A lot of you have asked for tips - especially for guys - on a plant based diet. We have written a lot about the facts and science behind why we should eat more veggies, and what works for us, but it’s hard to give tips on something you haven’t experienced. Like being a guy going green. We are so lucky to get some top tips from some very inspiring men, on how they eat in a way that takes care of our planet. Thank you for sharing guys!
First of all just want to remind you WHY it’s important:
30 % of the global green house emissions come from the food industry. Half of these are from livestock.
The five biggest meat and dairy producers in the world have larger emissions than the world’s biggest oil companies such as ExxonMobile, Shell and BP.
If all Americans would swap for a plant based diet, we would be able to feed 350 million more people.
70 % of the damages to the rainforest in Brasil are due to the meat industry.
If everyone in Norway would have one meat free day a week we would reduce emissions equal to 170.000 cars in one year.
(All facts from our book Jordnært - check it out if you are interested in the articles and research).
Now over to the tips.
Christopher Gulliksen
Christopher is a chef and the co-founder of Åkern and Mat fra Hagen in Trondheim. Åkern is a site where you can order delicious plant based meals straight home, saving both time and the environment. Kudos to making it easy and delicious to eat more plant based foods.
Social: @christophergulliksen + @akern.no
Get yourself proper equipment
Every man (and woman) with respect for him/herself needs a kickass knife and a proper cast iron skillet. It’s hardcore and your food tastes better and better each time you make a meal in it.
Learn the basic techniques on how to make a curry/stir-fry/soup
Then you’ll make awesome food out of anything! Use your skillet, oil, fry some onion, garlic, throw in some fresh herbs, a slice of lime, lemon, spices, curry paste, get it all in the pan, release the flavors! Then you build… mushroom, carrot, sweet potato, did I say mushroom? Add liquid, beer, booze, stock, reduce. Then you build, coconut milk, tomato, stock, beer… and there you have it!
Teach yourself to make an open fire without lighter and firefighter in the woods!
All men that eat plantbased can do this;) By now you should have mastered step 1 and 2 and its time to say bye bye one-time-grill and hot dogs from Gilde. Make a curry over your kickass open fire!
I would recommend taking the approach to a plantbased diet step-by-step
Try to remove things one at the time. See what you miss and try to find out why. Most likely it’s the taste and texture. You can recreate the taste and texture you miss in anything. For example the texture of chicken can be found in a mushroom. Just experiment. Use you iron pan, press the mushroom with the salt, pepper, shred it, marinade it, bake it. For me plant based foods gave me the love for cooking - it became mystical and interesting again.
Health first!
With good health we make better decisions, we can take care of each other, the planet. A whole-foods plant based diet gives you just this. You will lower your blood sugar, lower your cholesterol, blood pressure, and help your heart. You will feel lighter, more agile and stronger. You are making one of the best individual efforts to help the planet, the animals and yourself. Don’t worry, you will get more then enough protein if you stick to a whole-food plant based diet without to many refined foods. Eat beans, legumes, starchy veggies, grains, add leafy greens to each meal, spinach, beets, chard, arugula, kale, broccoli - it’s packed with antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and fiber - which again helps to control your blood sugar.
Thomas aka Veganmannen
Thomas stopped eating meat 25 years ago, and has been vegan for the past 10 years. He wants to inspire people to reduce their intake on animal products, and see how easy it can he! He inspires thousands of people though his instagram and webside filled with delicious and easy recipes.
Social: veganmannen.no + @vegdude + fb.com/veganmannen
Be creative in the kitchen
Don’t be afraid to try different recipes, vegetables, vegan proteins and spices. There is so much to experience! If you don’t really like to cook, remember the more you do it the better you get, and the more fun it gets. You can always invite a friend or two over to make food with you.
Try vegan food when traveling
When you are on vacation, just write "vegan" in google maps and see if there is places nearby that offer vegan food. I always check the reviews to be sure to pick a good one. I also recommend the website HappyCow.
Eating out - ask the chef
If you are at a restaurant that doesn’t have any vegan options on the menu, ask if the chef if they can prepare something for you or see what other things they have on the menu that they can veganize for you. A good chef knows how to prepare a great vegan meal;)
Get daily inspiration
Follow different vegan influencers on Instagram and Facebook for daily inspiration.
Educate yourself
Watch documentaries on meat production and you will get more engaged in the vegan lifestyle. I recommend "Cowspiracy", "Earthlings", "Meat the truth", "Forks over knives" and "Dominion".
Hallvard Kolltveit
Hallvard lives in Lofoten and works as a surf photographer. He started to reduce his meat intake when we moved to the US for studies, and after watching Cowspiracy and wanting to recuse his footprint further, he went plant based. Today he is around 97 % plant based and thinks its quite easy!
Social: www.hallvardkolltveit.com + @hallvardkolltveit
Don’t be afraid to get creative in the kitchen
Try and fail and try again, most likely you will end up making something you really like!
Track your intake
In the beginning it can be helpful to track your food using a nutrition app or a website to make sure you get all the nutrients you need on a daily basis. The cool thing is that you will also notice how packed of good things vegetables and fruits are.
Make big portions
Don’t be afraid to eat a lot of food! In the beginning, you will probably get hungry more often that you used to. The good news is that you get to eat a lot! Which is the best part. If you are a really active person like me, opt for good fat sources such as nuts, seeds and avocado. Lots of avocado.
Let your body adjust with time
Your body might feel different in the beginning, as your body is adjusting to other types of nutrients. Give it some time, and you will feel really good after you start incorporating more plant based foods.
Don’t be afraid of not getting enough protein - you will
You will get enough protein, and it possible to eat plant based even when you are in activity most of the day.
CHECK OUT OUR NEWEST PODCAST EPISODE WITH HALLVARD HERE.
Hope you enjoyed this post! Make sure to follow these guys for daily tips and tricks, and drop a comment for any questions or tips you want to share.