I am so glad to have Kayli Dice, a plant-based dietitian and freelance writer, on my blog today! Kayli is the dietitian for the plant-based nutrition software company Lighter Culture and consults for the Plantrician Project, a non-profit organization working to empower and equip healthcare professionals to transform their patients’ health with whole-food, plant-based nutrition. Kayli also co-authors the blog Plant Eaters’ Manifesto with her husband. I’m a huge fan of Kayli’s work, so it’s really a joy to have her on the blog today!
The Plantrician Project’s mission is to educate, equip and empower healthcare professionals with knowledge about plant-based nutrition and to provide them with resources to help their patients shift to a whole-food, plant-based diet. I am the chief author of the Plantrician Project Quick Start Guide, which is meant to help people take the first steps toward eating more plants. The guide is available as a free download on our site!
Absolutely! Over 600 healthcare professionals attended this year’s Plant-Based Nutrition and Healthcare Conference and we’ve already shipped 5,000 copies of the Quick Start Guide to healthcare professionals across the country. I talk to dietitians all the time who are interested in incorporating plant-based nutrition into their practice. Even if they don’t want to promote a 100% plant-based diet, I think most dietitians agree that we need to nudge our patients and clients in that direction!
I feel lucky to have witnessed many success stories up close! Almost all of my clients experience welcomed weight loss. I’ve seen others reverse their hypertension and high cholesterol, and go off of medications as a result. I’ve worked with athletes who experience quicker recovery and better performance on a plant-based diet. I’ve even seen people reduce migraines, allergies, and acne. The vast array of benefits still surprises me.
I live in the Midwest (St. Louis) where the “meat and potatoes” dinner plate still reigns! But I have no trouble finding interested clients. Rather, they find me! There is a need for more dietitians and other healthcare professionals who practice plant-based nutrition. When people learn that they can not only prevent and manage their conditions, but actually reverse them, they are very receptive to making the shift to more plants. People are also relieved to hear that although 100% plant-based will give them the best results, even a small shift in that direction will benefit them. I find that once people experience the benefits of small changes like eliminating dairy or only eating meat a few times per week, they are excited to continue inching toward a predominantly whole-food, plant-based way of eating. I encourage skeptical clients to try it for 2 weeks and see what happens. Many of the health benefits take just 2 weeks to happen!
I am the first to admit that changing eating habits is challenging! A lot of people feel overwhelmed just thinking about it. For those who want to take it slowly, I first recommend identifying some plant-based meals they already enjoy and know how to prepare like vegetable soup or bean burritos and incorporating those into their week more often. Next, they can start adapting some of their favorite meals to make them plant-based like three-bean chili instead of beef chili or sandwiches with hummus and avocado instead of deli meat. These small steps help people see that they know more about plant-based eating than they think, and they can still eat a lot of their favorite foods with a few tweaks.
For people who are intimidated by cooking plant-based meals, I recommend the basic online cooking course Culinary Rx. It is a self-paced class that teaches you the foundational skills needed, from cooking beans to replacing dairy and eggs in recipes, to make plant-based meals. I also recommend they focus on changing just one habit at a time. Eating more plants doesn’t have to be a radical, overnight change!
My husband James and I started Plant Eaters’ Manifesto as a creative outlet in January 2015, but as the blog grew our passion for the subject grew too! Our mission is to clarify the science behind plant-based eating, teach basic cooking techniques, and help people integrate a plant-based diet into their lives. Twice a week, we post plant-based recipes and useful essays on topics surrounding plant-based eating. My husband contributes “manly” plant-based recipes- we call it dude food. We also send out a newsletter every other week with even more recipes, articles, and how-tos. Recently, we launched a Plant-Based FAQ page to provide quick answers to the most popular questions. We’d love for people to submit more questions!
I have so many favorites, but here are a few that make an almost daily appearance in my kitchen.
Avocado. I put it on everything! Right now, I’m loving avocado toast alongside soup and chili.
Sweet potatoes. The traditional Okinawans are known for living to 100 years and beyond. It’s estimated over half of their diet was made up of sweet potatoes!
Cashews. We make a lot of cashew-based desserts, dressings, and sauces. A few favorites are our Cocoa Cashew Cream for oatmeal topping and Cashew Aioli as a dip or veggie burger topping.
Oats. I eat oatmeal every day for breakfast. In the colder months, I make a big batch of steel cut oats in the slow cooker that lasts the entire week.
Dark chocolate. I have a square almost every night after dinner. Look for 80% or darker- it usually doesn’t contain dairy.
Anything with baked sweet potato fries! I could eat them every day! An example of a more complete meal that I eat often is some type of grain and bean bowl. On Sundays, I roast vegetables (cubed sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts are my current favorites) and cook a big batch of some type of whole grain like quinoa or brown rice. I always keep canned beans or frozen edamame beans on hand, so dinner is as simple as combining ready-to-eat beans with roasted veggies and cooked grains. If I have a sauce on hand, I’ll add that too. Right now I’m loving our Creamy Cashew Cayenne Dressing for fall and winter bowls. If I don’t have a prepared sauce, I use a simple splash of hot sauce or balsamic vinegar!
Creamy Cashew Cayenne Dressing
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