Forks Over Knives Winter 2020

One of my favorite parts of watching the plant-based movement grow over the past 18 years has been seeing old nutrition myths lose their hold over the public consciousness. One such myth is the long-held notion that animal-based protein is needed if you want to perform well in athletics. Since adopting a plant-based lifestyle myself in 2001, I can’t tell you how many men and women I’ve met who have achieved remarkable feats of strength and endurance on a plant-based diet. The truth is, you can expect not just to get by physically on a plant-based diet, but to perform better. I felt strongly enough about the issue that we covered it briefly in the Forks Over Knives film eight years ago. A newly released documentary, The Game Changers, brings this topic into…

1 PUT STARCHES AND FRUITS AT THE CENTER OF YOUR PLATE. Enjoy nonstarchy and leafy veggies in generous amounts, but look to carbohydrate-rich whole grains, beans, fruits, and starchy vegetables to provide enough calories to get you through your day. 2 YOU’LL LIKELY EAT MORE FOOD, NOT LESS. Whole or minimally processed plant foods are dense in nutrients, not calories. As you adjust to this way of eating, you may find you feel a little hungry shortly after a meal, but over time you’ll get a sense of how much to eat to stay satiated. 3 FOCUS ON PLEASURE. The best whole plant foods are the ones you enjoy enough to stay on a healthy path. So have veggie chili, whole grain pasta, tacos, mashed potatoes, or whatever else hits the spot. 4 SAY…

Darshana Thacker Darshana is chef and culinary projects manager for Forks Over Knives. A graduate of the Natural Gourmet Institute, Darshana is the author of the new Forks Over Knives: Flavor! cookbook, recipe author for Forks Over Knives Family, and recipe contributor to the New York Times best-selling The Forks Over Knives Plan. Alona Pulde, MD, and Matthew Lederman, MD Drs. Pulde and Lederman created the medical program used in the Forks Over Knives documentary and all Whole Foods Market Medical & Wellness centers. They also coauthored the New York Times best-selling The Forks Over Knives Plan and The Whole Foods Diet: The Lifesaving Plan for Health and Longevity. Michael Greger MD, FACLM Dr. Greger is a physician and author of the New York Times best-selling How Not to Die and the new How Not…

INGREDIENT SWAPS FOR PLANT-BASED COOKS 1. SAUTÉ WITH WATER OR BROTH, NOT OIL. Simply add 2 Tbsp. of water or vegetable broth to your pan, turn up the heat, and toss in your vegetables. Stir frequently, and if vegetables start to stick, add more water or broth, 1 to 2 Tbsp. at a time. 2. SWAP CAULIFLOWER FOR CREAM IN SAUCES. Create healthier creamy sauces by steaming half a medium head of cauliflower (cut into florets) and blending it with 1¼ cups of water. Then add your preferred flavor enhancers, such as nutritional yeast, herbs, lemon juice, soy sauce, etc. 3. TOP A SALAD WITH BEANS OR GRAINS INSTEAD OF MEAT. Canned or home-cooked beans and grains turn a simple salad into a satisfying meal. 4. USE WHOLE GRAIN PASTA INSTEAD OF WHITE. Whole wheat, quinoa, and brown…

DIET FOOD The faddish Hollywood Diet touts grapefruit as its central component, but the citrus fruit’s real claim to fame is the role it can play in a healthy diet. The golden orbs are excellent sources of fiber and vitamin C. Red grapefruit varieties are also high in vitamin A. SWEET OR TART Like your grapefruit sweet? Choose red varieties grown in warm regions, such as Florida and Texas. Prefer fruit with more tang? White and yellow grapefruit have subtler, more tart flavors. Pink grapefruit varieties fall somewhere in between. SALAD LOVER Grapefruit’s distinctive tang shines in all types of salads. Add segments to leafy green, hearty grain, and slippery noodle salads, and use the juice and zest in place of other citrus in sauces and dressings. BUY ONLINE For premium flavor, specialty…

For years, the Paleo diet has been heralded by enthusiasts as the optimal diet for gut health. But a recent study published in the European Journal of Nutrition suggests that strict adherence to a Paleo eating pattern may do more harm than good to the gut. The Australian study compared 44 subjects on a long-term Paleo diet with 47 controls following a diet typical of national recommendations in Australia. The Paleo dieters were separated into two groups, “strict Paleo” versus “pseudo-Paleo,” based on how closely they followed the tenets of the diet—no processed foods, legumes, grains, or dairy products. When researchers analyzed participants’ gut microbiota, the Paleo groups had lower counts of beneficial bacteria species, such as Bifidobacteria and Roseburia, and higher counts of inflammatory species, such as Hungatella. Hungatella bacteria are known…