“Eat Your Veggies”
might top the list of most common things said at the dinner table. Passed down through the generations, it turns out those three words are more than a simple parental plea. They are sage dietary advice: plant-based diets decrease the risk of the most notorious chronic diseases affecting modern society. Let’s look at the health benefits of a plant-based diet.
A Vegan Diet is Heart Smart
Two culprits that contribute to increased risk of heart disease are saturated fats and cholesterol. Most animal products contain both in large quantities. A whole-food, vegan-style diet can immediately reduce cholesterol intake. In fact, replacing meat, dairy and eggs with fruits, vegetables and whole grains automatically takes cholesterol out of the equation because plant foods don’t contain cholesterol.
Similarly, plant-based eating practically guarantees a diet low in saturated fat. Although some foods such as olive and canola oils do contain some saturated fat, most plant food is saturated-fat-free.
A Plant-Based Diet Battles Diabetes
One of the largest studies on plant-based diet health benefits observed a group of nearly 100,000 people. About 38 percent of the study group were vegetarian or vegan. The Adventist Health Study 2 of 96,000 people found that those who eat animal foods were nearly 50 percent more likely to develop diabetes than those who favored plant-based meals.
Over the past decade, consumers under the age of 40 have upped their fresh vegetable intake by 52 percent and 31 percent of Americans practice meat-free days.
Over the past decade, consumers under the age of 40 have upped their fresh vegetable intake by 52 percent and 31 percent of Americans practice meat-free days.
It gets better. Because most plant foods are high-fiber foods, they play an important role in sustaining healthy blood glucose and insulin levels. This means that the health benefits of plant-based eating not only includes prevention of type 2 diabetes, it can also be used to treat the disease to the point of eliminating the need for medication. A peer-reviewed meta-analysis published in The Permanente Journal encourages physicians to recommend plant-based diets to their patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.
Plant-Based Eating and Cancer
Antioxidants play a major role in cancer prevention and treatment. Can you guess which foods bring a lot of antioxidants to “the table”? (Hint: It’s not meat.)
Antioxidants are known to prevent DNA damage—a precursor to cancer cell production—or stop cancer cells from reproducing. Although researchers agree that cancer is more complex than other chronic diseases, making it difficult to study in relation to diet, there is scientific-backed evidence suggesting a link between a vegetarian diet filled with fruits and vegetables and a lower risk of cancer.
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The List Goes On
Keep reading and keep eating those veggies. In addition to helping with chronic diseases, a whole food plant-based diet has a long list of other health benefits. These include:
•Weight loss
•Reduces high blood pressure
•Protects against kidney stones
•Reduces risk of cataracts and macular degeneration
•Shows promising results in preventing Alzheimer’s disease
•Lowers the risk of prostate and colorectal cancers
•Inhibits inflammation that causes rheumatoid arthritis
•Provides relief from ulcers
•Has the potential to treat multiple sclerosis
Pure Blends ™ believes that everyone can love plant-based eating.
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Comments
Great information. Would like newsletter