What you'll eat
A whole-food, plant-based approach built around satisfying, familiar foods. No calorie counting. No complicated systems. No extreme dieting.
THE FOUNDATION
Why this works
Whole plant foods are naturally high in fiber and volume. They fill you up with fewer calories than processed foods — not because of restriction, but because of how the foods themselves behave in the body.
This is not a juice cleanse, detox, or crash diet. Meals are built around satisfying staples that most people already know: potatoes, rice, oats, beans, lentils, vegetables, and fruit. Most people are surprised by how filling the meals actually are.
THE PLATE METHOD
A simple way to build every meal
Half your plate from non-starchy vegetables, a quarter from satisfying starches, and a quarter from legumes. Fruit on the side or as dessert. With no limit on how much you can eat
STARCHES
-
Potatoes & sweet potatoes
-
Rice, oats, barley, corn
-
Whole grain pasta & bread
-
Pseudograins (e.g. quinoa, buckwheat, amaranth)
LEGUMES
-
Lentils, chickpeas & split peas
-
Black, kidney & white beans
NON-STARCHY VEGETABLES
-
Leafy greens & salads
-
Broccoli, zucchini, peppers, cauliflower, celery, carrots, asparagus, onions, etc.
FRUIT
-
Apples, berries, bananas, oranges, grapes, and melon as a snack or dessert
A SAMPLE DAY
What a typical day looks like
Most meals follow the same simple structure: a satisfying starch, a legume, and plenty of vegetables.
BREAKFAST
Oatmeal with berries, banana & cinnamon
or
Veggie breakfast burrito (black beans, potatoes & salsa in a whole wheat tortilla)
LUNCH
Mujadara (rice & lentils) with cucumber-tomato salad
or
Chickpea vegetable soup with whole grain pita & a salad
DINNER
Baked potato with Italian white bean soup & steamed greens
or
Spaghetti with marinara & sautéed vegetables
SNACKS
Apple slices
or
Rice crackers with hummus & carrots
ABOUT PROTEIN
Are you getting enough?
This is the most common question people have. The answer usually surprises them. Below is an actual protein count for the sample day above — every gram from whole plant foods, no supplements or powders.
Both the US RDA and the WHO recommend a minimum of 0.8g of protein per kilogram of body weight per day for healthy adults.
AVERAGE MAN
80 kg / 175 lb
~64g
minimum daily protein
AVERAGE WOMAN
65 kg / 143 lb
~52g
minimum daily protein
The sample day above provides ~67g of protein — meeting or exceeding the daily requirement for most adults, with no supplements, powders, or animal products.
What research suggests about excess protein
While meeting protein needs is important, research suggests that consistently consuming protein well above what the body requires may carry health risks.
Studies have linked chronically high protein intake — particularly from animal sources — to increased strain on the kidneys, which must work harder to process the byproducts of protein metabolism. This is especially well-established in individuals with existing kidney disease.
Epidemiological research has also found associations between high animal protein intake and elevated IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor 1), a hormone linked to increased risk of certain cancers.
Longevity researchers including Dr. Valter Longo have found that moderate — rather than high — protein intake is associated with better long-term health outcomes and reduced all-cause mortality in middle-aged and older adults.
The goal is to meet your protein needs, not dramatically exceed them. A varied whole-food, plant-based diet tends to do exactly that.
Start with a free discovery call
We’ll talk through your situation and see if this is the right fit.
10+ years in clinical practice · Evidence-based · No-nonsense