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Cover: .
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Contents: .
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WFPB, OMG!:.
ISBN: Print 978-1-64739-873-6 | eBook 978-1-64739-550-6
R0
This book is dedicated to Dr. T. C. Campbell and the creators of Forks Over Knives. The impact of their dedication to sharing the message of the benefits of a whole-food, plant-based diet is immeasurable.
Welcome!
Before living a whole-food, plant-based (WFPB) lifestyle, I was a vegetarian as a teenager, but after social pressures, I returned to the standard American diet by the time I was 20 years old. At 33 years old, I decided to try a WFPB diet after watching the documentary Forks Over Knives . If you had asked me that day whether I had any health issues related to my regular diet, I would have said no.
I spent the first weeks purging my kitchen of animal products and heavily processed foods. I looked into what the WFPB research said I should be eating. I was pleased to discover it was simple foods that I could buy at my local grocery store: fruits, vegetables, leafy greens, legumes, whole grains, spices, mushrooms, berries, nuts, and seeds.
As I was diving into the research and trying new recipes, something really strange happened. I started feeling better. My asthma, allergies, eczema, and arthritis pain were all vanishing. Suddenly, I realized maybe I hadnt been that healthy after all. After this experience, I was convinced that eating mostly plant-based foods that were not overly processed was the best thing for me. I would not have believed this was possible without having experienced it myself.
I began reading every book I could get about the WFPB diet, empowering myself with as much knowledge as I could find. Then, over the next few months, other benefits became apparent. My migraines and chronic sinus infections stopped. I didnt get that tired feeling after eating, and I was sleeping deeper. So here I am, over six years later, not just surviving but thriving. Although my personal reasons for trying a WFPB diet were originally curiosity and then health focused, I have also come to appreciate all the financial, ethical, and environmental reasons for enjoying this lifestyle.
Per calorie, unprocessed plant-based foods are some of the cheapest foods around. In particular, root vegetables, rice, and dried legumes and beans are some of the most economical choices in the grocery store. For anyone living on a tight budget, switching to WFPB can be a financial game changer.
I connected the ethical dots when I was pregnant with my first child. I was about six months into realizing I didnt need animal products in my diet, and the love I felt for the baby inside me and the excitement I had to meet and care for my baby boy made me consider the experience of animal mothers. I recognized that my desire to nurture my baby was felt by other animals for their young, too. The ethical side of my journey has been unexpected, but very welcome.
For people to thrive in the future, we need to radically slow our overuse of the worlds natural resources. Eating more foods with a lower environmental impact is a great step for anyone concerned about Earth. Unprocessed plant-based foods use less land and water, on average, compared to processed foods or animal-based foods. Even switching just a few meals per week to plant-based dishes is moving in the right direction for the environmentally minded.
Whatever your personal reasons for choosing to eat more plants, this five-ingredient cookbook will help you start your journey or continue with a lifestyle that maybe you have already been embracing for a while. Cooking is fun, and I absolutely enjoy recipes with lots of ingredients, but what I love about these minimal-ingredient recipes is that they are a good (and tasty!) reminder that meals do not have to be complicated.
So, wherever you are on your health, ethical, or environmentalor another!journey, I hope you are encouraged to dive in and try a WFPB diet to see how it can improve your life, too.