Plant-based eating for beginners

When I first started on a primarily plant-based diet, I was overwhelmed by the many types of vegetarian diets. As I gathered more information to feed myself, there were so many Do's and Don'ts, differentiated by the variation of foods than an individual eats or doesn't eats, I wasn't sure what was acceptable to put into my grocery cart or even into my mouth!

PLANT-BASED EATINGNOURISHMENT

Wendy Boey

5/12/20247 min read

Reminder: Do always consult a qualified healthcare professional before altering your diet in any way.

In July 2021, I met my husband Chris who observes an allium-free lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet. What this means is that he consumes dairy products and eggs on top of a plant-based diet, but avoids the five pungent vegetables: garlic, onion, chives, leeks, and shallots.

While the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, I'll admit I'm not a great cook and frequently fail to follow recipes to a tee. Taking away garlic and onion further cripples my less-than-flavorful dishes. On the other hand, Chris used to operate a vegetarian zi char stall in Singapore, which offers home-styled local Chinese cuisine cooked upon order. Igniting my competitive spirit, I spend my free time watching YouTube channels that feature plant-based recipes and often takeover his family kitchen to hone my vegetarian cooking skills.

Dining out wasn't easy for us in the beginning. Our first dinner date was at a Thai restaurant which has a vegetarian menu separate from their standard offering. Despite ordering from the vegetarian menu and alerting the restaurant staff that we're on a vegetarian diet, we were repeatedly served dishes with fish sauce! I felt so apologetic towards Chris, and kept sending the dishes back to the restaurant kitchen.

Through subsequent dates, I learnt what to look out for and how to shortlist suitable dining options for our dates. Nowadays, I do not mind eating at places that only serve vegan or vegetarian foods. I'm often pleasantly surprised at how some foods taste and how creative some dishes can be presented. I had vegetarian dim sum, vegetarian hotpot, vegan creamy pasta, etc.

Why I Transitioned From A Meat-Heavy Carnivore

I'm lived in Singapore for most of my life, where less than 10% of our population identifies as vegetarians. Before meeting Chris, I was a meat-heavy carnivore, and my xposure to local vegetarian food was very much limited to the economical vegetarian beehoon 斋米粉 available from hawker center or food court stalls. After surviving breast cancer in 2020, I transitioned to a semi-vegetarian diet (also known as a flexitarian diet).

Learning to feed myself, I realized through my online research and discussion with fellow vegetarians that following a plant-based diet is much more than just eating salads! I was introduced to many new foods and ingredients I have never heard before, such as mycoprotein and nutritional yeast. Browsing for quick beginner recipes also make me wonder if these dishes are truly easy to make. 10 unheard-of ingredients to make a single dish? Come on!

When I was much younger, I had the perception that if you can afford to eat red meat and seafood during a regular family meal, your family must be relatively well-to-do. It didn't help that those around me were mainly steak-obsessed meat-eaters. I developed a meat-heavy carnivorous appetite that stuck for many years.

Initially, I thought cancer was the worst blow to my life back then. However, post treatment, a series of unfortunate events soon followed, one after another. As the world I used to know spiraled out of control, the only thing I felt I still had power over... was what I eat.

I went cold turkey overnight on a soy-free whole food plant-based diet (WFPB). For a few months, I ate only my home-cooked meals that I prepared without adding oil, salt and sugar. I also attempted more than a week of raw vegan meals. During this period, I had absolutely no ultra-processed foods. No crispy savory snacks either.

However, I realized a strict restrictive diet doesn't work for me. I eventually succumb to my relentless cravings and re-introduced meat and seafood into my diet (in moderate amounts, of course). I consider myself a flexitarian as I do not follow a complete plant-based diet everyday.

While my lacto-ovo-vegetarian partner does not restrict my diet, I primarily follow his same diet on most days. I also usually prepare vegan and vegetarian dishes.
When dining with my omnivorous family and friends, I do consume meat and seafood but would opt for leaner cuts. Compared to just a few years ago before my diagnosis, I would now exercise restraint and no longer overindulge.
When temptation comes knocking, I do allow myself to consume some ultra-processed foods and snacks that I enjoy, such as potato chips and dried squid. I also prepare healthier alternatives - such as a container of DIY pre-mixed rolled oats, chia seeds, cacao nibs, dried cranberries and pumpkin seeds - that I can easily add liquids to and munch on.

Even eating a flexitarian diet nowadays, I've been challenged that I wasn't on a semi-vegetarian diet and it makes no difference being an omnivore. Oh well. Thankfully I met some kind vegans and vegetarians who shared that it is okay not to be overly restrictive and to go easy on myself as a plant-based diet rookie back then.

A plant-based diet comprises primarily of a good variety of plant-based foods including vegetables, fruits, legumes, grains, nuts, seeds, etc. And yeah, it's not just raw salads!

Difference between vegan and vegetarian diets

There are many variations to a plant-based diet, and the vegan diet may be considered the most restrictive in the sense that individuals do not consume any form of animal flesh, animal products and animal-derived products. This means they would avoid foods like honey, eggs, dairy milk and cheese, etc.

While you may think it's rather restrictive on a strict vegan diet, you'll be surprised by the creative ways some plant foods and ingredients are being used. Like the liquid that comes with canned chickpeas? That's known as aquafaba, and you can whipped it to make meringues!

Compared to vegans, most vegetarians consume a variation of animal-derived foods and/or ingredients, but not animal flesh or animal products. Some would choose to eat eggs, but not dairy products like ice-cream made from cow's milk.

And of course, there are the flexitarians like myself, who do consume animal flesh and animal products.

What are the types of vegetarian diets?

So as explained above, there are a lot of variations to a plant-based diet!

The following is not an exhaustive list of plant-based diets, but this should help to give you a better idea of a vegan diet and the main types of vegetarian diets.

Vegan diet

The vegan diet is probably the purest form of a plant-based diet. Other than animal flesh, animal foods and animal-derived products, they also avoid foods that are deemed to exploitative or cruel to animals. Some of the foods vegans avoid include meat, fish, eggs, dairy, honey, gelatin, and most beers.

As veganism is considered a lifestyle, there are individuals who identify themselves as dietary vegans. This mean that they do not consume any animal-derived foods, but may use cosmetics or other products that include animal-derived ingredients. Such cosmetic ingredients include lanolin from sheep's wool and collagen from animal skin.

The online vegan communities have introduced me to a world of plant-based food alternatives, such as plant-based nut milks (e.g. almond milk), and replacing honey with maple syrup or coconut sugar.

There are also "sub-sets" within the vegan diet, such as:

Whole-food plant-based (WFPB) vegan diet who consumes minimally-processed foods. They would avoid foods like fast food, refined grains, artificial sweeteners, etc. (Do note that animal meats can be included in a WFPB diet and we wouldn't classify this as vegan.)
Raw vegan diet who consumes completely raw foods, or minimally-processed foods prepared through low-heat techniques (heated no more than 48°C or 118°F) such as blending, sprouting, dehydrating, etc. Previously I attempted a week of raw vegan meals, which includes smoothies, fruit juices, plant-based Vietnamese rice rolls, and plant-based sushi.
Junk food vegan who consumes high processed foods frequently, such as plant-based meats, sugary plant-based snacks, vegan instant noodles, etc. So yeah, not all plant-based diets are healthy diets.

Vegetarian diets that include animal products, but not animal flesh

The term Lacto- refers to milk, while the term Ovo- refers to egg.

Lacto-vegetarians follow a primarily plant-based diet, but also consumes dairy products such as cow's milk, goat's cheese, butter and yoghurt. The term Lacto- refers to milk.
Ovo-vegetarians follow a primarily plant-based diet, but also consumes unfertilized eggs. This means foods like balut in the Philippines is a strict no-no.
Lacto-ovo-vegetarians or Ovo-lacto-vegetarians are a blend of the above. They follow a primarily plant-based diet, but consumes both dairy products and unfertilized eggs.

Vegetarian diets that include animal flesh and animal products

The term Pesce- refers to fish, while the term Pollo- refers to chicken.

Pescetarians or pescatarians follow a primarily plant-based diet, but also consumes seafood such as fish, squid, crabs, and prawns. I was first introduced to this diet by my first American boss who's a pescetarian. That was 2011!
Pollotarians follow a primarily plant-based diet, but also consumes poultry such as chicken, duck, and turkey. Currently I'm considering to shift my diet towards this as I'm reducing red meat and seafood due to my health issues. Then again, I love fried chicken wings. Opps!
Pollo-pescetarians, pollo-pescatarians or pesce-pollotarians are a blend of the above. They follow a primarily plant-based diet, but consumes both seafood and poultry. This seem somewhat similar to flexitarians, except that they do not consume red meat.
Flexitarians or semi-vegetarians, like myself, follow a primarily plant-based diet, but consumes small amounts of red meat, poultry and seafood. In some cases, individuals follow a primarily plant-based diet, but would not mind picking out vegetables from cooked meat dishes when dining out with friends. We call this 路边素 in Mandarin.
Part-time vegetarians are individuals who choose to consume a plant-based diet on selected days. In Singapore, some individuals consume a pure vegetarian diet only on the 1st and 15th of the lunar calendar due to religious beliefs. On other days, they resume their usual diet.

How to start eating vegetarian, or simply more plant-based

Reminder: Before making any changes to your diet, it's advisable to check with a qualified healthcare professional. We do not know what our bodies may be deficient in or allergic to, so always check in advance.

Speaking from my personal experience, I would recommend you to make small changes to your diet gradually. Well, I went cold-turkey overnight and failed to continue with a vegan diet after a few months due to the crazy cravings.

Small changes could be swopping out meat-heavy meals with more healthy plant-based foods. You can minimize adding meat to your cooking, or replace meat with protein-rich plant foods like beans, tofu, or tempeh. Instead of adding cow's milk to your cereals, try plant milks like soy milk or almond milk.

When dining out, most restaurants and cafes these days offer plant-based options to cater to a larger crowd. Instead of a beef burger, try a mushroom burger instead. You can also consider visiting a vegan or vegetarian cafe to explore what's available. Here are some options that open till late at night. If you're in Singapore, Fortune Centre is home to a number of vegetarian eateries. It's a walking distance from 3 MRT stations: Bugis, Bencoolen, and Bras Basah.

Another way is to follow the global movement Meatless Monday. As simple as it sounds, it simply means to avoid meat once a week on Monday. You can find out more about this movement from their website.

No matter what you decide to try out, remember to eat healthily and in moderation. Eat well!