What do you eat?

Summer means family and friends may be gathering for a potluck meal on the deck or by the lake. Whenever I am asked to bring a dish or plan for a summer event, I always use recipes like the ones shown below.

Cucumber Tomato Salad

Click here for the full recipe.

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Baked Falafel Sandwich

Click here for the full recipe.

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BBQ BAKED BEANS

Click here for the full recipe.

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Vegan Strawberry Ice Cream

Click here for the full recipe.

My friend, Diane Smith, is the writer and recipe developer behind PlantBasedCooking.com. We thought it would be helpful to share a healthy meal for those planning summer gatherings.

I always get lots of questions about what I eat and then more questions about transitioning to a plant-based diet. I am happy to tell you that Diane is preparing a course to help people transition to a plant-based diet. Contact her via her website to sign up for the course.

Diane Smith is the editor and publisher of PlantBasedCooking.com. We have so much in common, but most of all, we are passionate about being our best selves and sharing what we learn with others.

I was in a lot of pain, on medication, in and out of Doctor's offices almost weekly, and could not sleep more than a couple of hours. That was all before I switched to a plant-based diet. 

My back, feet, and legs hurt so much I could only walk short distances, even in flat shoes. Now I can walk pain-free for miles, even in heels!

Before at age 54               After at age 58  

The preservatives, sugar, fat, and salt added to most processed foods caused inflammation, fifty extra pounds, severe migraines every week, and numerous sinus infections. Removing those foods from my life allowed my body to heal and my immune system to thrive. I have not had a cold in five years. There are no more migraines! I take no medications now, and my lab results are those of a twenty-year-old. I feel much better now than I did when I was in my thirties. The only change I made was to a whole food plant-based diet. This is one of the most important things I wish I could share with my younger self.

Flashback

After I stopped eating fast, easy, convenience food from a box, bag, or can and focused on eating whole food plant-based meals; I started losing weight.

2008

I was in a lot of pain when I weighed 183 pounds. That pain came from the arthritis inflammation in my hands, feet, and back, so I was very inactive. I remember thinking this is what it feels like to be old. I believed that was the way my body was going to feel from that point on. I was deeply depressed, and it showed in what I wore and how I carried myself. I gave away all of my heels and bought ugly flat shoes that are supposed to be comfortable. My feet still hurt!

2009

A few days after plants became my only source of food, I started to feel much better. Soon I felt like going for long walks, working in my flower gardens, cleaning my whole house in one day, and anything else I wanted to do. The pain melted away. I was amazed!

My spirits lifted because I felt better than I did when I was in my 30s. I gave all those flat shoes to my mother and started buying shoes and clothes that better reflect my personality. It didn't happen right away, but I found my style chops again after a couple of years. (For some strange reason, I believed those horrible print tops hid my rolls and jiggly bits.)

If we go out to eat now, I order a salad with a side of steamed broccoli or some other vegetable, and I ask them to hold the salt and butter. We will always order the vegetarian entree when there is one offered, and we often visit restaurants because they are vegetarian and share an entree often.

I eat some variation of this for breakfast almost every morning. My late lunch sometimes looks like this.

I get questions almost every day about how I managed to lose weight during those hormone shifting menopausal years.

Honestly, all I did was change my choice of food. There was no radical exercise regime. I didn't take any pills or get on any food to order programs. I still don't take any medications!

The book "Eat to Live" by Dr. Joel Fuhrman gave me guidance on what to eat and explained why. The most important thing to know is that you need a variety of colorful, fresh, organic, local, and in-season vegetables and a few berries. My diet includes leafy greens, and other vegetables, mushrooms, onions, berries, seeds, nuts, and ancient whole grains every day. I eat this way 90% of the time.

I still enjoy a piece of dark chocolate, a glass of wine, or a decadent dessert on occasion but not every day. I also know that only a few bites are enough. I don't need to finish the whole dessert. 

2016

I have maintained my weight loss since 2011. No diet or pills. No gyms or classes. No calorie counting or obsessing about food.

I hope that sharing my example helps you to achieve a happy, healthy body as well.