As our society evolves, we are constantly facing the need to
change our behaviors and habits to increase our health and
quality of life. We are now facing climate change, food insecurity
and over 40% of our population is suffering from chronic disease.
One of the recent ideas put forward to improve our world and
health is the plant-based nutrition.
Even though food regiments are not something our doctor
prescribes (yet), research is showing that food has a lot to
contribute to our health. It is also a less costly option to our
society than prescribing medication.
Whether you want to save the animals, become healthier or
simply feel better, the plant-based nutrition is a great option for
those of us who want to be a better and healthier person.
Choosing a plant-based nutrition doesn’t have to be a complex
commitment. With the help of this guide, you will be ready to step
into the world of plant-based eating in no time and set yourself up
for success.
What is plant-based eating?
We are hearing the word plant-based nutrition more and more in
our society. With the launch of documentaries like Game
Changers, books like Forks over knives and the emergence of
athletes changing their nutrition to be plant-based, one has to
wonder what this is all about.
Our understanding of plant-based eating may differ from one
individual to another. In the world of nutrition, plant-based eating
is having a large portion of one’s nutrition coming from
vegetables, fruits, herbs, nuts, whole grains and also include
legumes or other plants.
A spectrum of plant-based nutrition options is available to you.
Some are very strict (vegan diet), others are still adding animal
products like dairy (vegetarian) and at the other end of the
spectrum are those that still eat meat, poultry and fish on an
occasional basis.
We once believed that early humans consumed a large proportion
of animal protein in their diet. It is from that belief that, in the
2000s, the Paleo diet (mainly comprised of animal protein)
became really popular in the world of nutrition and diet.
Although, we now know that the nutrition of bipedal primates and
Homo sapiens was primarily composed of nuts, fruits, leaves,
roots, seeds and water. In that case, the “original” Paleo Diet was
in reality plant-based eating. It is also linked to the fact that some
of the strongest animals on Earth are not carnivores.
The strongest mammal is the gorilla (most are herbivores). It has the
ability to lift around 4409 lbs., that is 10 times its body weight.
It would be like a 200 lb. individual lifting 2000 lb. If other
mammals can live a healthy and strong life on a plant-based
nutrition, we probably can too.
Why choose a plant-based nutrition?
Many reasons exist for choosing a plant-based nutrition, we will
discuss in more details some of those reasons but here’s our
top 5:
1) Improve your health: Most Americans consume double the
recommended daily intake of protein which can also cause
issues with digestion. By reducing your intake of animal
food, you will most likely reach the recommended daily
intake of protein without surpassing it.
In addition, an increased consumption of vegetables, grains
and beans will bring more fiber into your nutrition. Most
Americans don’t consume enough fiber and that can lead to
inflammation of the digestive tract, constipation and
hemorrhoids.
2) Succeed in weight loss and weight management: In
general, individuals who are on a plant-based nutrition tend
to consume fewer calories than individuals who consume
animal protein. That is because most of their calories are
coming from healthier options and fewer calories per weight.
Plant-based eaters tend to eat less process food and avoid
meat focused restaurants like fast-food chain that provide
unhealthy meal options.
3) Prevent or manage a chronic disease: As you will see in
the next section, research demonstrates that individuals on a
plant-based nutrition can prevent chronic disease, reduce
obesity and mostly encourage a healthy lifestyle and
increase their quality of life.
4) Stop spending on supplements: Did you know that our
nation’s population spends more than $30 billion a year on
supplements? What if you didn’t need to waste that money?
With a plant-based nutrition, you are more likely to receive
all the nutrients you need from natural sources like legumes,
vegetables, and fruits. Not only does this save you money, it
also saves you from trying to remember to purchase and
consume supplements.
5) Save our planet: Agriculture uses approximately 70% of our
fresh water (globally on average). That said, the production
of meat requires around 1000% more water (1 kg requires
from 5000 to 20,000 liters of water) than some grains like
wheat (1 kg of wheat requires between 500 and 4000 liters
of water).
In addition, a lot of the grain is cultivated to feed the animals
we eat and if we started eating that grain and reduce our
consumption of meat, less water and fewer resources would
be used to produce animal food.