Wellness

[butterfly123]

I will be starting this lifestyle of eating and I am looking for great websites, cookbooks, videos, doctors who you trust, and any other insights you are willing to share.

TIA

[LizNori]

Cookbooks - Vegan Eats World (International recipes) - Terry Hope Romero; Vegan Slow Cooker - Kathy Hester. Author Robin Robertson is very popular.

Online - VegWeb is a popular website with great recipes. Epicurious has vegan recipes.

[sidsmom]

There are a couple ways to go @ this. Being an Unhealthy Vegan or a Healthy Vegan.

Unhealthy would mean eating lots of olive oil, nuts, sugar, processed vegan products...and you end up gaining weight & losing your health.

Healthy would mean eating low fat, plant-based, whole foods...no sugar, no oils, no additives/artificial flavorings.

Doctors: Caldwell Esselstyn, Neal Barnard, John McDougall

Facebook: Jeff Novick (pictures of meals)

Websites:
drmcdougall.com They have TONS of testimonies, before/after weight loss photos, an interactive forum, etc

protectivediet.com The creator, Julie Marie Christensen, has lots of recipes. For a monthly fee, she has a live webcast every Tues night. She has an archived video list (50+) that will show you how to eat, cook, shop, meal plan..and how to save tons of $$ eating this way. Worth the $30/month.

Videos: Forks Over Knives, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn Lecture

YouTube Channel: Chef AJ

The 2 films are the most impactful to guide you on this journey. You're going to get a lot of naysayers, ie "Where to you get your protein?" and "Milk isn't bad for you" type of comments. Arm yourself with information!

The Esselstyn lecture is SO informative! He talks about healthy 'Endothelium'. Endothelium lines the inside of our circulatory system...when it breaks down, you're looking @ strokes, heart attacks, hormone issues, cancer....nasty stuff. If you 'eat better' w/ vegan diet, but continue to eat oil, processed vegan foods, etc., you're still damaging your Endothelium. Just do it right from the beginning....and reap the rewards sooner!

Hope this helps!!

[Bagsers]

I really like the Oh She Glows website. She (Angela) has a lot of gluten-free options (which I appreciate). And, she has a cookbook available on Amazon.

[Ute]

I highly recommend Colleen Patrick-Goudreau's 30-Day Vegan Challenge book, which is newly updated. This is what made it possible for me and my husband to go vegan very easily. Also her podcast at joyfulvegan.com. The Oh She Glows book and website are great too. Good luck and have fun!

[KringleB]

The vegan zombie on youtube has great recipes!! https://www.youtube.com/user/ZombieGate I found him when I became vegan nearly 5 years ago. Also, if you can find support locally that would be benficial too. Join groups, talk with other vegans.

[lrmuffin]

Welcome! I've been vegan for 20 years and lacto-ovo 5 years prior to that. It's been the right decision for me. It's easy to find recipes online, but try new foods and see which ones you like. I like tofu sliced, brushed with olive oil and grilled till the outside is browned. I then use that as my "meat" in dishes like chili,veg. stew, sandwiches. I love grapeseed oil veganese, a fake mayonaise that I think tastes better than the real thing. I use lots of fruits and veggies. I don't like the processed vegan coldcuts. I find I can eat in any restaurant- I just tell the waitress my restrictions. Have fun trying new things and converting some old recipes to healthy ones.

[sablesong]

http://happyherbivore.com and http://blog.fatfreevegan.com

Both have Facebook pages

Also second Forks over knives, the Esselstyn books, and the Engine 2 diet

Kaiser is now recommending a plant based diet: http://mydoctor.kaiserpermanente.org/ncal/Images/Simple%20Steps%20to%20Plant-based%20Eating_tcm75-48...

Good luck!

[redtabby]

Check out happyherbivore.com and her companion site getmealplans.com. Lindsay Nixon has created weekly meal plans for individuals that include shopping lists and all meals. You can try a three day sample for free, buy a weekly plan for $7 or a month for $18.99. I find the plans very handy when my husband is traveling. Important to know, she is firmly in the no added fat camp.

My first serious reading in this eating way of life was Dr. Esselstyn's "Reverse and Prevent Heart Disease". He is a cardiac surgeon that put many of his heart patients on this diet to avoid surgery and it worked. Dr. Esselstyn's wife has written a cookbook and his son Rip has written two cookbooks. They also do not use any added oil, believing that we get enough fat in food. The Esselstyns are in their 80s, having been eating this way for at least twenty years.

[redtabby]

Rip Esselstyn has created a 28 day challenge at his Engine 2 webpage. Start date is Jan 12. It is called the Engine 2 diet because he used to cook for his firefighting team at the Engine 2 house. Yes, he did cook a vegan diet for fire fighters.

For more info on the challenge please visit http://engine2diet.com/ and http://engine2diet.com/28-day-challenge-2015/ . The challenge includes videos, email support, and a guide that you can download. The guide is pretty detailed about what to eat, nutrition, recipes, shopping lists, etc.