My Experiment In Plant Based Eating

This post originally appeared on the Get Fit NH Family Facebook page. 

So apparently I have caused a bit of a hullabaloo with my experiment into Plant-Based eating. If it gets all of us thinking, then that is an awesome thing!

For those of who know me well, this adventure probably seems WAY out of character for an avowed meat eater. But it's really not that strange. I have been on a decade and a half vision quest for better health and fitness AND to do what it takes to help others on their quest. During that time I have experimented with all sorts of different ways of eating.

That being said, I have been an avowed skeptic of plant-based eating for a number of reasons. Chief among them was the fact that most people I talked to ate as much junk food as the rest of the population. Highly processed fake burgers, carbohydrates and sugar out the wazoo, and little regard for adequate protein.

But more and more I am getting questions about plant-based, and since I have no experience ever eating that way, I could not relate to the struggles. So I am setting out to change that. I have my blood work done every three months, the last time on Friday August 4th. So this will be a three month experiment into primarily plant-based eating. At the end I will have my blood tested again and evaluate the results.

Briefly here are the "rules" I have set for myself:

No animal based protein save 2 eggs a day. No dairy, no meat, no fish. Stay on exactly the same eating pattern and calorie level as I was on my previous plan, and adjust according to what happens to my body comp as measured by the Fit3D.

My body comp goals are the same. Increase lean mass and stay around 10% bodyfat. Eat no highly processed foods, limit sugar, etc. Get a minimum of 100 grams of protein per day. I am allowing myself 1 plant-based protein supplement a day, as my routine has been to have 1 whey protein shake a day.

This is not meant to be any kind of "statement". While I respect those who eat plant-based for ethical and environmental reasons, that is not my purpose.

What I want to find out is this:

What will be the measurable results of eating a whole food plant-based diet?

Is it possible to get enough protein to maintain and build muscle mass while still keeping carbohydrate levels to a manageable level?

What will it do to my blood sugars to up my carbohydrate load?

How about my cholesterol, etc?

I have invested countless hours of research into investigating the science (and psuedo-science) around plant-based eating. I have come up with a list of higher protein choices, and foods I am choosing to stay away from, for instance Tofu. I have purchased 3 cookbooks and already modifying the recipes in order to lower or eliminate the added sugars (just because it's plant based doesn't mean it's good for you).

I am still in the process of adapting to this new way of eating, as I am only 10 days in. I am experiencing more hunger than I was before; I suspect that is because the amount of fat I am eating has needed to decrease as the carbs increase. This is all information and part of the data collection process. And I am just one guy, my results may not be typical. But I promise to keep this an honest experiment.

The best case is that I find out there IS a "right way" to eat plant-based, get enough nutrients, and positively effect both blood work and body composition. That would make it one more arrow in my nutrition coaching quiver. Questions? Ask Coach Nancy (that seems to be what you are doing now, as I am big and scary) 🙂 (and yes, that was a joke)