the ultimate guide to changing your lifestyle permanently: resources

If you wanted to change your habits and adopt a new lifestyle, where would you even start? What should you implement first? I put together this page in hopes that you can use it as a starter pack. The more you learn, and the more resources you have at your disposal, the less confusing and overwhelming this whole process will be. You can change your life. It doesn’t have to be complicated, miserable, or draining.

Though I don’t endorse everything you may read or come across, I consider these the most reliable resources for establishing a new routine and cultivating a new lifestyle. Any resource that costs money will be labeled with ($).

Disclaimer: I don’t make a dime off of any of these recommendations. Any affiliations will be clearly labeled (currently, there are none!)

+ changing your habits

Blogs

How to (finally) change your habits by Sara Zayed
6 steps to breaking out of your diet rut by Sara Zayed

Books

Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear ($)
Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg, Mike Chamberlain ($)

+ adopting a whole-food, plant-based diet

Blogs

What is a whole-food, plant-based diet? by Sara Zayed
4 reasons to adopt a whole-food, plant-based diet by Sara Zayed
How to start eating a whole-food, plant-based diet by Sara Zayed
Supplements to take on a whole-food, plant-based diet by Sara Zayed
Busting the myth: protein on a whole-food, plant-based diet by Sara Zayed
Veganism and Islam by Sara Zayed

Recipe Indices

Remember to avoid oils, animal products, added sugars, alcohol, salt, and processed foods. Though I can’t vet every single recipe in the below catalogs, follow this general guideline: stick to whole, plant foods!

Forks Over Knives
Straight Up Food
The Jaroudi Family
The Whole Food Plant Based Cooking Show
Plant-Based Dietician: 50 Recipe Compilation
Vegan Richa
The Garden Grazer

Cookbooks
The How Not to Die Cookbook ($)
Vegan Burgers and Burritos Cookbook ($)
Straight Up Food Cookbook ($)

Books

How Not to Die by Dr. Michael Greger ($)
How Not to Diet by Dr. Michael Greger ($)
The China Study by T. Colin Campbell ($)
Proteinaholic by Dr. Garth Davis ($)
Eat to Live by Dr. Joel Fuhrman ($)
The Low-Carb Fraud by T. Colin Campbell, Howard Jacobson ($)
Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease by Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn ($)
Mastering Diabetes by Robby Barbaro, Cyrus Khambatta ($)
UnDo It! by Dr. Dean Ornish, Anne Ornish ($)