About the Site
This site was launched in late 2016, and was a result of discovering a plant-based diet could be as delicious as that consumed by an omnivore. Also, I was newly educated about the impact eating animals has on not just our health, but also our planet. And thus, PlantBasedRecipe.com was launched so I could share what I cook, and also what I learn (as much as possible from trustworthy scientific resources). I will link my sources as much as possible, but as far as the science goes, please use this site only as a compliment to your own research and consultation with professionals.
About Jen
Hi! I’m Jen and this site is dedicated to living a plant-based life by eating whole, unprocessed foods and completely avoiding animal products. It is important to stress that this site is all about unprocessed foods*! It’s very easy to have a poor diet whether you’re eating “vegan” / “plant based” or not. I believe that eating a variety of whole, unprocessed (organic) foods is key to healthful living. I follow a 100% plant based, low fat / oil free way of eating (Whole Food Plant Based No Oil, aka “WFPBNO”). This is the general way of eating prescribed by Dr. McDougall, Dr. Neal Barnard, Dr. Esselstyn (Forks over Knives), and many other doctors and health professionals.
Until covid, I was a fitness instructor (dance fitness formats) and nutrition enthusiast living on Vancouver Island, B.C. Canada. My background is in art, technology, and software. I have run small businesses in the past that involved technology and also manufacturing small products for my e-commerce websites, and before that worked in the San Francisco Bay Area at software corporations. See LinkedIn.com for more information on Jen’s technical background.
I have a Certificate of Graduate Studies in Developing Healthy Communities: Nutrition, Behavior and Physical Activity from Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy. I also attended Dr. John McDougall’s Advanced Study Weekend (February 2017).
Where are you?
I returned to Vancouver Island (our roots) after spending about 13 years in Sunnyvale and San Francisco, California. I live on a small farm where we now grow produce and seeds using veganic practices. You can follow my small seed company as it launches at @Seedsaving.ca on Instagram. Website: seedsaving.ca!
Why?
I came to eat this way after a long journey that included weight loss, and family loss. I lost a lot of weight in a rather unhealthy way initially, and found it difficult to understand why my cholesterol and blood sugar numbers were so hard to get under control. Later on, I saw my father rapidly decline from pancreatic cancer that ultimately took his life. This same disease took his father as well, and other cancers have (of course) affected our family, as they do most families. Not wanting to become another statistic, I have turned to preventative measures to help reduce my risk. And that is how I became interested in transitioning to a plant based diet.
Then, I watched the Earthlings and Vegucated documentaries around 2015 and quit eating or using animal products altogether and began a vegan lifestyle based on ethics. I have since watched numerous other documentaries that have only solidified this perspective.
Published
Plant Based Recipe has been published in:
The site has also been featured on many different blogs and websites.
* Note: for this site, the definition of processed foods is based on the ingredient label as opposed to what might mainly be mechanical processing (grinding, pressing, etc). While whole foods with zero processing are obviously quite ideal, these are always the bulk of a diet, and as such most of the food items you will find in recipes here. Therefore some products like tofu and nut butters may be used on this site in small amounts, which are technically mechanically processed but quite limited in nature (and have health benefits and few detriments). Therefore it’s important to read that ingredient label, understand *how* a product is processed, what the resulting benefits may or may not be, and make a decision based on this knowledge. And of course, substitutions are usually quite easy to make and are often offered on the recipe page if you want to use something different.
