I have been on a whole food plant based (WF/PB) meal plan for 3 weeks. I wasn’t planning on a change but I recently received my blood work results from my annual physical. There was nothing above the recommended levels but some things did increase (A1C, cholesterol) and it surprised me.
I tried to rationalize why the results increased. We were on sabbatical, I’m getting older, I had an arm injury and wasn’t able to the weights like I had been doing. Those were all excuses. I thought about it and I hadn’t changed what I was eating. I was still eating veggies, protein and carbs so I couldn’t figure out why the results were higher than before.
Then Gail told me about an offer to review a soon to be released documentary called Eating You Alive. The documentary is about the health benefits of eating whole food plant based meals (WF/PB). Please take a look at our 2 posts with our interview with the producers (part-1 and part-2).
After watching the documentary, I knew I had to try this. I’ve tried several meal plans (high carb, low carb, macros, etc.) but this one really touted the health benefits. There’d need to be some changes but Gail and I agreed to try the WFPB for a month. We had nothing to lose.
First Week
The first week was definitely a change as I had been eating beef, pork, chicken, and fish my entire life. They weren’t drastic changes as I usually eat brown rice, veggies, and a protein 4 days during the work week. The main difference was my protein was now coming from plants. But I was pleasantly surprised that there were other tasty protein options (beans, legumes, tempeh, etc.). I thought I’d miss chicken but I don’t. IMO, it doesn’t really have much flavor, no matter how hard we marinated or tried to season it. And the good thing is I’m back to eating beans again, which is fantastic. Welcome back refried beans!
2nd Week
I always drank unsweetened tea after lunch to keep me awake in the afternoon. In the 2nd week I noticed I didn’t feel sleepy after lunch. After a few days of drinking water during lunch, I didn’t drink any unsweetened tea at all the rest of the week! I’ll still keep drinking tea for the health benefits but now it won’t be for the caffeine.
I also haven’t noticed any lack of energy when exercising. I thought I’d have less energy but I’m glad I was wrong about that. Waking up is also easier, which helps me meditate better (vs. dozing off when I meditated) in the mornings. Another side benefit is it also allows me to get to the gym earlier when it’s less crowded
Next 2 Weeks
I’m looking forward to the next 2 weeks. I already feel better but I’d like to see what physical changes there may be. I knew I needed to make a change and so far this has been a change for the better. Gail and I had nothing to lose when we started this but now I’m looking forward to the gains!
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21 Comments
Isn’t it incredible what the power of food can do?! I love hearing that going to a plant-based diet helped get you more energy! I hope you continue to have success!
Hi Shannon! Thanks for the comment. It’s is incredible what the power of food can do!
Very interesting! Being a lover of chicken I am not sure if I can give this diet a fair go but I do do occasional veg week only for the entire family to take a break from non veg!
Hello Sunrita. The things we do for our families! 😊
My husband and I just began our plant-based journey as well! It’s definitely tough to get started and we’ve been very up and down with it. My husband is always falling asleep at work – now I want to see if his energy levels change once we fully stick to it.
Hi Cass! Glad to hear you are also giving the plant based journey a go as well. Please keep us in the loop on how you and your husband are doing.
Wow! Great Post! I need to try and cut caffeine from my lunch, I’m glad to hear it went well for you! I may give it a go!
Hello Amy. I didn’t realize how much unsweetened tea I was drinking at lunch. I dont really miss it anymore. Thanks for your comment!
Yay! Go you. I’ve been trying to cut meat and processed foods out of my diet for years now. I’m having a hard time getting rid of chicken (as it’s easy to pick up and cook). Thank you for the inspiration.
Hey Susan! I hear you. We started with cutting processed foods first a while ago which was a big change. I think it made giving up meat easier. Don’t give up! Thank you for your comment!
Awesome! I have been eating totally vegan for two weeks and I have lost 9 pounds! I love beans too 😀
Hello Cassandra. Congrats on losing 9 pounds! Who doesn’t love beans!? 😆
This seems to be all the craze lately. I am curious to see the longterm results you get!
Hello Mrs. SBF. We are also curious. I’ll post about my new blood test results. Thanks for commenting!
This makes so much sense. If there are so many amazing benefits to nature and trees, why not in our food? I think you are converting me. Going to sign up to follow your blog.
What we eat will really determine how we function and feel. Whole foods for the win!
Thanks for sharing this journey! I am doing it right along with you!
The problem I’ve found with every change I’ve made in eating is that no matter how good I may feel eating well, there are always temptations.
My boyfriend and I have been eating Vegan for 6 months now. It’s made a lot of difference in how we feel and more aware of what we are eating. I’m so glad you’re enjoying trying plant based proteins, it’s different at first for sure.
Thanks for sharing your experience. I love refried beans as well!
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