Plant Based Diet For Beginners: Everything Trucker Wives Need to Know About Clean Eating!

Hi Guys,

Today I wanted to share with you the diet that me and my family consume on a daily basis. It’s also the diet that I created for my clients within the new wellness contract I mention to you guys in a prior post that I signed this summer. The diet is plant based foods. A plant based diet mostly involve eating only fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans, whole grains, and meat substitutes like soy. However, I live by the 80/20 Rule. I created a healthy eating system for my clients and my family that allow us to eat healthy while balancing other foods and moderation. So far it has been working for us. I’ve lost five pounds in the first week. So we will see how it goes towards my 65 weight loss goal. 

Why Your Diet Fail!

Many people read their favorite health magazine and jot down all of the interesting advice to lose weight. At the time they feel it’s easy to follow so why not try it. The next week they create a new plan of the food they wrote down to follow. But failed every time. Well, we all know that feeling quite well. The main reason why we lose the battle against fat bulge and lack of motivation to follow through on the diet plan is because it’s the wrong diet. We chose diets opposed to living a consistent lifestyle. The key here is consistent. We must eat the same healthy nutrient based foods that help fuels and heal our bodies so our bodies can repair itself back to optimal health. 

We can not do this while eating chemical related processed foods. Plant based diets is a diet based on foods derived from plants, including vegetables, whole grains, nuts, legumes and fruit but with few or no animal products. This is where the 80/20 Rule comes into play. If you must consume animal protein than you should do so within the 20% portion of the diet. Also, the animal protein should be from sources that are healthy such as wild fish and grass feed animals. The main idea is, we should consume a diet of foods with three important characteristics:

1. Minimally Processed
2. Whole 
3. Plant-Based 

The science based evidence that supports the position that minimally processed: whole, plant-based foods provide the most optimal nutrition is the foundation for the plant based diet. Lets’ take a closer look at each.

Processed Foods

Processed foods have been getting a bad rep for decades now. Mostly because they have been altered from their natural state, either for safety reasons or because it makes them easier to store or easier to use. the most common process ing methods are canning, freezing, refrigeration, dehydration and a septic processing. It isn’t really the method of processing that makes some process food so bad-it’s the ingredients used in those products. 

This is why you hear or read about the importance of reading food labels. With that said processed foods made with healthful ingredients are fine for your diet-just avoid those that are high in calories, sugar, fat, and sodium, or that have little nutritional value. 

What Are Good Processed Foods

Almond milk

Coconut milk

Breakfast cereals that are made with 100% percent whole grain and fortified with additional nutrients. 

Frozen foods that have the organic seals that has not been sentinel fortified or grown with chemical related pesticides. The best frozen foods are vegetables and fruits that don’t contain any sauce, sugar or syrup. 

Why frozen vegetables are better than canned? Freezing preserves most vitamins and minerals and makes the food convenient to store, cook and eat all year round. 

I recommend all my clients to make their own fruit and vegetable juices because most of the time brands juices are loaded with sugar and high in sodium. Although some juices, like certain brands of orange juice, are fortified with calcium, which makes it a better choice. However, the calcium may be awesome but the high sodium count could be harmful to those with hypertension (high-blood pressure). 

Other healthful processed foods are oatmeal, frozen fish and seafood, canned salmon and tuna. Dried fruit, roasted nuts and seeds and 100-percent sported whole grain breads.  However, if you want to get deeper you must become aware of mercury in fish. Plus, think about how many of the oceans are being contaminated and causing us to question how clean and pure the fish are these days. Due to neglect and laziness we must question everything before putting it into our bodies. I also tell my clients to do regular cleanses and detoxing to cleanse the body of unconscious toxics we don’t consider coming into contact on a daily basis. 

Tip: if you must buy canned vegetables and beans to remove the toxic drain the liquid from the can then soak the vegetables or legumes in water for one hour, then cook. 

Bad Processed Foods

Processed foods made with transfers and large amounts of sodium and sugar are foods to avoid and eliminate from your diet. What to look for…

Canned foods high in fat and sodium use tip above if you must buy.

Pasta made with refined white flour 

Sugary breakfast cereals

Processed meat

Boxed meal mixes that are high in fat and sodium

Packaged cakes and cookies

Frozen fish sticks and frozen dinners that are high in sodium

Package high calorie snack foods such as pies, chips, and candies

A good rule is to stay out the middle of the grocery store and shop around it. Think…

Produce-Organic

Gluten Free grains

Organic diary or diary free products I used the So Delicious Brand

Grass Feed and Wild Animal Protein

Free Range Eggs

Only Natural sugar consumed from fruit, also consume your fiber from fruit by eating at least three pieces of fruit per day. 

Only natural carbohydrates consumed from fruits and vegetables

Healthy Fats from nuts, seeds, avocados in moderation because seeds and nuts are high dense nutrients and can cause weight gain. 

Moderation of oils 

Whole Foods

Eating a healthy balanced diet can help you keep trim and give you lots of energy. You want to eat a diet with the right number of calories for your body type, lots of good foods that are plant based foods and whole foods and a whole lot less of foods that are bad for you like processed and fast foods. Whole foods will offer lots of good nutrition for the calories you take in. 

Think…berries such as blueberries, raspberries, strawberries when you want a snack or dessert after meals.

Think… about selecting fish such as salmon with stem broccoli and yams for a healthier cleaner lunch.

Think…grilled or baked chicken with assorted roasted veggies for dinner opposed to deep fried and heavy refined or processed meals. In addition try to keep your breakfast high in protein and plant based foods such as eggs, turkey bacon, fruit with greek yogurt and granola or green smoothie with a “Kind” brand granola bar. 

Eating a healthy balanced diet also means eating a variety of foods. Chose foods from each of the food groups to make sure you are getting all of the nutrients that you need. Also, choose healthy foods not junk foods that are convenient.

Plant Based Foods

The  bottomline is to keep your meals centered around vegetables, fruit, legumes, nuts/seeds, wholegrain, and you have a clean plant based diet. 

What a Plant Based Clean Diet Looks Like.

Breakfast

Smart Protein: 4 scrambled egg whites

Smart Fiber: 1/2 tomato, sliced

Smart Carb: 1 banana 

If I have to eat out I call The Waffle House and place a quick healthy order. 

Smart Protein: ham and cheese omelet

Smart Fiber: tomato, sliced instead of hash browns

Smart Carb: 1sliced of raisin toast with almond butter 

Lunch

Smart Protein: baked grass feed chicken breast with rotisserie seasoning  

Smart Fiber: 2 cups of spinach mixed salad mix

Smart Carb: 1 cup fresh pineapple

Smart Fat: 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil to drizzle over the salad

If I have to eat out I grab a “Grilled House Salad from Zaxby’s” with Mediterranean Dressing

Dinner

Smart Protein: Grilled Salmon

Smart Fiber: 1 cup of steamed broccoli

Smart Carb: 1 medium baked sweet potato

If I have to grab something on the go I would stop by Sonny’s Barbeque 

Family Meal

Smart Protein: 2 Whole Chicken

Smart Fiber: Green Beans

Smart Carbs: Couple Baked Sweet Potato

Smart Fat: Cinnamon Butter for Sweet Potato 

Snacks

Smart Fiber: Vegetables such as carrots, celery, hummus

Smart Carb Fruit: strawberries, banana, pineapples

Smart Fat: A handful of almonds or low-fat string cheese 

Smoothies: green or fruit

Wow! Sorry about the long post but I wanted to ensure I gave specific info you could use. Okay… Warrior Chic's I hope this help you on your transition into a healthy clean diet. If you need help or just want to have a friendly chat about long distance married life, the trucking lifestyle, organizing or living healthy hit me up I’m here. Love and blessing to you and your families. Warriorchiclifestyle@yahoo.com

Be Inspired to Live a Healthy Lifestyle

Warrior Chic

XOXO