I sometimes hear people saying (like all the time) that if they’d go plant-based “there’d be nothing left to eat”. But the truth is, by removing chicken, beef, pork and fish (that’s four items) there’s still about a couple of hundred thousand things to eat. For example, there’s over 25 000 different types of tomatoes! So don’t worry! You will not starve to death, I promise!
Including just a few staples into my diet has kept my weight in check, my energy up, and my sleep on schedule. Lucky for me (and you, too), no part of my routine is exotic or expensive.
These are My Top 5 Foods & Supplements for a Plant-Based Diet:
1. SMOOTHIES —
I’ve been drinking green smoothies for years now. I started with juicing, but found it not being sustainable (the clean-up!), so I switched my breakfast juice and oatmeal to a green smoothie. I start my days with lots of water (while taking my supplements), beginning with warm lemon water, and then a green smoothie.
My basic smoothie recipe can be found here, but usually it’s greens, banana, apple/pear, frozen berries and different protein/superfood powders. These are my favorite powders. Smoothies are filling, easy to grab-and-go when in rush, and have a bunch of servings of fruits and vegetables.
2. VITAMIN B-12 —
This is essential for anyone, not only those on a plant-based diet. I get mine in multiple ways; I use B-12 spray, I get B-12 shots at my naturopath’s office, it’s included in my multivitamin, as well as in my iron supplement.
3. MAGNESIUM —
Essential nutrient most people are deficient in due to the fact that our soils are depleted. It’s in my Core Minerals, I have magnesium oil spray for my skin, and I also drink Natural Calm mixed with water before bed. I don’t do all these every day, but keep switching it up. Cacao Magic powder from Philosophie, that I use in my smoothies, desserts and parfaits is high in magnesium as well. There’s no fear of getting too much magnesium. When your stool gets soft you know you’re getting enough (a big plus for those suffering from constipation!).
4. IRON —
I got anemia when I was 18 years old and since then been taking an iron supplement. I love Garden of Life’s Raw Iron, which contains 22mg of whole food iron and whole food vitamins C, B-12 and folate to support iron absorption and utilization. It is easy to digest and stomach-friendly (has live probiotics and enzymes!).
5. GREENS POWDERS —
My current favorite: Green Dream from Philosophie which is stevia-free. I like to switch things up every now and then and try new products on the market, but I make sure they have no added sugar, they’re organic and contain no animal products. Green powders (usually) taste great and are packed with protein and superfoods.
Plus:
SALT:
Salt is inexpensive but it can either be extremely hurtful for your health, or healing. Table salt is created by taking natural salt (or crude oil flake leftovers) and cooking it at 1200° Fahrenheit. The heating, processing, and filtering of salt strips it of all naturally occurring minerals. Since learning this I now use only The Real Salt which is the only sea salt from an ancient deposit near Redmond, Utah. It is unrefined and dried in the sun. I also this wonderful combo to flavor our food.
OIL:
I use Raw unrefined virgin coconut oil for cooking, for body moisturizer, in my homemade mouthwash, as a scalp mask, and my cats Miina and Moses love it as a treat. Another oil that’s great for high-temp cooking is avocado oil. Please do not use hydrogenated vegetable oils like canola, sunflower or safflower oil.
VITAMIN D —
Since moving to California I do not worry about Vitamin D anymore so much, but if you live somewhere where there’s no eternal sunshine, I recommend supplementing. Vitamin D is important for regulating calcium and phosphorus absorption, maintaining healthy bones and teeth, and preventing serious diseases like cancer, Type 1 diabetes, and multiple sclerosis.
My homeopath recommended the brand I use because it is highly bioavailable (your body is able to use it), and all you take is one drop a day under your tongue to meet your needs. Also note that if you have history of breast cancer in your family, it is important to make sure your vitamin D levels are optimal.
If you have questions about becoming a healthy plant-based eater or supplement, don’t hesitate to contact me! I’m here for you!
Great tips! I love your tip about the salt. I don’t usually add it to my cooking but every once in a while I wish I had some (I don’t like table salt since it has no nutrition) so I will definitely have to check out that brand! I’ve heard good things about pink Himalayan salt, have you don’t any research on that? Is it as good as they say it is?
Greetings, just wanted to inform you that we had a great time at Marina de Bolnuevo in September of this year. We flew into Alicante and hired a car from the airport for the short drive to Bolnuevo. The beaches are superb, most of them awarded the Blue Flag. The restaurents were great, with paella on the beach a must and managed a trip to the nudist beach there. Very liberating. We also visited the Big Guns, The Roman Mines and the Sand sculptures. Will be returning there again in 2018. Thanks for reading Alicia.