Live longer, live healthier, and feel amazing with a plant-based diet A plant-based diet has been proved to be a healthy and balanced alternative to diets that include meat. Even more importantly, it can be absolutely delicious and fun! In Plant-Based Diet Cookbook For Dummies you'll get all the recipes you need to guide you through a durable lifestyle change that will boost your energy, lower inflammation, encourage a healthy weight, and reduce your risk of disease. With over 100 foolproof and engaging recipes, this life-changing book will help you: Get started from scratch with a plant-based diet that will save you money and time Discover new recipes and grocery shopping techniques that keep your fridge stocked with healthy, delicious food Learn how to navigate restaurants and social gatherings while maintaining your new lifestyle So, if you've been wondering if it's time to make a change to your diet and lifestyle, why not give the plant-based diet a try?

Table of Contents:
Introduction 1 About This Book 2 Foolish Assumptions 3 Icons Used in This Book 3 Beyond the Book 4 Where to Go from Here 4 Part 1: Getting Started with A Plant-Based Diet 5 Chapter 1: What Is a Plant-Based Diet? 7 What Does Plant-Based Mean? 7 Getting to the Root of a Plant-Based Diet 9 What’s included 9 What’s off limits 12 Common Questions and Answers about a Plant-Based Diet 13 Can I get full eating only plants? 13 How will I get protein? 14 What about calcium? 14 How do I get iron? Won’t I become anemic? 14 Does eating a plant-based diet help people lose weight? 15 A Quick Guide to Making a Plant-Based Diet Part of Your Everyday Life 15 Chapter 2: Seeing the Benefits of a Plant-Based Diet 17 Eating According to a Plant-Based Food Guide 17 Feeling Good with Food 19 Managing your weight 20 Having energy and vitality 20 Getting better sleep 20 Becoming a Wellness Warrior 21 Cancer 21 Diabetes 22 Gastrointestinal illnesses 23 Heart disease and high blood pressure 24 Osteoporosis 27 Other conditions that benefit from a plant-based diet 28 Chapter 3: The Macro and Micro Essentials of a Plant-Based Diet 31 Making the Most of Macronutrients 31 Pondering protein in the plant-based world 32 Considering carbo-riffic plants 34 Eating fatty plants: Gotta love ’em, gotta have ’em 42 Meeting the Micronutrients 47 Vitamins and the plants you can find them in 47 Minerals and the plants you can find them in 48 Chapter 4: Packing an Extra Punch with Power Foods 53 Enriching Your Diet with Super Nutrients 54 Celebrating Superfoods 54 What they are and what they do 55 Raw foods: The ultimate superfoods 57 Considering Sea Vegetables 58 What they are and what they do 58 How to use them 60 Favoring Phytonutrients 62 What they do 62 Where to find them 63 Biting into Bioflavonoids 63 What they are and what they do 63 Where to find them 64 Acknowledging Antioxidants 64 What they are and what they do 65 Where to find them 65 Part 2: Converting Your Kitchen 67 Chapter 5: Taking the Plunge into a Plant-Based Diet 69 Transitioning to a Plant-Based Diet 69 Going cold turkey 70 Going plant-based gradually 72 You Can’t Do It Alone: Leaning on Others for Support 75 Surrounding yourself with others who support your lifestyle 75 Enlisting the help of a nutritionist, naturopath, or medical doctor 76 Overcoming Common Pitfalls 77 Having little or no experience in the kitchen 77 Feeling intimidated by new foods 78 Feeling like the odd man out 78 Fighting food fatigue and boredom 79 Chapter 6: Looking at What’s on Your Plate 81 Thinking about Your New Plate 81 Keeping it whole 82 Choosing organic over nonorganic 82 Dishing it up in the right proportions 82 Consuming calories that count 83 Maintaining proper hydration 85 Getting Organized 86 Meal planning 86 Making your plant-based grocery list 87 Exploring sample meal plans 88 Modifying Your Favorite Recipes to Be Plant-Based 92 Chapter 7: Overhauling Your Kitchen Contents 95 Cleaning Out Your Kitchen 95 Stocking Your Plant-Based Kitchen 97 Fresh produce 97 Refrigerated items 98 Frozen foods 98 Pantry staples 99 Finding Alternatives to Common Ingredients 100 Milk 100 Eggs 101 Meat 101 Cheese 101 Thickeners 102 Getting the Must-Have Equipment 102 Handy utensils 103 Helpful appliances 105 Chapter 8: Being a Savvy Shopper 107 Conquering the Grocery Store 107 Picking up produce 108 Dipping into the interior aisles 110 Seeing what’s lurking in the freezer 110 Shopping Off the Beaten Path 111 Farmers markets 111 CSA programs 112 Health-food stores 112 Organic and GMO: Figuring Out What It All Means to a Plant-Based Diet 113 Knowing what organic means 114 Getting clear on GMOs 115 Part 3: Plant-Based Recipes for Success 117 Chapter 9: Brilliant Breakfasts 119 Wakey, Wakey, No Eggs and Bakey 119 Easy to Make and Easy on the Go 120 Chapter 10: Soups and Salads 141 Making a Meal of Salads and Soups 141 Making your fridge a salad bar 142 Falling in love with soup as a meal 144 Chapter 11: Lovable Lunches 175 Rethinking Handheld Lunches 176 Discovering the Joy of One-Pot Dishes 187 Chapter 12: Super Suppers 191 Rethinking What Your Dinner Plate Should Look Like 192 Chapter 13: Simple Sides 215 Adding Variety with Sumptuous Sides 215 Chapter 14: Appetizers and Snacks 231 Boosting Your Metabolism with Healthy Snacking 232 Choosing Sweet or Savory Snacking 233 Chapter 15: Sauces and Dressings 255 Seeing the Benefits of Whipping Up Your Own Sauces and Dressings 255 Fixing Unbalanced Flavors in Sauces 257 Chapter 16: Dreamy Desserts 267 Getting to Know Alternative Sweeteners 267 No Eggs, No Dairy, No Problem! 269 Part 4: Plant Based for All Stages of Life 293 Chapter 17: Navigating Restaurants and Special-Occasion Dining 295 The Ins and Outs of Dining Out: Being a Proactive Plant-Based Eater 296 Finding plant-friendly establishments 296 Navigating menus 297 Asking for what you want 299 Eating Delivery and Takeout, Veggie Style 300 Chinese 301 Japanese 301 Italian 302 Mediterranean 302 Mexican 303 Thai 303 Celebrating Holidays and Special Occasions 304 Being a gracious guest 304 Being a host with the most 305 Showing People Just How Fun Veggie Dining Can Be 306 Chapter 18: Raising Children on a Plant-Based Diet 309 Nurturing a Plant-Based Baby 310 Understanding why breastfeeding is essential for your baby 311 Loading breast milk with nutrients 312 Understanding the ins and outs of formula 313 Starting on solids 313 Whipping up your own baby food 315 Navigating the Toddler Years 316 Introducing a variety of foods 317 Choosing nutrient-dense foods 317 Raising Healthy Kids and Teens 319 Overcoming resistance 319 Providing balanced meals and snacks 321 Handling occasions outside of your control 322 Chapter 19: Getting Older, Getting Wiser about Your Plant-Based Diet 325 Knowing How Plants Contribute to a Longer Life 326 Pondering how plants protect your cells 326 Slowing down diseases 327 Ensuring That You’re Getting the Right Nutrients 329 Getting enough of special nutrients 329 Figuring out nutrition shakes 330 Training caregivers on the plant-based approach 331 Preparing plant-based foods for easier consumption 331 Working with Prescriptions and Diet 332 Taking fewer pills, getting more health 333 Recognizing dangerous interactions between medicines and foods 334 Part 5: The Part of Tens 337 Chapter 20: Ten Foods That Are Surprisingly Not Plant Based 339 Bread 339 Veggie Burgers or Sausages 340 Worcestershire Sauce 340 Alcoholic Beverages 340 Noodles and Pasta 341 Dairy-Free Cheese 341 Granola 341 Boxed Cereal and Cereal Bars 342 Orange Juice 342 Veggie Soups and Curries 342 Chapter 21: Ten Plant-Based Foods That Boost Your Immunity 343 Garlic 343 Onions 344 Ginger 344 Cayenne 345 Squash 345 Almonds 345 Citrus Fruits 346 Green Tea 346 Miso Soup 346 Mushrooms 347 Chapter 22: Ten Bad Things about Eating Meat 349 Meat Production Wastes Natural Resources 349 Meat Isn’t as Rich in Nutrients as Plants 351 Animals Are Fed Poor-Quality Feed 351 Meat Is Acidic 352 Meat Is Loaded with Toxins 352 Meat Is High in Saturated Fat 353 Eating Meat Can Increase Your Risk for Cancer and Osteoporosis 353 Eating Meat Impacts Climate Change 354 Eating Meat Is Cruel 354 The Meat Industry Is Getting Worse 355 Appendix A: Metric Conversion Guide 357 Index 361