Meal Mentor

Have Food Allergies? Here's How to Eat Around Them!

A client emailed:

"I have been gluten-free and eating clean 75% of the time for 16 months. I have recently been diagnosed with even more serious food allergies. No coconut, no apples, no bananas, no cane sugar, no rice, no pepper, and the list goes on. I feel like I can't eat anything! Please help!"

Have you tried the meal plans?

They're always gluten-free, and with lower fat options, there's no coconut. Apples and bananas can usually be omitted.

Instead of rice you can use quinoa, oats or cauliflower, among other options like kamut :)

If you ever have an allergy substitution question, you can email support[at]getmealplans[dot]com for help :)

We have a lot of users with long lists of allergies and they do really well.

There's also some research now suggesting allergy tests aren't the most reliable either. Sometimes it's better to do an elimination diet (The GLOW meal plan is part elimination diet). That really helped me and my sister identify our true allergies. Basically, eat potatoes for a few days, until you are sick of them, and then slowly add one or two new foods and see what happens with eating them.

Above all, you still have a lot to eat, you just feel overwhelmed, as we all do when foods are taken away -- I have a big chapter on dealing and working around allergies and other food issues in my book The Happy Herbivore Guide to Plant-Based Living.

One big piece of advice from that chapter is to stop focusing on all the foods you can't have and start writing a list of all the options you can have. You'll tire of the exercise before you ever exhaust your list.

Feel better soon!

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4 New Ways to Get Kids to Eat Their Veggies

Kids not excited about steamed vegetables?

Don't worry! Here are some fun and creative new ways to get them to eat their veggies!

Cook the entire thing. Rather than chopping your cauliflower into florets, put the entire head into the oven. Once it's roasted, cut into wedges and serve.

Edible bowls. Serve your veggie or hummus dip in a lettuce or cabbage bowl. Not only will you save time doing the dishes, but you can also chop it up and make a salad!

Swap out your grains. Put a new spin on grains by grating some cauliflower (just like the Cauliflower Risotto on the meal plans!) and throwing it into a salad. Or spiralize some zucchini or carrots and make noodles.

Vegify your buns. Instead of using a whole-wheat bun, slap your bean burger on a makeshift bun made out of veggies. (Works great for sliders!)

Try the meal plans! Every week we're coming up with fun and exciting new recipes that the whole family will love!

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Introducing the New Dinner Only Family Meal Plan

I'm so excited to unveil the new dinner only family meal plan!

I think everyone will be very happy with the new features and format!

The new dinner only family meal plan starts June 4th. If you subscribe to the monthly family meal plan, you'll receive it instantly via email the moment it's released. The individual meal plan is the same, with a slight improvement on the prep sheet.

What does the dinner only meal plan include?

1) The new meal plan features 7 dinner recipes, most brand new!

2) This new plan is also perfect for couples! You'll both have leftovers for lunch the next day!

3) Amazingly new awesome shopping list!

All of the ingredients (minus the pantry staples) note which meals they belong to. That means if you don't want to cook meal #2, just cross out where the "2" is on the shopping list and you're good to go! SO easy!

This feature has been long requested and was not possible with the old meal plan, but is now here for the new dinner only plan :)

Check it out:

For more details, see this blog post!

If you are a monthly subscriber and want to change to the new dinner only family meal plan, you can do so from your profile. If you are an annual subscriber, please email support[at]getmealplans[dot]com to change.

Get the current meal plan now.

Is Fruit Juice Good For You?

Temps are on the rise, but before you quench your thirst with some cold juice from the fridge, you may want to think twice.

Fruit juice (or vegetable juice) may seem like a healthy alternative, but they can also be sneaky calorie bombs. And some juices can actually have more calories than soda!

According to Jeff Novick, "the problem with fruit juice is not so much the fructose...it is the calories which are liquid calories that lack fiber, are very low in satiety and also the overall calorie and sugar concentration that are the issues."

He recommends limiting juice to one serving (or 4-6oz) a day on occasion. Remember, most juices are 12-24oz!

Dr. Esselstyn suggests staying away from juice altogether, especially if you have or are at risk for heart disease.

He says, "Do not juice. Fructose separated from fiber is too rapidly absorbed and injurious. Drinking fruit juice is like pouring the sugar bowl down your throat. You lose the benefits of fiber best obtained eating the fruit. Chew your food."

"Sports drinks" and "vitamin water" aren't much better. Instead, try herbal iced tea or add some fresh squeezed fruit to your water. For more ideas on how to spice up your water, check out this post.

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Why Eggs Aren't a Health Food

A meal plan user emailed:

"I've read a lot about the negative effects of meat and dairy, however, I'm having a hard time letting go of eggs for breakfast. I have been using your meal plans and they have made it easy to enjoy giving up meat and cheese. So my question for you is: are eggs healthy when eaten with a plant-based diet?"

I'm so happy to hear you're enjoying the meal plans!

Eggs are high in cholesterol, damage the endothelial lining of the arteries (damages the heart) and contain animal protein, which can feed cancer growth, etc. Eggs aren't a health food, and that's why I abstain (I don't identify as vegan, but I do follow a 100% plant-based diet for my health, among other factors).

Dr. McDougall has a very detailed article on the subject you can read here.

Dr. Esselstyn also comments on eggs in this Q&A.

For more information and research, check out my new book The Happy Herbivore Guide to Plant-Based Living. I cover studies and nutrition in detail.

Get the current meal plan now.

How to Eat Healthy While Traveling

I travel pretty often with work, and while I often take my pressure cooker with me to keep on point with the meal plans, that's not always an option.

Here are some of the basic items I eat "on the go" to stay near perfect with the meal plan. (I'm strict with the meal plans after years of yo-yo'ing with the same 10-15 lbs, read my story here.)

Oatmeal from Starbucks -- but without the dried fruit (they're covered in oil and have added sugar), and without the nuts since I stay low fat.

I typically add a banana (Starbucks always sells bananas). FYI their oatmeal comes with brown sugar. I don't find I need it, but sprinkling a little on the top would be consistent with the meal plans' nutritional standards.

I'm also a huge fan of sushi. I tend to get cucumber, or cucumber and carrot sushi (brown rice whenever it's possible). I always skip avocado since I keep low fat, but avocado sushi is easy to come by.

Edamame is pretty easy to come by as well, but soy can be high in fat so I tend to limit my edamame and tofu, to be consistent with our meal plan guidelines (that are always soy-free and gluten-free!).

Another favorite is just a big ol bowl of steamed vegetables with rice... and fruit is available everywhere!

I loved this frozen fruit platter by the pool, btw!

Last but not least -- my old standby, a big salad and a baked potato (or two!)

Another quick option is a vegetable sandwich. I'll get tons of veggies on a whole-wheat bun. It can sometimes be hard to find 100% whole-wheat (and also oil-free) bread on the go, but sometimes you just have to do the best you can. An imperfect veggie sandwich is still better than French fries ;)

I also make use of salad bars to keep it varied!

A few people have asked if I eat at Taco Bell and the answer is no. It's an easy vegan option, I admit, but after learning their beans are mostly just fat, I steer clear (and my tum tum thanks me).

AND of course, especially when traveling, I remind myself that eating doesn't always have to be a "pleasure" -- not every meal has to be a decadent feast or a form of entertainment. It's a biological need, so a salad and potato are doin' my genes right!

For more help and tips with traveling, check out my new book The Happy Herbivore Guide to Plant-Based Living, it has a HUGE, ginormous travel section.

Happy Traveling!

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