Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Mischa Janiec - Built by Plants (Vegan)
Mischa Janiec - Built by Plants (Vegan)
Built By Plants
First of all, I’d like to give a massive thanks for choos- are eating it. I don’t like the concept of a fixed meal
ing me to help you! plan which you stick to for four weeks or so, simply
because I believe that you need to understand what
Change is hard at first, messy in the middle, but gor- you are doing and why you are doing it. And that is
geous in the end. Whether you are new to this life- exactly what this guide will teach you, thus giving
style or not, your purchase alone shows that you’re you flexibility and independence.
not afraid to embrace change. You’re open-minded
and you’re actively pursuing greatness. I wish you the very best on your journey, and know
I salute you! that if you put in the right effort and commitment re-
quired, you will reap the rewards you deserve.
It’s my mission to help as many people as I can to be-
come the best that they can be and I’m so glad you
are one of them. This guide was created so that you
can make health-conscious eating choices. I want to
guide you towards plant based whole foods, which I
strongly believe is the best way for human beings to
eat, not only for optimal health and performance, but
also for the preservation of our beautiful planet and all
its inhabitants.
4
You will learn about:
6
The vegan diet
8
Why go vegan?
I will keep it short because there are so many benefits the milk? The baby gets taken away from the cow
of a vegan diet regarding health, environment and after a few days. The mother cow cries for hours.
ethics. Let’s start with the animals because they I have heard it and it’s horrible and heart-breaking. The
suffer the most from a human diet that involves animal calf is force-fed and slaughtered after a few months to
products. become veal (calf meat).
It is obvious that animals have to die to become meat Imagine a human mother in a hospital getting her new
such as steak, bacon, chicken, ham etc., but, people born baby taken away and killed. No one would
simply ignore this fact or justify it to themselves. How- stand for this. But the cow produces milk and gets
ever, I believe that to truly justify something you have abused all her life, is fed GMO crops, hormones,
to look at the impact and suffering that is going on. I am antibiotics, and can barely move around. She is im-
convinced if all people could see what animals go pregnated again and again, and after a couple of
through in slaughterhouses, they would immediately years when she doesn’t produce enough milk any-
stop the 5-minute mouth pleasure in order to stop the more, her female baby takes her place and she be-
suffering and murdering of innocent beings. comes a hamburger. This is why the dairy industry
is even crueler than the meat industry because the
Sometimes the connection is harder to make. Peo- animals suffer for so many years.
ple often think there is no cruelty and slaughter in-
volved in dairy products. Let’s think about it. How
does a cow give milk? She needs to be pregnant.
“If slaughterhouses had glass walls,
How does the cow get pregnant? She is raped by
everyone would be vegetarian”
a large metal object that implants sperm into her to
fertilize her eggs. When she has the baby, what hap-
pens to the baby? Isn’t the baby supposed to drink
9
The ethical aspects are the most obvious, but a
whole food,plant-based diet has so many health
benefits that it’s unbelievable and seems unreal! It’s like
becoming a superhero who is immune from all the
widespread diseases. Let’s look at a short paragraph
from doctor Michael Greger about just how profound
the health benefits truly are:
10
Soon after finding out the health and ethical benefits of
a vegan diet, I came across the documentary Cow-
spiracy and was shocked by the environmental impact
of animal agriculture. Animal agriculture is the leading
cause of deforestation of rainforests, water consump-
tion, water pollution, species extinction, destruction
of wildlife, and greenhouse gas emissions. Animal ag-
riculture is by far the biggest offender of every single
category I just mentioned. Point-blank: Our industrial-
ized system of factory livestock harvesting is simply un-
sustainable. It is killing us and the planet and it is time
to acknowledge this reality and change it before it’s too
late.
11
What do vegans eat?
Vegans eat everything that comes from plants. Animals are different definitions that describe what processed
get their food from plants too, so we are just skipping food means, and in my opinion, the best one and the
the middleman and going directly to the source. one we will use here is as follows:
Nowadays we eat a lot of junk food and no matter if it’s Processed means something bad was added and/or
vegan or not, most of it is unhealthy and doesn’t lead to something good was taken away.
our goals, if our goal is to be healthy and thrive.
“Bad” would apply to sugar, oil, syrup etc. and “good
It is more important what we eat than what we exclude. taken away” would apply to fibre, minerals etc.
You can be vegan and drink Coca Cola and eat For example, applesauce with sugar is a processed
potato chips all day, which does not promote health in food because something bad was added (sugar).
any way. So being vegan doesn’t necessarily mean Applesauce without added sugar is a processed
you are eating healthy. This is why we focus on a whole food because nothing bad was added and
whole food, plant-based diet. nothing good was taken away (it is 100% whole
puréed apple).
Whole means not processed. For example, beans and
apples are whole foods. If your food doesn’t have an Hummus is processed because there are added oils
ingredient list it is usually whole, but there are also but it is still a healthy processed food because the
a lot of whole foods that have an ingredient list, such health benefits of the chickpeas outweigh (mostly)
as applesauce (with only apples, not the kind with the bad stuff added (oil, preservatives etc.).
added sugar), or tomato sauce.
Another example would be natural soy yogurt that
We want to avoid too much processed food. There usually consists of soy and a little salt. Too much
12
salt is unhealthy, but because it is only very little You will crave less and less bad processed food
added salt in soy yogurt and the health benefits of because your taste buds will change and become
soy outweigh the negative effects of the extra salt, it is more sensitive which means that even an apple feels
also a healthy processed food. like an explosion in your mouth. So after 2-3 weeks
of eating a healthy, whole food, plant-based diet,
Later in this guide, I will show you a list of which fruits will taste like candy and you will crave your
healthy processed foods I recommend. However, breakfast porridge bowl and your banana ice cream
we want to focus on whole foods, with healthy pro- – trust me! Just give it a try and commit to a whole
cessed foods and a few unhealthy processed foods food, plant based lifestyle for at least one month to
(which are completely ok when eaten in moderation really see the change, not only in your body but also
and can help you to stick to this diet). in your mind and heart.
And soon you will see that you really can enjoy that
80% as well through my recipes and tips that will help
you learn to make your healthy food taste great.
13
“Health is not everything,
but without health,
everything is nothing…”
14
What does healthy, whole food,
plant based nutrition look like?
15
What foods to eat? - Berries
(I always have a couple frozen bags and some
fresh as well, like blueberries, raspberries,
strawberries, red currants etc.)
- Banana
Fruits - Apple
- Kiwi
- Mango
It is important to eat a lot of fruit and a big variety
- Watermelon and other melons
because the number one dietary risk factor is not
- Peach
eating enough fruit (concluded by the global burden of
- Nectarine
disease study funded by Bill Gates). It is the largest
- Grapefruit
study ever in the history of humankind on risk fac-
- Lemon
tors for disease. So make sure to eat a variety of
- Lime
fruits every day and especially the healthiest fruits
- Cherry
like berries and kiwis.
- Orange
- Persimmon
Here is a list of my favorite fruits:
- Dates
- Figs
- Grapes
- Pineapple
- Papaya
- Passion fruit
- Pear
- Avocado
Pick the ones you like and try
other fruits as well
16
Vegetables
People who eat fruits and vegetables as part of their
daily diet have a reduced risk of many chronic dis- - Cucumber
eases. Vegetables are an important part of healthy - Kale
eating and provide a source of many nutrients, includ- - Lettuce
ing potassium, fibre, folate, vitamins etc. and other - Carrot
benefits, making them a real superfood! - Beetroot
- Broccoli
Here is a list of my favorite veggies: - Cauliflower
- Bell pepper
- Potato
- Sweet potato
- Leafy greens
- Spinach
- Arugula
- Tomato
- Kohlrabi
- Eggplant
- Zucchini
17
Legumes
Legumes have quite a remarkable nutrition profile
and are a rich source of healthy fibre and protein.
- Beans
- Peas
- Lentils
- Chickpeas
- Soy such as:
- Tofu
- Edamame
- Tempeh
18
Whole grains
Some popular diet books say you should ditch wheat
or gluten to lose weight. Unless you have celiac
disease, gluten intolerance, or another reason to
cut back, you don’t want to miss out on the health
- Pasta
benefits of whole grains. You’re getting fibre, pro-
(all listed refer to whole grain of course)
tein, vitamins, minerals, and a variety of phytochem-
- Rice
icals that will improve your health so don’t miss out
- Millet
on those healthy whole grains.
- Buckwheat
- Spelt
Here is a list of my favorite whole grains:
- Quinoa
- Amaranth
- Oat
- Whole wheat, rye or sourdough
- Corn
- Kamut
Pick the ones you like and try
other whole grains as well
19
Nuts
Nuts are rich in heart-healthy fats, which lower LDL
(“bad” cholesterol) plus, they are a good source of
phytosterols compounds that help lower blood cho-
lesterol.
- Walnut
They are packed with fibre, protein, vitamins and
- Almond
minerals, including folate, vitamin E, potassium
- Peanut
and magnesium.
- Cashew
- Pecan
Walnuts are the winner amongst nuts, because un-
- Pistachio
like their siblings, they have a significant amount of
- Hazelnut
essential omega-3 fatty acids, but all nuts are healthy
- Brazil nut
and provide their own benefits so please eat a big
- Macadamia
variety.
- Pine nut
Here is a list of my favorite nuts: Pick the ones you like and try
other nuts as well
20
Seeds
Seeds are nutritional powerhouses; just a small
pinch of them is packed with vitamins, minerals, and
essential nutrients.
- Ground flax
- Chia
- Hemp
- Pumpkin
- Sunflower
- Sesame
Pick the ones you like and try
other seeds as well
21
Others
Include these whole plant based foods as well to - Mushrooms
make your diet complete and diverse. - Onion
- Garlic
Here is a list of my favorites: - Tomato sauce
- Protein powder
- Soy sauce
- Hummus
- Date sugar
- Applesauce
- Spirulina
- Moringa
- Baobab
- Barley grass
- Wheatgrass
- Algae like nori, wakame etc.
- Maca
- Spices
- Herbs
Pick the ones you like and try
others as well
22
Dairy & meat
alternatives
Especially for people who make the transition to - Soy milk
a predominantlyplant-based diet, dairy and meat - Almond milk
alternatives can help a lot to overcome your old crav- - Any plant milk
ings for animal products and stick to aplant-based (try a bunch and find out which
diet. But also for people who adopted a plant based ones you like)
lifestyle a while ago, these foods can be a great - Soy yogurt
and healthy add-on to your diet. Here is a list of my - Beyond meat
favorite dairy and meat alternatives: - Nutritional yeast
- Nut cheese
- Any meat substitute
(try a bunch and find out which
ones you like)
Pick the ones you like and try
others as well
23
I just listed my favorite foods out of these 6 groups + others,
but each group has so much more variety to offer and I en-
courage you not only to try out the foods I listed but also try
out new fruits, vegetables, legumes etc.
24
What foods to avoid?
25
Healthy processed foods Unhealthy processed foods
- Hummus - Oils
- Soy yogurt - Sugar
- Applesauce - Vegan ice cream
- Tomato sauce - Vegan pizza
- Guacamole - Vegan hot dogs
- Protein powder - Vegan cheese
- Tofu - Vegan burgers
- Tempeh - Vegan chocolate
- Soy sauce - Vegan butter
- Mustard - Granola
- Nut butters - Syrup
- Tahini - Sweeteners
- Pickles - Candy
- Most plant milks - Sugary cereals
- Falafel (if not deep-fried) - Fries
- Chips
Pick the ones you like and try other - Salt
healthy processed foods as well - Soft drinks
26
Not all of these foods are unhealthy processed
foods. Some vegan ice creams or chocolates count as
healthy processed foods. For example, if you eat
dark chocolate or make your own ice cream out of
bananas and healthy whole foods then it is a healthy
processed food.
27
“Let food be your
medicine and medicine
be your food. “
28
Daily dozen
As one of my role models, Dr. Michael Greger, of other kinds of greens and vegetables on a given day
likes to say: and get no appreciable sulforaphane if you didn’t eat
something cruciferous.
“I suggest we try to center our It’s the same with flaxseeds and the anticancer lignin
compounds. Flax may average a hundred times
diets around whole plant foods, more lignans than other foods. And mushrooms aren’t
but some plants are healthier even plants at all, they belong to an entirely differ-
than others. ent biological classification and may contain nutrients
(like ergothioneine) not made anywhere in the plant
kingdom.
For example, you can apparently live extended pe-
riods eating practically nothing but white potatoes. So technically, maybe I should be referring to a whole
That would, by definition, be a whole food,plant- food, plant and fungus based diet, but that just sounds
based diet but not a very healthy one. All plant foods kind of gross.
are not created equal. The more I’ve researched over
the years, the more I’ve come to realize that healthy As the list of foods I tried to fit into my daily diet grew,
foods are not necessarily interchangeable. Some I made a checklist and had it up on a little dry-erase
foods and food groups have special nutrients not found board on the fridge. We would make a game out of
in abundance elsewhere. ticking off the boxes. This evolved into my daily doz-
en. The checklist of all the things I try to fit into my
For example, sulforaphane, the amazing liver-enzyme daily routine.
detox-boosting compound, is derived nearly exclu-
sively from cruciferous vegetables. You could eat tons
29
30
This may all sound like a lot of boxes to check, but it’s me figure out how much kale or blueberries I need.
easy to knock off a bunch at a time. One simple pea- The checklist also helps me picture what a meal might
nut butter banana sandwich and you just checked look like. Looking over the checklist, you’ll see there
off four boxes. Or imagine sitting down to a big salad. are three servings each, of beans, fruits and whole
Two cups of spinach, a handful of arugula, a hand- grains and about twice as many veggies in total than
ful of walnuts, a half cup of chickpeas, a half cup of any other component.
red bell pepper, and a small tomato. Sprinkle on your
flax, add a handful of goji berries and enjoy it with a
glass of water and fruit for dessert and you could wipe
out nearly half of your daily check boxes in a single
meal! And then if you ate it on a treadmill… Just kid-
ding!
31
So, glancing at my plate, I can imagine one quarter of
it filled with grains, one quarter with legumes, and a
half plate filled with vegetables, along with maybe a
side salad and fruit for dessert. I happen to like one-
bowl meals where everything’s mixed together, but
the checklist still helps me to visualize.
32
Shopping list
This grocery shopping list should give you a guideline Find some delicious ways to prepare your foods and
to buy from the 6 groups (fruits, vegetables, legumes, if you don’t like something, no worries because you
whole grains, nuts and seeds), and others, so you can get the same nutrients from other whole foods. In
have a healthy variety at home and can make com- the end, your diet should be delicious and satisfying,
plete meals that give you everything you need to so find out which whole foods you like, stick to them
thrive and build muscle. This shopping list is only an and always be open to try out some new ones as well.
example and you should adjust the list to what is avail-
able and what is in season. For example, on the list is When I became a plant-eater, I discovered so many
watermelon but if it isn’t watermelon season where you great new whole foods that are now my favorites and
live, buy another fruit that is in season like persim- a big staple of my everyday diet like sweet pota-
mon or pears. toes, lentils, tofu etc.
33
Fruits Vegetables Legumes Whole Nuts
Bananas Kale Frozen peas
grains Walnuts
Dates Spinach Kidney beans Almonds
Oats
Apples Broccoli Black beans and/or Brazil nuts
Spelt
Berries (fresh Cauliflower any beans you like Cashews
Quinoa
or frozen) Bell pepper Chickpeas Peanut butter
Brown rice
Clementine Carrot Lentils Almond butter or any
Bulgur
Lemon Tomatoes nut butter you like
Millet
Avocado Lettuce
Buckwheat
Peach Potatoes
Pasta
Pear Beet root
Corn and/or corn waf-
Kiwi Sweet potatoes
fles
Grapes Arugula
Bread
Pomegranate Cucumber
Tortilla wraps and/or
pita bread
34
Seeds Others For spices For herbs
Chia Soy milk
I recommend I recommend
Hemp Almond milk or any Cinnamon Dill
Flax Plant milk you like Turmeric Parsley
Sesame Soy yogurt Pepper Chives
Pumpkin Dark chocolate Red pepper Basil
Sunflower Soy sauce Cumin Mint
Hummus Garlic
Tofu Chilli
Mushrooms Curry
Tomato sauce
Nutritional yeast
commendations,
t re
Ginger These are jus the products you
y
Onion
feel free to bu food group.
ch
like out of ea
Garlic
Herbs/spices
Mustard
Cacao powder
Nori/wakame or any
algae
35
Meal plan sample
36
Note: Maybe you noticed that in the chapter This is because in this meal plan you can substitute any
“What foods to eat” I gave each food group a color. food of a group with another food of that group you like.
For example, if you don’t like (or don’t have it at home)
frozen peas, then you can substitute this legume with any
Fruits other legume like beans, lentils or chickpeas.
37
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
Simple muesli
Power Beans for Everyday
Breakfast Kale shake for brain Berry porridge Pancakes
Smoothie breakfast Smoothie
power
Caramel
Chocolate peanut butter Vegan nuts
Snack Nice cream Protein fix Fruit salad Bliss balls
mousse fudge and fruits
brownies
“What you do today
can improve all your
tomorrows.”
39
Recipes
Note: When I write 1 apple, onion, carrot etc. just Especially at the beginning when your taste buds are
take one. It is much easier for you than if I were to not adjusted yet, a tablespoon of coconut oil can do
give you the gram amount. And if I state for exam- wonders in terms of taste.
ple 1 can kidney beans, you can of course cook fresh
kidney beans as well. The comparison “canned vs So feel free to add a little oil, salt, or sugar to your
fresh” will be covered later in this guide. whole plant based foods. As long as your diet is
centered around whole plant based foods, you are
The recipes are just a structure of a full meal. Feel on a healthy way. And as I said, after 2-3 weeks your
free to add to it whichever whole foods you like. taste buds will change and you will not crave and
I strongly encourage you to add a lot of veggies to need things like added oils, salt and sugar because
your meals because as you saw in the daily dozen, the the flavours plants provide are really tasty and will
veggies make up almost half of it. And, of course, make you super satisfied on their own.
include other whole foods that you like. For example, to-
mato sauce, sweet chilli sauce, hummus, soy sauce, And again, you can substitute everything with an-
soy yogurt, herbs, fruits, seeds, nuts etc. other food from the same group. For example, the
stated whole grain with another whole grain and the
If something tastes too boring for you then add a stated legume with another legume etc. After a while,
little date sugar. Date sugar is the healthiest sweet- you will get a good feeling for hitting the daily doz-
ener because it is a whole food – just ground whole ens really well and you can freestyle your own meals
dates – and it has a lot of vitamins, minerals, antioxi- 24/7. That’s how I do it every day and it feels great.
dants and fibre. So I recommend date sugar instead As I said, the goal is to be independent and flexible
of maple syrup, table sugar, agave nectar etc. Of when it comes to your diet.
course you can use other unhealthy processed foods
to make your food taste even more enjoyable for you.
40
Breakfast
My favorite go-to breakfasts are smoothies, For smoothies I usually mix greens with fruits, a cou-
porridge, nicecream (banana ice cream) muesli, pan- ple different of seeds, and a scoop of protein pow-
cakes and fruits. Generally I stick to a smoothie with der or cacao.
some porridge. The variety is endless! You can make
a berry porridge, a chocolate porridge with choco- Fruits I like to use are: frozen berries, bananas, ap-
late protein powder or cacao etc. and add toppings ple, kiwi, dates, frozen mango etc.
such as fruits, dried fruits, nuts, nut butter, seeds,
soy yogurt, applesauce, puffed quinoa or amaranth, Veggies I like in my smoothies are: frozen kale,
dark chocolate, cacao nibs etc. frozen spinach, celery, beet root, cucumber etc.
41
Kale shake
Ingredients:
200g kale frozen or fresh (I always have two bags
of frozen kale in my freezer)
3 pitted dates
20g hemp seeds
360g ripe banana
20g flax seeds
22g vegan protein powder (optional)
Add water to get your preferred consistency
Instructions:
If you want to feel naturally high then please try this
smoothie ;) It makes me feel so energized, satisfied
and happy. Put everything in a high speed blender
– enjoy.
42
Simple muesli for brain power
Ingredients:
120g oats
300ml plant milk
1 banana
1 apple
20g ground flax seeds
25g walnuts
22g vegan protein powder (optional)
Instructions:
Peel and cut banana and apple in slieces. Mix all
ingredients in a bowl – enjoy.
43
Power Smoothie
Ingredients:
1 ripe banana
100g kale (fresh or frozen)
100g spinach (fresh or frozen)
3 medjool dates (or normal dates)
120g frozen berries
10g chia seeds
10g hemp seeds
10g flax seeds
22g vegan protein powder (optional)
5g greens like spirulina, moringa etc.
200ml plant milk
Add water to get your preferred consistency
Instructions:
Blend all the ingredients together – enjoy.
44
Berry porridge
Ingredients:
150g oats
200ml plant milk
100g frozen berries
1 apple
1 clementine
10g walnuts
15g ground flax seeds
22g vegan protein powder (optional)
40g soy yogurt
40g applesauce
Cinnamon
Add water to get your preferred texture
Instructions:
Place oats, plant milk, frozen berries, protein pow-
der (optional) and water in a pot and heat to mod-
erate temperature. Stir frequently. When it starts
to thicken up, transfer to a bowl and add the top-
pings – enjoy.
45
Beans for breakfast
Ingredients:
Whole grain bread
Half a can of baked beans
1 avocado
Sesame
Lemon
Instructions:
Slice the whole grain bread in half and toast as de-
sired. Spread beans on the bread. Slice or smash
avocado and put it on top. Squeeze lemon over it –
enjoy.
46
Pancakes
Ingredients:
Batter:
200g oats
1 banana
22g protein powder (optional)
20g flax seeds
150ml plant milk
Add water to get the consistency you prefer
Sauce:
3 dates
8g cacao
Instructions:
Put all the batter ingredients in a blender and blend
until smooth. Heat a non-stick pan to medium heat
and pour the batter into pancake shapes. You don’t
need oil, just don’t heat too high and wait until one
side is really solid. Flip and stack.
47
Everyday Smoothie
Ingredients:
3 ripe bananas
1 apple
170ml soy milk
130g spinach
150g frozen berries
40g beet root
40g broccoli
22g vegan protein powder (optional)
Add water to get your preferred consistency
Instructions:
Blend all the ingredients together – enjoy.
48
Mighty muesli
Ingredients:
150g spelt flakes
300ml almond milk
1 apple
15g ground flax seeds
10g walnuts
100g soy yogurt
100g applesauce
10g cacao nibs/beans
1 clementine
22g vegan protein powder (optional)
Instructions:
Peel and separate clementine. Cut apple and mix
all ingredients in a bowl. Add extra protein by mix-
ing protein powder in your yogurt first – enjoy.
49
Not pretty but super healthy
and delicious smoothie
Ingredients:
300ml plant milk
120g frozen berries
1 ripe banana
100g frozen spinach
20g hemp seeds
20g flax seeds
22g vegan protein powder (optional)
Add water to get your preferred consistency
Instructions:
Blend all the ingredients together – enjoy.
50
Nice cream
Ingredients:
3-4 frozen bananas
Instructions:
Let the bananas ripen before peeling. When they
ripen, they’ll turn their starch into sugar and that
makes them easier to digest, healthier and super
sweet. They are ripe when they get black spots
and the stem isn’t green anymore but don’t let them
get overripe.
51
Enjoy these bears --
they are vegan!
Ingredients:
2 slices whole grain bread
Nut butter
Banana
Blueberries
Additional fruit of your choice
Instructions:
Spread nut butter on toasted bread. Slice banana
and place three banana slices on each toast, two
as ears and one as a mouth. Add two blueberries
on each toast for the eyes and one for the nose.
Enjoy your toast and fruit.
52
British style
Ingredients:
2 whole grain bagels or whole grain bread
Dried apricots
Nut butter
Blueberries
Plant milk
Instructions:
Slice the whole grain bagel or bread in half and
toast as desired. Spread your favorite nut butter
on each slice. Add dried apricots on top. Enjoy
separately or as a sandwich along with some blue-
berries and your favorite plant milk as a drink.
53
Put everything together -
1 min breakfast
Ingredients:
1 package blueberries
1 tub natural soy yogurt
100g oats
Cacao nibs
Instructions:
Mix everything together – enjoy. Add date sugar or
maple syrup etc. for more flavor or use vanilla soy
yogurt.
54
Lunch & Dinner
For lunch and dinner, you can find endless options
in terms of cooking to fit your taste. Here are some of
my favorites: baked potatoes, vegan spaghetti bolog-
nese, tofu curry with rice, pasta with beans, avocado
toast, burritos, wraps, falafels etc.
Because my recipes do not require processed oils, pepper followed by spices, such as turmeric, pepper
when a recipe calls for grilling ingredients – such as and curry. I put it all in a bowl with my legumes (mostly
onions, garlic, and vegetables – it makes use of a out of the can or frozen peas) and my whole grains I
dry- or water-grilled method, where only enough water cooked. I’ll then add things like tomato sauce, mustard,
is added to keep the ingredients from sticking to the pan sweet chilli sauce, nutritional yeast, herbs etc. and just
as you stir them. Non-stick skillets are more conducive mix it all together and enjoy!
to dry or water grilling than other skillets, but they are not
required. I check off so many of my daily dozen boxes while
having so much variety and taste. This way, cook-
My lunch and dinner usually consists of a big bowl with ing becomes easy and enjoyable. It is not like following
a whole grain (such as rice, pasta, spaghetti, millet, strict recipes, but rather getting this good feeling for
buckwheat or potatoes, sweet potatoes etc.) with a hitting the daily dozen and freestyling my meals 24/7.
legume (such as beans, peas, lentils, chickpeas, tofu I usually listen to a podcast or YouTube video while
etc.) along with lots of veggies. cooking and I love it. As I said, it will become a routine
and you will know what you need for a complete meal.
I grill my veggies with water in a wok or pan. I start off
with a little water and add, for example, an onion and Here are my favorite lunch and dinner recipes:
a clove of garlic with 2 carrots and let it stew. Then I
add veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes and bell
55
Rice, tofu and green veggies
with lemon
Ingredients:
150g basmati rice
200g tofu
120g broccoli
120g peas
200g spinach
1 squeezed lemon
Instructions:
Cook rice according to instructions on the package.
Heat a pan or wok to moderate heat and stew broc-
coli. Cut tofu in pieces and add in peas as well. Mix
rice and stewed veggies together, mix in spinach and
squeeze lemon over it. Add spices, herbs and other
whole foods you like – enjoy.
56
Quinoa love
Ingredients:
150g quinoa
Half a can of baked beans
1 onion
1 garlic clove
100g broccoli
100g cauliflower
1 red bell pepper
2 carrot
1 tbsp soy sauce
Instructions:
Cook quinoa according to instructions on the-
package. Heat a pan or wok to moderate heat and
stew the onion, garlic and carrots with water. Add
the broccoli, cauliflower, beans and bell pepper. Add
spices you like. Mix quinoa, veggies and soy sauce
together – enjoy.
57
Vegan spaghetti bolognese
Ingredients:
200g whole grain spaghetti
1 onion
1 garlic clove
1-2 carrots
Piece of ginger
Half an eggplant
200g smoked tofu
200g tomatoes
300ml tomato sauce
15g cashews
15g nutritional yeast
Herbs
Instructions:
Cook spaghetti according to instructions on the
package. Heat a pan or wok to moderate heat and
stew the onion, garlic, eggplant and carrots. Cut
smoked tofu in pieces and add it as well.
58
Avocado is heaven
Ingredients:
2 slices whole wheat bread
1 whole or half avocado
Cherry tomatoes
Lime
Instructions:
Smash the ripe avocado and spread it on the
bread. Slice the cherry tomatoes in half and put
them on top of the avocado. Squeeze lime over it
– enjoy.
59
Falafels
Ingredients:
1 can/or fresh chickpeas
1 yellow onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp cumin powder
Juice from half a lemon
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Fresh cilantro
Ground black pepper
1/4 tsp baking powder
50g chickpea flour (or any flour)
1/2 cup water
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C. Sautée onions, gar-
lic & cumin in a pan on low for 3-4 min until soft. Drain
chickpeas and add to food processor. Chop until pieces
are really small. Add cilantro and repeat, then transfer
everything to a big bowl. Add lemon juice, cayenne, salt,
pepper, baking powder, onions and garlic.
Mix well, then add chickpea flour and water. Mix ev-
erything together and form medium sized balls. If the
dough is having trouble sticking, add more flour and
water. Place falafel on a baking tray and bake for 25
min or until golden brown – enjoy with a salad.
60
Potato love
Ingredients:
500g potatoes
500g sweet potatoes
Instructions:
Slice potatoes as you like to eat them and put them
in the oven for about 40 minutes at 400°F/200°C
on a nonstick baking sheet – enjoy. Add a sauce/
dip or just enjoy them alone.
61
White bean dip
Ingredients:
500g white bean canned (drained)/fresh and
cooked
1 clove of garlic
1 lemon
1-2 tbsp tahini
Water
Spices
Instructions:
Blend everything together (don’t only take the lemon
juice but peel the lemon and blend it as a whole to
not miss out on all the healthy fiber and the nutrients
that are bound to the fiber). I like to dip corn cakes,
cucumber and raw sweet potato slices in it (yes, you
can eat sweet potato raw, it tastes like a sweet car-
rot). Give it a try and of course, you can take other
legumes like chickpeas to make original “hummus”.
62
Ingredients:
Burrito
Whole grain burrito or flat bread
Instructions:
I recommend picking legumes like beans, peas, chick-
peas, tofu etc., 2-3 vegetables like potatoes, carrots,
lettuce etc. and a whole grain like rice, corn etc. + 1-2
sauces like hummus, sweet chilli sauce, tomato sauce
etc.
63
Healthy pizza
Ingredients:
Dough:
500g Whole grain flour (I used spelt flour)
Water
1 package of yeast
Toppings:
Tomato sauce
Veggies you like; I used red cabbage,
tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, onion, carrot,
mushrooms, broccoli… overload your pizza
with veggies to make it rich in flavor and su-
per healthy
64
Healthy pizza
Instructions:
Mix the flour with the yeast and add water. Don’t use too
much water, just enough that everything sticks and you
can knead the dough. Spread the dough out, put it in the
oven at a low temperature for 10 minutes and let it rise
(because of the yeast).
65
Snacks
Snacks are great for when you are a little hungry. Here are some of my favorite snacks:
Snacks are not always unhealthy but rather can give
you the opportunity to get even more antioxidants, - Nuts
vitamins, minerals etc. in, but of course also serve to - Puffed corn cakes
treat yourself and make this diet even more enjoy- - Rice cakes
able. Listen to your body and pick one of the follow- - Dark chocolate covered rice cakes
ing snacks or other plant based treats you enjoy. - Fruits e.g banana, apple, grapes, pear
When you want to get energy (e.g. snacking before - Dried fruits e.g. dates
a workout), I always recommend fruits. For example - Vegetables e.g. tomatoes, cucumber, carrot, bell
a banana, apple and 3 dates. And if you want to pepper
be fully satisfied I recommend snacking on some- - Small fruit/and vegetable smoothie e.g. blend 2
thing that is higher in fat and calories e.g. nuts, bananas, apple, ginger, juice of one lemon with water
dark chocolate, hummus etc. protein shake, just mix flavoured vegan protein powder
with your favorite plant milk and shake well
- Dark chocolate
- Nice cream
- Dipping raw sweet potato in hummus or any vegetable
- Vegan treats e.g. Oreos, vegan cookies, vegan
brownies etc.
- Whole grain bread/toast with peanut butter and fruits
66
Fruit salad
Ingredients:
Banana
Apple
Pear
Grapes
Watermelon
Peach
Plum
Instructions:
Take the fruits you like and that are in season and
make a wonderful fruit salad out of them – enjoy.
This is a super healthy snack that will give you so
much energy.
67
Protein fix
Ingredients:
255g kidney beans (rinsed)
50g mustard
5 (40g) puffed corn cakes
Instructions:
Smash mustard and kidney beans to a paste. You
can add spices and herbs to boost the taste and
nutritional value. Or other additions like flaxseeds
etc. Spread the paste on the puffed corn cakes or
whole grain toast – enjoy.
68
Bliss balls
Ingredients:
15 dates soaked in warm water for a minute
55g oats
2-3 tbsp cacao powder
Instructions:
Mix the ingredients in a food processor or a high
speed blender. Roll them in your hands. Roll them
in cacao power for an extra outer layer of cacao
(optional). Put them in the fridge and enjoy a few
balls as a snack here and there.
69
Caramel peanut butter
fudge brownies
Ingredients:
Base:
15 dates soaked in warm water for a minute
200g walnuts
2-3 tbsp cacao powder
Topping:
5 dates soaked in warm water for 3 minutes
2 tbsp peanut butter
Vanilla extract
Instructions:
Base: Mix the ingredients in a food processor or a high
speed blender until the batter is creamy and smooth.
Line a baking form, mine was about 20x20cm and
distribute the mixture evenly.
70
Chocolate mousse
Ingredients:
2 bananas
1 whole or half avocado
60g soy yogurt
50g oats
7g cacao powder
2 dates
200g sweet potato
25g hazelnut butter
Instructions:
Cut and boil sweet potato in water for 8 minutes.
Blend all ingredients together – enjoy!
71
“91% of the loss of the rain-
forest in the Amazon has been
destroyed due to raising live-
stock.”
72
Tips for eating out
Some of you might not have the privilege of cooking Another option to eat out super healthy is to go to
and eating at home all the time or might not want a supermarket and just buy whole foods. How about
to. Let’s say you have a job where you have to a lunch like carrots for dipping in hummus and spelt
eat breakfast and lunch outside of home while you waffles along with it, plus an apple? Or how about
can cook your dinner at home. One option, if you a can of baked beans with a package of cooked rice
want to meal prep but don’t want to invest too much along with fruits? Most offices have a small kitch-
time on it, is to make your dinner twice the size. You en so you can likely microwave and boil water. You
eat one half for dinner and the other you pack for could stock up at work with oats and always make
lunch the next day for work. For breakfast you can your own porridge with fresh toppings from a super-
pack fruits and prep a quick porridge in the morning market close by. Make it happen :)
and take it to work as well.
73
Complex vs simple carbs
74
Where to buy food?
I recommend finding a routine to buy your food. I buy Usually my week looks like this: Grocery shopping
products that last a long time in bulk, like grains, on Monday for my fresh produce for the week. Going
legumes, nuts, seeds etc. and for fresh produce like every second week or so and buying food at the organ-
fruits and vegetables, I go grocery shopping once per ic store that I cannot get from the discounter in the
week and I am set. I would recommend going to a quality I like such as mustard, bread, peanut butter
discount grocery store in your neighbourhood that is etc. And I buy in bulk whenever my stock is empty
vegan friendly and offers a big variety. There you can either in a specialty store, international market or
choose organic options if you’d like and the organic online.
foods from the discounter will be cheaper than the or-
ganic foods from an organic store. For stuff you don’t
75
Buying in bulk
Many supermarket chains sell dry goods in bulk, par-
ticularly beans, lentils, grains, pastas, seeds, dried
fruits etc.
Your bulk storage will also last much longer and you
will always have it handy, thus saving you time and
wasting less packaging.
- Nutritional yeast
- Puffed quinoa and amaranth
- Legumes like lentils and beans
- Whole grains like rice and pasta
- Nuts like walnuts, almonds and Brazil nuts
- Seeds like chia-, flax- and hemp
- Dried fruits
- Cacao beans etc.
76
Canned vs fresh
Canned versions can be a good alternative if fresh 1,500-milligram limit recommended by the American
produce isn’t available or isn’t of high quality. Heart Association.
In terms of nutritional value, the fruits and vegeta-
bles from the can compare well to fresh varieties, Fruit is often packed in syrup, which means added
though the ingredients, such as salt or sugar, which sugar. A cup of canned pears in syrup contains about
are often added to canned produce, drive down the 40 grams of sugar compared to a cup of fresh pears,
nutritional value somewhat. which contains 13.5 grams of healthy, naturally occur-
ring sugar.
In terms of nutrition, there isn’t a big difference be-
tween fresh and canned varieties. Canned fruits The texture and taste of canned produce is different
and vegetables retain their nutrients, such as vitamin from fresh. Fresh produce tends to be crisper and
C and fibre through the canning process, which juicier than canned. If you do opt for canned, look
makes them about as healthy as fresh produce. In for no-sugar-added or no-salt-added varieties (or
fact, canned might be better in some cases because it where the sugar/salt content is the lowest) because
can take several days for freshly picked produce to they’re the most nutritious. If these aren’t available,
reach store shelves. rinse the produce to wash away some of the sodium
or sugar.
One drawback to canned fruits and vegetables is
that manufacturers often add salt to enhance the I personally like to buy legumes canned because it is
taste and help preserve the food so it can be sold so convenient, but for the rest I prefer fresh or frozen.
and stored for longer periods of time. For example,
fresh green beans are quite low in sodium, but a
cup of canned green beans can contain up to 376
milligrams of sodium. That’s one-quarter of the daily
77
Fresh vs frozen
Buying whole foods frozen is a very convenient op- Fortunately, for those who rely on convenient bags
tion because they are ready to cook and require from the freezer aisle, studies suggest frozen veggies
zero preparation. have just as many nutrients (if not more) as their
fresh counterparts. Fresh fruits and veggies produce
Uncooked, fresh produce is typically thought to be enzymes (trypsin and chymotrypsin) that cause loss
the most nutritious but it does vary from food to of color, flavor, and nutrients just after harvest.
food. Fresh produce is not immune to nutrient loss But the reaction can be stopped by deactivating
because of the farm-to-grocery store process. Once the enzyme, which freezing can do, leaving the fro-
a fruit or veggie is harvested, it begins to release heat zen veggies with more nutrients (when done right,
and lose water, affecting its nutritional quality. Fresh because the storage process can also cause some
produce at the store might have lost roughly half its nutrients to be lost due to oxidation.)
original amount of nutrients.
I would recommend buying fresh when in-season
and ripe, otherwise, buy frozen. And adjust to your
situation: For example, I rarely find fresh kale so I
always buy it frozen, and fresh berries are often quite
expensive and wrapped in excessive plastic so I also
buy them frozen. Just do as Michael Greger likes to
say:
78
Organic vs conventional
79
Vegan protein
If you get enough calories eating a whole food- Animal protein also plays a role in cancer risk.
plant-based diet you will always get enough protein IGF-1, insulin-like growth factor 1, is a cancer-
because every food has a complete amino acid pro- promoting growth hormone that is released in ex-
file, including fruits and vegetables. If you are an cess when we eat animal protein. This is, presum-
athlete though you have to make sure that you eat ably, why those who eat fewer animal products
enough high protein plant foods like legumes. And if have significantly lower levels in their bodies with-
you eat a whole food,plant-based diet with diversity in weeks of making the dietary switch. This lowering of
you will ALWAYS get every essential amino acid in IGF-1 levels is thought to be why the blood of men
adequate quantities. We are living in a society where and women eating plant-based diets suppresses
people are eating too much protein and the wrong prostate and breast cancer growth in vitro significant-
kind of protein: animal protein. Plants have exactly ly better than those eating the Standard American
the right amount of protein for human health. You Diet (you can find all the sources of these claims at
don’t need more, in fact, more protein is not health https://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein/).
promoting.
There is a word in medicine “Kwashiorkor” which
Our kidneys handle plant protein very differently describes protein deficiency. Almost no one knows
from animal protein. An equivalent amount of plant this word because protein deficiency is a very rare
protein causes virtually no noticeable stress on the disease. Most often, people are protein deficient
kidneys. Eat some tuna, and within three hours, when they don’t eat enough calories and then they
your kidney filtration rate can shoot up 36 percent. are deficient in almost everything. So don’t worry at
Eating the same amount of protein in the form of all about protein! Just get enough calories in through
tofu doesn’t appear to place any additional strain the main source: complex carbs! They are the principal
on the kidneys. source of energy for our body, brain and muscles.
80
The key to health and fitness is a diet packed full of
earth-grown nutrients, of all varieties. Exclusionary di-
ets are not sustainable and most often lead to multi-
ple deficiencies.
81
Here is a list of plants that are
particularly high in protein:
- Peas
- Hemp seeds
- Lentils
- Vegan protein powder
- Tofu
- Quinoa
- Leafy greens
- Chia
- Beans
- Chickpeas
- Tempeh
- Seitan
- Plant milk
- Edamame
- Nuts
- Whole grain pasta
- Broccoli
All plants contain protein,
just eat a big variety of those you like.
82
“My body will not
be a tomb for other
creatures.”
83
Best sources of B12
84
plant-based milks, and dietary supplements. Some
claim that B12 is available in organic fruits and veg-
etables grown in rich soils. However, this is such a tiny
amount of B12 that I wouldn’t rely on this way alone.
85
Best sources of omega 3 & 6
86
Omega-6 is found in many foods like vegetable oils, ant-free long-chain omega-3s directly. Athletes have
seeds, nuts, tofu, avocado, beans etc.; therefore, a higher requirement and I recommend taking more
omega-6 deficiency isn’t a concern. However, ome- than 250 mg.
ga-3 is! Many people suffer from an omega-3 de-
ficiency. We want to eat omega-3 rich foods every I don’t recommend fish oil, since even purified (“dis-
day while simultaneously keeping our omega-6 in- tilled”) fish oil has been found to be contaminated
take low. with considerable amounts of PCBs and other pol-
lutants, so much that taken as directed, salmon, her-
I recommend choosing the whole foods (e.g. flax ring, and tuna oils would exceed the tolerable daily
seeds) instead of the oils (e.g. flaxseed oil) because intake of toxicity. Thankfully, you can get the bene-
the whole food is unprocessed and still has the fits without the risks by getting long-chain omega-3s
healthy fibre, antioxidants, and other nutrients. from algae instead, which is where the fish primarily
get it from to begin with. By cutting out the middle-fish
Consider taking 250 mg of pollutant-free (algae-de- and getting EPA and DHA directly from the source at
rived) long-chain omega-3s daily. the bottom of the food chain, you don’t have to wor-
ry about pollutant contamination. In fact, the algae
According to two of the most credible nutrition au- used for supplements are just grown in tanks and
thorities, the World Health Organization and the never even come in contact with the ocean. That’s
European Food Safety Authority, you should get why I recommend a contaminant-free source to get
at least half a percentage of your calories from the the best of both worlds: omega-3 levels associated
short-chain omega-3 ALA. That’s easy - one table- with brain preservation and minimized exposure to
spoon of ground flaxseeds takes care of that. Your industrial pollutants.
body can then take the short-chain omega-3 from
flaxseeds (or chia seeds or walnuts) and elongate it
into the long-chain omega-3s EPA and DHA found in
fish fat. The question, however, is whether the body
can make enough for optimal brain health. Until we
know more, I recommend taking 250mg of pollut-
87
Best sources of iodine
88
Best sources of iron
Iron is a double-edged sword. If we don’t absorb Only people with a confirmed diagnosis of iron-defi-
enough we risk anemia but if we absorb too much we ciency anemia should consider supplementing their
may be increasing our risk of colorectal cancer, heart iron intake, and even then it can be risky. A recent
disease, infection, neurodegenerative disorders and study found that a significant increase in oxida-
inflammatory conditions. Other conditions that have tive stress happened within the bodies of women on
been associated with high iron intake include Alzhei- iron supplements. So before going on iron supple-
mer’s, Parkinson’s, arthritis, and diabetes. ments I would suggest talking to your physician about
first trying to treat it through diet alone, by eat-
Because the human body has no mechanism to rid it- ing lots of healthy iron-rich foods. Here are foods
self of excess iron, we have evolved to tightly regulate particularly high in iron:
the absorption of iron. If our iron stores are low, our
intestines boost the absorption of iron, and if our iron
stores are high, our intestines block the absorption of
iron to keep us in a good range.
This only works with the iron found in plant foods. Our
digestive system cannot regulate the iron in ingested
blood – heme iron (found in animal products). The iron
in animal foods can just zip right through our intestinal
barrier even if we already have too much in our sys-
tem. We have no control over it. So avoid the (bad)
heme iron in animal products and stick to the (healthy)
non-heme iron in plants.
89
Foods high in iron: While consuming vitamin C-rich foods in the same
meal, such as citrus, tropical fruits, broccoli, bell pep-
pers etc. you will improve plant iron absorption up
- Chickpeas to 5 times! Avoid drinking caffeine, tea and coffee at
- Pumpkin seeds the same time with your meals, which can impair iron
- Oats absorption.
- Brown rice
- Quinoa
- Tomato paste
- Tofu
- Dried apricots
- Beans
- Peas
- Dark chocolate
- Nuts
- Seeds
- Dark green leafy vegetables
90
Best sources of calcium
Calcium is really easy to cover because most whole
plant based foods contain calcium and if you just eat
enough out of the 6 food groups you will always get
enough calcium just by eating enough. For example,
just 400ml of calcium fortified plant milk provides
you with more than two thirds of your daily needs.
Here are a few plants that are particularly high in
calcium so I encourage you to eat some of these
regularly:
- Kale
- Tofu
- Tempeh
- Fortified plant milk
- Tahini
- Almonds
- Almond butter
- Sesame
- Soybeans
- Broccoli
- Hazelnuts
- Figs
- Arugula
- Spinach
- Nori
- Spirulina
91
Is soy healthy?
https://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy/
and watch some of his videos about soy.
92
Vitamin D
93
“Free-living animals made up 99% of the biomass 10,000 years ago
and human beings made up only 1% of the biomass. Today, only 10,000
years later ... we human beings and the
animals that we own as property make up 98% of the biomass and wild
free-living animals make up only 2%.
94
Supplements
Before I tell you anything about supplements, you Of course you can still use the third category
should know that these are food supplements and "Bullshit" but I focus here only on supplements that
in no way a balanced nutrition replacement. demonstrably add value to your body and make
sense based on the current studies! Under the
In general, there are many unnecessary category "Essentials" fall products that are more for
supplements existing on the market, and only sell general health and thus on the foundation for a
because of excellent marketing and not because strong and healthy body. Only if you are healthy and
of their benefits! I will give you an overview of, in your body is running optimally, can you get stronger
my opinion, the helpful supplements. I generally and efficient building muscles.
only recommend you to access supplements
made by high quality ingredients. So please pay
attention when buying supplements and make
sure they are from good manufacturers. For this
reason, I also work with Rocka Nutrition. This is a
top quality guaranteed company I stand by with
my name. Which supplement manufacturer you
prefer is ultimately up to you.
1. Essentials
-Performance
-Health
2. Nice to Have
95
Supplements
Essentials - Performance:
Protein powder
Creatine
Dosage:
Dosage: 3-5g/day
Depending on your personal macro distribution
Creatine is a combination of the three amino acids
A protein shake will help you meet your protein
l-arginine, glycine and l-methionine. The cells use
requirements. When dieting, it can be useful
the molecule adenosine triphosphate, also known
since there are very few carbohydrates and fats
as ATP, for energy, which is thereby converted
included.
to adenosine diphosphate (ADP) and adenosine
monophosphate (AMP). Creatine is stored as cre-
atine phosphate in the body, just as energy stor- My suggestion:
age, and then release the phosphate to turn ADP
back into ATP. The supplementation of creatine in- The Vegan
creases the total content of creatine phosphate in
All in V-One (complete supplement)
the cells. A higher content of creatine phosphate
results in a better conversion rate of ADP into ATP.
Due to the increased available ATP, creatine in-
creases the strength in training and slows down
the fatigue. In addition, it also increases the per-
formance of the brain and nervous system through
the same mechanisms, resulting in an increased
ability to concentrate.
96
Supplements
Essentials - Health:
Vitamin D3 + K2
Omega 3
Dosage: D3: 70 μg & K2: 150μg / Day
Dosage: 1200mg DHA
Vitamin D cannot be sourced from food alone, so a
The intake of omega-3 fatty acids and omega-6 healthy amount of sun exposure is needed. The
fatty acids is essential to live, as they both cannot important thing is that the UV Index is high enough.
be produced by yourself. You can find plenty of For example, in Germany, with the specific latitude,
omega-6 fatty acids in your diet, however, only we can only absorb vitamin D from April to
small amounts of omega-3. The optimal ratio of September. So during the winter I highly
about 1:1 of the two fatty acids contributes to the recommend taking a vitamin D supplement with a
health of the immune and cardiovascular systems. dosage of 2500 IU per day. Vitamin D deficiency
You can also take omega-3 fatty acids for can lead to a considerable loss of performance and
excessive inflammation and reduction of pain in health disadvantages. By supplementing with
tendons and joints. vitamin D, you can benefit from various health
advantages such as increased memory
The omega-3 fatty acids are not, as is often performance, improved health of the immune
assumed, from the fish themselves produced, but system and the bones.
extracted from their food (algae). Therefore, it is
perfectly possible to go for a vegan option. I would The combination of D3 & K2 leads to more energy,
advise anyone to take omega-3 fatty acids from you feel overall more vital, fitter and happier. The
the less processed, first hand source, which is so-called "winter blues" is one sign of deficiency of
algae. these vitamins or hormones.
97
Supplements
Dosage: 10mg / per day Because in the vegan diet sometimes the protein
requirement, especially in strength training, is
Zinc is one of the 24 vital micronutrients and is difficult to cover, we have the approach of one
involved in the regulation of various enzymes in quantitative and qualitative protein base in all-in-V
the body. Since zinc is lost as a result of sweating (one) selected. 39g protein consisting of a pea
and can only be compensated in insufficient and rice mix with added BCAA. The combination
amounts through diet, supplementation of zinc is of the two proteins leads to a very balanced amino
especially important for exercise. The acid profile.
supplementation of zinc can prevent a deficiency.
In addition, a zinc supplementation can contribute In All in V-One, you'll also get:
to clearer skin, which benefits individuals with Creapure (greatine monohydrate)
acne prone and oily skin. Calcium citrate
Vitamin D3 & K2
Zinc
My suggestion: Zinc Iron
Selenium
Vitamin B2
Vitamin B12 (methylcobalamin)
Omega 3 (from linseed)
Antioxidants (mixed tocopherols and
Important Note:
ascorbyl palmitate)
All of the essentials are in my new All
in one product: All in V-One
My recommendation: All in V-One
98
Supplements
Pump supplement or citrulline EAAs are peptide chains that our body cannot
synthesize on its own. Therefore they can be
Citrulline malate is an effective supplement to described as vital. I recommend the YumYum
prevent training-related fatigue. Citrulline malate EAAs to all vegetarians and vegans, as well as
improves blood flow to the muscles and supports people who travel a lot. You can use EAAs to
the construction of internal energy storage with control your protein intake comfortably and crank
more ATP. So there is more energy available to up your protein synthesis based on the existing
exercise while being able to gradually increase component of leucine. The 8 essential amino acids
performance. The positive effects extend to the are: leucine, Isoleucine, valine, lysine,
whole body - not only physically, but also mentally phenylalanine, threonine, methionine and
as well as immune defense. tryptophan.
Pre-workout supplements help you even on Protein bars help you to easily meet your daily
very busy days to go full throttle in the gym! In protein needs and are also suitable, for example,
Over the Top e.g. you will find many stimulating as an alternative to a protein shake after training.
agents, coordinated so that in your training They are also nice to have as a snack or as a
session you will have better performance and get "more sensible" alternative to chocolate bars and
an improved pump! I recommend them no more the like. To satisfy your cravings, protein bars are
than twice per week! always handy.
99
100
Simple tips for you
101
5. Choose whole foods! 8. Listen to your body.
Choose whole, plant based foods instead of pro- Believe it or not your body knows what’s best; it’s the
cessed foods and eat a big variety of them. mind that needs silencing. Your brain is sending you
signals and messages all the time whether in the form
6. Chew your food to a purée! of disease, headache, fatigue or in other ways and it’s
Thorough chewing increases absorption of vital nu- trying to tell you something.
trients and reduces swallowing air in food which reduces
gas and bloating. Chewing food thoroughly also en- 9. Show gratitude.
ables you to better enjoy flavors. When was the last time you said “thank you”? Not
to anyone else but yourself. Self-love is one of the
7. Exercise regularly. highest forms of gratitude there is. Start focusing more
Exercise regularly. Exercise clears the mind of on what you have instead of what you want and I
stress, anxiety, depression, sadness, and anger. In promise you’ll get what you need a whole lot quicker.
terms of raising your consciousness, it is imperative When you start showing more gratitude to yourself it
you remain active for the better functioning of vital will become a lot easier to express it onto others.
glands such as your pineal gland. This will aid you in
becoming the best you can be.
102
“Animals are here
with us, not for us.”
103
Manipulating your weight
Now you learned everything on how to make your- Now if you want to take it a step further, the rest of the
plant-based diet whole, diverse and practical. Now guide will teach you everything on:
you have the power to know what you need in order
to thrive and be able to create your own meals. If
you stick to a whole food, fairly low fat,plant-based - How to lose/gain weight
diet you will reach your natural weight. If you have - How to find out your maintenance calories
a few extra pounds that you are carrying around, you - Macronutrients
will lose a little bit of weight at first and then stay - Set macronutrients
at your normal weight. Your natural weight. That’s - Micronutrients
what’s so great about eating whole plants. You can - How to track your calories
still eat in abundance without gaining weight. I really - How to weigh yourself
hope that you stick to this lifestyle for at least 1 month - Meal timing
to really feel the change, not only in your body, but
also in your heart.
105
Note: For most of you, eating a whole food-
plant-based diet is already enough and you don’t need
to worry about tracking your calories, macronutrients
and all the following information. Because as I said,
eating this way will lead you to your natural weight and
you will thrive on it.
106
How to lose/gain weight
How to lose/gain weight (energy balance)
Here is the secret to losing/gaining weight.
After this you will have no more questions about
how to lose or gain weight like:
No more questions!
107
Ok, let’s go: All that matters is your energy balance What is a balance?
(=calorie balance). If you want to lose weight you To understand energy balance (calorie balance)
need to be in a caloric deficit and if you want to gain even more, let’s look at an example: Your account
weight you need to be in a caloric plus. That’s it! balance. Let’s say your account balance is 1,000€
Simple physics. Let’s break this down: and you earn 400€ this month and only spend 300€.
So your total at the end of the month would be 1,100€.
What are calories? You gained money.
Calories (kcal) are a unit like km, cm, liter, pound etc.
Transfer this example to your energy balance.
Why do we eat? Let’s say your body storage of fat is 10,000 kcal, you
To get energy & essential nutrients. Every human eat 2,500 kcal and only burn 2,000 kcal. At the end of
burns calories 24/7. Calories are the energy source the day you would be in a caloric surplus with 500 kcal
that runs our engine. How many calories you burn and thus gain weight.
depends on your activity level. If you are very active,
for example, ride your bike or walk to commute, take the
stairs, do sports etc. you will burn many more calo- 10,000
ries than if you sit on your couch all day. +2,500 (food)
-2,000 (burn)
It also depends on your weight. If a 70kg person has = 10,500 kcal Energy-storage went up.
the exact same daily lifestyle as a 90kg person, the
90kg person will burn more calories. Imagine wearing
a 20kg weighted vest all day. We also burn calories So again the important conclusion is:
required for the processes that are going on in our
body, e.g. digestion, temperature regulation etc. -For gaining weight we need to be in a caloric surplus
-For losing weight we need to be in a caloric deficit
Where do we store energy?
Mainly as fat and muscle. The rest is irrelevant when it comes to gaining or losing
weight, no matter what anyone tries to sell you.
108
How you achieve this deficit or surplus is up to you.
Here are a few tools to achieve a caloric deficit (los-
ing weight):
109
How to find out your
maintenance calories
Maintenance calories are the amount of calories you Even though you both trained heavy, you burn less
need to not lose or gain, but remain your weight. than the person who weighs more and lifts more
Input = Output because the physical load is heavier. There are also oth-
er factors why an online calculator isn’t accurate and
How to find out your maintenance calories? why you should not rely on it. However, it is a good
1. online calculator starting point to start with the calculator’s estimation
2. fitness bracelet and then adjust your maintenance calories over time,
3. testing which we will cover later.
What is best? 2. Fitness bracelets are more accurate than online cal-
1. Online calculators are too inaccurate. They culators. However, I don’t recommend them because they
can’t calculate your NEAT (Non-exercise activity ther- cannot calculate things like your thyroid function which
mogenesis) accurately. NEAT means how active you also plays a role in your caloric needs and the most
are during the day besides exercise (walking, cycling, accurate ones are quite expensive.
taking the stairs etc.) Online calculators also cannot
calculate your performance activity in the gym accu- 3. Testing is my recommendation and the most
rately. accurate way to determine your maintenance calories
and to further adjust your goals.
If you type in that you trained really heavy and
you weigh 60kg and squatted 70kg, you burn much How does it work? It’s very simple. You just take an
less than someone who weighs 100kg and squatted estimation, e.g. you use an online calculator or fitness
200kg who types in the same stats. bracelet and take the estimation.
110
Let’s say your estimation is 2500 kcal. You stick to
2500 kcal for the next week (7 days). If your weight
goes up (e.g. at day 1 you weighed 70kg and at day 7
you weigh 72kg) your maintenance calories are less
than 2500 kcal (<2500 kcal).
Adjust until your weight stays the same and that is your
maintenance calories.
If you take the stairs one day and the elevator the next
day, it won’t influence your maintenance calories
111
much (only a couple of calories). But if you lie in bed muscle.
for a whole day and the next day you run a marathon,
it does! I think you get the point. I always recommend a slight caloric surplus. This
is called “lean bulking”. Lean bulking means being
Eventually you will get a good feeling for how much only in a slight caloric surplus, thus you have a positive
you burned on any given day and will be able to deter- nitrogen balance and can build muscle “easily” while
mine your daily maintenance calories intuitively. That’s only gaining minimum fat. Whereas dirty bulking means
how I do it, but more on intuitive tracking later. you eat a lot of junk and are mostly in a crazy high
caloric surplus where you gain muscle but also a lot of
Once we have found out our maintenance calories, fat, which we want to avoid.
we can adapt our goals. When you want to gain
weight you set your calories slightly higher than your When you want to lose weight I recommend losing
maintenance calories and if you want to lose weight 0.5-1% of your bodyweight per week (that is a ca-
you set your calories slightly lower than your mainte- loric deficit of 300-1000 calories per day). When it
nance calories. comes to losing weight, there is no difference in your
weightlifting experience because when it comes to
I would recommend gaining between 0.5-1.5% of losing weight, it is the same for everyone (1kg of fat is
your bodyweight per month (that is about +100-300 around 7,000 calories, so to lose 1kg of fat you need to
calories per day), depending on how much muscle have a deficit over time of 7,000 calories).
mass you already have. If you are unexperienced
with weightlifting, you can gain 1.5% of your body-
weight per month (about +300 calories per day) and
most of it will be muscle mass if you train right. When
you start out with weightlifting, you will gain much
more muscle than experienced lifters who already
have quite a lot of muscle mass and are much closer
to their genetic limit. Thus as a beginner you should
be in a higher caloric surplus, so you can build more
112
Macronutrients
Macro = large. Macronutrients are our energy sources Carbohydrate and fat main functions:
and are divided into protein, carbohydrate, fat, fibre and Providing us with energy
alcohol. We focus mainly on the protein, carbohydrate
(carbs) and fat, since these are the most important to Energy content:
track, and calculate their ratio. The macronutrients are Protein = 4.1 kcal/gram (g)
essential for our heath, performance, mood and hunger. Carbohydrate = 4.1 kcal/g
Fat = 9.3 kcal/g
Protein main function: Alcohol = 7 kcal/g
Build and repair muscles and cells. Our body can also Fibre = about 2 kcal/g (depending on how efficient
transform protein into carbohydrates (gluconeogene- your body can absorb the fibre. If you are in a calor-
sis) if we don’t eat enough carbohydrates. ic deficit, your body becomes more efficient and you
can absorb about 2 kcal/g fiber and if you are in a
caloric surplus your body is not as efficient anymore
in absorbing nutrients because the body gets them in
abundance, so you can absorb maybe only 1.8 kcal/g)
Pizza example
You have a pizza with 100g carbs, 50g protein and 40g
fat. Now how to calculate the calories of the pizza:
113
Set macronutrients
I recommend you only set your protein and fat and fill In a caloric deficit (cutting) I would recommend 1.5 - 2g
the rest with carbs. per kg BW of protein. In a caloric deficit you need more
protein because your body burns fat and sometimes
If you want to lean bulk, I recommend 1 - 1.5g per kg protein to make energy out of it.
bodyweight (BW) of protein. Our bodies can take protein from our muscles so to
For example, if you weigh 70kg and you eat 1g per kg prevent that we want to protect our muscles by eating
bodyweight, you eat 70g of protein per day. enough protein. I recommend 0.5 - 0.8g per kg BW of fat.
If you eat 1.5g per kg bodyweight that would equal 105g I would not recommend going under 0.5g of fat because
of protein per day. a little fat is essential and important for hormone produc-
And I recommend 0.7 - 1g per kg bodyweight fat. tion and overall health. The remainder is carbs.
The rest is carbs.
114
Here is an example: A person weighs 80kg and wants
to lean bulk. This person calculated his maintenance
calories over 3 weeks and his maintenance calories
are 3300 kcal. So now we calculate his macro calories:
Protein: 120g
Fat: 64g
Carbs: 540g
120x4,1+64x9.3+540x4.1= 3300.
So we calculated right.
115
Micronutrients
Micro = Small. The micronutrients are essential for in fat before they are absorbed in the bloodstream
our heath, performance, mood and hunger. This is the to carry out their functions. So it is important if you
same as the macronutrients, however micronutrients supplement with fat soluble vitamins like vitamin D3,
don’t give us energy - only macronutrients are energy that you have either some food with fat in your stom-
carriers. We only need small amounts of micronutrients ach or buy a supplement that contains some vegeta-
as the name suggests. Often only milligrams or micro- ble oils to really absorb it. Fat-soluble vitamins are not
grams whereas we need many grams or even hun- needed in your daily diet because they are stored in
dreds of grams of macronutrients. Although we only the liver. However, not consuming them over days
need very small amounts of micronutrients, they are and weeks leads to deficiencies.
really important and deficiencies can be detrimental In contrast, water-soluble vitamins dissolve in water
to one’s health. and are not stored by the body.
116
Since they are eliminated in urine and sweat, we re-
quire a continuous daily supply in our diet. Overdosing
on water-soluble vitamins like vitamin B12 is practi-
cally impossible because you will pee or sweat out
the excess. Whereas overdosing on fat-soluble vi-
tamins can occur because your body has no mech-
anism to get rid of excess fat-soluble vitamins once
they are stored. To get your daily macronutrients
covered, I recommend eating at least 300g of fruits
and 300g of vegetables each day. If you only want
to eat few fruits and vegetables I recommend eating
vegetables that are high in nutrition, e.g. kale, spin-
ach, broccoli, leafy greens etc. and fruits that are high
in nutrition, e.g. berries, citrus fruits, apple etc. Eat
diversely to get every micronutrient on a regular basis
and go out in the sun to get your vitamin D in or sup-
plement with vitamin D in the winter months.
117
How to track your calories
Tracking means measuring your calories and mac- You don’t have to hit your macronutrients complete-
ronutrients (carbohydrate, protein and fat) to make ly accurate, but you should try to be as precise as
sure you hit your daily goals that you have set (lean possible, while not making yourself crazy about it.
bulking or cutting) based on your maintenance calories You can be between +/-10g of protein and carbs and
that you calculated. +/-5g of fat per day and will still be quite accurate.
What do we need to track our calories? A kitch- When you eat out, try to order food that is fairly easy to
en scale and an app like “myfitnesspal” or “FDDB”. track, e.g. curry with tofu, vegetables and rice. Then
The important thing is that you weigh your food you can just estimate how much it weighs. E.g. about
uncooked. E.g. weigh your 150g of rice or lentils 100g rice, 250g veggies, 200g tofu and 20g fat (you can
uncooked because the data (of calories, carbs, pro- also type the macronutrients straight in your app, of-
tein, fats etc.) in the app are almost always uncooked, ten in a so called “fat dummy”).
and people tend to cook differently.
With time, you will get good at estimating in your head
Some use more or less water, and at the end, your rice how much something weighs and how many calories
weighs maybe 300g and mine weighs 400g. Even and macros it has. The goal is to track intuitively after a
though we both cooked 100g of rice, I just used more while so that you don’t need an app or to measure your
water. So weigh your food raw. Except when you buy food. That is how I do “intuitive tracking” but I recom-
food that is already cooked by the manufacturer, then mend that everyone tracks for at least 1-3 months to
the food label (and the data in the app) are referring to get a good feeling for calories and macros.
the cooked food. Just double check by comparing the
food label with the app data.
118
If you eat out, then estimate a little bit more fat be-
cause most restaurants add more fats like oils to their
food to make the taste richer. And if you eat some-
thing that is hard to track by breaking it down (rice,
tofu etc.), take a sample from the app. E.g. if you
eat falafels, type in your app “falafel” and take the
one you think is the closest to the food you are eat-
ing and add it to your daily intake. As I said, generally
you just need to add a few extra grams of fat to be
more accurate.
119
Intuitive tracking
I tracked my calories and macronutrients for my first
year of weightlifting and it helped me a lot to keep track
of my lean bulk. Before I tracked my calories I thought
I would be in a caloric surplus since I ate so much, but
I really wasn’t, and had no caloric surplus consistently.
So I didn’t progress in the gym and build muscle. After
taking the time to calculate my maintenance calories (as
I gave you the instructions above) I found out that I burn
3500 kcal per day and I realized that I need to eat more
and set my goal to 3800 kcal per day. Since then, I have
progressed in the gym and built over 20kg of muscle
and continue to do so.
120
and 1-3 snacks. When I cook I keep in mind what I am build muscle or shred down to a very low body fat
eating, and at the end of the day, when I cook my din- percentage. For most people, eating a whole food-
ner, I think about everything I ate so far and adjust my plant-based diet alone will tell you when you are full.
last meal, so that I reach approximately my daily calo- You can’t really overeat with whole foods when keeping
rie and macro goals. So, if I haven’t eaten much that a fairly low fat diet. Most people who switch to aplant-
day and very low fat, I will make a huge dinner with based diet will lose a couple of kilos at the beginning
lots of fats to reach my 70g of fats per day. If I have and then stay at their weight.
eaten a lot and went out to eat (so mostly high fat), I I applaud you for reading this, and even if you will not
eat a small, low fat dinner. This may sound hard for track your calories, at least you have the knowledge of
you to do right now, but trust me, after tracking for a how to do it and how to be in control of your weight.
while you’ll get used to it!
121
How to weigh yourself
This is important because if you don’t weigh yourself factors like salt intake, water consumption, when you eat,
correctly but measure your calories and macros, you hormones (stress) etc. So we take weekly average
will be misled. values. Then we compare our weekly average values,
for example week 1 with week 2. That is the most
To weigh yourself you need a scale and a piece of pa- accurate way to measure your weight and you can
per or an app to track your weight. Weigh yourself ev- adjust your calories further.
ery day under the same circumstances. That means
at the same time, with the same clothes, using the
same scale and on an empty stomach after going Here is an example on how to calculate your weekly
to the toilet, otherwise your weight will fluctuate too average value:
much. For example, if you weigh yourself naked in the
morning on an empty stomach you weigh 70kg and 80.0kg Monday
in the afternoon after a big meal with clothing and on 80.1kg Tuesday
another scale you weigh 75kg. 80.2kg Wednesday
80.1kg Thursday
The most accurate moment is after you have woken 80.8kg Friday
up and on an empty stomach. Go to the toilet and 80.2kg Saturday
weigh yourself naked or with underwear (and stick 80.2kg Sunday
to it, once with underwear always with underwear
and once naked always naked). Write down or type 80.0+80.1+80.2+80.1+80.8+80.2+80.2=561.6/7=80.2
in an app or note the weight every day with the date.
Add all 7 week days together and divide by 7- that’s it.
You should not compare your weight day-by-day be- So your weekly average value for this week is 80.2kg.
cause your day-to-day weight is impacted by many
122
It is important to compare weeks not days because We will take our weekly average value and a
on Friday you weighed 80.8kg which is much more perfect weight gain would look like this:
than the days before, even though you ate the same
amount of calories. Now if you compare days, you
might think you need to eat less because you are
gaining too much weight too quickly. But maybe that Starting weight 80.0kg
day you had a lot of stress and ate a lot of salt. So After week 1 80.2kg
taking a weekly average value gives you a much more After week 2 80.4kg
accurate number, which you can compare to the next After week 3 80.6kg
week and so on. After week 4 80.8kg
123
Meal Timing
It doesn’t matter so much when you eat, what is more
important is your overall calories and macronutrients
you get in a day. Even a day isn’t as important as
what you eat in an entire week. If you eat too little or
too much one day you can compensate the next day.
Just focus on keeping your weekly balance in check.
But we can optimize meal timing a bit.
Find out what works best for you and eat a full meal
with protein after training so you can really start to
recover and repair.
124
“Did you know that each day, a person
who eats a vegan diet saves 1,100 gal-
lons of water, 45 pounds of grain, 30 sq
ft of forested land, 20 lbs CO2 equiva-
lent, and one animal’s life?”
125
What’s next?
Now you have the power to be in control over your Documentaries I recommend:
weight and know what to eat. This makes you inde- Cowspiracy
pendent and you won’t rely on another nutrition guide The Game Changers
or meal plans. You can even use this knowledge to guide
and help other people.
I want to leave you with more great sources of in- Another recommendation is to type one of
formation because there is still a lot you can learn in these names into YouTube and watch a talk
order to get an even greater knowledge of the power by any of these plant-based heroes:
of a plant based lifestyle.
Dr. Michael Greger
Books I recommend: Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn
“How Not To Die” by Michael Greger Dr. Neal Barnard
“Proteinaholic” by Garth Davis Dr. Joel Fuhrman
“Becoming Vegan” by Brenda Davis Dr. Pamela Popper
Dr. Joel Kahn
Dr. Michael Klaper
126
127
Thank you
Peace + Plants
Mischa Janiec
128
“Every accomplishment starts
with the decision
to begin! ”
129