Ready to Try the Vegan Diet? Get Set for the 21 Day Vegan Challenge!

Many people are interested in making the change to a plant-based/vegan diet but they don’t

know where or how to start.

Sure, there are lots of books and blogs available but many people need more structure, guidance

and support to succeed.

That’s why Dr. Brenda Bradley created the 21 Day Vegan Challenge.

Dr. Brenda Bradley, PhD – Host of The 21 Day Vegan Challenge

Join us as Dr. Bradley answers some frequently asked questions about her 21 Day Vegan Challenge

and see if you’re ready to experience it for yourself!

What is the 21 Day Vegan Challenge and why did you create it?

The 21-Day Vegan Challenge is a program that has been designed for anyone desiring to make a lifestyle change or to explore and experience the health benefits of a vegan diet. One of the easiest ways to eliminate or trim excess weight, prevent diabetes, lower blood pressure, reduce cancer risk, etc. is by adopting a plant-based diet. A vegan diet includes all grains, beans, legumes, vegetables and fruits.

During this challenge, participants are asked to refrain from all meat (including fish) and all animal products such as eggs, cheese, and milk. Participants are also asked to refrain from the following refined foods~ white rice, sugar, flour, no caffeine, and sodas.

To assist with the challenge, all participants are encouraged to replace the unhealthy foods with healthier foods. For example, instead of giving up animal milk just replace with a plant-based or nut milk such as almond, rice, or hemp milk. Instead of giving up ice cream, just replace with ice cream made from almond milk, etc. Each participant receives a “Remove and Replace Chart.”

My reason for creating this challenge is to provide the necessary information and support to assist those that are interested in making a change. Although there’s a lot of information available via internet, there is a need for providing the guidance and tools needed to assist others. When I first became a vegan, I really didn’t have any guidance and I spent countless hours on the internet looking for support.

What are the health benefits of participating in the 21 Day Vegan Challenge?

This 21-Day Challenge shows you how to get there without depriving yourself. Scientific research shows that health benefits increase as the amount of food from animal sources in the diet decreases. Some of the health benefits include:

• Weight Loss
• Mental Clarity
• Better Skin
• More Energy
• Regular Bowel Movements
• Ward off Diseases
• Ease the symptoms of Menopause
• Lower risk of food-borne illnesses

What to should you expect?

You will experience a shock as your body will begin to cleanse and rid itself from years of accumulated toxins. All nutrients will start pushing out toxins that have been accumulating in your body for years. As the toxins are released into the bloodstream, you may experience physical symptoms that may cause some sort of discomfort. For those who do notice any uncomfortable symptoms, this is normal! Smile, your body is releasing the bad stuff from your organs so they can function better.

People sometimes experience flu-like symptoms: headaches, nausea, pimples, rashes, coughing up crud, diarrhea or constipation, and feeling generally under the weather. Usually the reactions are mild enough where you can go on with your day just fine. If stronger reactions occur, it is generally from those whose bodies have large amount of medicine or other toxins.

As we begin eat clean, living, nutritious, and fibrous foods, several things start to take place in our bodies. One of them is the rebuilding of our cells by replacing damaged old ones with stronger new ones. As this rebuilding process takes place, our improved bodily functions begin doing something they had difficulty doing for a very long time – they start to clean house by getting rid of the toxic accumulations stored inside us. And as stated earlier, that’s when we may experience the side effects.

What is a typical day of eating on the 21 Day Vegan Challenge like?

Here’s an example of a typical day (items with asterisk are recipes that are given to each participant):

Breakfast:
• Blueberry Walnut Pancakes*
• Hot tea (herbal, no coffee)

Snack: 2 hours after breakfast
• Fresh fruit or vegetable
• 8 -16 oz. of water to drink

Lunch
• Make it Yourself Burrito Bowl *
• Water (no soda or tea)

Snack: (2 hours after lunch)
• Avocado Banana Berry Smoothie*

Dinner
• Cauliflower Buffalo Wings*
• Salad with fresh spinach, avocado, tomatoes, mushrooms, onions,
• Balsamic Vinaigrette

Snack: 1 to 2 hours after dinner (do not eat anything within 4 hours of going to sleep)
• Baked Sweet Potato (no butter, unless it’s vegan butter)
• Hot tea (herbal, no coffee)

Share a favorite vegan dinner recipe from the 21 Day Vegan Challenge!

My “Chick’n Curry dish is my favorite! I love it!

Curry Chick’n Dish

Ingredients

• 1 bag of Gardein Chick’n Strips (www.gardein.com)
• 1 medium onion, sliced in pieces
• 2 carrots, cut in pieces
• 1 medium potato
• ½ cup of green bell pepper
• ½ cup of red bell pepper
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp. coconut oil or vegetable broth (this is used to sauté’ chick’n)
• 2 tbsp. curry (I use Jamaican Curry)
• 1 tsp Turmeric
• 1 tsp Ginger
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 can (140z) seasoned butter beans by Glory – optional

Instructions

1. Sauté’ chicken using the oil and add the curry spice. Once chicken is browned, take out and put to the side (Remember, this is not real chicken so it doesn’t take long to cook.
2. Using the same pot, add the onion and bell pepper and sauté’ for another 2 minutes or longer. You might need to add some more oil or broth, but not too much. Don’t overcook. Next, add the carrots, garlic, and all spices and sauté’ for another minute or two. Now add the chicken and coconut milk. Let simmer for about 5 minutes, but keep stirring, to make sure it doesn’t stick to the pot.
3. Next, add the bay leaves, potatoes and the entire can of butter beans with liquid. Allow to simmer for about 15 minutes.
Note: I serve this dish over cooked brown rice.

What resources do you recommend for people who want to transition to a vegan diet and lifestyle?

There a wealth load of information on the internet, however, not everyone is sure what they should read or watch. Therefore, I often recommend the following:

Recommended Books:
• The Hallelujah Diet by Rev. George Malkmus
• By Any Greens Necessary by Tracye McQuirter
• The China Study by T. Colin Campbell, PhD
• Eat to Live, by Joel Fuhrman, MD
• Diet for a New America by John Robbins
• What Your Doctor May Not Have Told You about Menopause by John Lee
Recommended Documentaries:
• Food, Inc. – When this documentary debuted in 2009, it shocked viewers. Filmmaker Robert Kenner exposes the practices of global food production that is wrapped up in multinational corporate control, thus, placing profit over all else. We see the reality of large-scale food business, like poor health and safety conditions for animals and workers. This title is available for instant streaming on Netflix.
• Forks Over Knives – Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times called this doc “a film that can save your life,” and Dr. Oz said everyone needs to see it. The film examines the claim that most, if not all, of the degenerative diseases that afflict us can be controlled, or even reversed, by rejecting our present menu of animal-based and processed foods. This title is available for instant streaming on Netflix.
• Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead – This inspiring documentary chronicles Joe Cross’s mission to regain his health. Starting at 100 pounds overweight with an autoimmune disease and a body full of steroids, Cross vows to only eat fruit and vegetable juices for 30 days. He interviews more than 500 Americans about food, and then meets a 429-pound truck driver with the same medical condition. The two connect and the end result of a beautiful film that will inspire you to make changes in your own life.

What are past participants saying about the 21 Day Vegan Challenge?

The testimonies received from this challenge have been absolutely wonderful, uplifting, and inspiring.

LUCY F.
“Checked in with my Doctor today. He fist bumped me as he was so proud. He told me that he sees the “GLOW” in my eyes, my high blood pressure is way low (almost normal), I’ve lost 9 pounds, And all of this in less than 5 days. So happy Brenda Bradley that you created this challenge at a time that all those involved (including me) were prepared to receive it.
SO GRATEFUL!”

JOYCE D.
“I am shocked and excited all at the same time. My testimony. I suffer with asthma and I am out of breath almost all the time. I drive to work, get out the car, get a shopping cart to hold onto to get to my locker and then walk slow the whole day. Today, I drove to work, got out the car, grabbed my lunch pail and start walking into the building. I just start praising God when I realized I was walking without a shopping cart. I have so much energy. I haven’t used my inhaler in three days. This is amazing. They ask me at work how long you going to do this? I told them today if I keep breathing like this I won’t ever go back. I am happy. I been paying Dr. A long time and all I needed was Dr. Brenda.”

RHONDA M.
“Hey Diva’s… Today is day 7 of 21. We’re a third of the way thru this beneficial challenge. For me this is just the start of a new journey in life.
I was expecting to have caffeine withdrawal around day 3 but surprisingly that did not happen. I’ve been journaling every day and find myself writing about things that impact my life as a whole and not just things aspects fo this 21 day challenge. Some of what I have discovered is disquieting- other things are very liberating.
I’ve always had a fairly high energy level but my energy seems to be somewhat elevated. To date, I am down 3.6 pounds- that’s almost a bag of sugar.
Oh- and I wanted to let you know about something that has satiated some of my cravings and between meal/snack hunger. I add a teaspoon of honey and a dash of cayenne pepper to my lemon water (using 1/2 a lemon). STAY STRONG… Like the saying goes- “Anything worth having is worth fighting for”. Good health to each of you!”

ROBIN G.
“Ok! I’m now seriously stoked, lol! I didn’t want to post my testimony online as its kinda TMI. But this morning I looked at my calendar because I wanted to try to forecast my period, when I noticed that my period is due 2MORROW! I was SO surprised because it crept up on me. I normally have a slew of PMS signs that tell me (and everyone else – lol) that my period is coming! I’m pretty predictable on the timing of my time of the month but what took me by surprise is that the day before “Aunt Sally’s” visit, I have no bloating, I’ve gained just 2 extra pds vs the 10 extra pds of extra weight Im used to, I had NO mood swings, no depression, no serious headaches or cramping! I’m not super tired and not having the serious sugar cravings! ALL of these symptoms have been the norm for me, but in just six days my body can tell there is something going on and it is thanking me!”

MARIE D.

“Good afternoon family. Well, I’m back from the doctor and he says I’m doing much better. I LOST 10 LBS. OMG, I’M SO HAPPY! The grandchildren tell me not to write in caps because that means I’m screaming. They got that right. Instead of going out celebrating the weight loss like I usually do, straight to the restaurant, I went home and made my kale and red peppers dish. I won’t go back. When God brings you out of a mess, don’t thank him by going back into it. I thank him also for putting it on Dr. Bradley’s heart to call us to this challenge. I’m so ever grateful for her. Let’s continue on this journey supporti ng each other along the way.”

MASHAWN R.
“I’ve learned that I can live without meat. I feel and sleep much better. My energy level and endurance have improved. I have learned to make better choices when it comes to nutrition and I can prepare healthy meals at home and not settle for pre packaged frozen ones. I have also learned that there are a great group of ladies who are willing to go beyond and help me succeed in spite of me being guy (lol).”

SHIRLEY W.
“I talked to Brenda about exercise and she was very encouraging and supportive, but I never talked to her about the food. I watched her post and tried some of the things she did, so when she announced the challenge I signed up but then said what have I done? Just another thing that will not work, but found myself doing it. I heard the Holy Spirit leading me and I had the support around me. My first few days I was at a retreat I went prepared and I am glad I did because there was no healthy stuff served there. We all went out to eat and I chose Vegetables. I did not know anyone was watching me but they were trying to do what I was doing. The woman across the table from me asked “ you are not having dessert?” I said no I choose not to eat that right now because I want to be alert for the rest of the retreat and she decided not to either . lol

The 2nd week I became very tired and told Brenda she wanted to see what I had been eating sent her a list of my meals. She said you have not been working the plan, it is 75% raw vegetables. Well to be honest I had not read the plan. I read the cookbook and dived in. I began to eat the raw veggies and felt so much better I am now 223 lbs and lost so much in inches. I am not hurting like I was . I look younger. I have not done this perfectly but I tell you what I will not go back. I am working on getting rid of that rock back and forth when I walk and get my strut back. Lol I love Brenda and so thankful that her heart was to do this for others. I have my life back. I can think better and my creativity astonishes me. The owners of the company has complimented me and said you have thrived so much lately and we are proud of you and want to support you in any way we can.”

JOY
“When I began this journey with you I definitely thought it would break me and I would fold under pressure but for 21-days I didn’t and I seen amazing results….I know my pictures may not have shown it but my doctor told me I was over weight for my height smile emoticon 5″4 and 165 pounds I hid it well smile emoticon I knew I had lost weight because of my pant sizes started to change but I never weighed myself until today…..I am now 145 pounds!!! I have since changed my diet little to a pescaterian life style but I try to limit that as well but I am glad I met, know you and have the pleasure of calling you my Sista because you have truly changed my life because no matter what I did I wasn’t loosing the weight until now….love you.”

When is the next 21 Day Vegan Challenge starting –and how can we sign up?

The next challenge will start January 3, 2016.

The cost will be $65.

All participants will receive:
• Written Instructions
• 1-hour conference call with group
• Detailed meal plan
• A copy of my cookbook called, Kale Yeah It’s Good, No Meat Necessary
• Grocery List
• Access to private Facebook Support Group

Interested participants can reach me at Brenda@drbtbradley.com

Have you been thinking about trying the vegan diet?

Are you interested in participating in the vegan challenge?

Share your thoughts and comments with us.