Plant-Based Diet for Beginner
The Beginner’s Guide to a Plant-Based Diet
A plant-based diet is all about celebrating and enjoying the foods that naturally fuel our bodies and are minimally processed. At Simple Green Smoothies, we consume a lot of fruit and vegetable recipes, and I thought it was time we shared the “why” behind this.
Eating more plants is what gives me the energy and strength to thrive. I used to be so exhausted and felt trapped in a body that didn’t allow me to do the things I wanted to— but that’s all in the past because of a plant-based diet. Yet I don’t use the term in a confined way– it’s really the foundation I build my diet upon to make sure I’m getting enough nutrients to thrive.
What Is a Whole-Foods, Plant-Based Diet?
There is no clear definition of a plant-based diet. The Whole Foods Plant-Based Diet or WFPB diet is not necessarily a set diet, Plant-Based Diet is more of a lifestyle.
This is because plant-based diets can vary greatly depending on the extent to which a person includes
Nonetheless, the basic principles of a whole-foods, plant-based diet are as follows:
Limits or avoids animal products.
Emphasizes whole, minimally processed foods.
Excludes refined foods, like added sugars, white flour and processed oils.
Focuses on plants, including vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, seeds and nuts, which should make up the majority of what you eat.
Pays special attention to food quality, with many proponents of the WFPB diet promoting locally sourced, organic food whenever possible.
For these reasons, this diet is often confused with vegan or vegetarian diets. Yet although similar in some ways, these diets are not the same.
People who follow vegan diets abstain from consuming any animal products, including meat, dairy, poultry, seafood, eggs and honey. Vegetarians exclude all meat and poultry from their diets, but some vegetarians eat eggs, seafood or dairy.
The WFPB diet, on the other hand, is more flexible. Followers eat mostly plants, but animal products aren’t off limits.
While people following a WFPB diet may eat no animal products, another may eat small amounts of eggs, poultry, seafood, meat or dairy.
A whole-food, plant-based diet is based on the following principles:
Whole food describes natural foods that are not heavily processed. That means whole, unrefined, or minimally refined ingredients.
A whole-food, plant-based diet lets you meet your nutritional needs by focusing on natural, minimally-processed plant foods.
Plant-based means food that comes from plants and doesn’t include animal ingredients such as meat, milk, eggs, or honey.
Food List of What to Eat, Limit, and Avoid
What to Eat and Drink
Vegetables such Swiss chard, kale, spinach, collard greens, asparagus, sweet potatoes, bell peppers, and broccoli)
Fruits such as avocado, watermelon, strawberries, blueberries, grapes, apples, bananas, grapefruit, and oranges.
Nuts such walnuts, almonds, macadamia nuts, and cashews all count.
Whole grains such as brown rice, whole-wheat bread,quinoa, farro, and whole-wheat pasta.
Seeds such as flaxseed, chia seeds, and hemp seeds
Tea ( green, lavender, chamomile, or ginger)
Beans
Lentils
Coffee
What to Limit or Avoid Entirely, Depending on How Strict You Decide to Be.
Processed animal meats, such as sausages and hot dogs
Dairy ( milk and cheese)
Meat and poultry (chicken, beef, and pork)
Refined grains (“white” foods, like white pasta, rice, and bread)
Sweets such cookies, brownies, and cake.
Potatoes and french fries
Honey
Sweetened beverages, such as soda, and fruit juice
All animal products (eggs, dairy, and meat)
Plant-Based Diet Can Help You Lose Weight and Improve Health
Obesity is an issue of epidemic proportions. Over 69% of US adults are overweight or obese.
Fortunately, making dietary and lifestyle changes can facilitate weight loss and have a lasting impact on health.
Many studies have shown that plant-based diets are beneficial for weight loss.
The high fiber content of the WFPB diet, along with the exclusion of processed foods, is a winning combination for shedding excess pounds.
1,100 people found that those assigned to plant-based diets lost significantly more weight — about 4.5 pounds over an average of 18 weeks, than those assigned to non-vegetarian diets.
Adopting a healthy plant-based eating pattern may also help keep weight off in the long run.
A research in 65 overweight and obese adults found that those assigned to a WFPB diet lost significantly more weight than the control group and were able to sustain that weight loss of 9.25 pounds over a one-year follow-up period.
Simply cutting out the processed foods that aren’t allowed on a WFPB diet like soda, candy, fast food and refined grains is a powerful weight loss tool itself.
Benefits of Plant-Based Diet for Your Health
Eating the right foods and getting the nutrients your body needs is essential to good health. And adopting a plant-based diet will put you on the fast track to health and vitality.
Rates of chronic disease are accelerating at an alarming rate. And it’s happening in people younger and younger. According to WHO, by 2020, chronic diseases will account for almost three-quarters of all deaths worldwide. This includes diseases like cancer, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, autoimmune disease, and digestive disorders, among many others.
We now know that most chronic diseases are lifestyle-related. And that diet is a stronger predicting factor in chronic disease than genetics. Many people are turning to a plant-based diet to not only prevent chronic disease, but also to slow its progression and, in some cases, even to reverse it completely.
Adopting a plant-based diet benefits many aspects of health, including:
Type 2 Diabetes
Replacing animal protein with plant protein has a profound positive effect on people with type 2 diabetes. When researchers reviewed and analyzed the data from 13 randomized controlled trials, they found a decrease in three important markers of diabetic severity — hemoglobin A1c, fasting glucose, and fasting insulin — when switching from animal protein to plant protein.
Eating this way improved weight loss, triglyceride levels and blood sugar control, compared to the diet recommended by the American Diabetic Association.
While many people mistakenly believe that diabetes is caused by sugar alone, we are coming to understand the role saturated fat plays in its development. When type 2 diabetics stop eating meat (a major contributing source of saturated fat), their blood sugar levels typically improve.
Cancer
Did you know that plant-based diets can help prevent cancer too? A 2011 research in Cancer Management and Research concluded that plant-based dietsare a useful strategy to reduce your risk of cancer. Specifically, the increased intake of plants, elimination of red and processed meats, and maintenance of a healthy body were attributed to a reduction in cancer.
Heart Disease
Following a plant-based diet has been shown to positively benefit those with cardiovascular disease. The more plant protein, legumes, and vegetables people ate, the less likely they were to die of coronary artery disease.
By eating more fruits and vegetables and less meat, you can prevent damage to the cells that line and protect your blood vessels. In the last few decades, science has discovered that damage to this endothelial lining causes different types of heart disease and atherosclerosis.
Bone health
A plant-based diet can provide all the calcium you need, provided you maintain a well-balanced diet. And though we can’t downplay the importance of calcium, it is not the only thing needed to support strong bones.
Here’s the good news: a plant-based diet contains these essential nutrients in abundance. These nutrients are vitamin D, vitamin K, potassium, and magnesium.12 Foods that support healthy bones are soy products, fruits, and vegetables. All are common in the plant-based diet.
Alzheimer’s & Neurodegenerative Disease
Even Alzheimer’s and neurodegenerative disease patients can benefit from a plant-based diet. While there are few documented cases of reversal, most are preventable. A comprehensive report conducted by husband and wife team, Drs. Dean and Ayesha Sherzai concluded that over 90% of Alzheimer’s cases are preventable.
Much of this prevention is achievable with lifestyle strategies, and whole foods plant-based nutrition is one of the most consequential strategies of all. Additional research has shown that this may be due in part to the brain-gut connection. A poor diet disrupts the gut microbiota, contributing to inflammation in the body and affecting the central nervous system and, ultimately, the brain. One study found that inflammation, gut dysbiosis, and leaky gut may contribute to the process of neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s patients.
The Plant-Based Lifestyle is About Living The Best Life You Can
It fights exhaustion and common ailments so that nothing holds you back from the awesome things you’re doing in your life. Our bodies are incredible machines, but they need to be taken care of properly. Establishing plants as the foundations of your diet gives your body what it needs to keep growing strong, today and in the future. The best part is- it doesn’t have too difficult, stressful, or expensive! One habit at a time can lead you to your healthiest self. There is no end to what you can accomplish. Plants are only the beginning.
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