With plant-based diets and especially plant-based athletes getting so much media attention lately, you’ve probably seen and heard the news and maybe even some hype.
Perhaps you’re wondering what all the fuss is about. Or maybe you have some friends or family members who’ve gone plant-based and are raving about it? This is your plant-based diet guide.
What is a whole food plant-based diet?
If you’ve grown curious enough to check this lifestyle out, you’re probably wondering how to do it. Yes, a whole food plant-based vegan diet is supposed to be good for you and good for the planet, but, really, what do you eat every day?
You may be having some of these concerns:
- Is a vegan plant-based whole-food diet boring?
- Am I just going to be eating so-called “rabbit food”?
- Can I eat anything other than plants?
- Will I be hungry all the time?
- Will I get enough protein?
In this article, we’ll explain a whole-food, plant-based vegan diet, how it’s different from the classic omnivore, vegan, and plant-based diets, and explore the rich array of healthy and delicious foods that are available to you.
What Does Plant-Based Vegan Mean?
Unlike a vegetarian diet, which may include dairy and eggs, a “vegan” diet excludes all animal and animal-derived products. There’s no fish, dairy, meat, eggs, fish, honey, or poultry included – ever. That’s right, no butter, ice cream, hamburgers, steak, chicken nuggets, tuna salad, omelets, or hash browns fried in lard. Sounds simple enough, right?
But the problem is that a vegan diet can still include all kinds of foods that are not animal-derived but are still unhealthy. These foods might be low in nutrients and fiber (so-called empty calories), high in fat, salt, and added sugars, and may be highly processed. They may also contain artificial preservatives, additives, fillers, colors, or flavors.
Many commercially produced snack foods and candies, as well as bread, crackers, and pasta made from refined white flour (as opposed to natural whole grain products, which contain the original fiber, vitamins, and minerals), are unhealthy carbs consisting of simple sugars or quickly converted into simple sugars by the body.
Examples of some less-than-healthy vegan foods:
- Potato chips
- White flour pasta
- White bread
- Cotton candy
- Frozen meals
- French fries
- Fast food
- Highly processed pre-packaged and frozen foods
- Cookies
- Nondairy ice cream
- Nondairy creamer
What Are Whole Plant Foods?
Whole plant foods are in their natural state or only minimally processed, such as whole fresh fruit, diced or sliced fresh fruit, dried or frozen fresh fruit without added sugar or preservatives, and, to a lesser extent, canned fruit. Products derived from whole fresh fruit, such as apple sauce and smoothies, could also be considered whole foods.
If the canned, frozen, or dried fruits or vegetables have artificial preservatives, sweeteners such as sugar or corn syrup, or artificial colorings, you wouldn’t want to include them in a whole-food plant-based diet plan.
Whole plant foods are plant foods in their
natural state or only minimally processed
But if the fruits or veggies are frozen, canned, or dried naturally, that’s perfectly fine! One thing you’ll need to do on a whole food plant-based vegan diet is to learn to read the fine print on food package labels carefully.
Whole plant foods can also include foods naturally derived from whole plants in such a manner that they retain their integrity. These include soy products such as tofu, miso, tamari, and tempeh, whole grain pasta, bread and crackers, and seitan, a chewy, dense, high-protein food made from wheat gluten.
Some of these items are borrowed from other cultures, such as tempeh from Indonesia and miso soy paste from Japan. These items might be unfamiliar, but they can be very healthful and useful additions to a whole food plant-based vegan diet. You can learn more about these natural food products in my article, “Uncommon Ingredients.”
If you’re an athlete, have a high activity level, or are concerned about getting enough protein, check out my article, “Three High-Protein Plant Foods You Need to Know About.”
Whole Food, Plant-Based vs Vegan Diet
What’s a Non-Vegan Plant-Based Diet?
When it comes to animal products, things can get a bit complicated. Some people define “plant-based” as exactly that—a diet that is based primarily on plant foods, say perhaps 80 percent, but which can still contain small amounts of animal products.
However, most leading plant-based experts, such as Dr. Michael Greger and T. Colin Campbell, believe that a vegan whole-food plant-based diet is best.
Keep in mind, however, that you may want to gradually phase out animal products to ease your transition to a whole-food, plant-based vegan diet. Below is a list of foods that are suitable for this diet.
HEALTHY FOODS TO ENJOY ON A WHOLE FOOD PLANT-BASED VEGAN DIET
- FRUITS: apples, peaches, pears, grapes, bananas, cherries, berries, pineapple, papaya, melon, etc.
- VEGETABLES AND TUBERS: broccoli, cauliflower, kale, lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, potatoes, parsnips, rutabaga, bok choy, etc.
- LEGUMES: black beans, kidney beans, lima beans, soybeans, adzuki beans, lentils, mung beans, chickpeas, etc.
- WHOLE GRAINS: rye, barley, wheat, oats, brown rice, corn.
- “PSEUDO-GRAINS:” (used as grains but not true seed grasses) amaranth, quinoa, teff, buckwheat, millet.
- NUTS: almonds, hazelnuts, Brazil nuts, walnuts, etc.
- SEEDS: sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, etc.
Food quality and freshness are also important, with many proponents of a whole-food vegan diet suggesting locally sourced, organic food or at least pesticide and herbicide-free food to the greatest possible degree. You may want to read my article, “Does Organic Really Matter?” for more information
FOODS TO AVOID ON A WHOLE FOOD PLANT-BASED VEGAN DIET
- All animal products and animal-derived products.
- FAST FOOD: French fries, cheeseburgers, hot dogs, chicken nuggets, etc.
- SWEETS: Table sugar, corn syrup, soda, juice*, pastries, cookies, candy, sugary cereals, etc. (*The only fruit juices that are OK to drink in moderation are those made from whole fruits in a high-powered blender. These juices contain all of the fiber and nutrients of the whole fruit. Whole fruits are still a better option.)
- REFINED GRAINS: White rice, white pasta, white bread, bagels, etc.
- PACKAGED AND CONVENIENCE FOODS: Chips, crackers, cereal bars, frozen dinners, etc.
- PROCESSED VEGAN FOODS: Plant-based “meats” like Tofurkey, Gardein, Quorn, and Field Roast brands, vegan cheeses, vegan butter, spreads, etc.
- ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS: Equal, Splenda, saccharin, etc.
- PROCESSED OILS AND TRANS FATS
What About Oils, Nuts, and Seeds?
If oils come from plants, what’s the problem with them?
Leading whole-food plant-based diet experts such as Dr. Michael Greger, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, Dr. John McDougall, Dr. Joel Fuhrman, and T. Colin Campbell, all agree that oils—for instance, coconut, olive, corn, canola, soybean, sunflower, avocado, and peanut oils—are best avoided. And, yes, that means no foods fried or cooked in oil.
Oils are high in calories and low in nutritional value. According to Dr. Joel Fuhrman, extracted oils are rapidly digested by the body and immediately become body fat. Olive oil, for instance, has a very different effect on the body than whole olives, which contain fiber and other nutrients. The same holds for other extracted oils, such as sunflower, sesame, coconut, and peanut oils.
Whole sunflower and sesame seeds, whole peanuts, and whole coconut products, such as coconut flakes, are much better choices.
Ready, Set, Go!
Download my grocery list to help you jump-start your whole food plant-based diet adventure. If you sign up for my email newsletter, you'll get it for free (in addition to my other FREEBIES in my resource library). You don't need every single one of these, but you should keep these in your pantry and fridge to easily make delicious plant-based recipes. This is a bonus if you sign up for my email newsletter.
I hope that this article showed you that eating a whole food plant-based diet is easier and more delicious than you may have ever thought possible! Now that you have a solid understanding of what it’s all about – and why – you’re ready to get started with your new healthy lifestyle! You can do it!
If you have any questions or need some support along the way, as we all do from time to time, please don’t hesitate to email me diane@plantbasedcooking.com.
Wishing you good luck and the best of health!
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IF I SIGN UP FOR THE NEWSLETTER AND DOWNLOAD THE RECIPES IS THERE ANY CHARGE AT ALL?
Hey Sandra, There’s no charge for the newsletter and some 200 recipes on the site are free, except I do have a couple of ebooks for sale here. One for oil-free salad dressings and one for soups.
What about lectins, oxalates, and gluten how can they be avoided?
Hey Gillian, thanks for your question. It’s a huge one and really needs a full article to answer well, but the short answer is that we don’t try to avoid any of these because the food that contains these has so much nutrition. Lectins in food are gone after cooking, only a very few are allergic or have more severe problems with gluten and whole grains are health-promoting, and for oxalates… Dr. Michael Greger can explain it better, “Removing fruits and veggies can make your dietary oxalate intake go down, but your body produces its own oxalate internally as a waste product, that you have a more difficult time getting rid of without the alkalizing effects of fruits and vegetables on our urine pH. This may help explain why those eating plant-based get fewer kidney stones (but it also may be due to their cutting animal protein intake, which can have an acid-forming effect in the kidneys).” I trust Dr. Greger for science-backed, reliable reviews. Here’s his video, for full reference. I think this does warrant an article to answer your question more thoroughly. I’ll let you know when I’m finished…
Hi, I want to start a plant based diet because of some illnesses I have. I want to be healthy and be free from feeling sick all the time but I dont know how to put plant based meals together or what to buy. Thank you for your help.
Hi Crystal, If you’re new to eating a plant-based diet it can be a bit overwhelming. It’s best to start simply with the meals you already love and make them plant-based by leaving out meat and dairy. Not all recipes will work but many do, such as pasta with veggies and marinara instead of meat sauce, burritos made with beans and veggies, or tacos. Soups and stews are a great choice and salads are delicious. Breakfast and lunch can be easy. Try oatmeal with berries, banana, a few nuts, and non-dairy milk. Or, if you have a blender, smoothies are wonderful. For lunch have a salad topped with some beans or a whole grain, a veggie sandwich, or leftovers from dinner. I have lots of ideas for recipes on the website. Think of using whole grains such as brown rice, barley, whole-grain pasta, or quinoa (a pseudo-grain), some roasted veggies, and a tasty sauce. And, think about worldly cuisines which are often without meat… Asian vegetable stir-fries, Indian curries with veggies and rice, Mexican dishes with rice and beans. These are just a few ideas to get you going but if you take some time to view this website, you’ll find lots of hints.
I’m working on a course for people who want to start eating a plant-based diet and are feeling a bit lost so hope to have that available soon. Let me know if you have any other questions.
hi im having to go either vegan or vegetarian per doctors order . i have stagem 3 kidney diseas including lupus and hashimoto , with ckd there alot of restriction , i have to limit protein to fish and chicken , no dairy products no gluten no pork no red meat,, i need to be carrful not to over due my potassium, and phospharus and protein there are some fruits and veggie i have to avoid so basicly i feel like i can only eat grass and water
Hi Nancy, I’m sorry to hear you’re going through this tough time. 💕 It must be frustrating and feel a bit overwhelming with all the changes you need to make. I hope you feel empowered that you’re making the right choice for your diet. You’ll find plenty of articles here on the site to help you make the transition. Plus there’s lots of plant-based recipes so there’s no worry about eating delicious meals. If you’re not familiar with some of the ingredients that might take a little getting used to. Start with one step at a time and, as with all journeys, you’ll make it! Try making a meal plan for the week with foods you can eat and then assess and throw out any food that you’re not allowed. For example, for breakfast try whole oats like old-fashioned or steel-cut with berries, banana, and plant milk (most people like the Oatly brand). If you enjoy soups and stews make a big pot so you’ll have leftovers for lunch or dinner. If you like beans, they’re great to have on hand to put into a salad, make into burritos, quesadillas, or tacos…just leave out the cheese and top with chopped cabbage or lettuce, red onion, tomatoes, and a little plant yogurt. I know how important our health is and i wish you the best of luck. Please reach out again if you’re need more feedback.
Question….I have restrictions, no soy, wheat, eggplant and carbs. Other wf groups use a lot of soy and the rest I can’t eat. What are your suggestions? Also lost weight with carbo addict’s diet… now pondering how to get all the nutrition and still lose weight.
Hey Robin, It does get tougher if you have diet restrictions. I haven’t heard of the Carbo Addict’s Diet, but I gather it’s low in carbohydrates and high in meat and dairy. I would point you to a video from nutritionfacts.org about this type of diet and weight loss, Here it is: Keto Diet for Wright Loss You are right that soy is frequently used when eating a plant-based diet, but there are other sources of protein. One interesting one is tofu made from chickpeas. I haven’t tried it myself, but chickpeas are high in protein, and chickpea tofu could be substituted for any recipe that calls for regular tofu. As you may know, all beans are high in protein. As for carbs, they are super healthy for you, but only if you eat the whole grain versions, especially whole intact grains like brown rice, whole oats, barley, and buckwheat. Whole grain pasta and high fiber whole grain breads are fine. Or pasta made with chickpeas or lentils. In fact, whole grains help you live longer according to a recent study. So, if I were you, I wouldn’t worry about these types of carbs. And, of course, fruits and vegetables are also carbs, so eat plenty of these. It might take a little more work to get into a routine, but I think meal planning helps. Look for recipes without wheat, soy, or eggplant and create a weekly plan. After about four weeks, you could repeat it without much effort. I hope this helps and let me know how it’s going.