John McDougall's Health & Medical Center and the plant-based website Forks Over Knives both offer their own recommendations.ДЄlso, be sure to check out my handy list of 49 recipes that you can make with these convenient healthy canned, and packaged ingredients. If youвЂ™d like some guidance on identifying plant-based approved brands, Dr. Plant-based approved items have very little to no added salt, sugar, or oil, and are only minimally processed. Remember that itвЂ™s ok to use plant-based approved canned and packaged items. Likewise, mushrooms, which are actually fungi, may contain nutrients like ergothioneine not found anywhere in the plant kingdom.Д«e sure to take stock of what you and your family tend to have on hand in the pantry and fridge, and build your meal plans, at least in part, around those foods. Some foods and food groups have special nutrients not found in abundance elsewhere,вЂќ he continues.ДЇor instance, sulphoraphane, a liver-detox boosting compound, and antioxidant, is obtained almost exclusively from cruciferous vegetables. вЂњThe more IвЂ™ve researched over the years, the more IвЂ™ve come to realize that healthy foods are not necessarily interchangeable. Greger says at the beginning of his вЂњDaily DozenвЂќ video. вЂњAll plant foods are not created equal,вЂќ Dr. I highly recommend that you watch this essential video! In it, he goes into detail explaining why each item is included on the checklist and what the serving sizes are for each. GregerвЂ™s вЂњDaily DozenвЂќ video is an excellent and informative educational resource. Michael Greger recommends in his вЂњDaily DozenвЂќ checklist, primarily plant foods supercharged with nutrition that he himself works into his daily routine.Дr. Include in your meal planning the items that Dr. Be sure to check out the вЂњ Salads & DressingsвЂќ section of my website, under the вЂњRecipesвЂќ heading at the top for inspiration and ideas. That takes care of lunch or dinner and leaves you only two other meals to plan. One surefire way to kickstart your diet and health, and save time on your meal planning, is by having a salad once a day as a main dish, as recommended by Dr. And as youвЂ™ll soon discover, there truly is no more delicious cuisine than fresh, wholesome, and plant-based.ДЄs great as it is to be creative and try new things, sometimes we just need easy and familiar. What have you always wanted to make but never got around to? ItвЂ™s not just about health, you know вЂ“ itвЂ™s about enjoying what you eat as well вЂ“ always keep that in mind, because joy is part of health. The menu options are truly endless, so be creative вЂ“ what would make you feel happy and satisfied?

Other possible themes could include raw foods, locally-grown foods, high protein foods, low-fat foods, burgers, your favorite comfort foods, or specific regional cuisines. You can mix up the days on which your вЂњthemedвЂќ meals are served, but youвЂ™ll set up your week by types of daily meals.

To keep it simple, one way to start is by creating a template for just one week in which every night has its own theme, as youвЂ™ll see below. Make whole grains, such as rice, barley, or quinoa, and/or legumes (beans), such as lentils, black beans, or kidney beans, or split peas, the centerpiece of your dishes.

While itвЂ™s fun to experiment and get fancy after you get a bit familiar with plant-based cooking, I would suggest starting out with meals that are as similar as possible to what youвЂ™ve been eating, perhaps things like burgers, pasta, chili, burritos, tacos, stews, and soups, or whatever you typically eat. Pick out the plant-based recipes you think youвЂ™ll enjoy. Of course, youвЂ™ll soon find your own favorite go-to plant-based recipe sites as well. Some of my favorite recipe sites include Pinterest, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, Dr. As plant-based eating continues to grow in popularity it seems there are more and more resources for plant-based recipes with each passing day. Once you click into a category you'll see all of the recipes available on the website.Д«ut you donвЂ™t have to stop there. You can search by type of meal, for instance, desserts, soups, or breakfasts. This is where you get to have fun! My Plant-Based Cooking website is an ideal site to launch your exploration. Go with the flow and make it as easy as possible for yourself and your family. And you donвЂ™t need to be rigid about it, just remember that what once worked can shift over time. I would suggest starting out with a 1 or 2-week template, and then adjusting your meal planning interval according to your specific needs вЂ“ maybe you only want to plan a few days at a time, or maybe a whole monthвЂ™s worth of meals works best for you.

Vegan meal planner