Is Whole Food Plant Based the Same as Vegan?

There is often the misconception that plant based and vegan are the same. In many ways they are similar, but the approach is extremely different. The credo of Veganism is to avoid any foods that derive from any animal source. This includes dairy and even honey. It primarily stems from an animal rights perspective and can even extend to not wearing leather. Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) also does not consume animal products, and also consumes low or no oils, however the motivation is one of health and whole living.

How this translates into practice is that the WFPB diet relies on whole grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes and seeds. A vegan will eat anything as long as it doesn’t contain animal products. So to a plant based eater Oreos, or chips and junk food, are not wholesome, but to a vegan they are just fine. I don’t want to pick on vegans because, of course, not all vegans eat Oreos, but you can bet that a WFPB eater is a clean eating machine.

It sounds restrictive and miserable

There is no doubt that it takes a little adjusting to get used to eating plants. I can tell you from my own experience that it was surprisingly not difficult either- and I’m a card carrying Foodie! They way I looked at it was that most of the dishes I used to make were pretty yummy and that the meat and dairy were accents or simply a vehicle for flavor. I now take a different approach to designing a menu. I focus on vegetables and beans first, rather than meat first and veggies as an after thought, and I create those same flavors using vegetables as the vehicle. As you can see from looking around the site that there are some pretty amazing things to cook that are not all salad bowls or burritos.

What about protein?

I love this question- and trust me, when I informed my mother that I was now plant based she clutched her chest in horror for fear of my wasting away from lack of protein. The truth is protein has gone a little off the rails lately. There is a present belief that carbs are bad but feel free to go hog wild on protein. The average person in our culture these days easily consumes 100+ grams of protein a day. Eggs at breakfast, chicken on your lunch salad, fish at dinner, plus all the protein in plant foods easily tips the 100 gram scale.

A healthy amount of protein per day is about .36 grams/pound. That means a 100 lb person needs 36 grams (about the size of an average portion of chicken), and a 150 lb person needs 54 grams ( a serving and a half of that same chicken). That’s it!

What you also might not know is that there is protein in most everything. Broccoli, spinach, barley, corn, and of course, beans. So if your eating enough calories to keep you satiated during the course of a day, you will end up well within the range of healthy protein consumption. The bonus? It comes without saturated fat.

Do I have to give up cream in my coffee, or cheese?

One of the amazing things about eating wholesomely is just how wonderfully good you can feel. When I started I wasn’t ill or having any major issues, but after a couple of weeks I started to see some real improvements. I was feeling less tired in the afternoon, I eased off of craving chocolate or sweets in the afternoon too. I slept better, I pooped better, I was less foggy brained and I seemed to feel less achy and sore after a hard round of tennis.

I will be honest. I didn’t give up milk in my coffee right away. My morning latte is sacrosanct and I wasn’t keen on soy milk. Like I said, after a few weeks of eating well and feeling better I started eyeing that milk going into my morning cup. This set me to looking for an alternative plant milk, which for me is oat, and now I am more than fine having made that shift.

I say this because from my perspective I don’t want you to think that is a hard core all or nothing gig, especially not in the beginning. I let my body be my guide and I didn’t make myself feel guilty about it. For some it takes a long time- I say whatever! Do what works for you. The way I look at it, the more vegetables and whole grains you can get into you day, and less meats and processed foods is a WIN! The focus is not to be perfect, it’s to find a healthy balance for you that works and is sustaining, whether that’s all in, or some sort of modification.

Who knows, you may be like me and surprise yourself.

Worth a try?

Well you know I’m going to say yes. From a nutritional standpoint you have nothing to lose, and a lot to gain. Of the top 7 killers in our country these days 6 of them are lifestyle driven-Diabetes, heart disease, cancer, kidney disease, respiratory disease and Alzheimers (getting into an accident is the one that isn’t). Can I promise you that you can avoid or reverse these diseases?  There is more an more research indicating that this can be, but to be truthful I just can’t make that claim(yet) . What I will tell you is that eating plant based will surely give you a fighting chance. A lot of people report lowering or eliminating medications, lower cholesterol, lower A1c levels, weight loss, and almost all of them rave about how much more vital they feel and how better life is as a result.

It’s getting easier too. There are more and more folks taking this pathway which means more support out there in the world. The supermarket is filling up with wonderful alternatives, and most restaurants are adding veggie meals to their menus. Besides, more of the cools kids are doing it, and they’re not all hipsters.

In my book, I’ll take lima beans over Lipitor, and mashed sweet potatoes over Metformin any day.