's verycost-effective, so you know
you're not really required toeat these kind of plant
alternatives.
Those are really just serves asto kind of get you over the
hump if you want to.
But those are kind of specialoccasion foods at my house.
Yeah, I would say so too.
(14:05):
I typically eat those like onthe weekends and they are
expensive.
And I add that if you buy a lotof those convenient plant-based
foods it can get pretty pricey,but, like Katie was saying, I
mean a lot of whole plant-basedfoods are really affordable.
We didn't mention beans goshbeans are gonna be on there.
I'm sorry.
Actually I think it was.
Pcrm did a study that showedyou can save around 16% on your
(14:30):
grocery bill 16% by switchingfrom a standard American diet to
a plant-based diet.
I've seen studies show that youcan save like $500 a year, $750
a year.
I'll give some anecdotalevidence those of you who know
that Ashley and I used to worktogether this is where I think
planning can be beneficial.
She taught me how to meal planon a plant-based diet and my
(14:53):
budget was cut in half, half,50%.
It was amazing, and so I'm a.
She turned me into a believerfor sure.
Again, I'm walking proof that itdoesn't have to be expensive,
that you can actually save money.
Yes, big time, and especiallywith the rising prices with eat
(15:14):
dairy eggs like my beef is theway to go, in my opinion.
I'm feeling that it's not goingto get any better.
Yes, also, we talk a lot aboutyou know if you want to go to
your local farmers market,sometimes that can be beneficial
in saving you some money.
Buying in season can be helpful, not just in saving money, but
the food typically tastes better.
Buying in bulk, whether it'sfrom a place like Costco, sam's,
(15:37):
even Amazon, can help you savesome money on those ingredients
that you use frequently.
I have Mewch as a subscriptionin bulk because we go through it
so often.
Shout out to Nudes which isnutritionally east.
So I have an Amazon subscriptionfor that, because the stuff at
the grocery store comes in asmall container and I'm like oh,
oh, oh you can't do that, gothrough like cups a day or not a
(16:01):
day a week Busted, but I thinkit's a good reminder that any
effort is better than no effort.
So, 80%, if you're 80%plant-based during the week and
then you want to eat whateveryou want on the weekends, that's
better than 0%.
(16:21):
So, again, let go of that kindof perfectionist mindset and
start slow and just see whatworks for you.
Yeah, I could not agree more.
The last one that we wanted tomention and this is something
that we see in the many, manyclients that we've worked with
and just people that we talkwith on social media is that
it's too hard or it ischallenging, and there are
aspects of plant-based that canbe challenging because, again,
(16:44):
you're doing somethingcompletely different or, for the
most part, pretty differentthan what you've done growing up
or how you were raised or whatyou've been doing for the past
few years.
The thing is, katie hadmentioned meal planning.
That can be your saving graceto making this transition easier
.
We cannot recommend mealplanning enough and, I'll be
honest, I was so resistant tomeal planning at one point in my
(17:07):
life even meal prepping, andnow I can't imagine a life
without it because it saves meso much time and energy.
I go to the grocery store, Iknow exactly what I'm getting
for the week.
I don't overbuy, I don'tunderbuy usually, so it can be
just really beneficial inhelping you make that transition
.
So if you feel like goingplant-based, just this big brick
, actual brick wall that youhave to knock down meal planning
(17:29):
can be really, reallybeneficial, just setting aside
even just like 30 minutes ofyour week to plan out your meals
for the week and really behelpful.
I'm I'll preach about me a planto the day.
I die because I don't know aboutyou guys, but it just caused so
much stress for me during theweek and this makes it the
(17:49):
Elimination of that stress isjust worth it tenfold.
I think of how many timesyou're going to the grocery if
you don't.
Oh, I know I haven't been tothe grocery store and I can't.
I order.
I can't.
Yeah, I can't.
Speaker 1 (18:01):
I cannot remember the loss I would at the grocery
store.
Speaker 2 (18:03):
But that's because of meal planning.
I may.
I list and I know exactly.
I do one order, one week andEasy-peasy.
It's like clockwork and set upwhat do you want.
Or, for me personally, I wasmaking lots of convenience
choices, so it just makes goingplant-based so much easier when
(18:24):
you have that kind of guidelineto help steer you, yes, where
you want to go.
Yeah, one thing that can makethe meal planning process fun,
and even going plant-based fun,is having themed nights.
So you've heard of taco Tuesday, so imagine doing that for the
other days of the week, just tomake your life a little bit
easier, so that each week youknow, oh, I don't have to come
(18:45):
up with this brand new recipe oridea for dinner.
I'm following sort of aguideline that I set up for
myself.
So you could do like aMediterranean Monday at taco
Tuesday.
Am I gonna do?
You can make tacos.
So many different ways, so manylentils you can buy, you know,
free made vegan ground beef ifyou wanted to.
My favorite is oh.
(19:06):
It's just like it, guys.
I'm not even joking.
It is so good cauliflower tacoslike.
There's just so many differentthings that you can do.
A Few other ideas to see.
Wednesday could be like instantpot Wednesday.
Pizza night Friday can't forgetthat we had pizza nights every
night when I was growing up,from Domino's, right, yeah, but
now it's like what?
(19:27):
How many different iterationsof pizza can we make?
Plant-based?
Yeah?
so many, so many.
I think my sister does like acurry Thursday.
So there's just a lot ofdifferent ways.
Especially if you're cookingfor Several people in your
family can be nice to have thattheme and that waiver could be
like oh, we're having tacostonight, like this is kind of
what I want you know for theweek, or whatever it is.
Oh, my god, we forgot yourfavorite game breakfast for
dinner.
Speaker 1 (19:47):
Oh, breakfast for dinner.
Yes, you have to try that onetoo.
That's definitely my favorite.
Speaker 2 (19:52):
And then cookbooks.
They're so actually, I'm justtalking about this how many good
cookbooks there are out there.
I'm gonna show Ed.
Oh, like I mentioned, tony hasa great cookbook and you has a
great cookbook, ed was just onour loving bread.
I know Ed was just on Ed andhis partner was just on for the
podcast bread it's a bigno-workout person.
(20:13):
Beautiful cookbook, oh my god.
Yeah, if you love sourdough,that's definitely cookbooks you
get.
So I think cookbooks give yousome inspiration, especially if
you're the type of person thatloves to be in the kitchen.
You want to be inspired, youwant to try stuff and experiment
.
Yeah, I think cookbooks are agreat way to kind of make it
feel more fun, more easy.
Definitely, yeah, and we talkedabout earlier with
(20:35):
transitioning to plant-based.
If it does seem like a bighurdle, starting with one meal
Whether it's one meal a week,one meal a day can help make the
transition of it easier too.
It just gets you formated towhat shopping for a plant-based
meal looks like, what evenlooking for a plant-based recipe
Looks like and cooking one.
So it gives you sort of a nicelittle intro to what this
lifestyle is.
(20:55):
Amazing lifestyle.
I think it's about settingyourself up for success.
Like you know, look around.
What can make life easier foryou.
So is it what?
An insta pot?
Would that make Cooking beansbe easier for you?
Or, like we said, buying acookbook with that?
Give you a Direction to go toif you really like Italian food
(21:19):
guess what?
There's Chloe, what's her name?
From post-pump kitchen.
Speaker 1 (21:23):
Yeah, that's her.
Speaker 2 (21:24):
Yeah, she has an Italian cookbook.
That's on this too, yeah, butI've heard it's fantastic.
So there's, there's lots ofdifferent things that you can do
to kind of set yourself up forsuccess, to kind of Make your
path as easy as possible.
Yeah, yeah, no matter howyou're knocking down these walls
, what we do know is that Babysteps, small changes, add up
(21:46):
over time.
They add up to big results overtime.
And so, even if you're justknocking down one brick at a
time, over and over again,you're eventually gonna break
through that wall and you'regonna be on the other side and
you're gonna be like, oh, we didit and and think about that
future self.
That's kind of the goal, that'swhat you're gonna get, get, get
(22:06):
towards, and it feels likeyou're like looking up at Mount
Everest.
But just think about it.
It's not that it's hard, it'sjust different.
Yes, right.
Speaker 1 (22:16):
Yeah, that's someone our favorite business mantras
yeah not hard, it's just new, or?
Speaker 2 (22:21):
different?
Yeah, just new.
So I think it's a little bit ofa mindset shift, just one
little step at a time.
Yeah, yep, either way, nomatter where you're at on your
plant-based journey, we lovehelping you not just break down
walls, but if you're already onthe other side, and
congratulations to you.
I know that there were probablysome walls that you had to knock
down on your own end to get towhere you're at today.
So we're on the other side ofthis mic cheering you on through
(22:42):
your headphones.
If you're looking for a bitmore guidance, that starter kit
is really a great place to startto kind of help get you over
some of these humps, thesehurdles, these little brick
walls, and Highly recommend thatyou can click below in the show
notes to access that starterkit really easily.
It's amazing and and we reallydeveloped it with that in mind
that To try to take away some ofthe struggles that we faced
(23:05):
when we first started.
So we know we've been there, sowe did the work for you Well,
thank you so much for tuning intoday.
We appreciate you.
We can't thank you enough forbeing here.
We hope you have a lovely restof your day.
Thanks, we'll catch you on thenext episode.
I know we're ready.
It's good.
It's gonna be a good February.
Yep, yeah.
Speaker 1 (23:28):
Thank you so much for listening to the plant centered
and thriving podcast today.
If you found this episodeinspiring, please share it with
a friend or post it on socialmedia and tag me so I can
personally say thank you.
Until next time, keep thriving.
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