Our Whole Food Plant Based Weekend

In the midst of planning for a work-related gathering in Tennessee, my husband and I decided to challenge ourselves in a yet unexplored whole food plant based weekend.

We have already been cleaning up our diet and lifestyle for a while now for several reasons:

• several family members struggling with chronic issues (particularly cardiovascular, obesity, fatigue, etc.),
• our own personal health challenges and goals to recover our health and maximize our future healthy life,
• the reality that real health can only be achieved through a predominantly real food, nutrient-dense diet and a clean, active but not overwhelming, loved lifestyle
• a continuing, strong path to pursue and prioritize faith, family, and a more classic life.

All About That Base

I had already completed my various certifications as a functional medicine health coach, nutrition and hormone coach, and others. During those years, it was really interesting to see so many learning and serving others in their health circles while eating differently but all basically real food focused meals with differing ratios of animal-based and plant-based ingredients.

In my personal journey, I had simply reduced/removed most of the processed and compromised foods in my diet and increased nutrients with profound results. One area, however, that I hadn’t experienced was 100% plant based diet. At the same time, there was a heightened level of talk about cardiovascular disease in our extended family, and my husband was particularly attuned to some of the data about the cardiovascular benefits of a plant based diet.

Of course, we had heard some of the same comments you’ve probably heard about vegan diets, and we decided we wanted to make up our own minds based upon experience.

The summertime is usually a great time for lighter meals, and what a perfect opportunity to really experience meals that are generally lighter, fresher, and loaded with nutrients.

For these and many other reasons, we decided to spend our trip to Tennessee eating 100% plant based real food. Our goals were to:

• enjoy tasty meals without meat, eggs, or dairy (NOTE: we had already had to exclude dairy products so no change on that)
• pay attention to changes with our hunger, cravings, health and functions, etc.
• learn differences and explore alternative opportunities for delicious meals and ingredients I hadn’t considered or experienced,
• learn by experiencing 100% plant based, in order to be a better coach.

The Challenges We Are Surrounded By

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, liver and kidney diseases, and stroke continue to be among the top 8 causes of death in America in 2024, and all can be tied to diet.

Have you heard the saying “genetics loads the gun but diet and 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, diet and lifestyle choices are the activating player to turn on or off the settings of those genes to enable or disable disease and debilitation.

Diet and 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

The daily decisions we each make have a powerful role that we are already playing in deciding our current and future health by what lifestyle choices we make.

So What is Whole Food Plant Based?

Whole food plant based meals focus on exactly what the name suggests, predominantly plants. Basically, whole food plant based means enjoying meals that are 51%+ plants. Plants, including greens, fruits, herbs, vegetables, nuts and seeds (including quinoa), whole grains (like oats and rice), and beans.

It’s generally assumed to be a vegan diet, but can actually include other real food like beef, dairy, eggs, etc. dependent upon the person’s choice. The actual main foundation of WFPB eating is that you ae eating real food, mostly plants. Whole food plant based is basically recognizable real 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.

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.

What We Experienced and Moving Forward

Throughout the 5 days of eating whole food plant based, we were surprised to Not be hungry (my biggest assumption). We prepared tasty and filling meals that took a bit longer to prepare but were easier to clean up. We never experienced any cravings and were comfortably satisfied until it came time for the next meal.

While we already ate really clean, we did notice increased energy and a complete absence of heaviness after eating. No doubt the changes came from being even more focused on whole, nutrient-rich foods.

We Love road trips and usually pack kitchen supplies, ingredients, and some prepared-ahead foods for our trips with an assumption we’ll visit a grocery store after reaching our destination for the rest of the food needed to cover most of what we’ll eat while there. 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 what we didn’t bring, but in all, we packed:

• 1 box with the Vitamix and Omega juicer
• Seasonings, snacks, pre-made meal for the trip, easily transportable food from home that we could prep and eat while away,
• Cooler for the produce and pre-prepped cool food
• 1 pot with lid and 1 skillet

We definitely filled up the refrigerators 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 fry 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, 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

We extended our 100% plant based real food eating beyond that trip, but we have since reintroduced meat and eggs but at a lower intake level than what we ate before the trip. We are still dairy free, because we have a family member that can’t eat dairy without issues (and I don’t want to make 2 different meals).

Awareness

It’s funny. I had never really thought about enjoying meals that didn’t include some type of meat, eggs, or dairy. In fact, we ate/eat meals all the time that are/were 100% plant based, like my favorite bowl of Tex-Mex Charro Beans on cold and rainy nights. Now I’m just more firmly aware of the reality that it’s Really about eating real, nutrient dense whole food to support our health.

Summary

Article Name

Whole Food Plant Based Weekend

Description

After a Whole Food Plant Based weekend, we're sharing our objectives and observations + a few resources and suggestions about this deliciously filling diet!

Author

Elaine Watkins