30 day plant based challenge rules.

    I finally had some questions come in about the 30 day plant based challenge I posted this past Sunday. So here are some rules to go with the challenge to help clarify what the 30 day challenge plant based diet is all about.

The ideal behind the 30 day plant based diet is to eliminate all animal products for 30 days. It should also be low fat. So there is a limited amount of nuts, avocados, and added oils. No processed foods! Only fruits, vegetables, legumes, tubers, nuts, and seeds. There is plenty of vegan and vegetarian junk food on the market, they are not part of this 30 day challenge.

     Salt, pepper, and vinegar are fine to add. Uses spices and herbs to add favor. Using ketchup and mustard are fine too, just don’t go crazy with them.
No mayo or margarine.

     You can substitute foods on any day. You can also pick any day you want. You don’t have to go in the order listed. The idea is to be plant based and simple. Eat only 1 to 5 different foods in a day. If there is a day on the calendar you don’t like the food choices, pick your own. So let’s say you hate every food on day 17, get rid of it. Pick a different day that you like, maybe day 21, who knows. However, its not as big of a challenge if you only eat the foods you like.

    Grains should be minimally processed. It should be just the cooked grain, like boiled rice, quinoa, or oats. Avoid wheat! So the tortillas should be corn or some ancient grain like spelt. Avoid GMO grains by shopping at Whole Foods or one of the other grocery stores that specialize in organic, GMO free products. So on days 11 and 28 eat tortillas that are made for organic GMO free ancient grains or corn. On day 7, boil up some rice, quinoa, oats, or other organic GMO free grain.

   Day 30 is root vegetable day. You could use potatoes of any kind. Yams of any kind. Carrots, parsnips, turnips, rutabagas, taro, or cassava root. All root vegetables are game. But, you could just do potatoes or sweet potatoes. But challenge yourself to experience a new root vegetable, or one you used to hate as a kid. By day 30, your taste buds might have changed. Or not, who knows unless you give it a try.

Summary:

Eat simple unprocessed plant based foods, preferably organic and non-GMO
Eat low fat.
Challenge yourself.

I'll be doing the challenge for the next 30 days and blogging about it here, so stay tuned.