Clean out your pantry & refrigerator of all refined/processed food, flesh, and dairy products. Either give them away or donate them.

Use low sodium vegetable broth to saute’ in replace of oil.

First 30 days, keep food simple. The more ingredients you throw at things, the more likely you will continue to increase and talk yourself into adding things not so great.

On a 10-12 inch plate (Lunch/Dinner), 1/2 should be greens piled high, 1/4 Legumes piled high (1/2 to 1c), 1/4 Grains (1/2c)

Put in sea salt after you finish cooking - get yourself use to less salt, and you'll not crave!

Ingredients on labels should be as few as possible, such as black beans, water, and citric acid as a preservative.

Bring your own meals to parties and holiday dinners.

When meeting out for drinks, make sure you eat before you go. 

Plan your meals ahead. Pack your lunches and snacks the night before.

You don't have to exercise to see results from eating a plant-based diet, but, doctors recommend, at the very least, walking 3-4 times per week for 30 minutes. You will lose more weight, and make your brain more healthy if you exercise.

First, several ingredients on the list make up the bulk of the ingredients.

Sodium should not exceed the calorie number. So if something is 140 calories, sodium should be 140 mg or less.

Avoid saturated fat.

Avoid oil. That includes margarine since it is made from oil. It is hard to completely eliminate it, especially when dining out but do your best. If you consume a little oil here and there, you should be fine, but again, do you best to significantly reduce oil consumption.

Saute' in vegetable broth, water, or mushroom broth vs. oil.

Depending on brands, including brands of produce, can alter the way the food tastes and performs. You could have potatoes that thicken a broth more than other potatoes or brands that taste differently than other brands, or brands that are more watery or runny than other brands. Therefore your dishes may not turn out the same each time if you switch brands. Find that brands that works for you and stick with them.  Due to product differences from what I may use when creating recipes, be prepared to cook a recipe longer or shorter; or add more or less of an ingredient, such as more/less water or veggie broth, or more/less maple syrup, or more/less seasons, etc. 

If you have high blood pressure after being a whole food plant based eater for some time, likely you are consuming too much sodium and need to greatly reduce or eliminate sodium.

If you say, "I don't have time to cook," if it isn't in a box, can or bag, I won't prepare it." If your life depends on eating healthy, you'd find the time. The question is, how bad to you want to feel good? How bad to you want to live longer vs. die longer? If you want to avoid cooking to the point of avoiding a plant-based diet, then vegan meals will have to suffice. Eating vegan food is better than eating a Western diet of animal fat, cholesterol, salt, and sugar. Gardein products such as crispy chickless tenders, Beyond Meat brand burgers (in the refrigerated section of Whole Foods where you'd find the cheeze), vegan cheezes, vegan hotdogs, can be found in many grocery stores... You'll have to experiment as to which products you like best. If you eat these products frequently, your health will suffer, but not nearly as much as eating a flesh and dairy diet. But no matter what, eat your veggies with your processed protein.​​