How To Succeed On A Plant-Based Diet With Lindsay S. Nixon Of Happy Herbivore

How To Succeed On A Plant-Based Diet With Lindsay S. Nixon Of Happy Herbivore

I’ve never been much of a chef. So it drives me crazy when someone says something like, “oh, just taste it and see what it needs.”

I flashback to spending all this time in the kitchen trying to fix a sauce that wasn’t turning out.

Here’s what “just see what it needs” looked like to me:

  • I’d add a little more lemon juice. Blend. Taste. Hmm, that didn’t help much.
  • So then I’d pick a random spice out of the drawer, smell it, taste it, add it. Blend again. Taste. Hmm, that’s actually a little bit better!
  • Then I’d add another teaspoon of the spice that was helping. Blend. Taste. OH NO, THIS TASTES AWFUL! HOW DO I FIX IT?
  • Start the randomly adding and tasting procedure over again.

Ah the joy of learning how to cook! Eventually I did get better, but I still lack that innate skill that others have.

And it’s funny because when you become proficient at something, you totally forget what it was like to be a beginner.

There is an actual term for this phenomenon — psychologists call it the Curse of Knowledge.

It basically means that once you learn the ropes, you lose touch with what it was like to be a novice starting from scratch. It becomes difficult to relate.

I think this is one of the reasons why so much of the health advice out there doesn’t hit home. The experts have totally forgotten what it’s like when you are just starting out!

I recently had the opportunity to interview Lindsay Nixon of Happy Herbivore fame, and she talked about the process of helping her parents go plant-based.

She said it was eye-opening to see just what it meant to completely revamp your diet at 60, and she was able to gain a whole new perspective and appreciation for what it truly means to be a beginner.

I still remember what it was like having no idea what I was going to eat, shopping for ingredients that I had never heard of, trying to figure out if I was indeed going to spend $20 on this strange substance in a jar called “coconut oil.”

And is it any different than coconut butter?!?! I’m still not sure…

Luckily, there are more resources than ever to make transitioning to a plant-based diet as easy as possible.

And today I’m thrilled to share my interview with Lindsay, where we discuss the joys, trials and travails of our plant-based journeys, and her latest book The Happy Herbivore Guide to Plant-Based Living.

Watch the interview and learn:

  • (1:47) The best way to transition to a plant-based diet and why this method is more successful.
  • (6:57) The strange reason why trying to be perfect can often sabotage our progress.
  • (21:07) How Lindsay convinced her parents to go plant-based after her Dad had a heart attack.
  • (24:11) The one book that Lindsay reads every New Years Day, and why it has been so life-changing.
  • (28:58) The surprising side effect of creating and following meal plans, and how they can change your relationship with food.

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Show notes:

The Happy Herbivore Guide To Plant-Based Living

Lindsay has gained some serious wisdom over the past several years, helping hundreds if not thousands of people transition to a plant-based diet.

Her guide is the resource that I wish I had as a beginner. Heck, I might even have avoided all those painful (and pretty ridiculous) mistakes I made along the way!

I joke that she has put together the bible on plant-based living. I highly recommend it, especially if you are just starting out on your plant-based journey.

She covers all the common questions on nutrition, how to transition, traveling, etc.

But my favorite aspect of the book is the focus on how to deal with social situations. She has extremely helpful advice on how to attend or host dinner parties, what to do when your friends ask you out to eat, and what to do if your family and friends are unsupportive.

The social aspect continues to be the most difficult thing for me, so I was excited to see so much good info in the book.

If you are interested in learning more about her book, it is available on Amazon.

Enter To Win A Free Copy Of The Book!

Lindsay and her publisher BenBella Books have been gracious enough to provide two copies of her book to our community, and you can enter to win!

We’ll be randomly selecting two recipients (see entry details below) and notifying the winners on Saturday, June 27th.

UPDATE: The give away has now ended. Congratulations to Stacy and Casey!

Here’s how to enter:

  1. Sign up for the email list using the form below. If you are already subscribed, you do NOT have to subscribe again.
  2. Leave a comment below letting us know the following: Do you (or did you) struggle with the learning curve of healthy eating? What is the most overwhelming part of getting started? Give an example and be specific.

*Note: Only open to residents of the US and Canada


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