After years of research and experimentation, I want to share with you the Sexy Fit Vegan menu guidelines I have created for myself, that allow me to be strong, lean, energetic, perform at my best, and simply feel good from the inside out!
I am realistic with my guide. For example, ideally, I would love to be 100% gluten free, but given I don’t have an intolerance, I eat things with gluten every now and then and don’t beat myself up about it. I have also kept it as simple as possible. Personally, I don’t count calories. If I follow this guide, and EAT SLOWLY, stopping when I’m full or just before, I can give my body what it needs, not more, not less. This takes practice though. If you have been eating processed foods, your body is all out of whack and will need some time to get its bearings straight and for your mind to connect with your system in a way that gives you this luxury. So until that happens, it may be best to keep a food log and take the time to figure out how to create a diet that is nutrient dense, contains lots of variety, meets your protein and other caloric and nutrient needs.
MY BASIC VEGAN MENU GUIDELINES:
- 3-4 Meals (solid &/or blended) + 1 Fresh Green Juice/Day
- Eat tons of dark leafy greens & other veggies daily (make sure a portion of them are RAW)
- Primarily Gluten Free
- Primarily Organic (Organic whenever the option is available.)
- Low in Grains (Counting quinoa and buckwheat as grain-like SEEDS. The more active you are, the more you may need whole grains to fuel you!)
- Variety of Raw Seeds & Nuts Daily in Moderation, soaked & sprouted when possible
- Soy in Moderation- ALWAYS ORGANIC (& non GMO)
- Legumes– Soak & Sprout When Possible
- A piece of fruit makes a great snack. Eat fruit on its own (not at the same time as other foods) when possible
- Smoothies and Protein Shakes are great ways to get lots of nutrients into your body. Kale & spinach can be added to them without changing their flavor! Hemp seeds and flax meal are also powerful super foods to add to shakes/smoothies. Raw vegan organic protein powders, can also be good if you are on the go (add water in a shaker bottle and you have a perfect snack.)
- Take a B-12 Supplement
So wherever you are in your journey to a healthy, plant based diet, consider these guidelines when planning your meals for the day and week. If this is new for you, “winging it” will not work. Its going to take effort, but with your goal in front of you, your motivation within you, and your support system surrounding you, you CAN DO IT!!!!!
Ella Magers, MSW
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Very helpful Ella, Thank you so much!
Steffie
A pleasure as always… How are you doing Steffie??
I agree except just curious why no peanuts if you are not allergic?
Hi Meredith. Thank you for your comment. I avoid peanuts for several reasons, the mold aflatoxin commonly found in peanuts in particular is one of the reasons. Also, as a rule, I try to eat nuts in their raw form, and peanuts are not typically sold raw. Here is a very simple article by Dr. Mercola highlighting the pros and cons. I simply feel better about eating other raw nuts and sprouted/soaked legumes in place of peanuts so I added that to the guidelines. However, I think you bring up a good point, and because I am trying to keep the list as simple as possible for beginners, I took out the tip to avoid peanuts for the purpose of this blog. I appreciate your feedback! If you are not already on our forum, we would love to have you contribute! http://www.sexyfitvegan.com/forums
Love your articles and posts. Thanks.
I have posted a link to a great vegan protein powder recipe that I found and use. I buy from Swansons for more affordable and organic ingredients for the powder. It is in my opinion the best I have used and much less expensive. I omit the peanut butter powder and add instead coconut flour or almond flour or extra hemp or chia.
https://www.dailygarnish.com/2010/07/how-to-make-your-own-protein-powder-mix.html
Thanks for your contribution Janna. The recipe looks great (minus the PB2), and I think your addition of extra hemp or chia in replacement sounds perfect! If you can take a minute to post it on the forum I think a lot of people would be grateful! http://www.sexyfitvegan.com/forums (There is a section for recipes!)