"But you can't eat desserts and carbs and still lose weight right? Everyone who follows a WFPB diet will smile and say, "Yes, you can!" The trick question to ask would be, "Can you eat all your favourite foods on a whole food plant-based diet and still lose weight?" Amongst giggles you will hear another, "Yes, you can!"
Did I confound you just now? :) Awww, you have to believe me on this! or better yet, try and see for yourself! You can eat everything from cakes to gobi manchurian, pastas to payasams and everything in between, all made using whole plant ingredients, and still move toward your ideal weight. You can overcome all cravings over time and enjoy a variety of wholesome nutritious food everyday without running into deficiencies! Sounds great right?
How to avoid deficiencies and eat a greater variety of whole plant foods?
1. A whole food plant based diet following the daily dozen checklist ensures that you are including various food groups.
Start your every meal with a treat. Made by the best chef in the Universe, you first get to eat your servings of fruits and raw vegetables with some delightful nuts to boost! If you have selected seasonal fruits and local vegetables, that have not had pesticides sprayed on them, you know your treat will be out of the world!
Imagine a plate of watermelon with a squeeze of lemon and sprigs of fresh and tender mint leaves! Refreshing isn't it? Or a bowl of mixed fruits of your choice with a nut and date paste dressing slightly flavoured with vanilla or ginger, sprinkled with almond slivers and broken cashews...maybe a few raisins as well!
Please swallow the saliva. I totally empathise with your state! I know, I know...that's a great treat! Follow this with a yummy mixed vegetable salad having riotous colours of oranges, greens and whites with a dash of yellows, reds or purples to boot!
All served with a delicious nut-based tangy n sweet dressing! Want a second serving? Just go ahead. But the wiser amongst us will go for the next dish
2. Next follow it up with a mind-blowing vegetable dish. You must try the whole food plant-based versions of vegetable stews, kurmas, palyas or sabjis! They will be finger-lickable!
3. Follow this up with a tangy dal soup, sambar or kootu. You can choose to make baked patties or vadas as well! Add flavoured tofu to this or your salads or in the dishes to come and you would have covered your quota of soya needed to protect your system from the vagaries of salt! Either add your spinach to this or have spinach in a different dish. No, no, no. We are not done yet! There is more to go! Please don't say you are feeling too full already!
4. Now go in for your cereals. Would you like biriyani? Pulao maybe? Lemon rice? Curd rice? Puliyogare? Bisibele bath? Khichdi? Whatever...maybe an occasional tiffin item like idlis or dosas? Maybe a payasam or kheer? Maybe a chunk of cake? Or maybe just plain rice to be mixed with your lentil dish?
Have fun deciding and yes, this will have to be had, and no, you cannot skip it and no, no, no don't run away. Sit quietly, eat slowly and mindfully. Yes! I can see that your jaws are tired by now. Totally empathise!
Now just a small flaxseed laddu fortified with vitamin B12 to finish it off! Just this one piece only! Promise! Done? Err...just wondered if you would like...Hey, wait, wait, ok, ok, you don't have to bolt away from here! You can finish planning your meal! :))) And yeah!! None of what you ate will skew your weight! If you are overweight you will reduce nicely and if underweight, you will put on just the right amount!
This is how we plan our every menu at Sampoorna Ahara, you can try it if you are looking save some time and effort!
Be Blessed by the Divine!
Dr. Achyuthan Eswar
Lifestyle Physician
