Our Whole Food Plant Based Weekend: Objectives and Observations
Because we have been surrounded with more and more family and friends dealing with chronic health issues, my husband and I decided to enjoy a fun getaway And what became our whole food plant based weekend.
The summertime is usually a great time for lighter meals, and what a perfect opportunity to really experience what experts like Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, Dr. Michael Gregor, Dr. T. Colin Campbell, and many others have been talking about.
Through this personal experience, our goals were to:
- enjoy tasty meals without meat, eggs, or dairy (NOTE: we already exclude dairy products so no change on that)
- pay attention to changes with our hunger, cravings, etc.
- determine differences in meal processes
The Challenges We Are Surrounded By
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and stroke were among the top 7 causes of death in 2017. At the same time, we were running marathons with sick family members and multiple hospital visits and pills, treatments, more and more spending even with insurance, slow debilitation, and growing vulnerability up close and personal on some of the dearest people in our lives.
It’s been a heartbreaking and sometimes exasperating process.
And the journey still continues, but in the midst of all of the overwhelm and emotions, we’ve really been looking hard at what we have been doing too.
Lifestyle Pulls the Trigger
Have you heard the saying “genetics loads the gun but lifestyle pulls the trigger”?
I have yet to be able to determine who originally came up with that one, but it refers to the point that while our genes obviously play a role in health, lifestyle choices are a considerably powerful player in turning on or off the settings of those genes that can cause us to develop into a perfect storm for disease and debilitation or not.
Lifestyle refers to:
- what we eat and drink
- sleep habits and length of time sleeping
- exposure to toxicants through our gut, lungs, and skin
- stress level and how much time spent in a parasympathetic (resting calm) state
- relationships and community
- exercise and movement
- faith and attitude
As you can see, we each definitely have a powerful role that we are already playing in deciding our current and future health by what lifestyle choices we make.
With this multi-state getaway, my husband and I hoped to enjoy some relaxing time together centered around a 1-day business gathering I planned to attend.
Definitely working on a few of those lifestyle areas, with the whole food plant based eating as an opportunity for targeted nutrient dense eating.
So What is Whole Food Plant Based?
Whole food, plant based meals focus on exactly what the name suggests, Plants, including greens, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds (including quinoa), whole grains (like oats and rice), and beans.
It’s basically a specific type of vegan eating, but without the highly processed products that happen to be animal free and usually found in the center of your local grocery store.
Whole food, plant based is basically recognizable food with recognizable food ingredients.
It really is that simple, and actually, really deliciously filling.
One additional change we tested during the extended weekend was eliminating processed oils.
This was probably our biggest challenge, because we use oil in everything:
- baking and sauteing
- many recipes we commonly enjoy as meals
- our go-to salad dressing
We’ve heard experts and read research over the years about the health struggles relating to the regular inclusion of oil in a person’s diet, both positive and negative. But when we again recently heard Dr. Esselstyn share his research findings regarding cardiovascular disease patients, many similar to some of our family members, that was it!
We had to explore that too!
Our Weekend Objectives
Since we wanted to be as prepared as we could be, and since we had a car we could fill, we packed:
- our Vitamix blender (we have a 5200)
- the Omega juicer
- pre-prepped “fixin’s” for powerbowls
- our mini-crockpot (that was safe to use in the car) to warm the beans, quinoa, sauteed mushrooms, peppers, and onions in the car for our rest stop powerbowls
- red pepper hummus and crackers
- beans, uncooked quinoa, GF oatmeal, greens, fruits and vegetables for meals while in Tennessee and Arkansas
- various seasonings
We bought a few additional items on the second day in Tennessee, once we figured out what was missing from our cottage, but for the most part, we were good to go.
Because we are a family with health challenges, we usually travel with a plan to prepare most/all our meals already. Where we would normally be incorporating eggs, dairy, oil, and/or meat, our meals were simply focused on what I might have considered the side dishes.
The big difference was that they were at the center of the plate rather than the side and were easy combinations that always included filling ingredients that just happened to be delicious.
So for the 5-day weekend our objectives were to:
- eat delicious, nutrient-dense meals only
- avoid all meat, dairy, eggs, and oil
- watch for any noticeable changes (hunger, improvements, problems, sense of satisfaction, etc)
Check Out Our Video
Our Long Term Objectives
One relative made a comment to me a few years ago now that has really stuck with me.
He said “What’s the point? We’re all gonna die anyway!”
He is right. We are all “gonna die anyway”, but the reality is we’re going to do one of two things first:
- live a full life and then die
- live life working up to spending our last 5-15 years getting sicker and more debilitated with more and more sickness-related expenses and then die
We choose to work towards #1!
Many in our family have had multiple diagnoses, surgeries, prescriptions, and challenges living and enjoying their lives because of those struggles.
Limitations.
Food, simply put, is fuel for our bodies.
We want to do the best we can to fuel our bodies in the best possible way, because…
We won’t be trading these bodies in on new models.
Resources At a Glance
If you would like to find out more, some resources that you might like include:
- Forks Over Knives movie
- Hungry for Change movie
- Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn’s book Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease
- How Not to Die book by Dr. Michael Greger
You can definitely go the trendy, more expensive route when planning meals. We opted for budget-friendly and delicious options. For some great meal idea resource videos and books, be sure to check out:
- Whole Food Plant Based Cooking Show on YouTube
- Jane Esselstyn on YouTube
What We Experienced and Moving Forward
Throughout the 5 days of eating whole food, plant based, we weren’t hungry. Other than two WFPB meals during a 1-day mastermind headed by Crystal Paine of Money Saving Mom and then lunch at a restaurant in Arkansas, we prepared all of our meals, all of which were tasty and filling. We never experienced any cravings and were comfortably satisfied until it came time for the next meal.
Since we already eat really clean and were also already minimizing meat consumption this summer, changes were minimal. What we did see was increased energy and a lack of heaviness after eating. No doubt the changes came from being even more focused on whole, nutrient-rich foods.
Packing was definitely simpler, since I didn’t have to worry about meat staying frozen for 12-hours or the expense of buying meat once we arrived at our destinations. Basically that was one less thing to juggle strategically. We made 1 grocery stop for just a few forgotten items, but in all, we packed:
- 1 box with the blender and juicer
- 1 container with the seasonings, crackers, and other dry stuff
- 2 insulated bags for the produce and pre-prepped cool food
We definitely filled up the dorm style fridges in the two rentals we stayed at, but we also ate almost all that we brought.
This was probably the biggest difference for me. The absence of meat and oil in our meal prep just simply made it easier to prepare and clean up after meals. A few examples of what we ate include:
- stuffed sweet potatoes
- power bowls(no oil, no meat)
- GF oatmeal with fruit, nuts and seeds
- juices and smoothies
- hummus with crackers and veggies (Roasted Red Pepper hummus and Avocado hummus)
- veggie stir fries on quinoa
- beans and rice
Back Home Observations
We decided to continue exploring and eating whole food, plant based with no oil after returning home, and have experienced:
- 3-5 days of fatigue (not sure but possibly detox relating to oil)
- loose fitting clothes (Ahem! My husband actually dropped one pants size)
- back to full days of energy but we now notice a quicker sleep at bedtime
Summarizing Our Whole Food Plant Based Weekend
I’m so glad we went on this journey.
Skipping the meat, dairy, eggs, and oil ended up not really being as shocking a change as we thought it might be.
Not using oil was probably the biggest adjustment, but:
- water or vegetable broth sauteing was just as good
- clean up without the oil mess was easier
And aside from the fact that we’re skipping all those added and unnecessary calories, Esselstyn’s research tying oils to atherosclerosis, a common problem in both of our families, definitely makes a change in our oil use in the future worth our attention.
We’ve been off of all dairy for years now, but dropping the meat and eggs and eating all whole food plant based meals we noticed:
- absence of that after meal heavy feeling
- more energy
- no additional hunger
All in all, we enjoyed tasty, easily made meals. They weren’t trendy and extravagant, but they weren’t bland and basic either. Just good food that anybody can enjoy without spending a ton of money. In fact, we probably saved a few bucks in the long run.
There are experts and activists on many sides when the topic is food, but at the end of the day, we still need to eat and want to eat healthy.
Through our personal “experiment”, I can easily see how eating a whole food, plant based diet can be:
- energizing and nutritious
- budget-friendly and easy
- filling and delicious
Whether solely focusing on whole food, plant-based meal planning or only certain meals each week, this experiment has really expanded the possibilities in our household, and I’m sure I’ll share more as we continue this journey.
Ready for more whole food plant based ideas? Check out these posts:
I really enjoyed your “Our Whole Food Plant Based Weekend: Objectives and Observations” article. It was well written and presented. I hope your journey continues toward a healthy and vibrant life. May God bless your family and home.
Thank you so much.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the article.
Blessings to your family too!