Dear Friends,
Hello and welcome back! In this space I highlight one of our courses in an interview format. This week I'm talking to Beth and Scott Putnam about their course, 21-Day Plant-Based Plan for a Lighter, Happier You! There is a lot of good information here if you are curious about trying out a plant-based plan. Let's get started.
You deserve to look and feel exactly the way you desire, and you have the power to make it happen! Whether you want to drop a few pounds to fit into your skinny jeans, or you're ready to learn about a healthy and sustainable way of eating, it is possible to establish a completely new relationship with food and create healthier eating habits. You can enjoy the benefits of consuming delicious plant-based foods on a spiritual, human, and practical level while achieving your own lasting diet, weight, and lifestyle goals. Scott and Beth are diet and lifestyle change experts who have developed a simple and sustainable food strategy that incorporates the best plant-based recipes with the tools needed to boost your metabolism and get an extra calorie burn with every meal. This course provides a fun, interactive weight loss and nutrition program that focuses on helping and healing the whole person, while losing unwanted pounds for good so you can look and feel great in all your clothes!
- Receive a new lesson every day for 3 weeks (total of 21 lessons).
- Have lifetime access to the course for reference whenever you want.
- Select the amount you can afford, and get the same course as everyone.
- If you are not 100% satisfied, you may request a refund.
Madisyn Taylor: Why do you believe in a plant-based diet?
Scott Putnam: When I learned the science behind a whole-food, plant-based diet, it just made sense to me. The data invariably points to the same conclusion: People around the world who eat more whole plant foods and less animal-based products such as meat and cheese tend to be healthier overall. That provided a clear path in my mind to switch to eating whole, plant-based foods. Even with all the evidence, I'll admit I was a bit skeptical about whether all of the benefits achieved by others would actually work for me. I believed there was no way I was going to feel full and that I certainly would never enjoy the taste or flavors of a diet based only on plant foods. To me, a plant-based diet meant gnawing on a raw head of cabbage or a sack of carrots. Basically, eating like a rabbit! I could not have been more wrong. A new world of delicious, filling, and healthy plant-based meals opened up before me. Within the first day, I felt different...much better. I was cautiously optimistic it would continue. Weight started coming off, I had more energy, and longtime aches and pains simply disappeared. Then, I was convinced.
MT: Briefly tell me how you came to live and teach this topic.
Beth Putnam: We began our plant-based journey after months of researching the best diets for optimum health and longevity. Also, my family medical history indicated the potential of future health issues I wanted no part of. I needed to find a lifestyle I could maintain that served and energized my family's health and long-term well-being. I had reached the most important tipping point of my life and knew, beyond a doubt, that I needed to eat more plants.
We started with a plan that included giving up all animal-based foods (meat, fowl, fish, eggs, and dairy). The first thing I noticed was that the chronic hip pain I had struggled with for many years was gone. I felt an increase in mental clarity and slept better within the first week. By the end of the second week, I had tons of happy energy and started losing weight. At the end of the plan, my entire family wanted to continue with the delicious fresh foods we enjoyed prepping and eating together. At the end of six months, Scott had lost 65 pounds and was training for his first half marathon, and I was finally living at a healthy, sustainable weight and feeling fantastic about how I looked and felt. Scott and I became certified plant-based nutrition consultants through Cornell University that year, and based on our personal success living this lifestyle, we knew we had to share our knowledge and experience with others.
MT: What can a student expect their journey to be like as they go through the 21 lessons?
SP: Beth and I joke about wishing there was a course like this when we started our plant-based journey. We realize everyone comes to the course with personal preferences, taste profiles, and beliefs about food. The menu and recipes are designed to accommodate a wide variety of tastes and preferences. Students can expect to sample a wide selection of plant-based meals. Ideally, we want people to find some new flavors and tastes they really enjoy.
Many people find the transition to a plant-based diet easier than they thought. We created recipes that minimize the time spent preparing and cooking food as much as possible. The love of cooking sometimes returns for those who have lost it, and they can now share time in the kitchen with others, really enjoying the process of preparing and cooking meals. Some say that for the first time in their lives they feel connected with their food by touching, smelling, and tasting the beautiful fresh fruits and vegetables.
We created the course with the beginner in mind, but we also support those who are looking for new ideas, tips, and tricks for continuing their plant-based journey. From day one, students receive a full menu of delicious plant-based recipes, as well as weekly shopping lists for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the next 21 days. Daily lessons support and sustain this new lifestyle by helping to create a new and healthy relationship with food. The menu is user-friendly and flexible, accommodating those who would like to follow a strict plan, but also catering to those who are open to mixing and matching recipes to accommodate their specific taste. When students join the DailyOM discussion board, they find inspiration as they connect with others on the same journey.
Students can expect to lose weight naturally, and it's common for many to awaken to a new way of approaching food. They begin to view eating in a more positive light. Once students begin to feel the benefits, they get even more excited, and many experience a new feeling of optimism in their life. People become motivated as they realize they can do this and it is real! The course provides the opportunity to go a little deeper into the inner game of change, with lessons to help change mind-sets and beliefs surrounding food. We all know change can be scary or difficult, especially when we're talking about trying to change habits. Students gain new tools to face any food issues they may have and learn to break the cycle of self-sabotage. The lessons are pleasantly manageable and fun!
MT: When I was vegetarian and then vegan for a while, my iron levels were very low. How can people following a plant-based diet get the nutrition they need?
BP: Please be aware that a whole food, plant-based diet differs from a vegan diet in that the plant-based approach focuses on whole, plant-based foods packed with nutritional value. It does not include processed foods that might be labeled vegan (animal-free product) yet have little or no nutritional value. When eating a plant-based diet and truly integrating a wide variety of plants every day--including greens, vegetables (including potatoes), legumes, fruit, grains, nuts, and seeds--there is usually little need to supplement. Everyone is different and every person enters into this journey with a variety of personal goals and needs. It's important to talk with your doctor if you have questions about your health or major changes in diet, especially if you currently take any medication or deal with chronic health issues.
MT: Many people believe that a plant-based diet takes too much time with the extra planning and prepping.
BP: Yes, I agree that living a thriving plant-based life does require some planning and prep time. I've embraced the entire process, brought my family into the kitchen, and I now know that time invested in good nutrition greatly reduces stress, fatigue, and chronic health issues now and down the road. When cooking with others, it's a perfect time to unplug, catch up, and connect. Cooking by myself is my meditation time. I love creating beautiful food that nourishes the body, senses, and soul. But even though food prep is my personal Zen time, I'm just as busy as anybody else so we've included several plant-based food-prep hacks to stay on track.
MT: Tell me about the recipes included with each lesson. How did you come up with them?
BP: My recipes are the result of a lifelong love of cooking and eating amazing food from around the world. I quickly learned that the comfort and tradition I loved most about food was the flavor and not necessarily the traditional base (meat, chicken, etc.) of a recipe. For example, one of my favorite all-time flavors is Southern barbeque. Instead of using pulled pork as the base, now I use jackfruit, chickpeas, or black beans with my favorite BBQ sauce to fill up a sprouted grain bun or tortilla, or I serve it on a huge bed of raw or cooked spinach alongside some amazing coleslaw. The plant-based version is full of protein and fiber and doesn't leave me feeling like a need a nap after eating it.
I make similar swaps with other family favorites like lentil sloppy joes, using my mom's recipe but replacing the beef with cooked red or green lentils. I've taken this recipe to large family events and never take any home with me. People love the flavor! Swaps and switches get easier with practice over time. I can tell you that it's worth the effort in the kitchen to feel great and eat well without having to overthink portions or feel deprived. I wouldn't eat this way if I didn't enjoy it so much. For me, food has to be delicious and worth the time to prepare, or why bother?
MT: What is the most unexpected benefit people receive when switching to this way of eating?
SP: I would say the most common benefit is the disappearance of long-time aches and pains almost overnight. Much of our pain is caused by inflammation, and when we remove foods that cause it, inflammation and pain disappear as well. We get used to, and learn to live with, debilitating pain and inflammation, so it's quite shocking when people realize it's no longer there.
A few additional unexpected benefits of switching to this way of eating include increased mental clarity, improved digestion, reduced hot flashes, clear and glowing skin, brighter eyes, and weight loss in spite of eating carbs. Finally, people who choose to establish a personal baseline by checking cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and weight before and after our program are pleasantly surprised when all three improve after only three weeks. The word amazing keeps showing up in our testimonials. People tend to think of changing their diet for weight loss, health, or increasing their energy. When they're blessed with the added benefit of reducing or eliminating pain, they fully realize the power of food. Adding more greens and veggies to your plate is like adding a huge multivitamin to your daily regimen. Increasing the phytonutrients that support our digestive, cardiovascular, immune, lymphatic, and other systems is the magic behind the increase in mental and physical energy. It also supports weight loss and sustainability. Essentially, all of our systems start to run at optimum levels to support our best being.
MT: Please share some feedback with me from some of your DailyOM students about this course.
SP: Many of our students are overjoyed when they realize this is not a calorie-counting or starvation plan. Some of the most common feedback is about the surprisingly delicious recipes, easy weight loss, increased energy, decreased pain, and improved mental clarity. Several people claim their sinuses and allergies have cleared up, and hot flashes have disappeared. Many students are reaching weight loss goals without feeling deprived or battling with food cravings. They enjoy cooking now and are getting their kids and spouses into the kitchen! The discussions are lively, and we're honored to help facilitate amazing stories of people developing completely new and healthier relationships with food. We can all come up with 100 excuses to delay or avoid change, but all you really need is one compelling reason to start. We're thankful to be part of the DailyOM community and look forward to continuing to change lives for the better!
Thank you, Beth and Scott! Over 40,000 DailyOM readers have taken this course already, and as you read above the feedback has been wonderful. If you are ready to try something new, click the button! Until next time.
Be well,
Madisyn Taylor
Cofounder, Editor-in-Chief
DailyOM
