The word is getting out. Plant-strong diets, based on vegetables, fruit, beans, potatoes, whole grains, nuts, seeds, herbs, and spices, are the reliable road to trim weight, youthful arteries, and reversal of many chronic illnesses. You probably know this, and aim to change your diet to include more whole plant foods.
Initially, the change in your daily food choices can seem daunting. There is a proven strategy that will boost you over any logistical or mental hurdles. This essential element is planning. The more ways in which you plan, the easier the switch will be.
One key element of planning is goal-setting. After much study, the American Heart Association put goal-setting at the top of its list of effective elements for lifestyle change. Goals are most effective when they are set early in the change process. Your objectives should be specific, attainable in a reasonable amount of time, realistic, and focused on controllable behaviors.
Goals should be easy enough to reach yet challenging enough for a sense of satisfaction. An example of this kind of goal would be to eat two servings of vegetables at dinner every night, if currently you rarely eat any.
Dr. Neal Barnard, President of Physicians Committee on Responsible Medicine, advises taking a week or two to think through what you are going to eat before chucking a current animal-based diet. Once you have figured out a few appealing plant-based meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, you're ready to dive into a new eating plan with little fear.
Planning works best when you write down your goals, thoughts about whole foods meals , and any related ideas. Start a file to group all these items in one place, or get a small notebook and keep it with you to jot down observations. For example, maybe you just walked by a new restaurant. Write down the name so you can check out the menu online for plant-based options. Soon you will accumulate a practical idea list. You may even be ready to commit to what Dr. Barnard calls a three-week "test drive" of a plant-based eating plan.
Once you are on this diet, the game changes. You will feel so much healthier and more energetic, and enjoy the honest flavors of nourishing food so much, that staying on this eating plan will be way easier than you might have expected.
Janice Stanger, Ph.D., is a plant-based nutrition author, educator, and speaker. You can read chapter excerpts, find recipe resources, and learn about permanent, hunger-free weight loss on the website for her whole-foods book The Perfect Formula Diet. Janice would enjoy connecting with you on Facebook and Twitter.
Comments
Leave a comment