Have you ever wondered about the benefits of eating a whole food plant-based diet? This article will share what exactly a whole food plant-based diet is, how it can help your health, and how to start with a simple step. You will also notice that I use whole foods and plant-based at different times interchangeably.
Whole Foods Plant Based simply means it is a way of eating where the vast majority of our food comes from whole plant foods.
According to The Whole Foods Diet ‘we live in an overfed but undernourished, calorie rich but nutrient poor world’. Could a plant-based diet be the answer? Keep reading to find out why I believe so.
What is a Whole Food?
Here’s a general rule when helping us distinguish ‘whole food’ from ‘processed food’
WHOLE FOODS
– are close to their original state
– spoil faster
– are things your great grandparents would recognize as food
– don’t usually have ingredient list, or if they do, it is a short list
– are often sold without packaging
– often found around the perimeter of the grocery store.
PROCESSED FOODS
– no resemblance or very little to their original state
– do not spoil easily
– often have long ingredient lists
– found in packages or boxes
– located in the center of the grocery store
FYI: It’s not the same as vegan. For example, Oreos are vegan but found in the center of the store with a long list of questionable ingredients mostly made in a lab. This is a great example as to why we should always focus on the ingredient list.
What is a Plant-Based Diet?
Whole food, plant-based diets are heart healthy, environment-friendly, lifestyle eating plans that celebrate REAL food and nourish your body. On a plant-based diet, you’ll focus on eating whole or non-processed foods and plants like vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, seeds, and nuts.
Health Benefits of a Plant-Based Diet
Gut Health.
Plant-based diets that are full of whole grains, legumes, and seeds support gut health by increasing the healthy bacteria in our GI tract. Real fruits and veggies are packed full of fiber that helps keep things moving, in return, you get a happy and healthy gut.
Diabetes.
Most people don’t realize that type 2 diabetes is a disease that can be largely prevented or reversed through dietary intervention. Even in the cases where it is not reversible, as well as Type 1, the severity of the disease can be significantly reduced
Heart Disease.
Heart disease is the #1 cause of death in men and women in the United States. Plant-based diets reduce your risk of heart disease by lowering blood pressure, improving cholesterol, and helping with weight loss. I’d like to imagine that if Dr’s asked this question, “Would you consider a plant-based lifestyle as an alternative to bypass surgery?” before surgery happened that many lives would be changed.
Cancer.
Recent research shows us plant-based diets may help with slowing the progression of some cancers due to the antioxidant content of whole plant foods like fruits and vegetables. For example, cruciferous vegetables like cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, collard greens, cauliflower, kale, and artichokes, are ranked as some of the most nutritious foods that can ‘help prevent cancer’.
Weight Loss.
With no calories or macros to count or portions to measure, many find plant-based diets easier to manage compared to other weight loss programs. Another contributing factor to weight loss on a plant-based diet is the fiber-rich fruits and vegetables, which keep you feeling full and less hungry causing you to eat less. Last but not least, the elimination of processed foods and sugar also help lead to a lower number on the scale.
Now What?
Are you interested in eating a plant based? Don’t worry, it sounds easier than you think.
Don’t give up meat completely if it is something you love. The goal is to eat less; think 90% plants, 10% meat or animal products.
A gradual staged transition will be the most effective path for some while others will want to go at it at once. Different personalities will seek different paths. If you do decide to gradually change then I suggest start changing one meal a day. Start at breakfast, then lunch, and eventually get to dinner.
Want to go all in, then let’s create a meal plan for you. Start here with a full 7 days worth of meals available to you. Focusing on one week first – not anything beyond that. This is a marathon, not a sprint.
Here Are a Few Other Benefits of Eating Plant-Based and a Recap
- Make weight loss easy and effortless (without feeling hungry)
- Drastically lower cholesterol
- Prevent AND reverse Type 2 Diabetes and dramatically improve Type 1 Diabetes
- Prevent AND reverse heart disease and high blood pressure
- Bring relief to digestive disorders such as IBS, colitis and chronic constipation
- Slow the progression of and/or reverse autoimmune disorders such as MS and rheumatoid arthritis
- Clear skin issues such as acne, psoriasis and eczema
- Fight against the development and progression of cancer
- Improve or eliminate asthma
- Improve immunity so that common colds and flu are somewhere between infrequent and nonexistent
- And much, much more…
If this sounds like something you are looking for but would like some more info, send me an email at info@livingonroots.comand I can help you get started.
A “few” years ago Thomas Jefferson, yes, THAT Thomas Jefferson, advocated planr based eating. He said that meat was best eaten as a condiment. You are in good company.
Thanks, Susan! I like that, meat is eaten as a condiment.