How to Start Eating Plant-Based (Without Overthinking It): A Simple, Sustainable Guide

When most people think about switching to a plant-based lifestyle, their first feeling is overwhelm. There’s this idea that you have to master complicated vegan recipes, buy all organic everything, learn 47 new ingredients, and transform overnight. But the truth is, you don’t need to do all that. You don’t need to label yourself vegan, vegetarian, or anything else. And you definitely don’t need to reinvent your entire kitchen.

You just need a simple, sustainable rhythm that you can stick to.

That’s why eating the same core meals Monday through Friday can be such a game-changer. It creates consistency. It removes the guesswork. It makes meal prep easy. And because you've chosen meals you actually enjoy, you don’t feel deprived or bored. You can get all the nutrition your body needs without spending all day cooking. And on the weekends, you can give yourself room to enjoy different meals like vegetarian pasta or pizza — but even then, it’s a conscious choice, not a chaotic one.

There’s a lot of debate around whether eating the same meals every day is good for your gut. While diversity in plant foods can support gut health, so can consistency — especially when you're just starting out. If you’re always switching things up, it’s harder to build rhythm. And rhythm is what helps you stay grounded when life gets busy. You can always rotate ingredients in and out as your confidence grows. But to start, simplicity wins.

Here’s what my weekday meals typically look like:

What I Eat in a Day (Monday–Friday)

  • Morning teas: I start the day with a rotation of my favorite herbal teas — roasted dandelion root (it looks and tastes like coffee if you brew it strong enough), spearmint (for hormonal balance), lemon balm (for stress), nettle (for joint support), and peppermint and fennel (for digestion). I add Chobani Creamer to my roasted dandelion root because it doesn’t contain carrageenan, which is linked to gut irritation.
  • Water intake: I aim for at least 65 ounces of water per day, including my tea, which is half my body weight in ounces.
  • 10 a.m. breakfast: 3 boiled eggs and a small glass of orange juice. I batch-boil 9 eggs at a time and store them in the fridge for convenience.
  • 1–2 p.m. smoothie: I drink my protein-packed hemp smoothie (linked here) which keeps me full and energized.
  • 6–7 p.m. dinner: A loaded salad with either organic kale or red leaf lettuce, shredded carrots, shredded red cabbage, tomatoes, mini bell peppers, cucumbers, avocado, ½ cup of beans, 2/3 cup of corn, and ½ cup of shredded cheese. I like to grate my own cheeses because they don't have the added ingredients that bag cheeses come with. 

Don’t Forget the Nutrients Your Body Still Needs
While my daily rhythm centers around simple meals — smoothies, salads, and eggs — I also stay mindful of what my body might need beyond food. Just because you’re eating more plants doesn’t mean your body is automatically getting everything it needs to thrive. Whether you eat plant-based or not, it’s important to make sure your nutrients are covered.

That’s why I personally supplement with:

No matter what your diet looks like, your needs are going to be unique to your body, your lifestyle, and your current season of life. If you’re not sure what your body needs, I highly recommend checking out these articles:
Supporting Your Body Through Life Stages and The Real Purpose of Food — where I break down how to get more clarity on your nutritional needs and how to use tools like the USDA DRI Calculator to help you figure out what your body might be lacking or craving.

Plant-based eating works best when it’s grounded in both intention and information. You don’t have to guess — you can check in with your body, supplement where needed, and give yourself what you actually require to feel your best.

Why I Focus on Organic (When It Matters Most)
If you’re not growing your own produce, organic matters. Many conventional crops are heavily sprayed with pesticides that can accumulate in the body over time. I don’t buy everything organic, but I’m intentional about what I prioritize.

  • Always organic: Tomatoes, bell peppers, carrots, and leafy greens like kale or lettuce, apples, berries, almonds (almonds are heavily sprayed with pesticides).
  • Sometimes non-organic (but peeled or scrubbed): Cucumbers, bananas, avocados, onions, melons. I use a toothbrush and warm water to scrub them, then peel them to minimize pesticide exposure.

The goal isn’t perfection. The goal is making informed choices that support your long-term health — and being gentle with yourself when organic isn’t accessible or affordable.

The Truth About Eggs (And Why I Only Buy Pasture-Raised)
Not all eggs are created equal.

  • Cage-free simply means the hens aren’t in cages, but they’re still indoors, living in overcrowded conditions with limited movement or natural foraging.
  • Pasture-raised hens, on the other hand, live outdoors with space to roam. They eat a more diverse diet that includes grass and insects, which makes the eggs they lay more nutrient-dense — richer in omega-3s, vitamin D, and antioxidants.

There have even been reports that in some large-scale operations, chickens in high-stress environments were given medications like Prozac to keep them from fighting or becoming aggressive. While not a standard industry practice, the fact that it's ever been used is enough to make me choose differently.

If eggs are part of your regular routine, pasture-raised is the best upgrade you can make — for your health and your peace of mind.

How I Cook My Dry Beans (And Reduce Digestive Discomfort)
Beans are my primary protein source, and I batch cook them for the week. Here's how I do it:

COOKING DRY BEANS
2 Cups of Dry Beans = 1 Pound of Beans

Chickpeas, Pinto Beans, Kidney Beans and Other Large Beans
Soak for 10 Hours: 6 Cups of Filtered or Distilled Water, 2 Tablespoons Kosher Salt
Drain Water, Rinse Beans
Slow Cook in Pot in Oven: 8 Cups of FRESH Filtered or Distilled Water, 1 Tablespoon Kosher Salt, 2 Bay Leaves
Cook Time in Oven at 350 Degrees: 1 Hour and 30 Minutes

Black Beans
Soak for 10 Hours: 6 Cups of Filtered or Distilled Water, 2 Tablespoons Kosher Salt
Drain Water, Rinse Beans
Slow Cook Uncovered in Pot in Oven: 4 Cups of FRESH Filtered or Distilled Water, 1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt, 2 Bay Leaves
Cook Time in Oven at 350 Degrees: 1 Hour

Red Beans
Soak for 10 Hours: 6 Cups of Filtered or Distilled Water, 2 Tablespoons Kosher Salt
Drain Water, Rinse Beans
Slow Cook Uncovered in Pot in Oven: 4 Cups of FRESH Filtered or Distilled Water, 1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt, 2 Bay Leaves
Cook Time in Oven at 350 Degrees: 1 Hour 

Lentils
Soak for 4 Hours: 3 Cups of Filtered or Distilled Water, 1 Tablespoon Kosher Salt
Drain Water, Rinse Beans
Slow Cook Uncovered in Pot in Oven: 3 Cups of FRESH Filtered or Distilled Water, 1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt, 2 Bay Leaves
Cook Time in Oven at 350 Degrees: 35 Minutes 

How I Freeze Them:
Once the beans are fully cooked, I let them cool completely to room temperature. Then I portion them out into small freezer-safe containers or Ziploc bags. I label them with the date and type of bean, press out any extra air if I’m using bags, and then lay them flat in the freezer for easy stacking.

When you're ready to use them, you can either thaw a container overnight in the fridge, run the bag under warm water to quickly loosen the beans for heating or just take out 1/2 cup or however much you'd like. You can reheat them on the stove, in the microwave, or toss them straight into your dish if you’re cooking something warm.

This method saves time, reduces waste, and keeps you stocked with high-quality protein that’s ready when you need it.

Bay leaves help make the beans easier to digest. But gas is still a normal part of the transition. If you’re not used to eating beans daily, give your body time to adjust. A little discomfort in the first week or two doesn’t mean it’s not working — it just means your gut is learning how to process this new, fiber-rich food.

A Natural Remedy: Peppermint and fennel tea. Sip it regularly or after meals to ease bloating and help with digestion. It works.

Be Mindful of Your Salad Dressing
A salad can be one of the most nourishing meals you eat all day — but the dressing matters more than most people think. A lot of store-bought dressings are loaded with unnecessary extras like cheap oils, gums, added sugars, preservatives, and artificial flavors that don’t support your health goals.

That said, it’s not about being extreme. If you make your own at home and you need to add a little sugar to make it taste good — do what works for you. This isn't about perfection, it's about how even the smallest intentional choices add up over time.

For example, in my homemade ranch, I use 2 tablespoons of sugar for 2 3/4 cups of dressing. That breaks down to just over half a gram of sugar per tablespoon — far less than the 1–3 grams you’ll find in most bottled dressings. It’s a small touch that makes the salad enjoyable without undoing the health benefits of your meal.

My best advice? Find one or two dressings you actually enjoy, whether that means making them from scratch or finding a clean bottled brand that fits your lifestyle. Don’t choke down a dry salad in the name of being healthy. Find a way to like it, and you’ll stick with it.

If you’re reading labels, try to steer clear of dressings that contain:

  • Highly refined oils like soybean or canola
  • High-fructose corn syrup or sneaky added sugars
  • Thickeners like carrageenan or gums
  • Artificial preservatives or "natural flavors" that don’t specify what they are

And if you’re making your own, here’s my go-to homemade ranch recipe that hits every time — yes, even with a little sugar:

1 cup Smash Kitchen Organic Mayonnaise

1 cup Daisy Sour Cream

3/4 cup Horizon Organic Grassfed Whole Milk (for a thicker dressing start with 1/2 cup)

3 tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice

2 tablespoons Granulated Sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons Onion Powder

1 1/2 teaspoons Ground Mustard Powder

1 teaspoon Dried Parsley or 1 tablespoon Fresh Parsley

1 teaspoon Dried Dill or 1 tablespoon Fresh Dill

1 teaspoon Dried Chives or 1 tablespoon Fresh Chives

1 teaspoon Salt

1/2 teaspoon Black Peppercorn

1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder

1/4 teaspoon Paprika

How to Mix It:
Blend all the ingredients in the large cup of a NutriBullet — the same one you use for smoothies. Just add everything in, blend for about 30 to 60 seconds until it’s smooth and fully combined, and you’re done. This is the easiest way to get a creamy, well-blended dressing with no fuss.

If you don’t have a bullet blender, you can also whisk it together in a bowl — just make sure to mix it well so everything comes together evenly.

Weekend Meals and Flexibility
Keep things simple during the week so you can treat yourself on the weekends without guilt. On the weekends have vegetarian pasta, pizza, or whatever vegetarian option you like from your favorite restaurant. This lifestyle doesn’t have to be rigid. When your foundation is strong, the rest is flexible.

You don’t have to go vegan. You don’t have to eat salads every single day. You don’t have to cook elaborate recipes. You just have to find your rhythm — and let that rhythm be rooted in foods that make you feel energized, nourished, and supported.

Start small. Pick one meal to repeat each day. Make a few ingredient swaps. Prepare what you can ahead of time. And most importantly, listen to how you feel after you eat. Your body will tell you everything you need to know.

This is what intentional eating really looks like — balanced, thoughtful, and tailored to you.

Pause for a Moment and Ask Yourself: What if eating plant-based isn’t about doing it perfectly, but about finding the version of it that truly works for me?

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