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About Lindsay
Hi! I'm Lindsay author of The Happy Herbivore Cookbook, Everyday Happy Herbivore, Happy Herbivore Abroad and Happy Herbivore Light & Lean (available December 2013).
What makes me different? I don't cook with oils or other added fats. All my recipes are fat-free or low fat and I focus on using whole, unprocessed plant foods -- but nothing obscure or bizarre! I use normal "everyday" ingredients we all have on hand and most of my recipes come together in 20 minutes or less, too!
I keep it healthy, affordable, easy, no fuss and most importantly: delicious!
Why Plant Based?
Eating a plant-based diet is the nation’s fastest-growing food trend, and for good reason. The more plant-based meals we eat, the more benefits we will feel and bestow. Whenever someone asks me why I’m plant-based, I reply, "For my health, my pocketbook, the animals, the environment...and for you."
Why Low Fat?
Following the advice and compelling research of Dr. McDougall, Dr. Esselstyn, Dr. Campbell, Dr. Barnard and several others, my husband and I switched a low-fat, no oil plant-based (vegan) diet in 2007. Within a matter of weeks we lost more weight than we previously thought possible and reversed or eliminated all of our medical conditions. I even ran a marathon 10 months later, when I was too out of shape to walk a 5k the year before. Read more about my path to a plant-based diet.
Since then I have met and worked with thousands (yes! thousands!) of people with stories much like ours. You can read some of their inspiring stories as part of the Herbies of the Week series.
Why No Oil?
Oils are sneaky calorie bombs, both high in fat and high in calories. One tablespoon of oil has nearly 120 calories and 14 grams of fat; the same as a candy bar!
Remember that all foods, even vegetables, naturally contain a little fat so the body is always getting plenty of fat without you adding extra. As Dr. McDougall says, "the fat you eat is the fat you wear." See this blog post for more information and sources on why oil can be harmful.
Getting Started
I can't recommend the 3-day Reboot and 10-day Cleanse & Immersion enough. If you're new to plant-based eating, don't know where to begin, want to jump-start weight-loss or regain your health, the reboot and cleanse is a great first step. The immersion program offers a great comprehensive overview on health and nutrition, too!
You can also sign up for our meal plans, complete with shopping list, which take out all the guess work of eating right.
Additional Reading
Herbie 101 Series
An introduction to nutrition, baking, allergies, medical conditions, and kids. Read more.
Healthy Baking Secrets (including Gluten-Free) http://herbi.es/baking911
Raising Plant-Based Kids (Part 1, 2, 3)
How to Cook (and Bake) Without Oil
Everyday Cooking Tips
- How to Cook with Quinoa
- How to Reduce Salt
- What Is Tofu
- Tofu Scramble Workshop
- Make Ahead (Cook One Day A Week)
- Kitchen Essentials
- Top 10 Spices I Use
Cheat Sheets
Quick reference PDFs. Download & Print!
Videos
Check out these instructional videos that I’ve recorded.
- Low Fat Cooking Tools
- Lesson: How to Take Out The Fat
- Lesson: How To Cook Beans
- Lesson: Intro. to Tofu
- How To Shape a Bean Burger
- What Is Non-Dairy Milk-
- Green Smoothie (Get Your Daily Greens In)
- How To Chop Like a Chef
Minimalism
I'm also a Minimalist! Check out my Minimalist Monday series (label link) or get started with my How to be a Minimalist post.
Other helpful Sources for Information:
Films
Forks Over Knives (the book), King Corn, Food Inc. (the book), Earthlings, the Corporation, Fast Food Nation and Supersize Me.
Books
The Starch Solution, Whole: Rethinking the Science of Nutrition, Eating Animals, Mindless Eating, Volumetrics, Skinny Bitch, Diet for a New America, the Omnivore's Dilemma, In Defense of Food, the Great American Detox and the 100-Year Lie.
Bon appetit!
Fun Fact: After living in a French country I learned that it is polite and recommended to tell a French person "bon appetit" which means good appetite.
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