Powered by Plants: Changing Misconceptions about Whole-Food Plant-Based Dieting

If you asked me a couple years ago if I would change to a plant-based diet, I would have told you flat out No!

The thought of giving up meat, which was my main source of protein, was insane to me.  No more eggs, no more milk, and no more chicken or a big fat juicy hamburger? No thanks. That was … until some friends put me onto some research they did and opened my eyes to giving the plant-based diet a shot. 

***This blog post is not designed to sway anyone into plant-based dieting, nor will you get dieting advice as I am not a nutritionist.  I simply write this to share my story, and three things I have been learning over time. 

1. “Plant-Based Diets are Vegan” - False; We might eat plant based, but we’re not all vegans. 

Although you will hear me saying fitness and dieting are a lifestyle, eating a whole food plant-based diet is just a small portion of a true vegan lifestyle.  Understand that if you are a true vegan you will not be using any animal products, or even products tested by animals.  I may also have my questions about the way animals and meat are treated in a “big business” sense. But I don’t only base my diet around plants for a moral reason, as much as it is a healthier diet that keeps me feeling good. 

2. “Vegan Diets are so Healthy.” False; whole-food plant-based dieting is, but vegan isn’t necessarily.

Just because a product says VEGAN or has the little “V” in the corner of the box on top of the little leave, doesn’t automatically make it healthier for you.  In this new world of fad dieting and mass production, a product could be made “Vegan” (without animal products) but not be healthy. 

Yes, unfortunately even the fruits and veggie are being replicated in a false form, which is not good for the body.  This is not to say I won’t enjoy a vegan store-bought product from time to time.  But when you are eating a whole food plant-based diet, the idea is to get the most natural forms of nutrition however you can.  This may come from fruits and vegetables, but it can also mean beans, legumes, and grains that are more natural to the body. 

3. “You Won’t Get Enough Protein” False; you can still get protein without eating eggs, meat or fish.

I remember this being one of my first questions when hearing about a plant-based diet.  “Yeah, but how do you get your protein?”  It turns out there are numerous ways to get protein on a whole-food, plant-based diet that don’t come from animal sources.  Beans and legumes are a fantastic substitute and can quite honestly, with a little manipulation, be turned into a nice alternative to meat.  

As I said in the beginning, this post was not written to convince anyone to start plant-based dieting.  I believe everyone will find success by ultimately giving different things a try and finding what works best for you.  My journey on a whole-food, plant-based diet hasn’t always been easy, but to me, it’s been worth it. Through support and experimentation, I was able to finally find a nutritious diet that worked for me, my body, and my goals. The above are some of the criticisms / misconceptions that I ran into (and also believed myself), but have since educated myself on and hope to have helped clear them for you, too!