Whole Foods Plant Based Eating

Whole Foods Plant Based Eating

by Kato D. Haws Jr.

July 7, 2020

I began eliminating animal products because of high cholesterol. I removed first

whole milk and eggs. Later all dairy. We ended up learning about various vegan diets,

including the Hallelujah Diet and the McDougall diet. In the end the people most

influential for us are Dr. T. Colin Campbell and Dr. Michael Greger. We rely heavily on

the recipes of Cathy Fisher of True North Health, which use no salt, oil or sugar, and no

animal products. Her recipes also happen to be gluten free, which is important to me, given

my family history of problems with wheat.

If you want to try a whole foods plant-based (WFPB) diet but don't know where

to begin here are a few suggestions.

• Give yourself time to adjust. If you are a meat and dairy eater you are addicted to these foods. In my experience it may take up to seven years for your cravings to cease once you finally stop using meat and dairy. Be patient with yourself.
• Wean yourself off cow's milk as soon as possible. There are a lot of reasons for this. For example cow's milk raises cholesterol, even skimmed milk. It has also been known for some time that dairy consumption does not protect against soft bones.
• Listen to talks by doctors John McDougall, T. Colin Campbell, Michael Greger and Neal Barnard. Listening to talks by these experts will help you maintain your enthusiasm for healthy plant-based eating. Consider taking the “Plant Based Nutrition” course at e.Cornell.
• Take your vitamins. Technically a whole foods plant based diet of sufficient calories provides all the nutrients your body needs, except for vitamin B12 and D. Bacteria in your colon will make lots of B12 once you start eating starches, fruits and vegetables, however, it is poorly absorbed there I would say. Unless your colon is super clean you had better take a sub-lingual B12 tablet once a week if you are on a strict WFPB diet. B12 is cheap. Living in Arizona we feel we get plenty of sunlight, otherwise we would consider taking vitamin D3.
• Don't try to get by on just fruit and vegetables or you will starve. Eat potatoes, rice, porridge, beans, salads, vegetables cooked and raw; fruit, nuts/seeds and gluten free grains. Find some form of non-dairy milk that you like.
• The term “whole foods” means that the food is not separated into parts, as in “refined”. The term “plant-based” means no animal products, such as meat, fish or dairy. Whole plant foods have fiber. Meat, fish, eggs, dairy, oil and sugar do not. Try to eat foods that have fiber.

Recipes

Straight Up Food - See “www.straightupfood.com” for excellent recipes that are WFPB,

gluten free, plus no salt, oil or sugar. We particularly like the cauliflower soup.

Almond Milk – Soak 1 cup of almonds in tap water for 1 hour. Slip the skins by squeezing

them between your index or middle finger and your thumb. Blend the “blanched” almonds

with six cups of water until smooth. Chill. Stir before drinking.

Beans – Sort 3 cups beans to remove any rocks if necessary. Bring 1.5 quarts of water to a

boil. Pour the beans carefully into the boiling water and boil for 5 minutes. Drain the beans

into a colander, rinse with hot water and let sit. Bring 2 new quarts of water to boil.

Carefully pour the beans into the boiling water. Boil rapidly for 5 minutes and then simmer

until tender. (Note – to make tender beans get them hot as quickly as possible and keep

them that way).

Baked Potatoes – Preheat the oven to 375 deg. F. Scrub several potatoes. Pierce the

potatoes with a knife. Place on a lined cookie pan. Bake 60 min.

Baked Sweet Potato Rings – Preheat oven to 375 deg. F. Scrub several white sweet

potatoes. Cut them in 1” rounds. Place on a lined cookie sheet. Bake 50 min.

Sauteed potatoes with Garlic and Onions – Saute some diced onions and garlic in a fry pan

with a little water. Optionally add sliced mushrooms. Peel some potatoes. Dice and add to

the fry pan. Add more water as needed. Simmer until done, stirring regularly until potatoes

are soft and begin to break up. Flavor with basil.

Oats – Soak 2 cups quick oats overnight with some raisins, or just cook in boiling water.

Favorite Habanero Salsa – Wash 8-10 diced ripe tomatoes, one fresh habanero chili (with

stem removed), three or four cloves of garlic, one-half of average sized yellow onion (in

pieces), small bunch of fresh cilantro. Place into a sauce pan with 1⁄4 cup of water. Turn the

burner to high for 6 minutes. Let sit until cool. Process in food processor until chopped.