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I’m wondering if there are other people in the Brandon area who follow this diet, even if it’s just some of the time or in the transition from your meat-eating lifestyle. Would love to meet other people who can learn from each other, swap recipes, etc. Thanks in advance!

I don't have helpful information (other than I'm absurdly excited to try different kinds of beans lately, lol), but does oil-free mean added fat-free, or just refined oil free? I'm curious what someone following that diet does for fats. Or is eating nuts and oily fruits enough? And does that include coconut oil?  
 
No criticism intended, I'm actually very curious as I've never heard of oil-free diets before.

Abbysmum, beans is really just the start! There is so much more than just beans. I’m not exactly sure what you’re asking regarding added fat-free, but oil-free means no oil. “Not even in my cupboard” - No oil. Lol  
For fat, eating nuts, nut butters, seeds, avocados, olives. And yes, these do provide sufficient fat.  
 
 
Farmergeorge, it’s not really a fad diet, it’s more a lifestyle based on eating food in its most natural form, hence why it’s called “whole foods.” It’s much healthier. You can still eat plant based and have a bad or unhealthy diet if you’re just replacing cheese with processed cheese made of oils or over processed soy beans and so on. So it’s more about the type of plant based eating than a diet

I was thinking about it more after I posted and realized that yes, you probably could get enough fat from just nuts etc. I don't always think like that because I have many allergies including nuts, so something like that isn't an option. My go-to lately has been olive oil for everything, or just straight up butter. But also being conscious of how much oil I'm using cooking, to make sure it's a balanced amount instead of glugging it on.  
 
I don't intend to give up eating animal products but I do love lots of vegetarian fare and I'm choosing to abstain from meat etc more often not only as part of my religious practice but also where I feel I can't get locally/sustainably produced foods. So I'm always curious about vegetarian/vegan fare as I try to expand my cooking reperatoire!

Also, I really, really love beans! lol Trying them and different kinds of squash has been a really delicious adventure. And ferments.  
 
Who knew?  
 
Signed, former picky eater

Very cool that you’re trying to eat more vegetarian dishes. Some other things you may not have considered is green and red lentils. The green is very good with rice, garlic and onions and some spices. (Look up Majadara) and the red is great for curries, such as a coconut Dal. Another thing to try is meatless tacos. I lightly fry up onions, green/red peppers, shredded cabbage, corn so they’re still crunchy but somewhat soft, to put on them. Then take black beans and add a taco seasoning just as you would with beef. It’s very good. The kids like it too.

We have been plant based whole food for some time now. I highly suggest you check out Forks Over Knives magazine and App for great recipes. You should be able to find the magazine at most places that sell them.  
 
Another great resource for recipes is Dr McDougalls website:  
 
https://www.drmcdougall.com/health/education/recipes/mcdougall-recipes/  
 
Regarding cooking, oil is not required. We will use a little bit of broth or just plain water when cooking in a pot or pan.  
 
Farmergeorge: Eating whole food plant based is not a "fad" diet. Its a lifestyle choice which is healthy and even common in some parts of the world.  
 
PS: This is our supper tonight.....  
 
Butternut cream farfalle with Black Bean and Pumpkin seeds:  
 
20 0z butter nut squash cubed  
1 onion  
2 cloves garlic  
1 Tbsp tomato paste  
1 tsp curry power  
1/2 tsp oregano  
8 oz farfalle or bowtie pasta  
1 - 15 oz can black beans  
1 tbsp almond butter  
1/4 cup roasted pumpkin seeds  
salt/pepper  
 
cook first 6 ingredients in sauce pan until squash is tender.  
 
cook pasta adding black beans at last minute of cooking.  
 
in a food processor, process squash mixture and almond butter season with salt/pepper  
 
drain pasta and beans, add sauce stirring to coat. sprinkle with pumpkin seeds.  
 
Enjoy.

If you have allergies to certain foods then that is fair enough.  
The intuitive eating information is an interesting read though (article in western producer) . There is a lot of misinformation out there about what constitutes a balanced and nutritious diet.

I like eating cows and chickens

I have nothing against people adjusting their diets as long as they truly know what they are doing and why. Myself I have changed the quantity and balance of my own diet to reduce my weight and cholesterol with the help of a certified nutritionist and I am very physically active. There is a lot of misinformation about proper nutrition and misrepresentation about the carbon footprint and food miles of certain foods. In a lot of cases the whole picture is not clearly presented by special interest groups and retailers and often labelling indicates false benefits and claims. Hence the fear based food marketing culture. We really should be teaching home economics and nutrition in schools so that we can all make better food decisions.

Your majesty, I love the forks over knives app, although I find there isnt as many recipes as I would like. I’m Currently trying the 2 weeks trial for their meal planning and it’s fantastic! Never found a meal plan this easy and user friendly. I’ve asked for as many of the forks over knives books and recipe books and a subs:cription. Hopefully Santa delivers! Lol  
 
That recipe sounds fantastic! I’ll have to try it out!  
I’m making a tortilla “pizza” using hummus, veggies and nutritional yeast. Can’t wait to try it!

I agree with lots of what you say. That's why we've chosen to continue to eat animals, although we've reduced the amount/frequency and are more selective as to their sources. The data I've seen suggests that it will be impossible to have healthy agriculture without either animal inputs (i.e. manure) or [i]more[/i] reliance on oil to synthesize the kind of agriculture inputs we need. It makes sense to continue to have animals as part of our food chain, to eat them, but to moderate the amount we eat. For generations, meat was more a flavouring and/or a special occasion meal, and the bulk of the rest of our diet was plants/nuts/seeds (and later grains). And yet here we are, often eating meat 3 meals a day.  
 
There's that other thread floating around about e. coli in lettuce, and the other about oranges. It has everything to do with food miles, eating out of season, and not being attuned to the cycle of seasons. Not that we should go back to eating potage all winter long, but being more aware of seasonality would make people question where our food comes from more.  
 
But I fully support eating less meat, we should probably eat less meat (my doctor 20 years ago told me that we only need to eat it a few times a week).

I sometimes disguise red lentils as ground beef, or mix the two to cut the meat in the dish. There's lots of things we like to eat that I remind the kids are vegetarian when they complain lol.

The raising of livestock (at least in the western world) is an integral part of building a more environmentally and sustainable industry and if we are hoping to transition to smaller farms then livestock will need to be a huge part of that. Farming is a system that depends on healthy soils and if we intend to reduce cultivation , synthetic fertilizers and chemical use then we need farm animals to help us to improve and build our soil not only on crop land but also native prairie. You are also correct when you talk about the seasonality of certain foods. We have become so used to having whatever we want available year round that we have forgotten our way and most consumers do not understand the environmental impact and potential food risks created by our current approach. Again I feel that the right path is through education and I think that it needs to start in schools.  
 
Edited by Farmergeorge, 2019-12-18 08:51:04

Plant based foods are not "natural" anymore. At least not the plant based foods which currently can be bought in retail stores.  
 
Here is the thing . In order to grow plant based foods at a large enough scale to make it profitable, farmers need synthetic fertilisers, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides etc.  
 
In the province of Manitoba the biggest CO2 emissions into the atmosphere is coming from the synthetic fertiliser industry. The top CO2 emissions culprit is the production of Synthetic Nitrogen. Now let us get this straight, cows do not need synthetic fertilisers. As a matter of fact cows are producing the fertiliser which our grandparents used to grow healthy gardens which produced nutritious vegetables etc.  
 
If you decide to buy "organic" plant based foods only, then you can be certain that most of the products you buy were grown using "cow" and other animal manure.  
 
And then in a perfect vegan world there would be no cows because farmers will not farm with what is not in demand. And then the plant based farmers will have to rely more and more on synthetic fertilisers.  
 
Also if you eat grain based foods, beans, lentils etc. know for certain that huge tractors, combines etc. were spewing CO2 into the air to till the land, seed, harvest and spraying, herbicides, pesticides, fungicides and fertilizers.  
 
Also tilling of the soil in nature is a catastrophic event! Millions of soil bacteria and beneficial critters like earthworms for instance are getting killed in the process.  
 
Also tilling brings the carbon in the soil to the surface. It gets into contact with Oxygen, oxidation takes place and huge amounts of CO2 are being released into the atmosphere.  
 
By writing this, my aim is not to convince anyone to stop eating plant based foods. Far from it. I myself like to eat bread, beans, lentils, pea soup , all kinds of vegetables, nuts, fruits and the list can go on. I also eat meat. Everything in moderation though. Just remember eating more meat or less meat will not affect climate change. (When the first settlers arrived on the prairies 60 million buffaloes roamed the prairie grass and did not contribute to climate change!) Meat is not the culprit. Stop eating plant based foods are also not the answer to climate change.  
 
Doing it right, agriculture can sequestrate carbon into the soil. Together farmers and city people can work towards a healthy food supply which will have a neutral carbon footprint. Insist on meat and plant based foods produced by regenerative farmers. (Google Regenerative farming!) The beauty of regenerative farming products is that farmers will have less input costs and therefore will be able to sell their products at a better price to the consumers. With the boon of producing food that is healthier than "certified organic foods"!  
 
In conclusion I would like to admit that there are valid reasons why a person would eat plant based foods only:  
1) Your God, religion, church, faith etc. commands you to eat plant based foods only.  
2) Taste  
3) You do not like the idea that animals have to be slaughtered.  
 
If you would like to know more about regenerative farming and you would like to talk face to face with scientists, take highway ten north of Brandon until you find a MBFI sign on the right hand side, follow the signs and talk to your tax dollar funded scientists about the benefits of regenerative farming.  
 
Let us focus on the real culprit of climate change. Fossil fuels. Do not blame the CO2 emitted into the air when humans and animals breath. There is and always was a carbon cycle.

This thread was started as a means to discuss the lifestyle and recipes. The original poster never mentions climate change. We've been down this Rabbit hole before and it leads no where. Clearly people don't support this way of eating and that's fine , and discussing it's pros vs cons in relation to climate change may best be saved for another thread.

I wouldn’t say it leads no where. It’s just different people discussing and learning about the lifestyle and choices of others and helping each other (whatever your views) to understand the bigger picture and each others passions. I learn lots from this and from consumers which is important to me as producing food is my family’s life passion and business .

I'm vegan and try my best to make everything homemade and trying to stay away from oil.  
It's a great way to live also you will find yourself with a ton more energy!!!

I 100% percent follow whole food plant-based No oil eating it is amazing I concur with your majesty with forks over knives and Dr. McDougall... also Dr. Esselstyn and family, Dr Greger at (www.NutritionFacts.org) good resource too and Dr Fuhrman!  
 
Check out all online or YouTube or Facebook!  
 
No oil is easy, ditch the olive oil and also ditch ALL meat products (meat, dairy, eggs) everything else is easy: greens, vegetables, beans, lentils whole grains (brown rice, quinoa, sprouted breads, etc), flax seed, oatmeal, fruit  
 
Also On YouTube:  
Simnett Nutrition and Garbanzo girl EXCELLENT and they both follow the above mentioned doctors  
 
THANK YOU YOUR MAJESTY FOR THE RECIPE!...planned on Doing something with butternut squash and black beans and I also have some brussels sprouts to cook and this will make a perfect meal tomorrow!!  
 
For those that can’t ditch cheese: lots of alternative ‘cheese sauces’ to make using nutritional yeast or cashews or potatoes and carrots  
 
We made homemade pizzas for New Years, no cheese, just sauce and I used fresh basil, red onion, arugula, tomatoes, green and red pepper, pineapple and sliced green olives as toppings. The pizza is great without cheese :-)  
Best of luck! Once you know what you know and also try this way of eating, you won’t turn back! High energy, low inflammation. It’s amazing!!  
 
Edited by Albec , 2020-01-01 02:58:28