The Ins and Outs of a Plant Based Diet

There are so many good reasons to implement a plant-based diet  Adopting a plant-based diet means a high percentage of foods that you consume come from not only plants but also a wide variety of fruits, oils, beans, legumes, and grains.

Many people enjoy plant-based meals who include a small amount of fish and also dairy in their diet. Then there are those that eradicate all animal-derived ingredients from their plate altogether. These food choices align with an individual's personal taste, however, as an indication a well-balanced plant-based diet should give you a wide range of vitamins, minerals, and nutrients you need and if implemented properly can also offer all the necessary protein, fats, fiber, phytochemicals, and carbohydrates your body requires to achieve optimum balance. 

There are a few things to remember when you start on your plant-based diet journey as it's very easy to be tempted to eat the wrong kind of foods 

"CAME FROM A PLANT ,EAT IT ; WAS MADE IN A PLANT, DONT " - Michael Pollan, Author - In Defence of Food

The Meatless Alternatives 

Having too many processed foods such as salty potato chips, too much pasta, white rice, processed bread, and sugary sweet fruit juices will not only add inches to your waistline it will also be a toll on your body and have the potential to create heart disease and other illnesses. Then you have the issue with the meatless alternatives. On the package, it might say 'gluten-free, 'plant-based' or 'vegan' which at a glance seems to be quite healthy but a large percentage of these meatless option meals contain high amounts of salt, sugar, and also fat. They are also very highly processed which takes a toll on your digestion and also a toll on your colon and after time the overconsumption of these meals can potentially lead to obesity and other health problems. If you choose packaged meals be sure to read labels and understand the contents and know what it is you're exactly eating Food labels are key when embarking on a healthy diet so it's wise to learn how to decode the ingredients list on each label.

A casual trip down the supermarket aisle of any Australian supermarket and you'll find the number of meatless food options has certainly increased exponentially over the last couple of years. Plant-based diets could be seen as something like a fad or a 'trendy' thing to do and there's no question that eating more plants will definitely make you healthier however the overconsumption of the meatless processed package meal can lead to poor health outcomes. Consuming food that's as close to its natural state as possible would be a positive mealtime goal.

Weight Management

If you consume a diet high in plant-based foods your body will love you for it Plant-based foods are naturally more nutritionally dense than meat meal options and it also means that by consuming a plant-based meal you will also benefit from added vitamins, more minerals, and other healthier nutrients. The plant-based meal is easy to digest also very low in calories and is high in fiber which helps us to feel more satiated and in turn, will reduce those dreaded cravings.

Research shows that people that consume high plant diets have a lower body mass index than those that don't. It's also interesting to know that a compound in dark leafy greens called thylakoid can turn off your hunger cravings so this is another good reason to add leafy greens to your plate.

Plant-based diets are high in fiber which helps keep your gut bacteria healthy and promotes overall fat loss by reducing your appetite. A study that was released by Annals of Internal Medicine suggests that something as simple as aiming to eat 30 grams of fiber each day can not only help you lose weight lower but it can also lower your blood pressure and improve your body response to insulin. Insulin is an important hormone that is produced by your pancreas and has many functions. It works to decrease blood sugar levels by moving glucose out of the blood and into cells where it can be used as fuel and keeps our blood sugar levels stable. The fiber in fruit also contains complex carbohydrates and a high water content that will keep you hydrated and help you shed those unwanted pounds in no time at all

Fruit Is Not Your Enemy

As long as humans have been inhabiting this amazing planet called Earth, numerous varieties of fruit have been deliciously devoured. Fruit is known as a healing food that can not only help fight off disease, it can also slow down aging and is a great source of vitamin C an essential vitamin for optimum health and important for growth and repair of all body tissues. Fruit is also antiviral and antibacterial and due to the high vitamin C content, it is a powerful food that is easily digestible so there are even more good reasons to keep a high content of fruit in your diet. Your body breaks down sugar from fruit and vegetables into glucose which the body then uses as fuel to run. The brain survives on this glucose and this is an essential energy source that is required by all the cells and organs of our bodies Once in the bloodstream glucose can be used as energy or turned into glycogen to be stored in your muscles or liver to be used at a later time. 

Fructose is a naturally occurring sugar in the many fruits we consume and it's broken down in your liver where it's turned to energy. This type of naturally occurring sugar is very different from processed sugar or refined sugar which is found in processed junk food, cakes, and pastries, and when consumed his type of sugar affects your body very differently.  Eating delicious fresh fruit is not the enemy,  it's naturally low in fat, sodium, and calories, and contains no cholesterol.

Provided that you manage the meatless alternative foods with caution, read labels, and cut down on highly processed packaged food, a plant-based diet is a great way to reduce the risk of heart disease, obesity, and other illnesses. A  balanced and nutritious diet can be achieved with careful planning and it's also great in terms of the personal satisfaction that you get from knowing that you are, in your own little way, making an impact on the natural living environment.. by enjoying one plant-based meal at a time.