WASHINGTON 鈥� It鈥檚 easy to mistake Bobby Andersen鈥檚 semi-truck for a full-service kitchen.
He has a microwave, a toaster oven, a ceramic electric skillet, a waffle maker, a butane stove and an electronic pressure cooker 鈥� all inside the driver鈥檚 cabin.
鈥淚 have basically any kind of cooking utensil you can think of,鈥� says Andersen, who has been driving a truck for 20 years.
But all of those appliances are recent additions.
For many years, Andersen relied on fast-food restaurants to cook his meals. The 45-year-old Booneville, Mississippi, native fueled up on biscuits, burgers, fries and soda to get through long days on the road.
鈥淎ny truck stop you walk into has just fast food places. It鈥檚 quick and easy: You can get in there, you can get your food and you can get out and eat while you鈥檙e driving down the highway,鈥� says Andersen, who spends four to six days a week behind the wheel.
But a regulation issued by the Department of Transportation forced the former Marine veteran to clean up his diet. Under , Andersen says his size would have required him to take a sleep apnea test 鈥� an evaluation not covered by his insurance.
鈥淚t would have cost me a fortune being off work with no pay and having to pay for that test. I had to do something,鈥� he says.
After watching the documentary 鈥�,鈥� Andersen decided to quit fast food cold turkey and dive right into a plant-based diet. Only, it didn鈥檛 last very long. Andersen didn鈥檛 educate himself on the lifestyle before adopting it.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know the range of vegetables out there. I never thought about it 鈥� I was eating pretty much just salad. But I couldn鈥檛 eat enough; I was always hungry, which led me to fail. And I failed bad,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 just said, 鈥楾he heck with it. I鈥檓 fat, I鈥檓 always going to be fat, and I鈥檓 always going to be unhealthy. I鈥檒l just deal with it.鈥欌��
But a few months later, he took another stab at a plant-based diet, after the encouragement of a friend. Only this time, he was prepared. He read about different foods to eat and various ways to prepare meals.聽 He researched alternative sources of protein (broccoli is still his go-to) and learned how to cook without oil.
This summer, Andersen is celebrating one year of eating a plant-based diet 鈥� a lifestyle he maintains even when he鈥檚 on the road.
In the cab of his semi, Andersen cooks flaxseed pancakes on a griddle and cashew-soaked oats in a pot for breakfast, both of which are piled high with fresh fruit.
For lunch, he prepares vegetarian tacos, loaded with avocado slices, pico de gallo and beans. And for a quick dinner, he throws vegetables, rice and seasonings in a pressure cooker, which is plugged into his truck鈥檚 electricity.
He swears his dairy-free macaroni and cheese wins over vegans and non-vegans, alike.
鈥淎nything you can make with an animal product, pretty much, I can make with plants. And I can do it all in my truck,鈥� Andersen says.
Compared to his strictly-salad days, Andersen says he鈥檚 never hungry on his vegan diet. 鈥淵ou can eat until your heart鈥檚 content. You don鈥檛 have to count calories, you don鈥檛 have to count fat and all that other stuff 鈥� just eat.鈥�
His聽change in lifestyle has yielded some impressive results. He鈥檚 dropped 65 pounds, and has stopped taking his blood pressure medication and his anti-depressants.
However, Andersen is the first to admit that it wasn鈥檛 easy and it didn鈥檛 happen overnight. It took a lot of work to get started, and requires time and dedication to maintain, he says.
On his days off, Andersen spends hours planning, shopping and preparing food for the week ahead. He packs a cooler filled with chopped vegetables, frozen vegetables, bread, grains and seasonings to take in his truck.
As a means for accountability, he聽started his taking photos of his food and blogging about his adventures on the road on his Facebook page, . The page quickly gained a following; today, Andersen has nearly 22,000 likes.
He聽frequently gets comments and questions about his meals from his fans, and 鈥淒o you eat organic?鈥� is a common one.
鈥淥rganic is fine if you can afford it, but some people just can鈥檛 afford it. I want to show people out there that you don鈥檛 have to just do organic and you don鈥檛 have to just do fresh. Frozen vegetables are good,鈥� he says. 鈥淛ust eat vegetables. You鈥檙e going to get good out of it.鈥�
If you鈥檙e curious about a plant-based diet, but are worried you don鈥檛 have enough time to cook, Andersen has one piece of advice: 鈥淏uy yourself a pressure cooker,鈥� he says.
He聽says he can make a filling meal for four people in his pressure cooker in under 10 minutes. He also says to keep it simple. 鈥淵ou can make tacos and all kinds of stuff, just with basic ingredients.鈥�
Andersen鈥檚 new lifestyle has changed his health for the better, but what makes him the happiest, he says, is knowing that his journey has inspired others to do the same.
鈥淚t makes me kind of tear up a little bit; I鈥檓 helping people. And that means more to me than anything else,鈥� he says.
鈥淚 want people to get healthy and I want people to do it long-term, not just a short-term 90-day diet. This is something you can do forever 鈥� it鈥檚 sustainable forever.”
Check out some of Andersen’s creations on the road on his Instagram account:聽
A photo posted by Bobby Andersen (@plantfueledtrucker) on
A photo posted by Bobby Andersen (@plantfueledtrucker) on
A photo posted by Bobby Andersen (@plantfueledtrucker) on
Watch his recent feature on NBC’s TODAY:
