Whole Food Plant Based Improves Health

In the last few decades, the number of people suffering from lifestyle diseases like diabetes, heart diseases, cancer, high blood pressure has increased drastically. This is mainly because they consume a large amount of processed food and animal foods daily and lead sedentary lives.

Hence nutritionists and healthcare experts advise that people having health problems should switch to whole food, food which is not heavily processed with additives like food coloring and preservatives added. Additionally those who wish to lose weight have been advised to include plant based foods in their diet, which has numerous other health benefits also.

A plant based diet will mainly include foods which are derived from plants like fruits, vegetables, tubers, seeds, nuts, milk derived from plant sources and legumes. It does not contain foods which are derived from animals like meat, milk, egg and honey.

In most western countries the meals usually are containing meat based dishes with beef, chicken , pork and fish, so it will take some time and effort to switch from meat to plant foods. Changes will have to be made both in the shopping list and the cooking methods, so that animal food products are not used in the diet.

For healthy eating, it is also advisable to ensure that mainly whole foods are consumed. A majority of people are eating processed foods like biscuits, bread, cake, fast food, because it is more convenient and also inexpensive in the short term.

However, the person eating these processed foods cannot control the ingredients in the food, which include preservatives, food colors, salt, chemicals which can adversely affect the health of the person in the long term. Hence, it is advisable to use foods which are not processed or minimally processed with do not contain white flour, refined sugar, oils.

There are a large number of benefits of having a diet which is mainly based on eating plant foods. One of the biggest benefit is that whole plant foods have less calories compared to processed and animal foods. So it is easier for the person to lose weight, and he will usually be leaner.

Studies of people who have a plant based diet indicate that the risk of chronic diseases like cancer, heart problems and diabetes is typically lower . It also helps in reducing the cognitive decline which is usually associated with aging. In some cases the diet has helped control and reverse many diseases which the person is suffering from.

Other health conditions which a diet derived from plants can help control are gout, gallstones, dementia, cataract, kidney diseases, arthritis. Additionally eating foods from plant sources is also environmentally friendly since greenhouses gases are produced when the animals are raised for meat.

They also require food and water. The plant-based diet will also have health benefits for people who do not have any illness like better digestion, higher energy levels, more restful sleep and better overall mental and physical health. So though some additional effort may be required initially, it is advisable to switch over to plant foods at the earliest.