5 tips to help you soar into your plant-based diet

Per the CDC, 86% of all healthcare dollars go toward treating chronic illnesses. We’ll even go one step further and say those go to treating the SYMPTOMS and don’t reach the root cause of the illnesses. After all, the leading chronic illness (AKA, food-borne illnesses) like, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, hyper tension, obesity , etc., rates are rising and not falling. We are more medicated than ever, but getting sicker and sicker - what gives? Food poising, that’s what.

Chances are, either you, or a loved one, is struggling with the symptoms of one (or some) of these illnesses and you want to help yourself or support them. Maybe you’ve seen Forks Over Knives (if not, please, please do), or you have heard of people adopting a plant-based diet and miraculously healing themselves. Know this - it’s not a miracle, simply put, good food = good health. Whole plant foods offer the highest concentration of anti-oxidants, vitamins and minerals that will support a strong immune system to help ward off disease and aid in reversing many chronic illnesses.

New, fancy equipment, like a high- speed blender or an air fryer is not necessary, but an open mind is. When you have given into your plant-curiousity, you must realize that the bean burger you are throwing on the grill or the “cheese” sauce you are making will not taste exactly like the big greasy burger or saturated fat filled dairy cheese you were once eating. Give yourself a little bit of time, and chances are, they will taste better, because you will not only feel better, but you will be better! Cooking up plants (fruits, vegetables, legumes, tubers) is amazingly delicious and satisfying.

As this plant-based movement grows in strength and size, we find there is a lot of information (noise??) out there; it’s very easy to go down a rabbit hole and become overwhelmed. We see it every day at CPBL. Here’s the thing, though it may not always be easy to become plant strong, it is very simple. So, let’s do that, let’s keep it simple. Here are 5 things you must know when doing your darndest at adding more plants to your plate.

1. Cheesy sauce. Now, come on! There are hundreds of “cheeze” sauces out in there the interwebs, dust off that blender and get experimenting! We invite you to Google “plant-based cheese sauce recipe” or even “vegan cheese sauce recipe”, but we like this one the best. Everyone loves the taste and mouthfeel of an ooey-gooey dreamy “cheese” sauce and knowing how to make a great one is key!

2. Dry Saute. A what?! Yes, a dry saute. That doesn’t even sound appealing - but promise us, it’s uh-mazing! We don’t use oil, and we’d rather not use a lot of vegetable broth or water as that dilutes the flavor, so this dry saute is great as it condenses the sugars in the plants and creates a truly robust taste.

First, some science.

Pots and pans (and every other thing on earth) are made up of molecules. When your cookware is not in use, all the little molecules are stable and not moving. Put some heat under that pan and the molecules begin to shake, shimmy and move about. (You can’t see this with the naked eye, but trust us - science.) Soon, the molecules begin to expand and contract. If you put your vegetables on that pan before they reach high and stable heat, as the molecules are still expanding and contracting, they will grab onto the vegetables and you have stickage. By turning your stove top burner on the highest setting and waiting for the pan to become so hot - to the point where all the molecules are moving at the same rate and thus, creating an even cooking surface (non-stick) is our goal. You know you have reached that when after you pour a teaspoon of water in the pan and the liquid dances around the surface like a ball of mercury. If it instead sizzles and evaporates, you’re not there yet.

After you have reached your even cooking surface, add the vegetables and immediately bring the heat down to cooking temperature, medium-high(ish). Continually stir your food and keep a little bit of water off to the side in case you do have just a little stickage, deglazing is a part of cooking and it adds a wonderful flavor. Additionally, plants have so much water in them that you may not have to use too much, if any, extra liquid.

Here is an example of a pan that is not ready for the vegetables.

Here is an example of a pan that is ready for the vegetables.

Continue to cook and layer your flavors as you normally would, or if you are following a recipe, continue with those directions.

3. Burger. Plant-based or not, we’ve never met someone who didn’t like a big ol’ burger. Same advice as before - Google for a burger, or save your time and go for this one! In the beginning burger making can be hit or miss, but some things to keep in mind to get past that learning curve in a jiffy is to:

A. Use binders! You need that little sucker to stay in-tact and beans, potatoes, over cooked rice and oats make great binders.

B. Add spice! When making a burger, add lots of spice! ALWAYS taste your recipe as you cook it, if the mixture seems a little too bland, kick it up with more flavor.

C. Add fat. Especially if you are baking your burgers, they can crack dry up. Add some avocado or blend cashews and water to get a thick paste to prevent any crumbling from dry out.

D. Refrigerate the mixture. The temperature change helps the burgers stay in tact - it’s like added insurance, chill.

4. Creamy Salad Dressing. Everyone needs a great dairy-free creamy salad dressing! You know the drill by now, Google it, or just whip up this winner every time. Simply put, salad dressing need to be balanced. In the chart below you can see they are roughly 5 parts, but not always 5 ingredients, again, like this one. for example, if you add fresh orange juice to a dressing, that can count as an acid and a sweetness. And, some dressings don’t cover all the bases, but still can be delightfully delicious! Play with the chart below and you’ll soon be creating your own concoctions.

5. Protein. If you begin to dabble in or go full in to a plant-based diet, chances are certain that you will be asked where you get your protein. You could counter with asking where they get their fiber - a true nutrient of concern in the standard American diet, but we will cover that at a later date.

We have been led to believe that primarily animal-based foods contain sufficient protein and, furthermore, that we need to eat those foods to avoid becoming protein deficient. The reality is that protein deficiency is almost exclusively seen in people suffering from a calorie deficiency. Over 97% of Americans get more than enough protein, including vegans and vegetarians (http://www.forksoverknives.com/do-vegetarians-and-vegans-eat-enough-protein/). Drs. Pulde and Lederman discuss the topic in our Nutrition FAQ: http://www.forksoverknives.com/nutrition-questions/#will-i-get-enough-protein

We hope this helps you on your journey toward a more plant-strong plate and we welcome continuing this conversation. If you are ever in St. Louis, pop your head in and say hi! Better yet, join us for a cooking class!

-caryn