What do you call this plan anyway?
Vegan? Vegetarian? Extreme Vegan? Plant based eating? No, plant based eating with no oil. Yes, no oil. No nuts, no oil. Correct, no nuts, no avocado, no oil. What??! But nuts and avocados are healthy. Following Dr. Esselstyn's plan recommends no oil. It really isn't about being anti meat, it was about making a choice for my health. I will save the health thing for another post. But I will mention here that having low blood pressure along with low cholesterol does not promise a healthy heart.
Since we have been on this new way of eating, we are feeling great. Losing weight was a wonderful perk. I have to say losing an inch on each calf was surprising. My gut feels great and it is shrinking. Let me add, we are not sitting around eating salads feeling hungry all the time. We eat. I am super lucky that Kevin is going along with this woe. Anyone that knows him would have not seen this coming. Me included. He must love me a little. lol
I do enjoy sharing how the plan has been going for us. But I do hear this often, "I can't do that." Yes, you can, you just don't want to. That's totally OK with me. It's a personal choice. I admit the first couple of weeks were challenging. Just coming up with replacement things to eat. Shredded wheat or eggs were no longer breakfast options. Wings and fries were off the weekend menu, too. Thank goodness we have the internet. I found myself reading and browsing recipes for ideas. However, vegan does NOT mean plant based without oil. So, recipes that say vegan may have olive oil, coconut milk, etc. in it.
I had met a friend for lunch and the menu had a veggie sandwich. Thought it would be good option until I read what it had on it. It included ranch dressing and cheese. Huh? I was learning real quick that veggie anything did not mean what I thought it meant. I am finding places that will 'build' what I want and it works just fine. Plant based also doesn't mean without oil.
Shopping in the produce section is safest place to find food. ha ha
I will share a couple of things that are helpful to me. I will add more in other posts as they pop in my head.
>chopper (see pic) I use it for potatoes, sweet potatoes, celery, carrots and so on. You just close the lid and it cuts into cubes. LOVE! (not so good with tomatoes)
>Read restaurant menus before you arrive. Sides make good options or an entree that you can omit what you don't want may work. We went to a nice restaurant with a group that offered almost no options on the menu, however, I saw veggies on the entrees. So, I asked the server if the chef could prepare veggies and pasta, no oil, no cheese. They accommodated without a problem.
Be aware on sides that 'roasted' usually means oil. Look for steamed.
Best to say plain potato, too.
>Vegan items may have cheese. I have ordered soup that was vegan with a plop of cheese on it and some oily croutons.
>Enjoy how quickly you can shop in the store! I spend less, too.
>Read labels for sodium, oil and sugar.....or just too much stuff (processed). The more you pick up in produce, the less you buy that is prepared.
Just a couple items that I have found to be part of my pantry now.
Most of the bread offered by DKB is without oil but there a couple that have some oil. I believe Ezekiel is compliant as well, just haven't tried it yet.
I don't drink milk and haven't for several years. I was using almond milk but switched to oat milk if I need it for a recipe.
So far, this has been the best vegetable broth I can find. Several kinds have oil added to them.
