HEALTH + WELLNESS: PLANT BASED STARTER KIT
Hello Fashionistas,
HAPPY NEW YEAR ! It's 2020 which is hard to believe that it came so quickly, but thank God I was blessed to see another year of life #Amen. I stopped doing New Year resolutions years ago so you wont see any of that here, I'm all for planning things out but I would rather improve myself year round rather then just at the start of a fresh new year. With that said today we have some things to get into about our health and wellness, because even if your not a Mom staying healthy is essential to living a long and happy life and I wanted to share my advice, tips and update you on my own journey to health and wellness.
MY HEALTH AND WELLNESS JOURNEY UPDATE
Honestly it hasn't been easy for me to stick to and it's crazy that I cant understand why it's such a challenge when I really am motivated to eat better and take better care of my mind/body the way I should've been years ago. My Husband has a huge candy habit thats been hard for him to kick since He was a kid but getting Him to stop really hasn't been the easiest task for me, but I finally got him to cut down on consumption about a month ago so that we can get the whole family off overindulging on candy by the middle of 2020. I started buying sugar free candy as a substitute for sugar so the kids can still indulge in their sweet tooth, but my daughter knows eventually we will be cutting out all candy and although she isnt prepared for it, we will become candy free and only have sugar occasionally only for Holidays.
Cutting out meat has been challenging as well, because it's what we are use to eating but this will change over time and we will have to let our families know that we are making this transition so that anytime we eat over their house they can prepare ahead of time for our plant based meat portion of their dinner. We have had the imppossible burger at Burger King but still haven't tried any plant based or vegan restaurants yet and I do intend on going, because this lifestyle is really something I need to implement to keep us all healthy. I have no idea where to start with cutting out meats but I finally came up with a solution which I will share later in this post and honestly it's juat as challenging as not eating sugar.
TOPIC #1: WHAT'S THE DIFFERWNCE BETWEEN BEING VEGAN AND GOING PLANT BASED?
Now I must admit that I always thought these were the same type of lifestyle, but overtime I have learned there actually is a difference between the two and when you really think about it there are similarities as well that I will also cover in this post.
What is a Vegan ? Of course this is a person who doesn't eat any meat or dairy products, but also are animal right activists because they eat vegan for the purpose of saving animals and the environment.
What is plant based ? Eating plant based foods and non dairy products, but they aren't animal activists
because typically they have switched to this lifestyle solely for the health benefits.
TOPIC #2 : TAKING CONTROL OF YOUR HEALTH AND WELLNESS
Of course your primary care Physician will let you know of any chronic illness or diseases you may have but ultimately good health starts with yourself, because your in control of what you eat, what food to not eat and if or how you exercise. If your dedicated to living a long and healthy life then choosing to eat and live different is something to consider while transitioning into a more healthier you.
TOPIC #3: IMPROVING YOUR HEALTH AND WELLNESS
It again start with you ! Not sure where to start or need more information before attempting to change your health and wellness regimen, google it or seek a mentor who is already apart of the vegan or plant based lifestyle that you can trust to guide you through your own transition. It also starts with an idea or reason why you want to make the switch or maybe tweek a few things in your journey.
TOPIC #4: HOW MENTAL HEALTH CAN EFFECT PHYSICAL HEALTH
Mental health is a misunderstood topic, viewed as something scary or embaressing and anyone who suffers from any form of mental health is categorized as a danger to society simply because they have an mental illness. There is a connection between mental and physical health that seems to be knowledge that nobody wants to connect with worldwide, which is extremely disturbing to me because you cant understand something completely if you wont educate yourself on the topic.
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines: health as a state of complete physical, mental and well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. The World Health Organization also states that “there is no health without mental health.”
TOPIC #5: STAYING ON TRACK WITH HEALTH GOALS IS KEY
It's important to stick to your new healthy lifestyle by keeping track of everything from the food you eat to your workout/exercise regimen. There are apps to help you keep up with all your fitness and health goals, but if you want to write it all down I found some, but the apps are IOS so if you don't have an iPhone you can find similar ones in the play store.
I'm going to start using these apps and review them by the end of January for those of you who are still a little skeptical about using them and also share my personal information to show how it really works. I'm going to describe each app in order by the way they are shown in the above collage :
1. Create rewarding daily habit routines, set goals and track progress, and plan a healthy new habit schedule
2. Scan barcodes for nutrition facts, keep track of what you eat, and sync with other apps
3. View step count, sleep stats, heart rate, and keep track of your meds or meals with timestamped photos
4. Track daily calories, 8 week meal plans and recipes tailored to your health goals
These Health and wellness writting journals are super cute and although I will try the apps I do want one of these pictured here LOL most likely I'm going to get the one from Etsy or Amazon. I will also get pink/purple highlighters, colorful BIC Gelocity gel pens to write with and some post it tabs so I can remember what page to go to daily.
TOPIC #5: TAKING CARE OF YOU FIRST AND OTHERS SECOND
Of course if your a Mother you will have to work something out with your significant other or Nanny when you take time alone for yourself. This is extremely important because taking time for yourself is when you can think clearly and do stuff you want or need to do for YOU so that you can go back to your regular life routine refreshed and ready to tackle anything that comes your way.
What can you do during YOU time ?
* Take a warm bubble bath-add some bath bombs and relaxing music
* Meditate- sit in a quiet spot at home to reflect on your goals or plan out what you need to do for the current week
* Listen to music- find soothing sounds or make a slow jam playlist on Apple music/Pandora
* Go to the spa- get a full body massage, mud bath and a facial
Need more help on relaxation tips and products ? Check out one of my previous posts on just that https://world4fashionistas.blogspot.com/2019/07/self-love-relaxation.html?m=1
GOING PLANT BASED OR VEGAN STARTER KIT
I'm restarting my health journey by eating plant based foods and cooking meals with all plant based products and honestly your family or friends wont taste the difference if you don't tell them. Recently I started cooking with Country Crock plant butter with avacado oil and it makes pancakes even more tastey and don't get me started on how it makes veggies taste Mmm to damn good.
Discover plant based friendly restaurants and grocery stores
*The cheesecake factory
*Taco bell
*P.F Changs
*Cafe Gratitude
Anything can be turned into plant based or vegan meals it just takes a simple swap of meat or dairy products. If your unsure just google it or go to a trusted website you know of that can show you what more you can cook healthier without anyone ever knowing there was any changes made. Overtime new brands have developed to meet the need for plant based food products that can be found at the following stores and I'm not 100% sure if all of the stores sale the same exact brands but you will definitely find what you need at all of them.
* ALDI
*Ralphs
*Kroger
*Walmart
*Trader Joes
*Whole foods
*Dollar tree ( It surprised me that Dollar tree has these options but it's awesome)
Interested in recipes ? I found good ones on the Peta and Delish websites that I believe will be both tastey and help you crush your goal of eating plant or vegan based foods. I'm eager and excited to gwt started cooking all these new delicous looking recipes, I will be sure to review all products in a post within the next couple weeks to give myself time to try everything I want before.
NEED HELP WITH WHAT TO BUY ?
You probably have some vegan foods already in your cabinets such as beans, rice, pasta, veggies and fruits. But you will need to stock up on the essentials for vegan and plant based meals, For example almond milk, veggie broth, whole grain bread, spaghetti sauce, oatmeal, canned or frozen veggies, salsa, spices, and condiments.
MEAL PREP FOR WEEK #1
Day one
Breakfast: Bagel with vegan or plant based cream cheese with mixed fruit
Lunch: Pita bread stuffed with vegan tuna, onions and bell peppers and potatoe salad
Dinner: Spaghetti with plant based meatballs, bell peppers or onions for added flavor and vegan ceaser or veggie salad
Day two
Breakfast: Oatmeal mixed with fruit and nuts
Lunch: Burrito with canned refried beans, nondairy cheese, tomatoes, onions and gucamole
Dinner: Corn and broccli chowder with collard greens and french bread
Day three
Breakfast: Nondairy yogurt mixed with fruit and whole wheat toast with peanut buttet or avacado cream cheese spread
Lunch: Canned vegetarian chilli topped with nondairy sour cream and served with tortilla chips, crackers or whole wheat bread
Dinner: Asian stir fry with tofu or plant based chicken served with brown rice and vegan cheesecake
Day four
Breakfast: Cereal with soy or almond milk topped with fruit and served with whole wheat toast
Lunch: Enchilada brown rice bowl with plant based meat, enchalada sauce, nondairy cheese and onions, served with tortilla chips and salsa
Dinner: Sage seared tempeh with red wine cranberry sauce served with mashed potatoes and green beans
Day five
Breakfast: Smoothie with mixed fruit and orange juice served with avacado toast
Lunch: Plant burger with desired toppings and served with sweet potato fries
Dinner: Walnut dusted fettuccine with carmalized veggies and served with argula asparagus salad
Day six
Breakfast: Cinnamon pancakes and vegan sausage served with toast
Lunch: Plant based chicken sandwich with desired toppings and served with mixed fruit
Dinner: Rainbow pasta with diced tomatos and toasted pine nuts and served with sauteed spinach with garlic and lemon
Day seven
Breakfast: Tofu scramble with bell peppers, vegan sausage and served with fruit
Lunch: Southern salad and served with chips or crackers with cream cheese
Dinner: Meatless stew with sour cream, served with garlic bread and min chocolate bundt cake
Thank you for reading and following my journey. Hopefully this helps you guus out some during your transition into eating vegan or plant based foods, most of the information I shared was from the Peta website and a few things you can google if you want to research a little bit more.
#GettingMyHealthyOn #GoingVeganOrGoingPlantBased #FashionistaSquad #StylenistaSquad
FASHIONISTA CHRYSTAL 💋💕
HAPPY NEW YEAR ! It's 2020 which is hard to believe that it came so quickly, but thank God I was blessed to see another year of life #Amen. I stopped doing New Year resolutions years ago so you wont see any of that here, I'm all for planning things out but I would rather improve myself year round rather then just at the start of a fresh new year. With that said today we have some things to get into about our health and wellness, because even if your not a Mom staying healthy is essential to living a long and happy life and I wanted to share my advice, tips and update you on my own journey to health and wellness.
MY HEALTH AND WELLNESS JOURNEY UPDATE
Honestly it hasn't been easy for me to stick to and it's crazy that I cant understand why it's such a challenge when I really am motivated to eat better and take better care of my mind/body the way I should've been years ago. My Husband has a huge candy habit thats been hard for him to kick since He was a kid but getting Him to stop really hasn't been the easiest task for me, but I finally got him to cut down on consumption about a month ago so that we can get the whole family off overindulging on candy by the middle of 2020. I started buying sugar free candy as a substitute for sugar so the kids can still indulge in their sweet tooth, but my daughter knows eventually we will be cutting out all candy and although she isnt prepared for it, we will become candy free and only have sugar occasionally only for Holidays.
Cutting out meat has been challenging as well, because it's what we are use to eating but this will change over time and we will have to let our families know that we are making this transition so that anytime we eat over their house they can prepare ahead of time for our plant based meat portion of their dinner. We have had the imppossible burger at Burger King but still haven't tried any plant based or vegan restaurants yet and I do intend on going, because this lifestyle is really something I need to implement to keep us all healthy. I have no idea where to start with cutting out meats but I finally came up with a solution which I will share later in this post and honestly it's juat as challenging as not eating sugar.
TOPIC #1: WHAT'S THE DIFFERWNCE BETWEEN BEING VEGAN AND GOING PLANT BASED?
Now I must admit that I always thought these were the same type of lifestyle, but overtime I have learned there actually is a difference between the two and when you really think about it there are similarities as well that I will also cover in this post.
What is a Vegan ? Of course this is a person who doesn't eat any meat or dairy products, but also are animal right activists because they eat vegan for the purpose of saving animals and the environment.
What is plant based ? Eating plant based foods and non dairy products, but they aren't animal activists
because typically they have switched to this lifestyle solely for the health benefits.
TOPIC #2 : TAKING CONTROL OF YOUR HEALTH AND WELLNESS
Of course your primary care Physician will let you know of any chronic illness or diseases you may have but ultimately good health starts with yourself, because your in control of what you eat, what food to not eat and if or how you exercise. If your dedicated to living a long and healthy life then choosing to eat and live different is something to consider while transitioning into a more healthier you.
TOPIC #3: IMPROVING YOUR HEALTH AND WELLNESS
It again start with you ! Not sure where to start or need more information before attempting to change your health and wellness regimen, google it or seek a mentor who is already apart of the vegan or plant based lifestyle that you can trust to guide you through your own transition. It also starts with an idea or reason why you want to make the switch or maybe tweek a few things in your journey.
TOPIC #4: HOW MENTAL HEALTH CAN EFFECT PHYSICAL HEALTH
Mental health is a misunderstood topic, viewed as something scary or embaressing and anyone who suffers from any form of mental health is categorized as a danger to society simply because they have an mental illness. There is a connection between mental and physical health that seems to be knowledge that nobody wants to connect with worldwide, which is extremely disturbing to me because you cant understand something completely if you wont educate yourself on the topic.
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines: health as a state of complete physical, mental and well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. The World Health Organization also states that “there is no health without mental health.”
The associations between mental and physical health are:
- Poor mental health is a risk factor for chronic physical conditions
- People with serious mental health conditions are at high risk of experiencing chronic physical conditions
- People with chronic physical conditions are at risk of developing poor mental health
TOPIC #5: STAYING ON TRACK WITH HEALTH GOALS IS KEY
It's important to stick to your new healthy lifestyle by keeping track of everything from the food you eat to your workout/exercise regimen. There are apps to help you keep up with all your fitness and health goals, but if you want to write it all down I found some, but the apps are IOS so if you don't have an iPhone you can find similar ones in the play store.
I'm going to start using these apps and review them by the end of January for those of you who are still a little skeptical about using them and also share my personal information to show how it really works. I'm going to describe each app in order by the way they are shown in the above collage :
1. Create rewarding daily habit routines, set goals and track progress, and plan a healthy new habit schedule
2. Scan barcodes for nutrition facts, keep track of what you eat, and sync with other apps
3. View step count, sleep stats, heart rate, and keep track of your meds or meals with timestamped photos
4. Track daily calories, 8 week meal plans and recipes tailored to your health goals
These Health and wellness writting journals are super cute and although I will try the apps I do want one of these pictured here LOL most likely I'm going to get the one from Etsy or Amazon. I will also get pink/purple highlighters, colorful BIC Gelocity gel pens to write with and some post it tabs so I can remember what page to go to daily.
TOPIC #5: TAKING CARE OF YOU FIRST AND OTHERS SECOND
Of course if your a Mother you will have to work something out with your significant other or Nanny when you take time alone for yourself. This is extremely important because taking time for yourself is when you can think clearly and do stuff you want or need to do for YOU so that you can go back to your regular life routine refreshed and ready to tackle anything that comes your way.
What can you do during YOU time ?
* Take a warm bubble bath-add some bath bombs and relaxing music
* Meditate- sit in a quiet spot at home to reflect on your goals or plan out what you need to do for the current week
* Listen to music- find soothing sounds or make a slow jam playlist on Apple music/Pandora
* Go to the spa- get a full body massage, mud bath and a facial
Need more help on relaxation tips and products ? Check out one of my previous posts on just that https://world4fashionistas.blogspot.com/2019/07/self-love-relaxation.html?m=1
GOING PLANT BASED OR VEGAN STARTER KIT
I'm restarting my health journey by eating plant based foods and cooking meals with all plant based products and honestly your family or friends wont taste the difference if you don't tell them. Recently I started cooking with Country Crock plant butter with avacado oil and it makes pancakes even more tastey and don't get me started on how it makes veggies taste Mmm to damn good.
Discover plant based friendly restaurants and grocery stores
*The cheesecake factory
*Taco bell
*P.F Changs
*Cafe Gratitude
Anything can be turned into plant based or vegan meals it just takes a simple swap of meat or dairy products. If your unsure just google it or go to a trusted website you know of that can show you what more you can cook healthier without anyone ever knowing there was any changes made. Overtime new brands have developed to meet the need for plant based food products that can be found at the following stores and I'm not 100% sure if all of the stores sale the same exact brands but you will definitely find what you need at all of them.
* ALDI
*Ralphs
*Kroger
*Walmart
*Trader Joes
*Whole foods
*Dollar tree ( It surprised me that Dollar tree has these options but it's awesome)
Interested in recipes ? I found good ones on the Peta and Delish websites that I believe will be both tastey and help you crush your goal of eating plant or vegan based foods. I'm eager and excited to gwt started cooking all these new delicous looking recipes, I will be sure to review all products in a post within the next couple weeks to give myself time to try everything I want before.
NEED HELP WITH WHAT TO BUY ?
You probably have some vegan foods already in your cabinets such as beans, rice, pasta, veggies and fruits. But you will need to stock up on the essentials for vegan and plant based meals, For example almond milk, veggie broth, whole grain bread, spaghetti sauce, oatmeal, canned or frozen veggies, salsa, spices, and condiments.
MEAL PREP FOR WEEK #1
Day one
Breakfast: Bagel with vegan or plant based cream cheese with mixed fruit
Lunch: Pita bread stuffed with vegan tuna, onions and bell peppers and potatoe salad
Dinner: Spaghetti with plant based meatballs, bell peppers or onions for added flavor and vegan ceaser or veggie salad
Day two
Breakfast: Oatmeal mixed with fruit and nuts
Lunch: Burrito with canned refried beans, nondairy cheese, tomatoes, onions and gucamole
Dinner: Corn and broccli chowder with collard greens and french bread
Day three
Breakfast: Nondairy yogurt mixed with fruit and whole wheat toast with peanut buttet or avacado cream cheese spread
Lunch: Canned vegetarian chilli topped with nondairy sour cream and served with tortilla chips, crackers or whole wheat bread
Dinner: Asian stir fry with tofu or plant based chicken served with brown rice and vegan cheesecake
Day four
Breakfast: Cereal with soy or almond milk topped with fruit and served with whole wheat toast
Lunch: Enchilada brown rice bowl with plant based meat, enchalada sauce, nondairy cheese and onions, served with tortilla chips and salsa
Dinner: Sage seared tempeh with red wine cranberry sauce served with mashed potatoes and green beans
Day five
Breakfast: Smoothie with mixed fruit and orange juice served with avacado toast
Lunch: Plant burger with desired toppings and served with sweet potato fries
Dinner: Walnut dusted fettuccine with carmalized veggies and served with argula asparagus salad
Day six
Breakfast: Cinnamon pancakes and vegan sausage served with toast
Lunch: Plant based chicken sandwich with desired toppings and served with mixed fruit
Dinner: Rainbow pasta with diced tomatos and toasted pine nuts and served with sauteed spinach with garlic and lemon
Day seven
Breakfast: Tofu scramble with bell peppers, vegan sausage and served with fruit
Lunch: Southern salad and served with chips or crackers with cream cheese
Dinner: Meatless stew with sour cream, served with garlic bread and min chocolate bundt cake
Thank you for reading and following my journey. Hopefully this helps you guus out some during your transition into eating vegan or plant based foods, most of the information I shared was from the Peta website and a few things you can google if you want to research a little bit more.
#GettingMyHealthyOn #GoingVeganOrGoingPlantBased #FashionistaSquad #StylenistaSquad
FASHIONISTA CHRYSTAL 💋💕
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