This isn’t going to be easy. In fact, it may be one of the hardest things you ever do. It requires 100% commitment, an unyielding dedication to making a change, and an open mind. Your friends and family might think you're crazy. Your coworkers certainly will. You’ll encounter temptation after temptation, you’ll be encouraged to give up and you’ll want to. It will be tough and it will require sacrifice, but it’s time.
Time to take charge of your health, time to start expecting more. More from life, more from the way you feel, more from the food you eat. We invest in houses, cars and 401K’s and now it’s time to invest in our health.
No more lies, no more excuses, no more doubt.
The Elimination - 28 Days
This trial is for the toughest of the tough. An all or nothing sort of challenge.
- No Meat or Fish - yes, we really do mean all types of meat and all types of fish. Nothing passes the test - no white meat, no turkey, no salmon and no to whatever you're thinking next.
- No Eggs - chicken, duck, quail, etc. you know what eggs are.
- No Dairy - animal milk and products produced from animal milk i.e. yogurt, butter, cream, cheese and ice cream.
- No Added Sugar - just like it sounds, foods that have had sugar, high fructose corn syrup, brown rice syrup, honey, sucrose, dextrose, barley malt syrup, etc. added in. This may be the most difficult part of the challenge. There are more than 50 different names for sugar and it has been added to foods that you would not even expect (canned beans, vegetable broth, bread). Make sure you read the ingredients list carefully, even foods with 0 grams of sugar on the label may still have sugar in the ingredients. Naturally occurring sugars in fruits and vegetables are A-okay. After 10 days of Plantsanity, fruit will start to taste like dessert (it sounds crazy, but we're serious).
- No Processed Foods - this is a bit subjective as most foods undergo some kind of processing. In general, pasteurization, cooking, freezing, drying, and canning are minimally processed and are acceptable. On the other hand, chips, fries, crackers, etc., are highly processed foods and are definitely on the no list. One easy rule to follow - read the ingredients on the label. Numerous ingredients and/or things you have never heard of are tell-tale signs of a processed food. Also, products with wheat should say whole wheat or 100% whole wheat. Stay away from products that say flour, wheat flour or enriched flour. There will be some grey areas (ex. non-dairy milk or tortillas) so decide what you want to do ahead of time and stick to it.
- No Alcohol - and preferably, no tobacco products either.
- No Excuses - We've heard them all. I'm too busy, it's too hard, I have a family, I could never give up (insert food here), I don't know how to cook, I can't go out with my friends, I have a birthday party coming up, there's nothing left to eat, it's too inconvenient. Let's be real, we can do anything for 28 days. It may require a bit of sacrifice and time and effort, but that's true for almost anything we do that's truly worthwhile.
The Experiment - 21 Days
This trial is for those who don't quite want to go cold turkey. Don't worry, it'll still be tough, but we're just a little more lenient on this one.
- 1 Serving of Meat or Fish per week - one serving of meat is about 3 oz. and is the size of a deck of cards. You get 1 serving per week so use it wisely. We'd recommend saving this if you have plans to go out with friends later in the week or if you are in a situation where it may be tough to find plant based options.
- 1 Serving of Eggs per week - one serving of eggs is...surprise...one egg.
- 1 Serving of Dairy per week - one serving of dairy is one cup of milk or yogurt or one slice of cheese. Sorry, still no ice cream allowed in this trial. You can celebrate with this after you complete your 21 days (if you still want to).
- Less than 1/2 Tbsp per day of added sugar - 1/2 tablespoon is about 6 grams of sugar.
- No Processed Foods - this is a bit subjective as most foods undergo some kind of processing. In general, pasteurization, cooking, freezing, drying, and canning are minimally processed and are acceptable. On the other hand, potato chips, fries, crackers, etc., are highly processed foods and are definitely on the no list. One easy rule to follow - read the ingredients on the label. Numerous ingredients and/or things you have never heard of are tell-tale signs of a processed food. Also, products with wheat should say whole wheat or 100% whole wheat. Stay away from products that say flour, wheat flour or enriched flour. There will be some grey areas (ex. non-dairy milk or tortillas) so decide what you want to do ahead of time and stick to it.
- 1 Serving of Alcohol per week - one serving of alcohol is 12 oz. of beer, 5 oz. of wine, and 1.5 oz. of distilled spirits.
- No Excuses - We've heard them all. I'm too busy, it's too hard, I have a family, I could never give up (insert food here), I don't know how to cook, I can't go out with my friends, I have a birthday party coming up, there's nothing left to eat, it's too inconvenient. Let's be real, we can do anything for 21 days. It may require a bit of sacrifice and time and effort, but that's true for almost anything we do that's truly worthwhile.
The How
STAGE 1: Commit
Review The Plantsanity Trials Guidelines and commit 100% to either The Elimination or The Experiment. Print this contract, fill it out, and put it on the fridge so that you see it every morning when you get up.
STAGE 2: Prepare
Preparation is key to success in this challenge. Ask a friend or family member to join you, clean out your fridge and pantry to remove all temptation, and restock your pantry with the good stuff. Review the resources on this site for recipes, tips, and more.
STAGE 3: Start
This is the tough love part. Maybe a holiday is coming up, a wedding, friends coming into town, work event? Its 28 days... you can pass on some chips and a couple slices of average cake. There is never going to be a perfect time to do this, so pick a day and get started. The sooner the better!