Though most of us know about the research that shows we should eat plant-based whole food, we still don’t change the way we eat. For many of us, changing to plant-based eating would require only a few easy substitutions. For others, thinking about making real, lasting changes in what and how we eat can prove difficult, even seemingly impossible, until we actually do it and realize how easy it is. Our goal is to eat plant-based all the time, or as much as possible. We can start by making one meal entirely plant-based; for example, breakfast can be cereal and fruit with almond, soy, or rice milk. Lunch could be a salad with beans (no cheese or meat), or a vegetable soup, or a sandwich of vegetables (hold the meat and cheese), or a vegetarian burrito (hold the cheese and sour cream). Dinner could be what we currently eat minus the animal protein, just enlarge the salad and vegetable, and keep the grain or potatoes. We could have meatless chili, meatless spaghetti, vegetable stir-fries with brown rice, roasted veggies, including potatoes, and salad, bean tacos, enchiladas, and casseroles. Instead of wine with crackers and cheese before dinner, we could have hummus and dipping veggies. And don’t worry about the protein—there’s plenty of protein in vegetables, grains, and beans, and no saturated fat.
Start by making one meal entirely plant-based