So the game-changers documentary created a ton of controversy
But one great thing came out of it it motivated
a lot of people to eat more
Plants since the movie came out a lot of you requested a video on how to introduce more plants into one's diet in a healthy
Way, so here we are. Now. Let's not get bogged down in the food fights. This is not about vegan versus non vegan
Maybe you want to go 100% plants. Maybe you just want to introduce more plants into your diet, but not completely eliminate animal products
We're not here to talk anybody out of making a positive change. We're here to make sure that whatever your specific goal
you reach it successfully and
Healthfully, is that a word? Yep
So we're going to cover the 7
the 7 keys to eat more plants based on scientific studies my own personal experience and
Feedback from the nutrition made simple Facebook community teamwork, baby. We'll cover what to eat how to transition how to avoid deficiencies
Everything you need to succeed and we'll wrap up with a downloadable
infographic summarizing everything for easy visual reference
This video is gonna be a little longer than usual
but I wanted to make a one-stop shop with everything you need to get started and
Absolutely crush it in 2020. All right, I'm fired up
Let's do it. Step one eat enough calories as rain wrote on the page
Great name by the way
a big one for beginners is how to get enough food and calories without dieting too much a
Dietary pattern where you're trying to eat more calories. How about that? Here's how it usually goes
People eat like this then they decide to cut back on meat so they start eating like this then we hear all the stories
I felt weak. I was hungry all the time. I didn't get enough of nutrient XYZ
Yeah, no wonder have you experienced this before so let's focus on the positive what you want to eat more of?
Instead of focusing on what we want to avoid
It's more productive and it feels better at the end of the day
If you're gonna cut back on meat make sure to replace it with legumes nuts whole grains, etc
We'll come back to this in a minute with some more detail and get ready to eat more as in larger amounts
This trips a lot of people
I eat large plates of food and yet I never think about that's because plants are generally less calorie dense
Which means you can eat more food with less calories
Especially if we're talking whole plants which brings us to point number two. I
Complained about this in my game-changers review people often go from animal junk to plant junk I get it. It's an easier shift
It's tempting but it's not what we're shooting for long term the scientific evidence indicates that switching from animal foods to refined
carbohydrates that's processed food
Doesn't improve our health now if you eat plants for environmental or ethical reasons great, but for health, we want to focus on whole
Unprocessed blintz whole plants does not mean you have to eat all of it. It just means no artificial removing or adding ingredients
So plants as grown not industrial concoctions. Okay, what about the beyond meat and the impossible burger and all that?
I'm actually making a whole video on those coming out very soon for now
Let's just say if you're eating those once in a while to scratch that itch probably not a huge deal
But they're not the foundation of a healthy diet. There are way better options and delicious which brings us to point number three varieties
Okay, let's get specific
the main groups are legumes whole grains fruits and vegetables nuts and seeds and
Let's not forget herbs and spices and we could add mushrooms to that list too not plants technically, but great stuff
So you want to cover different groups, but you also want variety within group
Each vegetable has a different composition of antioxidants phytonutrients and different types of fiber
So they're complementary now if you're like me
You may have a tendency to fall in a rut and just eat the same thing over and over we're creatures have happened
So try a little challenge, I do this all the time. Next time you go shopping
Buy a vegetable you've never had before
Let me know what you find
Okay
But what does this actually look like in real life this eating a lot of plants thing?
If you're just starting out, this may be a little confusing maybe overwhelming. You're not quite sure what to do
No worries. Simplicity is our middle name, uh more like the last name, but okay. Here's a visual take your plate
Imagine three sections the legume here could be lentils or beans chickpeas peas tempeh
Whatever pick your favorite start with over here a whole grain or starchy vegetable quinoa corn brown rice
Couscous sweet potatoes all that good stuff notice how filling those are
We're definitely not talking side salads here
Third section is where your leafy greens go and all the other veggies red purple orange vegetables
Peppers eggplant okra tomatoes, etc
Then the nuts seeds and spices sprinkled on powerful detail will actually circle back to this in a minute and fruit people typically eat
After or in between meals now, that's just an example to get you started obviously very flexible
But maybe that mental image with the three sections helps you in the beginning. Maybe things are still a little fuzzy
Maybe you need more examples to get your juices flowing
Here's a full day of eating morning overnight oats with chia fruit and almonds lunch black beans and edamame with spinach salad
I made that meal on camera in my Japan video. So check it out and dinner red lentil curry, uh
YUM, does that help I'll have more links with recipe ideas and resources in the description
There's more meal ideas on the web than you have time to cook or eat. Okay little confession
You want to know the truth? This is actually not that complicated
I remember when I started out I would sweat the details. I wanted to know exactly how many milligrams of each thing
I was supposed to eat and exactly what time I was supposed to have it and should I be facing Southwest?
Are you the same way?
If so, I get it but the truth is it's not in the details the key here is the overall pattern
So if you're eating a lot of plants mostly unprocessed and a variety of them
You're crushing it step forward one step at a time. We all like instant gratification
We want those results yesterday in the morning
There's a 30-day weight loss and if that's too long for you
There's a seven-day challenge still too long meet the seven minute workout. The problem with that is real change takes time
There's no point changing your diet overnight and giving up after like a month. There's no real benefit for you studies show
Most people who struggle to eat more plants and give up in the short term
Once you go over that three month mark, you're much more likely to stick with it
Some people can do the overnight transition and be successful, but most of us do better with a gradual steady change
It's not about what we eat today or this week or this month
We're building this for long run 20 30 40 years down the line our whole lives
That's what this is all about right here
Okay, settle down Tony Robbins. How do we do this steady transition thing glad you asked one step at a time
Give your body time to get used to each change. Maybe a couple weeks. Maybe even a couple months
However long it takes your gut needs to adapt to the different foods your microbiome needs to change
Have you experienced gut issues gas bloating when trying to eat more plants that's often due to a sudden change if your gut is used
To 15 grams of fiber a day for years and you suddenly hit with like 80
Yeah, there's gonna be some blowback a good rule of thumb is to have 5 grams every week
So if you're eating 15 grams of fiber a day
Go to 20 grams a day
Do that for a week then 25 and so on but even more important than your gut adapting to new foods is your mind
Adapting to new habits, and that's a gradual process. A lot of people start with one day a week like the meatless Mondays
Don't worry about moving forward really fast
Maybe one day a week is as far as you want to go
or maybe after a while you realize it's growing on you and you want to add a second day and so on one step at
A time there's a whole day of plants seem like too much for you at first. That's okay
Go slower start with one meal maybe change just breakfast and do that for a while until it feels like second nature
There's a whole meal without meat seem overwhelming right now. That's okay. Go even slower
Don't remove the meat entirely but Center the meal around the plants as Jim wrote
Turn your plate inside out decide which legume you're gonna have
Then which whole grain then in the end add some meat as a side dish
Focus on that next step in front of you not the destination
50 miles down the road step 5 path of least resistance. It's really hard to stick with something long-term
Just through sheer willpower. Also, it's no fun. So it's really important to find foods
We love and ideally that love us back
If you hate kale try to eat a big kale salad every day is probably not going to last maybe you hate brought vegetables
You don't have to eat them raw
If you don't like salads try sauteing if you don't like soups, eat your greens in a casserole
There's more than one path to success
The truth is your taste will change with time and if you're a little further along and you've already experienced this
Please share your experience below because know that for people starting out this seems a little unbelievable
Truth is steamed broccoli is like a snack for me now
It really is and it wasn't always like that one day
I was steaming broccoli in batch for like a week and I noticed I was having a hard time holding back
I was eating it out of the steamer like he was candy. I was like, who are you but that did take a while
So until your preference has changed naturally. You got to help yourself along for a lot of people. It's not the meat itself
They miss it's the seasonings and the dressing and the flavorings a great dressing can make a huge difference
I love adding tahini or hummus to salads legumes and grains
But if you want a fancier dressing Derick simnet has some great ideas for sauces that are healthy and not a lot of work also
spices and herbs, they're phenomenal for flavor and nutrition
Incredible antioxidant power pepper turmeric oregano ginger basil cinnamon
Chili and of course onion and garlic and let's not forget vinegar and some people say plants are bland another trick
I love is adding fruit to salads grapes oranges apples dates
Have you found some other tricks to add flavor to your food, please? Share them below
I want to learn some new tricks to come on still on the topic of making things easier on yourself
Another key technique is batch cooking if you have to make each meal from scratch
That's a killer ain't nobody can't afford it. I betcha cook legumes and grains one pound at a time
I split them into Tupperware's and I freeze so I always have food ready to go
I'm never stuck between starvation and delivery pizza more preparation less
Perspiration batch cooking is also great for to go meals
I worked at UCLA for the last several years doing these long biological experiments 14 16 hour days
So I would come in with my backpack four or five supper wares in there and I was set for the whole day
I didn't need the cafeteria. I didn't need the vending machines. I was good and I saved a boatload of cash
So it's important to set ourselves up for success step 6 go easy on yourself
As Jessica wrote don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good
Do what you can until you can do what you want. Don't be too hard on yourself. I can't stress this one enough
I see people sweating the details or stressing out because they had a piece of cheese after six months on plants
Does that sound familiar stop trying to be perfect, that's only gonna hold you back. Let go of that pressure
I learned this one the hard way. Can you add one improvement over last week?
If so, you're moving forward you're in the 99th percentile for the overachievers out there
just focus on one change you can implement that seems sustainable if eating that hot dog in the 4th of July or the occasional
Restaurant meal helps you relax and feel normal and otherwise maintain consistency then do it
It's not cheating. If it's part of the plan, right just make sure it's not gonna be a slippery slope
Some of us can't give an inch and if that's you you got to know yourself
But for the majority of us what really matters is that overall consistency?
Robyn wrote we went vegetarian and then completely plant-based while not stressing out about the rare outing fantastic mindset
It's better to be at 80 percent or 50 percent for years than at a hundred percent for a month like way better
Also, do you have some people around you with common goals that has a huge effect on your chances of success?
Have you tried to make some of these lifestyle changes alone in a vacuum or even worse?
With your family and friends doing the opposite and maybe giving you a hard time
Real hard, right there are countless healthy eating communities popping up all over the world
So join one in person if you can but even online groups can help a lot
Feel free to join our page or any other Facebook communities meetups, etc
If you found a great one you like, please share the name and link below. So other people can check it out step 7, don't
Any change involves uncertainty? That's normal. The key is quality information. So keep reading good sources keep informing yourself
I highly recommend not relying on just one source. No one holds the truth
It's not the Joe diet versus the Susan diet versus the Jack diet
Nobody owns the science or has any secret information that nobody else has any access to it's not about finding that right guru
That we can trust double check everybody triangulate information
It's more work, but you'll learn a ton except for me. You can totally trust me, of course
Nope fact check everything I said do me a favor and keep me on my toes
People challenge me in the comments all the time
And that's how it should be now when it comes to doubt people worry mainly about three nutrients protein iron and calcium
I've made videos about those in detail
But here's the gist both animal and plant foods have plenty of protein
All plants have protein but it's concentrated in legumes nuts and seeds
There are nine essential amino acids in all unprocessed foods animal or plant have all nine
If you eat a variety of unprocessed plants, you get all the essential amino acids you need
Provided your energy and take as adequate and you're not starving yourself of calories
There are some exceptions for example elderly people with very reduced appetite
We have a hard time getting enough food and calories or people with GI issues who can't tolerate legumes for example
I touched on that in the Q&A video in those cases
It may help to supplement with some animal products at least until that underlying issue is resolved
But for the majority of us plants can get us all you need and animal products are a choice not a necessity
There are many studies that make this point I covered several of those in my protein videos and another one just came out last month
from Stanford's Chris Gartner the authors write protein rich foods
Like legumes nuts and seeds are sufficient to achieve full protein adequacy
The amino acids consumed by vegetarians and vegans are typically more than sufficient to meet and exceed requirements
provided a variety of foods is consumed and energy needs are met the claim that certain plant foods are missing specific amino acids is
demonstrably false all plant foods contain all amino acids
The terms complete and incomplete are misleading in
developed countries plant proteins are mixed meaning people eat several types of plants not just one and
Total intake of protein tends to greatly exceed requirements
Resulting in intakes of all 20 amino acids that are more than sufficient
They couldn't have made that any clearer if we eat a variety of whole plants and we get enough calories
We get all the protein we need and all the amino acids. We need whether we choose to eat animal products or not
Okay, Byron. I also made videos on it. There's a lot of iron in plants
The richest sources include legumes leafy greens and seeds like chia and it's non heme iron
Which is associated with better health outcomes. The flipside is that the absorption is a little more variable
It can be inhibited by tea and coffee and boosted by vitamin C onion garlic and beta carotene
So if you need more iron, you want to avoid tea and coffee during meals and you want to favor foods like broccoli?
Red peppers citrus onion garlic carrots and sweet potato. Okay last but not least calcium
This one is pretty straightforward because the best sources are leafy greens like kale and collard greens
They have as much or more calcium than milk, and it's more bioavailable as well. Another big deal people have is supplements
B12 is the big one
It's a good idea to check your values at some point regardless of diet if your values are okay
You don't need to worry about b12 unless you're a hundred percent plant-based
You can take twenty five hundred micrograms once a week or you can get it from fortified foods if you prefer
Vitamin D your body produces from sunlight
But if your values are low, you can take 2,000 international units a day. And the last one is the long-chain omega-3s
DHA and EPA if you don't eat fish you can get them directly from seaweed which is where the fish get them
Also our body produces them from the shorter fatty acid ala
Which you get from nuts and seeds like walnuts Chia or flax some experts recommend the additional precaution of an algae based supplement
I don't feel too strongly about it. Either way. This is one area where the evidence isn't crystal clear
There are a couple trials pointing to some benefit of supplementation
Although most research seems to indicate no benefit, but there don't seem to be any downsides of supplementing either
So if you want to play safe and take the supplement, I don't see an issue with it
So that's the gist of it. Let me know if you have any other questions
I didn't cover this infographic summarizes everything we covered in the video. You can download it at the link below
I hope that helps you get started and take that first step new year new life, right? So let's crush this in 2020
Happy holidays. Everybody's loving this guy
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Thanks for watching and I'll see you on the next one to say