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So you\u2019re interested in eating only plants, eh? <\/b><\/p>\n
Well, you\u2019ve come to the right place to learn all about it. I\u2019ve seen many people over the years have success with a Plant-Based Diet. <\/span><\/p>\n Truth be told though, I\u2019ve seen many people also struggle with it too. <\/span><\/p>\n (After all, donuts are \u201cplant-based\u201d and pizza just got declared \u201ca vegetable\u201d). <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n There is definitely a right way and a wrong way to embark on eliminating animal products from your diet.<\/span><\/p>\n Today, I\u2019ll share with you how to safely and correctly follow a plant-based menu and still hit your goals.<\/span><\/p>\n Now, although I\u2019ve been running this site for 10 years, I may be drawing a large target on my back by diving headfirst into a topic I\u2019ve thus far avoided.<\/span><\/p>\n As a blogger, if you want to tenfold your hate mail, take a stance on a Plant-Based Diet. <\/span><\/p>\n And saying ANYTHING about veganism – for OR against – is an easy way to get virtual produce tossed at you.<\/span><\/p>\n Although most people discover Nerd Fitness through our guides on Paleo<\/a> or Keto<\/a>, we get SO many questions on how to eat a Plant-Based Diet that I figured I\u2019d give my two cents. <\/span><\/p>\n With pop stars and famous directors advising folks to try veganism, these inquiries are only going to increase.[1]<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n So today, we are going to talk about how to eat a Plant-Based Diet safely. <\/span><\/p>\n The right way, and the wrong way, to go vegan or vegetarian. <\/span><\/p>\n BIG ASS CAVEAT: I\u2019m not going to try to convince you to give up meat. <\/b>If you\u2019re reading this, I\u2019ll assume you\u2019re here because you\u2019re interested in doing so, and want to know the best path through it.<\/span><\/p>\n The politics, controversy (yes, I\u2019ve read the China Study[2]<\/sup><\/a>), and geopolitical impact of veganism are beyond the scope of this article. I\u2019m just a nerd who studies the hell outta health and wellness and sometimes wears pants.[3]<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/b><\/p>\n So setting all the controversy aside, I want to explore the science and the \u201c<\/b>how to<\/i><\/b>\u201d for people who are heading down this path.<\/b><\/p>\n Let\u2019s goooooo!<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n There are quite a few different versions of a Plant-Based Diet. <\/b><\/p>\n It\u2019ll be good to start with some definitions so we land on the same page.<\/span><\/p>\n According to the Vegetarian Society, a vegetarian is someone who \u201cdoes not eat foods that consist of, or have been produced with the aid of products consisting of or created from, any part of the body of a living or dead animal.\u201d[4]<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n So NO eating: \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Instead, vegetarians DO eat:<\/b><\/p>\n Plants, more or less.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cVegetarian\u201d can be a broader term for more specific examples of plant-based eating. Some examples would be: <\/span><\/p>\n Lacto-ovo-vegetarians<\/b> is someone who doesn\u2019t eat animal flesh but does eat dairy and eggs. This is the most common type of vegetarian.<\/span><\/p>\n Lacto vegetarians <\/b>don\u2019t eat eggs but do eat dairy.<\/span><\/p>\n Ovo vegetarians <\/b>avoid all animals products, with the exception of eggs. <\/span><\/p>\n Vegans <\/b>avoid all animal products, including dairy and eggs and even things like honey. If it came from an animal, it\u2019s not a part of a vegan diet. Some even take it one step further and eat only a \u201craw vegan\u201d diet, where the plants consumed are not cooked prior to consumption. <\/span><\/p>\n The above are the most common forms of Plant-Based Diets, but there are others!<\/span><\/p>\n A <\/span>pescatarian <\/b>is someone who consumes no animal products except fish and shellfish. <\/span><\/p>\n A <\/span>flexitarian <\/b>is someone who follows a vegetarian diet a majority of the time, but who will occasionally eat meat. <\/span><\/p>\n Now granted, neither pescatarians nor flexitarians are <\/span>technically<\/span><\/i> vegetarians<\/span> because both contain animal products on the menu. <\/span><\/p>\n However, they are <\/span>mostly plant-based<\/span><\/i>, so worth mentioning – especially if somebody is doing this in an attempt to be healthier. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n There are many more considerations and labels, which can tackle a lot of the ethical stances around being vegan: not wearing animal products, the treatment of animals, etc.<\/span><\/p>\n To be blunt, this is outside the scope of this article.<\/b><\/p>\n I\u2019m only interested in \u201cIf you are going to eat only plants, how do you do it?\u201d So we\u2019ll politely ignore clothing, testing, and captivity for this article. <\/span><\/p>\n Which brings us to…<\/span><\/p>\n What you can or cannot eat on a Plant-Based Diet depends a lot on what kind of vegetarianism you follow. <\/b><\/p>\n Eggs and dairy, for example, may or may not be included. It really comes down to what path you are choosing. <\/span><\/p>\n There are some general food groups we can consider as universal no matter what form of vegetarianism you follow.<\/span><\/p>\n A Plant-Based Diet will include the following foods:<\/b><\/p>\n Whole grains.<\/b> Rice, oats, barley, and buckwheat would all be examples of whole grains. Most vegetarian diets include a sizable amount of whole grains as their base. <\/span><\/p>\n Vegetables. <\/b>Of course, a vegetarian diet is going to include vegetables! And it should because vegetables are great for you! They\u2019re packed full of nutrients, fiber, and generally low in calories. Most people could stand to eat more veggies. If you find yourself not being able to stomach greens, I got you. Check out this post for tips on how to turn around any vegetable hater<\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n Legumes. <\/b>Beans, lentils, and soy make up the legume family. If you\u2019re following a plant-based or vegan diet, legumes would be a great way to get protein (more on this to follow). <\/span><\/p>\n Fruit. <\/b>Bananas, apples, and oranges all come from plants, so all are vegetarian-friendly. While high in fructose (sugar), they are also nutrient dense. Our general stance on fruit around these parts is to eat \u201cin moderation<\/a>.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Nuts and seeds. <\/b>Again, they come from plants, so almonds, cashews, and pumpkin seeds are good to go on any vegetarian plan you pick. So is quinoa, which although is often thought of as a grain, is actually a seed. Mind=blown.<\/span><\/p>\n Nuts and seeds, although high in fat and calories, are another great way to get protein on a Plant-Based Diet. <\/span><\/p>\n No matter what type of vegetarian diet you pick, you\u2019d be free to eat the above (provided they fit into your current nutrition goals – but I\u2019ll get to that shortly).<\/span><\/p>\n The below will depend on what kind of vegetarianism you are trying. We may be stepping into controversial waters (remember, don\u2019t shoot the messenger) with the following:<\/b><\/p>\n Eggs. <\/b>Eggs are a great source of vitamin B12 and protein, which will become important in a section further down. <\/span><\/p>\n Dairy. <\/b>Whether or not you consume dairy will be determined by your specific strain of plant-based nutrition. On the one hand, it\u2019s from an animal (moo). On the other hand, dairy can be full of nutrients that might be harder to source from only plants, like omega-3s and calcium. <\/span><\/p>\n Fish. <\/b>Look, I get it. Fish are animals, so technically not allowed on a vegetarian diet. However, if you eat a <\/span>mostly-<\/span><\/i>Plant-Based Diet that includes a little fish, it wouldn\u2019t be too different from a <\/span>Mediterranean Diet<\/span><\/a>. There are a lot worse ways to eat than like the Mediterraneans. And as mentioned earlier, depending on who you talk to, being pescatarian could be a form of a Plant-Based Diet. <\/span><\/p>\n That\u2019s a lot of the major food groups when it comes to plant-based eating. <\/span><\/p>\n So here\u2019s all you need to remember:<\/b><\/p>\n Whatever form of vegetarianism you may pick, stick to REAL food whenever possible. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Pinto beans, asparagus, apples, and quinoa would all be examples of real food. These are nutrient-dense foods that will keep you full and energized throughout your day. Deep fried cheese balls, donuts and candy bars are examples of \u201cplant based, but not real\u201d food.<\/span><\/p>\n And I\u2019ll give out a warning on processed vegan junk food in a moment. <\/span><\/p>\n For now, there may be a question you are thinking. <\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s one of the most common ones we get when it comes to eating a vegetarian or vegan diet. <\/span><\/p>\n …MAYBE!<\/b><\/p>\n There are plenty of examples of people losing weight on a Plant-Based Diet.<\/b>[5]<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n However, there are also stories of the opposite where people gained body fat when going vegan.[6]<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n However, anecdotal evidence isn\u2019t science. <\/span><\/p>\n What does the research say?<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n If you look at studies on the subject, there\u2019s nothing here that will surprise us: plant based calories count just as much as animal based calories.<\/b>[7]<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n There are some studies which show the success of veganism compared to omnivore diets for weight loss.[8]<\/sup><\/a> Then there are others showing that a diet including meat outperforms vegan diets for trimming body fat.[9]<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Depending on who you\u2019re trying to impress, you can find six studies that say vegans will lose more weight than meat eaters, or half a dozen studies that show vegans will lose less weight.<\/span><\/p>\n It honestly doesn\u2019t matter, because when it comes to weight loss, it comes down to calories, calories, calories. <\/span><\/p>\n Oh and calories. Did I mention calories? \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Put blunty, if you\u2019re not losing weight, you\u2019re consuming too many calories. <\/span><\/p>\n It doesn\u2019t matter if they\u2019re vegan or vegetarian or Paleo<\/a> or certified organic. Check out our \u201cWhy can\u2019t I lose weight?<\/a>\u201d article to learn the science behind why!<\/span><\/p>\n Let\u2019s get to the point: You\u2019re here, you\u2019re eating plants, and you want to lose weight. So here\u2019s how to do it.<\/b><\/p>\n If you typically ate a standard American diet filled with burgers and french fries, and then moved to salads? Yeah, I\u2019d imagine that you would lose weight – simply because you\u2019re now eating fewer calories than you were eating in the past. <\/span><\/p>\n However, if you go from scarfing down normal burgers to scarfing down an Impossible Burger or a vegan burger? Maybe not.<\/b>[10]<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Let\u2019s take a look:<\/span><\/p>\n The Impossible Burger is made with wheat protein, coconut oil, potato protein and heme (a molecule found in plants and animals). So it\u2019s very calorically dense. <\/span><\/p>\n Moral of the story: don\u2019t assume that food without any meat in it will have fewer calories in it.<\/b><\/p>\n While there are plenty of nuances, when it comes to weight loss, calories in and calories out plays a major role in whether or not you are successful. <\/span><\/p>\n Just because something is vegan doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s necessarily healthy. As someone pointed out in our private Facebook Academy<\/a> group, \u201cOreos are vegan.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n If you don\u2019t plan properly, you could be deluding yourself into thinking veganism will be a weight loss strategy.<\/b><\/p>\n I know that adopting a new lifestyle can be challenging, especially if you’re really busy. Whether it\u2019s veganism, a low-carb diet<\/a>, or trying to build muscle<\/a>, embarking on a new habit can be tough if you don\u2019t know what to do. <\/span><\/p>\n Weight-loss, no matter which strategy you pick, can be a hard road to follow. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n I want you to know that you’re not alone, we’re here to help. <\/b>We offer a 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program<\/a> to help busy people like you embark on complete life overhauls. We can help you with dietary changes, exercise, and accountability so you can create new healthy habits that fit into your chaotic day-to-day life! <\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/bestratefinders.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/giphy.gif\")
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WHAT EXACTLY IS A PLANT-BASED DIET?<\/h2>\n
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WHAT DO YOU EAT ON A PLANT-BASED DIET? WHAT\u2019S ON A VEGAN MENU?<\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\nWILL A VEGETARIAN OR VEGAN DIET HELP ME LOSE WEIGHT?<\/h2>\n
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