While many diet methods are believed to be good for holistic health, only a few are scientifically proven to benefit the body. Plant-based eating, one of the earliest diet patterns, involves proportionately choosing more of what you consume from plant sources.
Plant-based eating minimizes the presence of processed foods in daily consumption, thus promoting weight loss and improved health. Beyond overall wellness, plant-based eating also emphasizes sustainable and planet-friendly eating patterns.
Let’s learn more about this diet, including the arguments surrounding it and, most importantly, its benefits for the human body and the environment.
A Closer Look at Whole-Foods, Plant-Based Diet
There isn’t a definite description of what constitutes a whole-foods, plant-based diet. However, it’s believed to be more of a lifestyle than a diet. This is because a plant-based diet depends on how many animal products are included.
However, this lifestyle’s common principles include greater emphasis on whole, minimally processed foods and limited animal products.
In addition, it focuses more on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, seeds, legumes, and nuts, which should make up most of what you eat. It also eliminates refined foods like processed oils, white flour, and added sugar. Lastly, a whole-food, plant-based diet focuses on food quality, leaning towards locally sourced organic food.
Of course, like any other eating pattern, it’s essential to consult your doctor before incorporating this into your overall lifestyle. This diet can’t be a substitute for prescription medications. So, seek discount cards from reliable sites like BuzzRX and use this diet pattern to supplement your daily medications and prescribed treatments once your doctor approves it.
Benefits of Plant-Based Diet to the Body
Here are the top five health benefits you can get from a plant-based diet:
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Helps Boost Your Immune System
Compared to other food sources, plants provide the most essential nutrients that the body needs. These include vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, and antioxidants that maintain healthy cells, allowing the immune system to function properly.
Plant-based diets protect the body from germs and microorganisms and strengthen the immune system so that it is always ready to fight infection. More deadly diseases like cancer can be avoided as a healthy immune system can identify and attack mutations before they can even progress to risky health conditions.
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Reduces Inflammation
The same essential nutrients that boost our immune system also work to reduce inflammation in the body. For instance, phytochemicals and nutrients circulate throughout the body to neutralize toxins from pollution, viruses, and bacteria. Antioxidants from plant food sources remove the free radicals that mess with our bodies’ balance.
Since it removes triggers to inflammation, the body can maintain healthy cells. This way, it will no longer progress to prolonged inflammation, further causing cancer and other inflammatory diseases like arthritis.
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Helps with Maintaining a Healthy Weight
Source: hydroxycut.com
These days, obesity has been one of the most common health conditions that trigger serious diseases like cancer. But with a plant-based diet, you can maintain a healthy weight and thus avoid the risk of such high-risk diseases.
If you have excessive weight, you are more prone to inflammation and hormonal balance, which, in turn, result in different types of cancer. These cancers include pancreatic, post-menopausal breast, esophageal, uterine, kidney, and colorectal cancer.
Besides just a plant-based diet, look into applicable physical exercises for a more convenient weight-loss journey.
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Many Items in This Diet Are High in Fiber
Unprocessed plant foods are high in fiber. Fiber is the entire structure of a plant. So, the more plant-based food you consume, the more fiber your body absorbs.
With a good amount of fiber, you can improve your gut health, thus allowing your body to efficiently absorb the nutrients that help reduce inflammation and boost your immune system. Experts also claim it lowers cholesterol and stabilizes blood sugar, promoting good bowel movement.
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Reduces Your Risk of Other Diseases
Besides reducing your risk of cancer, eating plant-based food can also help you avoid other serious diseases like stroke, diabetes, heart disease, and some mental illnesses, among many others.
Benefits of Plant-Based Diet to the Planet
Now, let’s talk about the benefits of a plant-based diet to the environment. To help you understand its value to the planet, here are some of the most sought-after benefits of this diet pattern:
Reduced Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Around 30% of the human-generated greenhouse gases are from food production. Among other food sources, meat generates the greatest greenhouse gases. By embracing a plant-based diet, we can significantly contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions worldwide.
Reduced Land Use
Besides greenhouse gas emissions, food production is responsible for 80% of deforestation and the most significant contributor to biodiversity loss. If we transition to a plant-based lifestyle, we can reduce land use dedicated to meat and dairy production and use more land for crops, thus promoting biodiversity.
Decreased Pollution
According to scientists, around 35% of plant-warming pollutants are from food production. Additionally, studies show that the meat industry causes more pollution than two times the production of fruits, vegetables, and grains.
Shifting to a more plant-based diet, even without completely excluding meat from your plate, can still result in decreased pollution. Remember, the changes don’t have to be extreme to be effective. Even the smallest commitment to change can make a difference.
Water Conservation
With reduced consumption of meat products, we can reduce water use by 14%. That’s because around 24% of global freshwater is used in livestock. More than this, shifting to a plant-based diet can result in reduced eutrophication, which, in turn, improves water quality.
Prevents Animal Cruelty
There are few legal protections regarding the maltreatment of animals raised for food production. When people patronize ethically produced eggs, fish, meat, and poultry and consume animal foods, there will be fewer cases of animal cruelty.
In fact, with so many concerns growing on animal cruelty and the adverse effects of mat production, there’s a surge of studies on vitro-meat. It’s considered a healthier, more ethical, and more sustainable alternative to source meat.
Final Thoughts
Our choices regarding the food we consume can significantly affect our health and our planet. A plant-based diet is one lifestyle pattern we can follow to promote overall wellness and sustainability. However, make it a priority to consult your doctor before practicing any eating pattern. After a comprehensive review of your existing health conditions, your doctor can advise you on proper meal planning and decide if a plant-based diet would suit you.