WFPB - Our Journey

Watching someone you love die makes an impact that lasts a lifetime.  But watching that person suffer and knowing that years of suffering could perhaps have been avoided based on dietary choices cuts to the core.

Without getting too personal, my husband and I began researching medical "cures" for my father-in-law as he year by year found himself riddled with obesity, heart disease, kidney failure, diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol, along with numerous other maladies - all of which basically stopped him from living many years before he actually passed.

Time and again research brought us to a Whole Food Plant Based Diet for prevention as well as treatment for almost all of the above.  We read the usual books (The China Study, Whole, etc.) and spent hours on NutritionFacts.org, and we were overwhelmed with facts and science that led us to make a decision for our family. And in 2013 our already dairy-free family (lactose and allergy issues) went vegan and we've never looked back.

I've forged my way through the WFPB world and found that eating "vegan" doesn't have to be a thing, one can just eat without animal products and it doesn't have to be a big deal. And one can eat well - meaning tasty as well as nutritious meals - with good recipes, and one will simply not notice the missing animal ingredients.

I'm not a big fan of substitutes, hence you won't find many "weird" ingredients here, no fake meat or processed fake cheese, and I'm also not a fan of soy.  

My goal is to cook meals that are enjoyed and savored, meals that will provide joy as well as nutrition, and not have to be labeled "vegan".  I love that I can cook for meat eating friends and they won't even know their meal is missing the animal products.

And my grown son - he says he has not embracing the WFPB diet, however without realizing it his diet is about 90% plant based (he's severely lactose intolerant and hence has no dairy in his diet, and he only occasionally adds animal protein to his veggie quinoa or brown rice creations).  He sends a special request for Cheezy Pasta (Nutritional Yeast based) every time he comes home (Recipe coming soon - stay tuned!) and says he loves it way better than the old Mac N Cheese from the blue box he had at friend's houses when he was a young teen.

At Liv Life I share my tips and tricks for vegan make-overs and we'll enjoy classics like Pumpkin Pancakes and Banana Waffles that you can serve to your kid's friends (who profess they won't eat vegan foods...) and they are likely to say they've just had the best breakfast ever.

My sister and her family are working to adopt a plant based lifestyle, however she's found stumbling blocks that I'd not thought of -  

Sister: "You mean the yeast I use for bread is not Nutritional Yeast?"  

Me: "Nope... it's a whole different beast!"

These are questions that one won't know unless they ask, but questions those of us familiar with the products take for granted.  So here we'll share our discoveries and revelations together.

Won't you join me as we explore this path and find the beauty in plants and health along the way?!

Note:  When I began this blog in 2010 we were not plant based... I've toyed with removing the non-plant based recipes from my blog, but have decided not to.  Most of my friends are not plant based and they do refer back to these recipes for reference, hence I am keeping them for others to enjoy.

In addition - My son occasionally comes up with some amazing creations, and I may occasionally share those here for others who cook for non-vegan family members.