FAQ's

How To: Plant Based Eating in Boise, Idaho

  • Q: How do I get started eating this way?

    A:  There is no right or wrong way to start.  For some, it is easiest to start with one meal, breakfast, most common winner is oatmeal.  With ground flaxseed, fruits and berries, it jumpstarts the healthy fiber for your day.  Some go ‘cold turkey’ and change everything at once.  That means no dairy, eggs, meat of any kind, processed foods, sugar, cheese or fish.  And for those with weight to lose, coronary artery disease, diabetes or other chronic conditions, Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn recommends no oil of any kind.  And for some, this big jump means they must remove all temptations from pantry, frig and freezer.  If you don’t have animal-derived foodstuffs or processed foods in your house, you are less likely to get off-track.

  • Q: What 9 foods have all the essential amino acids for healthy protein synthesis?

    A:   Altho the old myth of needing to eat complimentary things to get all of the essential amino acids is fading, it does still exist.  Generally speaking, if one is eating a wide variety of plant-based foods from vegetables, legumes, beans, seeds, grains and fruits, you will be getting all the important protein-building amino acids.  The ‘complete’ ones are:  quinoa, buckwheat, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, soy, beans + rice and barley + lentils.

  • Q: How do I calculate how much protein I need?

    A:   Multiply your ideal weight by 4 and divide by 10 (.8 grams/kilo of body weight).

  • Q: What supplements should I continue taking?

    A:  Generally speaking, the physicians in the WFPB world recommend Vit. D3 and Vit. B12.

  • Q: Doesn’t it cost more to eat whole food plant based?
    A:  The easy answer is ‘probably not’.  The complex answer is dependent on things like:
    ·      Does your household buy only organic?
    ·      Does your household shop in the seasonal, or do you buy regardless of season?
    ·      Do you purchase ‘vegan junk food’?  (ie. Prepared faux meat, sausage, veganaise, sauces, as theses can be quite expensive AND contain lots of oils, additives, etc. so not considered ‘whole food’, even if they are plant based)