If I could make a single dietary recommendation to people looking to improve their health, it would be to move to a plant-based diet.
Therein lies the mission of Flourish; to inspire others to feel empowered on their natural healing journey, using whole foods as medicine.
Eating more plants has been the best change I’ve made in my diet – making me healthier, stronger, and more energetic. Through the Flourish Healing Program, we’ve guided countless patients to rid themselves of long-term ailments, achieve balance and seriously thrive by going plant-based.
The diet is simple, but moving away from the standard Aussie diet of ‘meat and three veg’ that is often ingrained from a young age can be challenging for some.
Here, I’ll share three steps to easily and gradually transition to a more plant-based diet.
But first, why make the change?
A recent Australian Health Survey showed that only 5.1% of adults had an adequate daily intake of fruit and vegetables. Plants provide countless life-giving nutrients that protect our bodies against disease and aging. Without them, we can end up with side-effects of feeling depleted, fatigued, sore and constipated – just to name a few.
Changing to a plant-based diet will bring more life and energy into your body, help you to naturally lose weight and reduce your body max index (BMI), stay healthier as you age, improve your heart health, improve blood pressure, reverse diabetes and many other health issues.
How to transition to being plant-based
I recommend that if you want to make the change, start small and change slowly.
Like we say, it’s the little choices we make every day that add up to incredibly big things.
A good plan is to make the change in three stages:
- Slowly cut out meat. You might try starting with ‘Meatless Mondays’ and then, over time, expand to other days of the week. Another common starting point is cutting out red meat, and then poultry, then seafood, in gradual stages over a few months. There is no rush – do it at the pace that feels right for you. Another important point is that as you eliminate meat, replace it with starches and legumes that will give you all the nutrition you need. Try new foods and explore different products as you make these changes.
- Eliminate eggs. After you cut out red meat and poultry, you’ll be pescatarian – just eating seafood. When you eliminate seafood, you’re vegetarian! If you’re eating just eggs and dairy, that’s called a lacto-ovo vegetarian. You can then eliminate eggs.
- Cut out dairy. This tends to be a tricky stage for most people. We hear a lot of people say, “I can’t give up my cheese!” – and I empathise, as this was a sticking point for me too. Try focusing on the things you can eat, rather than the things you can’t.
What to eat
So, what can you eat when you’re on a plant-based diet that focuses on whole foods? Lots!
It is really important to focus on the abundance of what you can eat.
– Fruit
– Vegetables
– Beans
– Legumes
– Herbs
– Spices
– Non-dairy milk, cheese, yoghurt, spreads
Having the guidance and support of a medicinal nutritionist can make all the difference in adjusting dietary habits, improving health and creating sustainable change.
BOOK a Flourish nutritional medicine session.
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