It’s common knowledge that I have been Vegan now for 6 years and promote a predominantly whole food plant-based diet, along with other lifestyle changes. Although my initial reasons for making the change were health-related (I was diagnosed with an autoimmune form of diabetes), I have since learned a lot about the ethical benefits as well as the massive impact that the animal agricultural industry has on our planet and climate change. Many of my patients have benefited from making similar changes in various ways including getting off medications for diabetes, cholesterol and blood pressure, as well as clearing up conditions like acne, allergies, reflux and losing a lot of weight. After 23 years of being in ENT practice, helping people improve their overall health in this way has been particularly gratifying. At a recent family/social event I attended, I was asked about posting something about the foods that I eat as they were interested in pursuing a plant-based diet and were having some trouble getting started. I was quite honored and happy that they followed my postings and visited my website but to be honest, I am not up to adding “social media food blogger” to my CV. There is plenty of that out there already. That having been said, here are some details about what I do and a great new book recommendation at the bottom (web links included).
Almost everybody has a 15-20, if not much smaller, repertoire of meals that they make repeatedly. When changing how you eat, a simple approach is just to switch just a few of those regular meals with plant-based alternatives. Breakfast is the easiest meal to change. I too am a creature of habit and tend to do the same things, just in varying combinations. My amazing wife Talia is great at creating dinners that are varied and delicious but I make my breakfast and lunch most of the time and I keep it pretty routine. My dietary choices are also influenced by my own health issues, mostly the diabetes which is under great control through diet and exercise. I should be on Insulin, but still don’t need it. I credit the lifestyle for this. Most breakfasts are some sort of whole grain such as organic oat groats (one step before steel cut) or buckwheat. I batch cook a few days’ worth in my Instant Pot. I always add a variety of things. Staples include various berries, a banana, flax and chia seeds and hemp hearts. Usually, I also add a mix of nuts including walnuts and pumpkin seeds. Cacao nibs, pomegranate kernels and cranberries also make regular appearances. I also do some seemingly odd things with my morning bowl including adding greens and even beans. I know it sounds weird, but I love it. Lots of spices and you basically pick whichever ones you would like. I like cinnamon and clove and even an Indian mix called Garam Masala. I might even throw in some frozen vegetables just to up the fiber and nutrient content. I have a massive “kashka” (Ukrainian for buckwheat or other grain) bowl. I use mostly water and some plant “milk”. I make some of my own “milks” using a great device called an Almond Cow. Easy to use and very easy to clean. I occasionally have some sourdough bread with avocado or hummus and a mound of sprouts which I grow. Super easy to grow and super nutritious.
Lunch is almost always a HUGE leftover “kitchen sink” salad from the night before and an apple. I add all kinds of stuff to the salad which always include homegrown sprouts and greens, particularly kale and dandelion greens. Dandelion is the most nutritious green around and we shamelessly kill these plants with Roundup. You can eat them right out of the grass or garden, assuming you don’t use chemicals, but they are SUPER bitter, unless really young. Buy them at the store instead. Cultivated dandelion greens are milder. I also usually add carrots, onions, olives, beets, peppers, avocado, sometimes nuts, kraut, more beans, sometimes berries… whatever you want. My dressing is usually just balsamic or apple cider vinegar. Rarely a nut or tofu and nutritional yeast-based dressing. Almost never any oil. I try to keep the fats limited and get plenty from the nuts and avocado.
In general, I try to have some kind of green and bean with every meal. These are staples in the Blue Zones, places where people have the longest lifespans along with the best “healthspans”.
I have a large library of cookbooks which I either purchased or was gifted by generous family and friends over the years. Many of the recipes seem daunting. One of the first I purchased, and still a favorite, is “The Plant Power Way” by ultra endurance athlete and host of one of the most popular podcasts, Rich Roll and his chef wife, Julie Piatt. In addition to a number of practical recipes, their book also has some information about the nutritional value of a plant-based diet, and they also discuss some of the other aspects of veganism (ethics and environmental concerns) which I also subscribe to. They have a follow up book “Plant Powered Italia”.
I just received a new book, which I felt compelled to buy and review based on a lot of buzz in my sphere of interest. It was touted to be extremely well written with lots of infographics and easy to follow, simple recipes. So far it looks awesome and will probably be my go-to recommendation book for everyone. It does have some basic nutritional information without being overwhelming. It’s written by radio personality turned food/nutrition blogger Carleigh Bodrug from northern Ontario. She started a food blog which went viral (@plantyou on Instagram) and she wrote her book “Plant You” on the heels of her social media interest and popularity. Her website, www.plantyou.com, says you can preorder the book, but it came within a few days of my preorder so it’s probably in stock. It has great photos, including small ones of all the ingredients which is very helpful.
I hope this helps.
I have a ton of information about nutrition, general health topics, as well as other lifestyle strategies on my website www.doctorchuma.com. I have a large reference section there as well. My Lifestyle Tip Sheet is linked on the main page.
Stay safe and be well.
AC