Plant Based Eating
What does this mean? Simply put, a plant-based diet focuses on eating mostly whole foods that come from plants such as fruits and vegetables, legumes, seeds and nuts. Meat is not necessarily avoided, as in a vegan diet, it is more so no longer the star on the plate so to speak.
How will this improve my health? Your nutrition has a vital role in conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and weight loss. Research has shown that diet can help or hurt your health. Eating a diet of mainly vegetables, grains, legumes, and fruits may be a beneficial option to improve your health and reduce risks of diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease. It may even help you to lose some weight.
What’s the best way to begin? Here are 5 simple tips to consider with plant-based eating:
Why do you want to do this?
Knowing YOUR personal reasons why will help you stick with it, especially if your coworkers head to a local steakhouse after work. Be sure to write down your reasons. Put this somewhere where you’ll see it daily – on your bathroom mirror, next to your alarm, on your fridge, in your car. You can even set up phone alerts with friendly reminders. And if you’re looking for a fast sure way to commit, just head over to Netflix and search for food documentaries. I recommend not eating a burger while watching some of these!
Baby steps. Start small by perhaps eliminating a food group such as dairy, or animals with 4 legs. Meatless Mondays are another trend that offers yummy meat-free recipes to include once a week. Be specific with your baby goals. They matter. Adjust them as you see fit.
Be prepared. Plan ahead. Aim for variety so you don’t get bored. If you don’t want to be tempted, don’t buy it! There are so many easy-to-follow and fun recipes on plant-based blogs, or interactive videos if you prefer to cook along. Most food prep and delivery services also have a plant-based option as well. Some creations you’ll love. Others will be a dud. It’s all good! Just remember to think whole food as much as possible. A vegan burger may not have meat in it, but it doesn’t mean it’s healthy and unprocessed.
Find community. If you’re the only one in your family or circle of friends to partake in this amazing adventure, then it may be a bit easier to backslide. Luckily there are plenty of online community options to connect with like-minded folks for support, encouragement and yummy new recipes. But do tell your loved ones what you are doing and why you are doing it. Hopefully they will support you but if not, please look to your trusted ND, community forums, and meetups to get the support you need. Speaking of naturopathic doctors, please seek out a trusted ND to ensure you are getting proper nutrition, consuming a wide variety of plant-based foods, and to potentially look at supplementation if needed. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Everyone was a newbie plantavore at one time or another! Another great way to create your own community is to start a blog, social media presence, or podcast to talk about what you’re doing and share your journey. People connect to authenticity.
Be kind to yourself. Making a lifestyle change is no small feat. Otherwise more folks would do it. So be kind to yourself, brave soul, for choosing to care about your health and the health of our beautiful planet.
References:
Kahleova H, Fleeman R, Hlozkova A, Holubkov R, Barnard ND. A plant-based diet in overweight individuals in a 16-week randomized clinical trial: metabolic benefits of plant protein. Nutr Diabetes. 2018;8(1):58. Published 2018 Nov 2. doi:10.1038/s41387-018-0067-4
Kahleova H, Tura A, Hill M, Holubkov R, Barnard ND. A Plant-Based Dietary Intervention Improves Beta-Cell Function and Insulin Resistance in Overweight Adults: A 16-Week Randomized Clinical Trial. Nutrients. 2018;10(2):189. Published 2018 Feb 9. doi:10.3390/nu10020189
Meatless Monday - Meatless Monday. The Monday Campaigns. https://www.mondaycampaigns.org/meatless-monday. Published July 22, 2021. Accessed October 2, 2023.
Pelzer, Anna. Unsplash. https://unsplash.com/s/photos/vegetarian. Published on December 6, 2017. Accessed October 2, 2023.
Shah B, Newman JD, Woolf K, et al. Anti-Inflammatory Effects of a Vegan Diet Versus the American Heart Association-Recommended Diet in Coronary Artery Disease Trial. J Am Heart Assoc. 2018;7(23):e011367. doi:10.1161/JAHA.118.011367
Turner-McGrievy GM, Davidson CR, Wingard EE, Wilcox S, Frongillo EA. Comparative effectiveness of plant-based diets for weight loss: a randomized controlled trial of five different diets. Nutrition. 2015;31(2):350-358. doi:10.1016/j.nut.2014.09.002
