benefits of a plant-based diet
there are tons of different diets with various different benefits in the health world vegetarian, vegan, and carnivorous are just a few of the hundreds of different diets that became popular over the years. even so a few of these diets tend to stand the test of time and have cemented themselves as the best of the best when it comes to health benefits and positive health for the body.
we'll be going over the diet that is arguably one
of the best and healthiest of them all - The plant-based diet. we'll be going
over what it is and the top seven health benefits that make this diet a must
try for everyone.
what is a plant-based diet
while the name of this diet pretty much gives it away it sounds a bit more restricting than what it actually is. people hear plant-based and immediately think only leafy greens and vegetables and may be some fruit from time to time. but that's not the entirety of these types of diets at all. aside from fruits and vegetables these diets also include different nuts, Seeds, Oils, whole grains, beans and legumes
.this gives a ton of variety to your meals not only can you get a ton
of protein from lentils and beans but you can also get a bunch of really
healthy fats from different nuts and oils. basically every macro and micro nutrient
you can think of. you can get from this type of dieting but more on that in the
health benefits the one thing you have to know that plant-based diets do not
mean starving boring food or losing all of your muscle. it all depends on how
you do it and if you do it right your body will do nothing.
the seven best health benefits are of plant-based dieting and how to utilize them.
No 1. reduced inflammation
one of the biggest health issues human beings struggle with is inflammation in the body. it's the reason for a lot of the bigger diseases that people get and is extremely hard to deal with that's because there's not a pill that can simply erase all inflammation from your body. it requires discipline and consistency.
if this is your diet you wouldn't need to force yourself to commit and force yourself to eat foods that fight off inflammatory factors. it'll just be what you eat on a regular basis and when you are on a whole food plant-based diet for a while the results concerning inflammation are insane. just eating healthier even if you consume meat and dairy already significantly lowers the inflammation in the body.
but taking it a step further
if you're on a plant-based diet this effect is then boosted tenfold. this
happens because plants have a lot less inflammatory properties than meat and
dairy products and also have a lot of antioxidative properties to help fight
off inflammation in the first place. so if you want to completely crush chronic
inflammation a plant-based diet is the way to go.
No 2. improved gut function
Since vegetarian and vegan diets have become so widely popular. a ton of studies have been done on them in an attempt to settle the debates between there presentatives of such diets. a big argument on the vegan side of things is that eating vegetables instead of animals promotes a better mix of beneficial bacteria in the gut. which in turn makes for better gut function and overall health of the body.
this means better metabolism better regulated hormones a stronger resistance power and more. one specific study done in barcelona shows that just 16 weeks of a plant-based diet immensely improves gut health. another reason is that vegetables tend to take a lot less time to get absorbed by the body.
so they're easier on the stomach. overall this is one great step to improve your gut health and there are also a lot of great fermented foods that fall into the veggie diet. which also promotes a healthy and well functioning gut.
No 3. lowers the bad cholesterol
we've all heard that we should keep track of our cholesterol levels. what you may not know however is that also lowers the cholesterol if not the best is to simply move to a whole food plant-based diet. meat and dairy products have a bunch of saturated fats and cholesterol.
which of course raises our own levels by quite a bit foods that are high in saturated fats are especially problematic and dangerous for the body as they may trigger it to produce extra cholesterol. on the other hand plant-based foods have the opposite effect. the reason is that they are low in saturated fats and completely free of cholesterol. meaning that you're taking in less cholesterol while also preventing your body from producing more of it on top of that plants are also rich in fiber.
Which helps lower cholesterol and with that you get a complete
package of cholesterol lowering perfection foods that are reported to help with
this the most are oatmeals, barley, beans as well as some fruits and vegetables.
if you do have a high cholesterol level however definitely speak with your
healthcare practitioner first before you make any drastic dietary changes.
No 4.helps with arthritis.
arthritis is usually followed by severe joint pain that only gets worse with age. luckily modern medicine has found ways to work around this one of the ways that people can significantly reduce their joint pain is by getting on a plant-based diet.
this works really well because most types of arthritis are inflammatory and as we've already established. this type of diet destroys inflammation on a lot of levels there was a study done on the effects of plant-based diets on osteo arthritis.
the patients who were on a whole food plant-based diet experienced two major improvements one was that their motor function got a lot better. but the other was a significant drop in joint pain and this was just after two weeks. so you can only imagine what would happen if you keep this up for the long run.
No 5. reduces risk of dementia.
Cognitive impairment is an issue a lot of people deal with as they get older. there are many factors that can affect your cognitive function. but in 2017 a big connection was found between people's nutritional intake and their brains. as it turns out being on a plant-based diet has a lot of benefits for the brain and significantly reduces the risk of dementia and other cognitive impairments connected to aging.
there's still no exact science on why that is but many of the nutrients that
you take in with fruits and vegetables such as vitamins, antioxidants and folate
have been shown to have a positive effect on the brain which leads to some
great cognitive benefits.
No 6. reduced risk of heart disease
since plant-based diets typically lower the body's cholesterol. the plant-based diet also functions as protection for your heart too. plant-based diets tend to be easier on the body and relieve the different functions that the body has to carry out.
on the other hand meat, dairy and eggs all have a lot of cholesterol and saturated fats which can lead to plaque buildup in your arteries. this is a common issue with long time smokers as well and nearly always leads to surgery.
avoiding meat isn't a magic cure though a plant-based
diet allows you to steer clear of processed foods and they tend to be the biggest
culprit in all of this. being on a whole food plant diet also helps you not
spike blood sugar levels as much and makes it easier for your heart to deliver
blood to where it needs to go like muscles and other internal organs.
No 7. prevents diabetes and improves kidneys.
last but not least plant-based diets immensely lower the risk of type 2 diabetes and improve kidney function as well. according to some studies. eating a lot of red meat can be linked to an increased risk of diabetes. there was one specific study that was done that had over 60,000 adults between the ages of 45 to 74.
It was a long study that tracked their health progress for the next 11 years. some of the participants ate everything they wanted. some ate a lot of meat and others were on a plant-based diet as it turns out the people who ate a lot of meat and poultry had a 25 increased risk of diabetes.
the ones who ate a lot of fish
didn't see any changes in their risk. but the best results and the ones related
to the people who were on a plant-based diet what ended up happening is that
the plant-eaters were shown to protect people that already had type 2 diabetes from
developing kidney disease and in many of the cases diabetes itself was reversed
too.