A quick nutrition-story about myself:
Three years ago, when I moved to Copenhagen, I was planning a big party for my birthday. Everything was organized. But then – just one day before my birthday – a flu hit me like a train. Besides cancelling my birthday bash, I realized that I am getting sick much too often. I had a cold or flu probably once every two months! Studying Nutrition, I knew this: If I don’t want to get sick all the time, I need to change my diet. At that time the Paleo diet was becoming very popular and I rather interpreted it as a non-processed-food diet, than an eat-more-meat diet. So I went paleo for 1 year, eating whole foods, lots of vegetables, fish, sometimes white meat, and nothing, that was processed.
The result: I didn’t get sick for one whole year. Not kidding!
Since I didn’t eat that much meat anyway, I became a Vegetarian after (or rather Pescetarian, because I believe that fish is a very important source of healthy fats).
Since then, I haven’t eaten any meat, and I really don’t miss it. I recently even got my blood levels checked and they confirmed that my body is not missing anything. But I haven’t been that good in cutting out processed foods, recently. I am eating cheese, processed bread, cereals and sometimes sweets. And call it a coincidence or not: I’ve been down with a cold quite often in the last months.
Plant Jammer helps me to cook with plant-based real food
For half a year I am working at Plant Jammer and I have been using our App on a daily basis. It makes it really easy to cook with plant-based real foods and I am still discovering new combinations and new tastes.
Just yesterday I was in the supermarket, craving a curry with pumpkin. Plant Jammer suggested me to add bell pepper, carrot, pastinak, mango, ginger, lemongrass and lime and – voilá – I had a whole plant-based delicious curry for dinner… and it made me feel so good.
So when Michael decided to start a challenge, eating one whole month plant-based real foods (read his story here), I didn’t have to think much to decide I am going to join him…
The challenge is this: Eat only real foods, mostly plant-based. So no pizza, no cake, no milk-products, no sauces, no highly processed meals from restaurants… instead cook yourself at home with plant-based, real foods only. It can look like this (not bad, huh?):
My 3 first steps to start the challenge:
- I will sort out my fridge and get rid of what is not plant-based real food (aka: Give it to my roommate).
- Get a substitute for the milk in my coffee in the morning. I am thinking about getting almond milk (one without added sugar, 100 % almonds only).
- I will add processed foods (like soy sauce, cheese, etc.) to my “Dislike” List in the Plant Jammer App. This way I won’t get them suggested when creating my recipes.
To the point: What is a real-food, plant-based diet?
A real food, plant-based diet is centered on unrefined or minimally refined plants. It’s a diet based on what you can find in the beginning of every supermarket: Fruits, vegetables, tubers, whole grains, and legumes; and it excludes meat, dairy products, and eggs, as well as highly refined foods like bleached flour or refined sugar.
… and what are the benefits?
There is enough evidence showing that a plant-based, real food diet improves your cholesterol and triglyceride levels as well as blood pressure – in other words: It is good for your heart. It also cuts your odds of getting Diabetes and Cancer.
And why is that?
Real, plant-based foods are floated with vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals that are fighting disease.
The more you eat, the more you make sure to nourish your body fully – this also includes nourishing your immune system! Now, think of all the processed foods that are stuffed with additives and sugar that your body DOESN’T NEED. However, if you eat those, your body still has to digest them and use energy to transport those throughout the body. With a real food diet your body doesn’t have to fight those “fake nutrients”, wasting its energy.
Why should I join?
Because doing a challenge together is always more easy. I will share my recipes with you, and keep you posted about how I feel. Use the Hashtag #PJchallenge on SoMe to see my recipes and to share your recipes with me.
And use Plant Jammer: It will make it much more easy! We recently build in a community into our App, so simply look for “PJchallenge with Saskia”, where you can find all my recipes in one group and also share yours.
So… Let’s do this! Who’s in? <3
– Saskia