Dominant Change Factors
We’ve all had to make changes in the way we live at various times in our lives. Perhaps, it was because we were forced to do so through some circumstance that arose, or because we were being directed to do so by somebody (parents, teachers, bosses, doctors, etc.). At other junctures in our lives, however, we have arrived at some decision to change (whether by outside influence, attainment of knowledge, an epiphany, or some other means), and have acted upon it quite on our own merit.
Now anyone who has made the decision to change to a whole foods, plant-based diet may be able to attest to the fact that while it’s easy to mentally ascend to and justify such an extreme change, it’s harder to actually carry it off in the fashion that it was intended for. Quite frankly, it’s difficult to take what have been long, established eating habits, filled with particular flavors, textures, and smells – a way of living and eating that has become so ingrained and so completely and utterly sublimated in our psyche, and just toss them out the window without a care!
Plant-Based Transition Foods
If you’re like most people, when you began your quest to eat a whole foods, plant-based (WFPB) diet, you probably did like I did and went right to the meatless meat section of my local grocery store or health food store, and grabbed up everything that looked and purported to taste just like the REAL thing. It’s a good first step, for sure, and you are moving in the right direction at least. In fact, it’s perfectly normal when transitioning to a new dietary pattern to want to hold onto some semblance of what we have been used to. We are, after all, creatures of comfort and familiarity, and by evolutionary design, may be inclined to seek this out irregardless of health value.
Meatless meatballs, baconless Canadian bacon, vegan cheese, chickenless chicken, and beefless beef – the list is endless. With a little creative thinking and purchasing, you can pretty much enjoy just about ANY meal plan that you were previously accustomed to, only without consuming ANY animal products whatsoever.
So, is there any problem with this?
Nothing at the surface is apparently wrong at all. You seem to have successfully made the leap to a new diet and can now enjoy all the health benefits that come along with a WFPB diet. Right?
Wrong!
You’ve been caught in transition food limbo!
Yes, your dietary choices are certainly better than eating animal-based foods. But by eating a lot of plant-based transition foods, you may still be getting a lot of chemicals that aren’t that great for you, and nutrient-wise, you could do a lot better preparing meals with raw ingredients like whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, and beans and legumes.
Worse than that, however, is the sad fact that you may be stuck in plant-based transition limbo indefinitely if you don’t actively and intensely try to escape!
Thinking Plant-Based
Psychologists will tell you that adjusting your behavior in some manner will often inspire a creative change in your thinking. It can help to break out of any boundaries you may have set for yourself such as routines you may be rutted in. I seem to recall one such exercise where you were advised to purposefully do something different than you normally would (ie. use your right hand instead of your left, or your left instead of your right, or take a different course of action than you would for a given situation).
This can be instructional when applied to breaking out of your old animal-based dietary habits. For example, suppose for most of your life you ate eggs and bacon and drank milk for breakfast. Now that you are beginning your plant-based journey, you habitually desire to have foods with similar appearances, textures and flavors, so you use your vegan egg substitute, some meatless bacon or sausage substitute, and some almond or soy milk. Not that there is anything really wrong with doing this, but you are still following the deep and well-worn grooves of your old animal-based core constructs. This, in turn, continues to leave a trace image of your old dietary pattern even though you are trying to leave it behind (I’m totally guilty, too, so don’t take this like I’m pointing a finger at you). We’re thinking plant-based, but we’re acting animal-based. Do you see what I mean?
I remember being told when I was growing up that there is an order to eating a traditional family dinner. First, you eat your salad, then comes the main course and side dishes, and finally, after you have finished everything, you got to eat dessert. When I was a young man, I lived up in the mountains and was part of a tight-knit community group. We often cooked and ate together, and nothing bothered me more than when someone decided to eat something out of what I perceived as being an established order. They’d have their dessert first, and then eat their salad, and then the main course would be last, or some other order that was equally as irritating to me. Any attempt I made to try and get them to comply with my way of thinking was usually just laughed off, and never seemed to have any effect.
Since I switched over to a plant-based diet almost two years ago, I’ve brought a lot of those animal-based patterns along with me into my new plant-based life. I’ve been reluctant, resistant, and even downright rebellious when it comes to fully embracing a change in WHAT kind of food I eat, WHY I prepare it the way I do, and WHEN I eat it!
But to really think and act in a responsible plant-based fashion, I now realize I’m going to have to force myself to do things differently. If you’re on the same plant-based trajectory as me, maybe you should, too!
Breaking the Dietary Pattern
How about making a nice salad for breakfast, or a hummus sandwich? A breakfast bean burrito might give you some great energy first thing in the morning, and if you are in a rush, you can prepare most of the ingredients the night before and keep them in the refrigerator overnight. Grab a whole wheat tortilla, reheat the beans in the microwave, assemble with your pre-cut veggies, grab a piece of fruit and something to drink on the side, and voila, a quick and nutrition-packed breakfast. It’s probably faster than your old animal-based bacon and eggs routine, or frozen waffle preparation. Of course, Dr. Esselstyn, Dr. Fuhrman and many others have great breakfast suggestions in their books and on their websites. Many people just go with a bowl of oatmeal (rolled oats), seasoned with some cinnamon, and adorned with a banana or raisins, or other things, so you don’t really have to abandon every breakfast combination from your past.
And what about lunch and dinner? The possibilities are limitless.
I’ve been experimenting with this idea in the last few weeks, and I’m finding some new foods and combinations of foods for meals and in-between snacks that definitely breaks into my normal order of things. I’ve tried rice and kale for a mid-morning snack, which really is a great pick-me-up, although I haven’t been able to bring myself to eat a plate of vegetables or salad for breakfast just yet. But I’m moving in that direction.
Think dietary disruption in a positive, nutrient-rich, plant-based way, and go for it!
Let’s all try something new and different this week, and let’s truly begin to think and act genuinely plant-based!
