The Surprising Health Benefits of a Whole Food Plant-Based Diet
As another year has come to an end, a lot of people are starting to come up with a New Year's resolution for themselves. For many, a New Year’s resolution consists of something related to health, wellness, or fitness.
While it’s true that lifestyle changes can occur at any time during the year, there’s something about ringing in the New Year that makes people a little more motivated.
If you’re looking to make some positive health-related changes in your life, usually the first place to start is with what you’re using to fuel your body. Many people who have medical conditions like high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes are frequently searching for a diet that will allow them to take less prescription medication.
These days, there are so many different ways of eating…
Low-carb
Keto
Paleo
The Atkins Diet
Whole 30
Weight Watchers
Intermittent fasting
Raw food diet
Vegan diet
Vegetarian diet
Mediterranean
Carnivore
The list goes on and on.
Dietary changes can be tough. In fact, they are extremely difficult. You have to change the groceries you buy, the places you shop for food, the way you cook food, the times you eat….basically your entire lifestyle.
And with so many options on the internet, how is anyone supposed to even decide what diet they want to start?
These reasons are why many people attempt diet changes but are unable to make a permanent change.
It’s downright overwhelming.
But what if there was a diet that wasn’t too overwhelming or complicated? AND what if it also had amazing health benefits?
Introducing: the plant-based diet.
Now, this probably isn’t the first time you have heard about this way of eating. With new plant-based foods and meatless alternatives hitting the grocery store shelves every day, you’ve probably wondered what all the hype is about.
Many people, including myself, have switched to plant-based diets for ethical, environmental, and health reasons.
When eating a plant-based diet, all animal products including meat, seafood, poultry, dairy, and eggs are excluded or consumed in very small quantities. This type of diet is made up of whole plant foods like:¹
Vegetables
Fruits
Whole grains
Legumes
Nuts
Seeds
Vegetable oils
Plant-based proteins like soy and tempeh
A plant-based diet has proven to be an easy, natural way to improve health and decrease the risk of developing several chronic and life-threatening health conditions like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, heart attack, and stroke.
Eat a Plant-Based Diet and Lower Your Blood Pressure and Cholesterol
As the human body ages, many people develop high blood pressure and high cholesterol. While it’s not uncommon to develop these conditions as the body ages, other factors like diet and weight can cause these diseases to occur earlier in life.
If left untreated, high blood pressure and high cholesterol increase the risk of heart disease, which can cause life-threatening conditions like heart attack and stroke.
That’s why it’s so important to properly manage these conditions. One of the ways to reduce your risk of developing these conditions is with dietary changes.
Eating a plant-based diet significantly decreases blood pressure and cholesterol.²
When animal foods are completely removed from the diet, studies have shown that blood pressure can be reduced by about 10%.²
Compared to a diet high in animal products, like the western diet, people that eat a plant-based diet have been found to have significantly lower levels of cholesterol.³
If you are currently requiring medication for high blood pressure or high cholesterol, a plant-based diet may lower your blood pressure and cholesterol enough to decrease the amount of medication you require.
Not only does a plant-based diet decrease blood pressure and cholesterol, but eating this way has also been shown to decrease body weight.
Following A Plant-Based Diet Can Help You Lose Weight
Even though meat and animal products are thought to be a healthy part of the human diet, data continue to show that the regular consumption of meat is associated with weight gain.
Even poultry like chicken is associated with weight gain. Because of genetic manipulation, chicken now contains 10 times more fat compared to chicken 100 years ago.⁴ This is just one example of how animal products are not as healthy as they once were due to genetic alterations that have occurred.
When consumed in place of meat, plant-based meat alternatives have been shown to be associated with a lower body weight and less weight gain.⁴
Individuals that follow a plant-based diet rich in whole foods have been found to lose an average of 19 pounds after three months and 27 pounds after six months.⁴
Along with weight loss, plant-based diets are associated with positive effects on blood sugar.
The Effects of Plant-Based Eating on Type 2 Diabetes
In order to understand the benefits that a plant-based diet can have on blood sugar control, there needs to be an understanding of the significance of blood sugar and diabetes.
When we eat a meal that contains sugar or carbohydrates, glucose (sugar in the blood) is absorbed through the stomach and intestines and released into the bloodstream.
Carbohydrate-containing foods don’t just include processed food like candy and sweets. They also include:
Bread
Rice and grains
Oats
Some nut butters
Pasta
Fruit
Root vegetables like potatoes and carrots
Dairy products
In order for our body to use the sugar in the blood, it needs to move out of the bloodstream and into cells. Insulin works to open the door for the sugar to enter the cells. Without insulin, sugar gets stuck in the bloodstream. This is what happens in people with diabetes.
Insulin is produced by cells in an organ called the pancreas. When carbohydrates or sugar is consumed, the pancreas receives a signal to release insulin in the bloodstream to bring this sugar into the cells. See the diagram below on the left.
However, if the pancreas is being signaled to release high amounts of insulin frequently, something called insulin-resistance can occur. When this happens, insulin can’t easily bring glucose into the cells. See the diagram above on the right.
Increased insulin release, the body’s resistance to insulin, and the development of diabetes has been thought to be due to an increased consumption of carbohydrates and sugar.
But scientists are finding out that carbohydrates aren’t the only thing that increases insulin release. When compared to pure sugar, animal protein causes just about the same amount of insulin release.⁴
Plant-based meat alternatives have been shown to result in lower spikes of insulin.⁴ And less spikes of insulin means a reduced risk of becoming insulin-resistant.
Eating a healthy plant-based diet has shown time and time again to:
Decrease blood sugar by allowing the body to be more sensitive to insulin.⁴
Decrease the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.⁵
Lower hemoglobin A1c, which is a blood marker used to determine how well-controlled someone’s diabetes is.⁶
If you have diabetes, swapping out meat, highly processed foods, and other animal products with whole plant-based alternatives can help to better control your blood sugar. If you do not have diabetes or if you are pre-diabetic, you can lower your risk of developing diabetes by adding more plant-based foods in your diet.
Because plant-based diets offer better control of blood pressure, cholesterol, weight, and blood sugar, they are simultaneously decreasing the risk of something called cardiovascular disease, which can cause a heart attack or stroke.
Healthy Eating Improves Your Heart Health
Cardiovascular disease is a generalized term used to describe conditions of the heart and blood vessels. Diseases of these bodily systems are typically what result in life-threatening illnesses like heart attacks and strokes.
Removing meat from the diet results in a 28% lower risk of having a heart attack.¹
This is because plant-based diets can help to:³
Lower blood pressure
Lower cholesterol
Intensify weight loss
Improve blood sugar control
By doing these things, a plant-based diet greatly decreases the chance of having a heart attack or stroke.
Making the Switch to a Plant-Based Diet
Whether it’s in the new year or today, making the switch to a plant-based diet can improve your health now and in the years to come. And switching to a plant-based diet doesn’t need to be complicated, difficult, or overwhelming.
Look out for my next article that will review some easy things you can do easily add more fruits and vegetables into your diet.
Make sure to check out some of my other articles to get more up-to-date, evidence-based information about health and wellness.
Stay informed, stay healthy.
Works cited
1. The Role of Specific Components of a Plant-Based Diet in Management of Dyslipidemia and the Impact on Cardiovascular Risk – (nih.gov)
3. Plant-based diets and cardiovascular health – (nih.gov)
4. A Whole Food Plant-Based Diet Is Effective for Weight Loss: The Evidence – (nih.gov)
5. A plant-based diet for the prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes – (nih.gov)
6. Plant-based Diet for HbA1c Reduction in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: an Evidence-based Case Report – (nih.gov)
You might also like…
