Thrive Republic
Welcome to the New Year! I hope 2019 is full of hope, happiness & health! With the widely used saying “New Year, New You!”, I couldn’t think of anything more fitting then discussing how to help you thrive and kick goals on a Plant Based diet! My respect and trust in Alex and Duncan, owners of the business Thrive Republic, goes above and beyond. It is clear that they care for you and your health, the animals, and the environment. Their six week program is thoroughly researched, formulated and reviewed by qualified health experts to ensure you recieve the correct macronutrient ratios and a complex variety of vitamins and minerals to help you thrive. It is a real, honest, clean, wholesome, nourishing program for anyone considering beginning a whole food, plant based diet. The easy and drool worthy recipes are bright, nutritious and satisfying. It is definitely a program I would recommend to clients in clinic to help equip them with plant based tips and recipes!
First of all, tell us a little about yourselves.
We’re Duncan and Alex, owners of Thrive Republic. We’re an online business dedicated to helping others start a plant-based diet.
Alex’s background is in the food industry: I’ve worked in catering and restaurants over the years and had her own catering business. I also worked with NGOs and have a background in Anthropology – quite a variation, but food has always been a passion. I think that helping people to eat more plants is one of the best things that we can do, not only for animals, but for the health of the planet and for other people!
Duncan’s background has been a real mixed bag, but included setting up an NGO in Peru, and running a training company in London focused on personal development.
Tell us about your new program and mission statement.
Plantstart is a six week program that guides people through the first few weeks of experimentation with a plant-based diet.
We’ve created balanced meal plans and recipes to cook along with, as well as essential nutritional information that every person eating a plant-based diet should know.
There’s also information on how to cook great plant-based dishes: like making hummus and falafel, creating plant-based “dairy” from nuts and seeds, and even how to replace eggs in dishes (and still have them taste delicious).
Have you always followed a plant-based diet? If not, what made you both change?
We haven’t always been plant-based. We both grew up in families that very much follow a more “traditional diet.” Duncan was vegetarian when we met, and I followed suit soon after. Duncan made the switch years ago. Unusually he didn’t make the decision based on watching a documentary, or reading a book, he says that he just began to feel that it was the right thing to do. He’d be thinking on it for a few years but had put it off as he was living in Spain and Peru (neither of which were easy countries to follow a vegetarian or plant-based diet at the time!) There was a lot of social pressure when dining out, but when he made the switch, he thought it was worth the bread roll and beer dinners! (Although they weren’t very healthy!).
I always had a lot of curiosity around vegetarianism & veganism, but was been working in the food industry and didn’t feel that I could take the plunge. I felt that I was making “good” choices when buying food, but didn’t investigate further until I met Duncan. There’s a lot to say for wilful ignorance! When we met, I started thinking a lot more about the issues around the way that we eat in our society. I read “Eating Animals” by Jonathan Safran Foer and my eyes were really opened to just how horrific current farming practices are. Once you know, well there’s no going back really.
From that point we were both following a vegetarian diet and trying to source “ethical” eggs and dairy. But that pursuit really just lead to reading more about the dairy and egg industries. We soon realised that in reality they can be just as bad as the meat industry, so we knew we had to switch to a plant-based diet. The inspiration for the program came about from reflecting upon that decision. When we made the changes to our diet, we found it really difficult to find comprehensive information about how to actually start a plant-based diet. We obviously have a lot of respect for the various charities that work to help veganism and plant-based diets take off, but sometimes I think that there’s a tendency, especially online, to make it seem super easy. I don’t think that’s necessarily true! (Our work with Sophie at Sol Natural Health has really confirmed that.)
You need to have a real understanding of food to make it work for you otherwise you’re going to miss out on important nutrients and it’s not immediately obvious how to cook plant-based dishes if you’ve spent a lifetime cooking and eating animal products. For us, investing time in helping people to learn to do it properly means more people will feel healthy and be able to stick with it, which is going to be much better for animals and the planet in the long run!
What do you believe are the key differences between 'vegan' and 'plant based'?
In reality I think veganism is a philosophy and plant-based is really a way of eating, for some of us, a lifestyle. Whilst they overlap, the emphasis is different: vegans live their life in accordance with values that mean that you cause the least harm possible to animals. That means a couple of things: that those values extend beyond just what we eat to other choices as consumers about the clothes that we wear, makeup and other products. We agree with the values of veganism, but also feel that it’s a high bar to set if you’re just starting your journey. Also you can definitely be a vegan and not be healthy!
Plant-based, to me, is more flexible from an ethical point of view. It’s about eating a diet that consists entirely, or almost entirely, of plants. I think that there’s many reasons for adopting a plant-based diet. Some people do so because of the perceived health benefits, but I think many people do so for ethical reasons too. There’s also a lot of people becoming more aware of the benefits of eating more plants, not just for the animals, but the health of our planet too. That doesn’t necessarily fit with the definition of veganism, although it’s obviously a really important issue! It also suggests to us that you wouldn’t eat, or at least really, really limit, processed foods. So I think that “plant-based” also implies a health aspect too.
We chose to give the Plantstart Program a more plant-based focus. We really wanted the program to be a “guided tour” of starting a plant-based lifestyle and learning, primarily about how to create plant-based meals, and nutrition. We include information about choosing vegan products too for those who are interested, but the main focus of the program is about eating, cooking and understanding plant-based food.
What is your aim of the plant start program and what do you hope people will take away from the 6 week experience?
We really felt that when we switched to a plant-based diet, there was a lack of resources for people starting out. It seemed like on one end of the spectrum there might be some charity websites that have nutrition pages on some of the key nutritional information (but really skimmed over it, like it wasn’t really an issue). Or, on the other hand, really dense textbooks that weren’t realistic for most people.
There are also a lot of great cookbooks and resources out there. But when we actually went through some of these cookbooks and assessed the recipes, we realised if you just started cooking from them you’d become really nutritionally deficient, really quickly!
We just wanted to bring together recipes that were balanced, healthy and refreshing with the “need to know” information so that people could start a plant-based diet with everything they need at their fingertips. There wasn’t anything like it that we could find, so we started putting it together ourselves.
We also want it to be easy for people to experience a plant-based life, without feeling like they have to get everything 100% “right” to begin with. We want people to explore plant-based eating without having the barrier of feeling that they have to commit to doing anything forever. And, even if you’re eating plant-based ninety or ninety-five percent of the time, you need to understand how to do it properly! We want everyone to feel welcome.
We hope that people leave the program with the confidence to keep preparing their own meals in a healthy and balanced way, and actually understand why they’re using certain ingredients and not others.
What advice would you offer to someone who is interested in trying a whole food plant based diet?
Don’t be hard on yourself! Every step you take towards eating more plants is one in a positive direction for other animals and the planet. Even if you’re not ready to take the plunge today, start experimenting with plant milks, or trying new recipes or vegan dishes when you see them on menus.
And do the research! A plant-based diet, if you get it right, can feel amazing for so many reasons, but nutritional deficiencies are real, and getting the right vitamins and minerals is essential!
Our advice: do lots of investigation and consult a nutritionist, particularly if you have any health issues that you’re concerned about. And, if you’re interested in learning the basics of plant-based living, we’d love to show you around.
Where do you find the inspiration and motivation to create new recipes?
Everywhere! I love scrolling through Instagram, magazines and cookbooks and finding recipes to create plant-based versions. I’m also really inspired by just going to a farmers market and seeing what’s available.
Cooking plant-based meals has been one of the most exciting progressions for me as a recipe developer. The most variety of food that we eat as human beings come from plants. For me the most unexpected benefit and joy of switching to a plant-based diet was how much my creativity was stimulated!
What is your most favourite meal you've created for the program?
I think my favourite has to be the Green Freekeh Risotto. I love the texture of the freekeh and the lemon zest gives it this amazing lift. In fact, I love anything with lemon zest really. By the way, freekeh sounds a little weird, but it’s just young, toasted whole wheat grains. It’s delicious! (Seen in picture above).
There is a lot of controversy and opinions over what is considered 'healthy'. What is your take on a balanced diet and your thoughts on olive oil, coffee and maple syrup?
It’s tough, isn’t it?! There’s so much conflicting information out there. I think that we need to keep in mind that we all have different bodies and differing nutritional requirements. I really don’t believe that there’s a perfect one size fits all diet that we humans haven’t discovered yet. Some people become really dogmatic about what works for them, but just because one person feels great eating in a certain way, doesn’t mean the next person will. There are so many variables! I think that the healthiest thing is to be truly in touch with your body and tune into what works for you.
Of course, that said, I think there are things we can do that are healthier for all of us. From my experience, and everything I’ve read, we could all benefit from adding more leafy greens and brightly coloured vegetables to our diet! And most of us from also drinking more water! I think it would also be pretty hard to suggest that processed foods are good for anyone.
Regarding olive oil – I love the stuff. I know that some people avoid oils all together, but I find them satiating and delicious. From the perspective of creating a dish, oils create depth of flavour, a luscious sensation on eating, and truly make food delicious. From a health point of view, healthy fats and oils like olive oil, avocado and nuts and seeds help me to feel full longer between meals. Olive oil is also primarily monounsaturated fatty acids, a source of polyphenols and antioxidant vitamin E, so I can’t see the downside!
Coffee is great! I love coffee, probably a little too much. We try to keep it to one cup a day as the caffeine doesn’t make me feel great if I have more. I’ve heard it’s got a lot of health benefits too as long as you don’t become a slave to the caffeine.
Maple syrup: we do use maple syrup to sweeten some dishes, although I try to keep our consumption of sugar as low as possible. So even though it’s natural and plant-based, I very much consider it a “sometimes food”.
What one food can you not live without?
Probably Oilve Oil! And salt. Just adding olive oil and a little salt can make so many things taste amazing: from lettuce leaves to simple grilled vegetables. We need to keep and eye on the salt of course, but choosing a really finely ground salt means the crystals dissolve faster on your tongue and you get more flavour with far less salt.
For more details:
Website: https://www.thriverepublic.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thethriverepublic/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thethriverepublic/
Alex & Duncan, Owners of Thrive Republic