Today on the Greenhero Podcast, we’re talking with London-based plant-based health coach, Vanessa Sturman. She’s an educator and speaker who helps people get high energy and healthy weight with delicious plant-based food. She is also a co-founder of the recipe website The Vegan Larder. Throughout her career, Vanessa has been involved with plant-based foods. Though her personal journey began nearly a decade ago, she realized early on that many people simply weren’t sure how to build a balanced meal and how to do that without being in the kitchen, doing loads of prep, and cooking three or four times a day.  Vanessa’s mentality when it comes to working with her clients is to meet them where they are. Some are just starting their own plant-based journey and aren’t sure where to begin, while others have been plant-based for years, but simply don’t know how to cook a plant-based diet efficiently. In any case, these people have an understanding that something needs to change. Either they are feeling the effects physically and mentally, or they are looking to build a foundation for a healthy rest of their lives. Some people aren’t starting 100% plant-based, while others do it overnight. It’s often not about a lack of willpower, it’s a lack of understanding and education on what delicious plant-based food can be. She works with people at their own pace, eventually graduating them into more complex dishes once a fundamental understanding of what variety and nutrients are needed for a healthy diet. By the time they’re comfortable with their diet, experimenting happens, and shortcuts for more efficient prep become easier to achieve.  The biggest realization Vanessa’s clients have is just how filling a plant-based diet can be. There’s a common misconception that “plant-based” means you’ll be left wanting more. This isn’t the case, and it is often pointed to the perception that “plant-based” means lettuce, tomato, and cucumber in a bowl. Once there’s a breakdown of everything that is included in this diet, the opportunities open up.  The words “Vegan” and “plant-based” are similar in some cases, but the distinction is that “plant-based” is referring to (mostly) food. In addition, it’s a bit of a softer, more approachable word describing food, while “veganism” is rooted in activism.  For some folks, the barrier to a plant-based diet is the food preparation. The truth is that we already know how to prepare and cook many plant-based dishes without knowing we do. You don’t need new tools (a sharp knife helps) or techniques, but your ingredients will have more variety and more nutrients. Starting out with a dish that is already mostly plant-based and playing on the recipe is a great way to introduce a plant-based meal to your day.  In the UK where Vanessa coaches, the awareness that a plant-based diet is an incredible way to improve your health is starting to surface. But still, it could go further. There are small shifts, like ordering a vegan option at a restaurant, that can introduce people to the idea that plant-based food really is good, and will leave you satisfied.  Things you’ll learn Plant-based foods really can be filling, satisfying, and healthy (all at the same time). Cooking plant-based meals doesn’t mean re-learning how to cook, it’s applying what you know to different ingredients. You can transition to a plant-based diet preventatively or to help with existing challenges.  Links and Socials @energiseandthriveplantbased https://www.subscribepage.com/energiseandthriveplantbased https://theveganlarder.com/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/howtogoplantbased