I recently changed from eating a vegetarian diet to a plant-based diet. Some refer to this as being a vegan,  but it is slightly different. I started this after a friend mentioned she had started the plan and it helped tremendously with her energy and recovery time. In addition, she had not had a migraine in weeks after suffering a month-long migraine prior to starting the plant-based plan. This intrigued me because I have suffered from migraines for a few years.

Perceived hurdles that have been proven wrong:

• I don’t want to eat only salads. There have been times that I ate so many salads, that I did not want to see any lettuce for weeks. I started off using the Whole Foods Cook Book. This book provides enough variety of recipes to not get bored. I have not liked all the recipes, but have found several that are my reliable standards. My favorites include Sweet Potato and Tempeh, Mock Tuna Salad, and Corn Chowder. Salads are still part of my routine, but not to the point that I dread them!
• It seemed like it would be difficult to find meals when eating out. I have to admit this is the most difficult hurdle. Most restaurants use oils and other processed ingredients. Most times I can order sides, plain baked potatoes, and salads.
• Where will I get protein?? I already had issues at times finding protein. Now I realize that I was just not being creative. Beans and legumes are so easy and can be added to almost any meal. While I have been on this plan, it has been rare for me to get hungry at inconvenient times.
• This will become difficult and boring. I think this eating style has been better for me because I plan for several meals at one time. I have never loved cooking but this has actually been fun. I have cooked more in the past three to four months than the previous eighteen months. Typically, over the weekend, I cook a couple entrees and freeze portions for later. I am now searching a variety of blogs for new recipes and ideas. My next book will be the Good Clean Food Cook Book.
• I thought it would be really difficult to give up my mid-morning snack of Greek yogurt. Surprisingly, after the first two days I did not think about the yogurt anymore!

I have had very few migraines since moving to plant-based.  I think I can attribute the ones I have had to work and family stress. In the past, my migraines just might have been due to the processed foods in my diet.