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April 25, 2016
The Going-Vegan Game Plan
A Quick and Flexible Plan for Ditching Meat and Cheese
Not many people can adopt a vegan diet cold tofurkey. Besides, that’s probably not the best way to do it. The good news is that adopting a vegan lifestyle isn’t as daunting as you might think—at least if you’ve got a plan. San Francisco-based nutritionist and certified natural chef Giovanna Garcia of A Purified Life offers these tips on cutting out meat in two weeks, and dairy in two to three.
Before diving in, she has some advice: “Rather than becoming frustrated with things you’ve given up, focus on the foods you can eat to help yourself ease into the transition and feel excited about it.”
WEEK 1: Think reduce, not restrict
Ease into it. One of the most challenging side-effects of the transition is feeling bloated from the sudden uptick in fiber. Wading carefully into a plant-based diet can make it a more comfortable process. Consider starting with mostly cooked vegetables and avoiding raw cruciferous vegetables.
Experiment with different protein options. If you eat red meat, start reducing your consumption. Feel free to stay ‘on’ chicken, eggs and pork this week, but start incorporating lower food chain protein sources like fish. At the same time, slowly add legumes like garbanzo beans and black beans to one meal. Pro tip: whip up Giovanna’s garbanzo bean salad.
Order the vegetarian entrée. More and more restaurants are offering well-balanced vegetarian options. Start by ordering a meat-based protein with a vegetarian entrée so that the meat portion starts to become more like a side dish. Also, Giovanna suggests choosing tempeh over tofu because tempeh is fermented, which makes it more digestible.
WEEK 2: Time to fine-tune
Embrace meat alternatives. Beginning week two, cut red meat completely and start reducing the amount of chicken and pork. Replace that with fish, eggs and plant-based proteins like tempeh, beans, nuts and seeds. As for creating complete plant-based proteins, Giovanna recommends combining quinoa and beans, tahini and rice or seeds, or for something sweet, try almond butter and chia. For dinner inspiration, check out Giovanna’s quinoa-stuffed bell peppers.
Replace cow’s milk with a non-dairy alt at the coffee shop. Start weaning off of dairy slowly by topping off your coffee with soy, almond or coconut milk, and doing the same with lattes. Some people are lactose intolerant and don’t even know it. It could be that you’ll experience less congestion going dairy-free.
Snack healthfully and pay attention to ingredient length. In general, steering away from snacks that have a long laundry list of ingredients is a safe bet. A handful of nuts like pistachios and almonds, or even guacamole and chips are snacks that balance fat and protein. Giovanna makes a snack and dessert-friendly dairy-free and sugar-free superfood chocolate.
WEEK 3: The dairy-free bonus
Cut fish and eggs. Now that you know how to create complete, plant-based proteins, bump up your intake this week. For breakfast, make a chia pudding and top it with your favorite healthy treats. Giovanna normally adds hemp seeds for a protein boost, and she says some of her clients add almond butter for something heartier.
Cut all remaining dairy and discover cheese alternatives. Substitute your dairy go-tos like cheese, yogurt and cream sauce with alternatives. Giovanna suggests preparing a cashew cheese, a simple staple that you can use in almost anything—as a salad dressing, sandwich spread, or dip. It’s also great on eggs or used as a filling in place of cheese or yogurt.