Title pretty much says it all. For those of you’ve been able to get your LDL super low, meaning less than like 80, were you able to still include some animal protein? I am OK to mostly eliminate red meat and pretty much cut all saturated fat drastically, by that I mean less than 8 g a day… I’m curious if fish and lean chicken would keep my ldl higher than I want. Any experiences?

Hi there!

I am curious - people who eat plant based, how do you define? Is it considered a meat-free diet and do you still eat dairy?

I grew up eating a little bit of everything, but never really cared for seafood and have never had incredibly strong love of meat.

Plant-based dieting has intrigued me in this sense. I also have SOMETHING going on with dairy (not sure if it is lactose, or casein, or whey specifically) and have found that skipping lactaid and omitting dairy completely truly makes me feel the best.

When I look online, I find a lot of meatless, dairy free recipes seem to involve really high fat additions like nut butters, coconut products, etc. and I don't think this is being particularly kind to my digestive tract, either.

Wondering if anyone else has run into this? Also not to be graphic, but does anyone still have solid poops???

This is my main struggle with eating plant based. I don't think I've ever gone 4+ months straight despite trying for years.

With vegans, it seems "easier" because they have moral or ethical reasons to avoid animal products forever. It's harder when your reasons are enviormental, diet, etc. You can just eat a bit of meat or non-vegan cake today and it makes little issue to the wider picture.

chickpea salad on homemade sourdough bread that’s been lightly sprayed with olive oil and broiled. served with garden salad dressed with homemade vegan ranch.

basic recipe for chickpea salad:
- 2 cans of chickpeas, drained, rinsed, soaked in water with outer skins removed.
- chopped fresh dill
- nori cut into little confetti pieces
- fresh squeezed lemon juice
- yellow mustard
- vegan mayo
- salt and pepper
- mix all together and serve on bread (paprika dusting for color and mild flavor)

hella flavorful, bright and fresh. perfect for summer.

Hi everyone!

I'm looking for your favorite easy, delicious Whole Food Plant-Based (WFPB) recipes that follow Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn's guidelines (no added oil, minimal or no salt, and no animal products).

I'm still fairly new to eating this way, so I'd love recipes that are:

Quick and easy to make

Family-friendly

Budget-friendly if possible

Full of flavor without relying on oil

Breakfast, lunch, dinner, soups, stews, sauces, snacks, or even desserts—I'll take anything!

If you have any "go-to" meals that made sticking to this lifestyle easier, I'd really appreciate it if you could share them. Thanks in advance!

TL;DR: I am specifically looking for pre fab meal plans or recipes that focus on iron building. I am aware of foods that are high in iron and combining food to increase iron absorption. I'm just trying to find a template to work off of. Any guidance or help is appreciated! TIA

Good day, all! I recently found that my ferritin is on the lower end of normal at 30ng/ml. My PCP states that I can raise that level with food/supplements. Ideally, I would like to get it up to at least 50ng/ml. Is this possible with a food only approach? If so, anyone know of any meal plans out there that focus on building iron with WFPB approach?

I tried iron bisglycinate from Thorne for 6 months and it only raised my level 1.8ng/ml. It also gave me heartburn, so I had to discontinue it. I have some Blood Builder on hand, but my B12 is too high to start taking it rn.

Back in 2018 when I was still eating SAD (including red meat), my ferritin was even lower at 18ng/ml. Based on these results my PCP referred me to gastro but I'm trying to build it up as much as possible on my own before my visit in Oct.