Frequently Asked Questions

What are the differences between the 28-Day Kickstart and the Weekly Meal plan?
The 28-Day Kickstart is for people who are interested in a plant-based diet, but have no idea where to start. We will guide you through your journey with daily lessons and simple, tasty meals for 28 days. The Weekly Meal Plan is for people who have the basics down, but would like to have 3 new delicious, plant-powered meals offered to them each week, along with meal prep instructions and an automatically generated grocery list. Plus they will have access to our entire website of 100's of recipes that they can pick and choose from and add to their Weekly Meal Plan!
 
Is this a FAD diet?
NO! This is definitely not a fad diet. We like to think of it as a lifestyle. Eating a whole food, plant-based diet is scientifically proven to be one of the most powerful things you can do for your health!
 
Should I consult my doctor before I start?
Eating a whole food, plant-based diet is the best thing you can do for your health! That being said, if you are currently seeing a doctor for any medical reason and they have you on a particular diet, or if you are on certain medications, then YES. Always consult your doctor to let them know what you are looking to do. When you eat this way on a consistent basis, your health will start improving, so your doctor may need to lower certain meds as time goes by. If you're not on meds or seeing a doctor for health issues, you should be good-to-go since our meals consist of the best foods you could possibly be putting into your body!
 
Can I still do this if I’m allergic to soy, nuts or gluten free?
Absolutely! The recipes are not created with allergies in mind, but you will easily be able to come up with subs for recipes. Our private Facebook group is a great resource for that. Also, you are able to filter the recipes in the database, to search for specific recipes and ingredients.
 
When are new recipes released in the Weekly Meal Plan subscription?
Every Friday by 12am CST, your new Weekly Meal Plan will be posted to your dashboard and you'll also receive an email or Weekly Meal Plan, including your 3 new recipes, notes and meal prep instructions. We chose this time so you have a weekend to shop, plan, prep and be ready for the week ahead.
 
Can I cancel any time?
You can cancel your subscription to the Weekly Meal Plan at any time. When your month runs out, it will not automatically renew at that point. But, we'd hate to see you go!
 
Can I try some of your recipes before I sign up?
Absolutely! We offer lots of free recipes on the site, but we do not make our Weekly Meal Plan recipes free to non-subscribers. You can check out these meals on our Inspiration page if you'd like to see what Meal Plan subscribers are making!
 
Are plant food ingredients hard to find?
The beauty of eating a whole-food, plant based diet is that you are eating food grown straight from the earth—vegetables, fruit, whole grains, beans, nuts and seeds. These are all plentiful and easy to find anywhere! These will be the majority of your diet. There are a few staple items that may be new to you such as coconut aminos, tahini, tamari, nutritional yeast and miso. These things are easy to find at most grocery stores but you may need to do some hunting around at first, depending on where you live. You can also use amazon.com for purchasing any items you can't find. Our recipes are created so that you can either leave certain ingredients out or easily substitute them. Contact us with any questions. We’re always there to help!
 
Is eating plant-based expensive?
Absolutely not! If fact, you will most likely save money eating this way. When you take animal products, oil and highly processed food off your plate, that's a big savings! And whole plant foods like vegetables, beans and grains are some of the least expensive foods you can buy. At first, when buying some new staples ingredients for the first time you may notice an increase in your grocery bill, but as time goes on, you should notice that you’re spending about $25 less per week than you typically spend by eating this way.
 
Do your plans include breakfast and lunch?
Our meals are designed as dinners, but they are not only for dinner. You will have plenty of food for leftovers for lunch, which we highly recommend! We are not offering new weekly breakfast and lunch recipes, but you will easily be able to add them to your meal plan from our recipe box. That being said, new breakfast and lunch recipes will definitely be added throughout the year.
 
Will the Meal Plans help me lose weight?
This isn’t a weight loss plan and it’s not about dieting. This is about nourishing your body with the best food on the planet. That being said, when you feed your body exactly what it needs, extra pounds naturally fall off! This is about healing from the inside out and maintaining a natural, healthy weight for your frame. Most people DO lose weight on our plans, and fast, which is a result of eating nutrient dense foods full of fiber, vitamins and minerals.
 
Do the Meal Plans provide a caloric breakdown and other nutritional information?
No, but we plan on possibly adding nutrition information in the future. The beauty of this way of eating is that calorie counting is absolutely not necessary! When you eat the right stuff, and listen to your body, you will eat when you’re hungry and stop when you’re full and get all the nutrients and vitamins you need.
 
Are the recipes kid-friendly?
Yes! Kids are in mind when creating the meals, but they are not made specifically for them. Just as your palate will change once you get the animal products, oil and sugar off your plate, thiers will too. Pretty soon they will be begging you for our taco flavored kale chips!
 
What will theWeekly Meal Plan add to my life if I’m already eating lots of healthy plant food?
Our amazing recipe developer puts a lot of time into coming up with tasty, nutrient dense and easy-to-make meals each week. Our SmartyPlants team tests each recipe, sometimes multiple times, to make sure the flavor is spot-on. This saves you time and money! If you have ever blindly tried a recipe you’ve found on online, you’ll know what we mean. Our dynamic Grocery List saves you time and money by showing you exactly what you need to buy for the recipes you have selected, as well as organizes them by aisle of the grocery store. Our customizable Meal Planner allows you to add, delete or swap any of the meals with 100’s of other meals in our Recipe Box. Very helpful!
 
Will I have access to past Meal Plan recipes when I sign up for the Weekly Meal Plan?
Yes! The monthly membership includes access to 100’s of past recipes. Every week, as new recipes are added, the previous week’s go into the Recipe Box. It’s searchable and filterable by various subgroups, such as: type, recipe, cuisine and ingredient.
 
Can I share Meal Plan recipes with others?
We would rather you did not. We put a lot of time, money, and effort into our site. If everyone gave away the recipes, then we’d have to close. We put money back into the site for upgrades and new content and have lots of exciting plans for the future. Please share the site and not the recipes!
 
Can I gift someone a Weekly Meal Plan subscription?
Absolutely! We do have a gift option. Give the gift of health, it’s the nicest thing you can do for someone.
 
Can I switch my subscription from the Weekly Meal Plan to Recipes only?
No. Right now we only offer access to the site, which includes everything.
 
Is there a money back guarantee for the 28-Day Kickstart or the Weekly Meal Plan?
There isn’t, but if you are unhappy please let us know and we’ll look into your issues and make a determination at that point.
 
When does my 28-Day Kickstart begin?
We understand that people will need a few days to shop, prepare and get ready. Once you sign up and log in, you'll see Day ZERO-Before You Begin. In this lesson, you will learn all the things you can do to prepare for the Kickstart. This gives you as much time as you need to prepare. Once you are ready, just click on Day 1 and your 28 days will begin!