5 Life Changing Benefits of a Plant-Based Diet

 

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If you are concerned about your blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, cancer risk, and weight, keep reading to learn how a plant-based diet can help you.

Wait! I can hear your protests! Let me assure you– Yes, you CAN get all your protein and nutrients from plants alone ?  Check out the video below for more proof.

Interesting Facts About Plant-Based Diets

Rich Roll was named one of the “25 Fittest Ment in the World” by Men’s Fitness? He only eats plants.

Venus Williams adopted a raw vegan diet after she was diagnosed with Sjögren’s syndrome.

Hannah Teter, 3-time Olympic medalist, eats a plant-based diet.

Gorillas are four to nine times stronger than the average man, and they only eat plants.

“We should all be eating fruits and vegetables as if our lives depend on it – because they do.” – Michael Greger, MD

5 Benefits of a Plant-Based Diet

Plant-based diets have been linked to a number of health benefits, including weight loss, increased metabolism, and better heart health. A plant-based meal is packed with vigorous and healthy nutrients that are responsible for improving your health. Here are some other reasons you can benefit from a plant-based diet.

1. Improves blood pressure

Animal-based diets have been linked to higher blood pressure and a higher risk of heart disease due to their high fat and salt content. A plant-based diet is low fat and low calorie, but high in potassium, which may help lower blood pressure. Potassium also reduces the onset of stress and anxiety that results from high blood pressure.

“Heart disease is a food-borne illness.” – Caldwell Esselstyn, Jr., MD

2. Lowers cholesterol

A diet heavy in protein and fat has also been linked with high cholesterol and it is considered harmful to your health. Switching to a healthier plant-based diet may significantly reduce your body’s cholesterol levels. A plant-based diet of fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and seeds contains little to no cholesterol and has been shown to drastically improve heart health and performance.

“I don’t understand why asking people to eat a well-balanced vegetarian diet is considered drastic while it is medically conservative to cut people open or put them on powerful cholesterol-lowering drugs the rest of their lives.” – Dean Ornish, MD

3. Balances blood sugar

Sustained high blood sugar is harmful and can aggravate your cravings for saccharine-loaded meals. High blood sugar may also cause a deterioration in blood circulation and heart and liver function. Animal-based diets can exacerbate your blood sugar and impede the proper functioning of your organs. Plant-based diets, on the other hand, have been shown to help reduce high blood sugar levels and manage appetite by slowing the absorption of saccharine in your bloodstream.

“…in switching over to a plant-based diet, most people are able to reverse their heat disease, cure type II or significantly improve type I diabetes, effortlessly reduce their weight, eliminate their chronic and nagging aches and pains.” – Alona Pulde, MD and Matthew Lederman, MD

4. Reduces the risk of cancer

Recent studies have suggested that high levels of accumulated proteins may lead to the development of carcinogens (cancerous cells) in your body. An all natural, whole-food, and low-fat diet may help substantially reduce your risk of cancer.

“Numerous research studies have shown that cancer is more common in populations consuming diets rich in fatty foods, particularly meat, and much less common in countries with diets rich in grains, vegetables, and fruits.” – Neal Barnard, MD

5. Promotes weight loss

Plant-based diets can be extremely effective in reducing and managing weight. Clean, whole and raw foods increase your body’s metabolism and ability to build healthy tissue. Plant-based diets are comprised of minerals, fibers, and vitamin that your body needs to shed weight and function at its peak. Some studies have shown that individuals who maintain a strictly plant-based diet have been able to lose between five and seven pounds in just two weeks. The healthy components of a plant-based diet provide your body with the nutrients it craves, helping to satiate the desire for protein-heavy meals loaded with sugar and fat.

“We believe that if people focus on what they’re eating and not how much they’re eating, they will have weight loss with a plant-based diet.” – Neal Barnard, MD

3 Fascinating Resources That Will Make You Rethink How You Feed Your Family

I had to try out a lot of different diets before deciding to embrace a (mostly) plant-based diet.  I studied nutrition and dietary theories at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, read tons of books and experimented a LOT.

The three books that convinced me the most to adopt a plant-based diet are:

Medical Medium

Summary from Amazon:

Anthony William, the one and only Medical Medium, has helped tens of thousands of people heal from ailments that have been misdiagnosed or ineffectively treated or that doctors can’t resolve. He’s done this by listening to a divine voice that literally speaks into his ear, telling him what lies at the root of people’s pain or illness and what they need to do to restore their health. His methods achieve spectacular results, even for those who have spent years and many thousands of dollars on all forms of medicine before turning to him. Now, in this revolutionary book, he opens the door to all he has learned in over 25 years of bringing people’s lives back: a massive amount of healing information, much of which science won’t discover for decades, and most of which has never appeared anywhere before.

Medical Medium reveals the root causes of diseases and conditions that medical communities either misunderstand or struggle to understand at all. It explores all-natural solutions for dozens of the illnesses that plague us, including Lyme disease, fibromyalgia, adrenal fatigue, chronic fatigue syndrome, hormonal imbalances, Hashimoto’s disease, multiple sclerosis, depression, neurological conditions, chronic inflammation, autoimmune disease, blood sugar imbalances, colitis and other digestive disorders, and more. It also offers solutions for restoring the soul and spirit after illness has torn at our emotional fabric. Whether you’ve been given a diagnosis you don’t understand, or you have symptoms you don’t know how to name, or someone you love is sick, or you want to care for your own patients better, Medical Medium offers the answers you need. It’s also a guidebook for everyone seeking the secrets to living longer, healthier lives.

“The truth about the world, ourselves, life, purpose—it all comes down to healing,” Anthony William writes. “And the truth about healing is now in your hands.”

Check it out here: Medical Medium

Whether or not you believe in mediums, this book will fascinate you. The information he provides is truly life-changing.  But if you need hardcore evidence, check out the next two books.

The China Study

Summary from Amazon:

The science is clear. The results are unmistakable.

You can dramatically reduce your risk of cancer, heart disease, and diabetes just by changing your diet.

More than 30 years ago, nutrition researcher T. Colin Campbell and his team at Cornell, in partnership with teams in China and England, embarked upon the China Study, the most comprehensive study ever undertaken of the relationship between diet and the risk of developing disease. What they found when combined with findings in Colin’s laboratory, opened their eyes to the dangers of a diet high in animal protein and the unparalleled health benefits of a whole foods, plant-based diet.

In 2005, Colin and his son Tom, now a physician, shared those findings with the world in The China Study, hailed as one of the most important books about diet and health ever written.

Featuring brand new content, this heavily expanded edition of Colin and Tom’s groundbreaking book includes the latest undeniable evidence of the power of a plant-based diet, plus updated information about the changing medical system and how patients stand to benefit from a surging interest in plant-based nutrition.

The China Study—Revised and Expanded Edition presents a clear and concise message of hope as it dispels a multitude of health myths and misinformation. The basic message is clear. The key to a long, healthy life lies in three things: breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Check it out here: The China Study

How Not to Die

Summary from Amazon:

From the physician behind the wildly popular NutritionFacts website, How Not to Die reveals the groundbreaking scientific evidence behind the only diet that can prevent and reverse many of the causes of disease-related death.

The vast majority of premature deaths can be prevented through simple changes in diet and lifestyle. In How Not to Die, Dr. Michael Greger, the internationally-renowned nutrition expert, physician, and founder of NutritionFacts.org, examines the fifteen top causes of premature death in America-heart disease, various cancers, diabetes, Parkinson’s, high blood pressure, and more-and explains how nutritional and lifestyle interventions can sometimes trump prescription pills and other pharmaceutical and surgical approaches, freeing us to live healthier lives.

The simple truth is that most doctors are good at treating acute illnesses but bad at preventing chronic disease. The fifteen leading causes of death claim the lives of 1.6 million Americans annually. This doesn’t have to be the case. By following Dr. Greger’s advice, all of it backed up by strong scientific evidence, you will learn which foods to eat and which lifestyle changes to make to live longer.

History of prostate cancer in your family? Put down that glass of milk and add flaxseed to your diet whenever you can. Have high blood pressure? Hibiscus tea can work better than a leading hypertensive drug-and without the side effects. Fighting off liver disease? Drinking coffee can reduce liver inflammation. Battling breast cancer? Consuming soy is associated with prolonged survival. Worried about heart disease (the number 1 killer in the United States)? Switch to a whole-food, plant-based diet, which has been repeatedly shown not just to prevent the disease but often stop it in its tracks.

In addition to showing what to eat to help treat the top fifteen causes of death, How Not toDie includes Dr. Greger’s Daily Dozen -a checklist of the twelve foods we should consume every day. Full of practical, actionable advice and surprising, cutting edge nutritional science, these doctor’s orders are just what we need to live longer, healthier lives.

Check it out here: How Not to Die

 

 

Any changes you make to transition from the standard American diet to a whole foods diet will have a huge impact on your health and happiness.  For more tips, download The Ultimate Guide to Shopping for Clean Food.