A family's first week of the Engine 2 Diet challenge with Whole Foods Market Sarasota

- Sarah Felder of bentoriffic.com is a plant-based food blogger and mother of two preschoolers who makes fun food for kids. She can also be found on Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter @bentoriffic.

Photographs by Michelle Donner Photography.

Any parent knows that finding new, creative ways to get children to eat healthy food is a tough challenge. I recently sat down with our local Whole Foods Market Sarasota team to brainstorm about how we can best impact our families locally in Sarasota. The Engine 2 team was coming for a dinner and talk to promote plant-based diets, and we decided to find a family with children who would be willing to try a plant-based diet (which eliminated meat, dairy and oils) for 28 days.

I connected with Jessi Reategui and her family---her husband, Franklin, and children, Kaylan (15) and Denzel (12)---through some local friends. We hadn't met before this program began. Our local Whole Foods store is sponsoring their groceries on the plan for the month. I decided to become as involved as I could to make this family's month-long journey a success. Jessi attended the Engine 2 Diet talk with author and health advocate Rip Esselstyn at Whole Foods Market to find out what the program was about, and decided she was up to the 28-day challenge. Jessi is on the far left.

I set up a morning to come to the Reateguis' home. Jessi and Franklin were so open-minded and positive about the program that it made the transition simple. Their son, Denzel, was interested to know what he could and couldn't eat and began flipping through the new cookbooks, making requests.  Their daughter, Kaylan, 15, has had cerebral palsy since infancy and suffers from a slow bowel from a lack of fiber, with which many children and adults with CP suffer.

We emptied the pantry, refrigerator, cabinets and freezers of all meats, dairy and packaged ingredients with additives, oils and things like MSG (monosodium glutamate) that may have been triggers for Jessi's migraine headaches.I arrived armed with six cookbooks (including the Engine 2 Diet book), a nutritional guide for plant-based eating and a seven-day menu plan for the family to set them up for success. The menu plan included ideas for doubling dinner recipes and turning dinners into lunches the next day with minimal effort. I also made a shopping list for them so they could check to see what new kitchen staples they may need.We gave Jessi and Franklin the movie Forks Over Knives to watch, which explains why the typical American diet sets us up for becoming overweight and prone to cancer and heart disease. We spent some time flipping through the Engine 2 Diet book, which contains some fabulous tips to make the transition easier by understanding label-reading and simple recipes for the whole family. Jessi also spent an hour with Whole Foods Market's Healthy Eating Specialist, Kathryn McCue, who gave Jessi a tour of the store and showed her how to make better food selections for her family while shopping.

After seven days on the program, each family member has lost an average of five pounds. The whole family has marked improvements in energy levels and reports feeling better in general. The parents have seen notable changes in the children's behavior. They seem less hyperactive. As for Kaylan, she is going to the bathroom on a more regular basis rather than once every week to 10 days, has reduced swelling in her legs and feet, and both parents have noted that her moods are improved. Denzel has been enjoying trying the new smoothie recipes in the mornings before school. Both children are adapting well to the new plan, and they're bravely trying new foods.

Please check back next week for Jessi, Franklin, Kaylan and Denzel's week two update. If you are looking for more plant-based ideas, please visit the Whole Foods Market's website.  Under Healthy Eating, you will find recipe ideas for the The Engine 2 Diet. Please also visit Whole Foods Market Sarasota's Facebook page for a schedule of tours, classes and an update events calendar.