It’s hard not to come across the terms vegan or vegetarian because the benefits of plant-based diet have become more and more popular these days. About 6% of Americans have identified as a vegan in 2017; compared to the meager 1% in 2014. If that’s not enough, there was a 90% increase of Google searches for the term ‘vegan’ in 2016.
However, the United States still falls behind dozens of other countries when it comes to eating healthier and consuming lesser meat. In fact, almost half of the people in Germany follow a low to no meat diet.
5 Benefits of Plant-Based Diet
Early this year, five new studies further prove the benefits of a plant-based diet. Generally, they showed that eating healthily and consuming more vegetables than meat lowers the risk of developing chronic diseases, gaining weight, and even delaying death.
Science constantly adds or changes what it has to say about nutrition but apparently, they have been consistent with the fact that consuming more plant-based foods and less meat provides more benefits. So, it’s not only great for our bodies, but it also reduces your ecological footprint.
All of these studies were presented at Nutrition 2018, the flagship meeting of the American Society for Nutrition. They aimed to further study how a plant-based diet can impact our health. And not just any plant-based diet, but a diet that’s strictly comprised of healthy vegetables or plant-based foods.
Here are the following studies:
Less Weight Gain
This isn’t much of a surprise but researchers found further evidence that eating plant-based food is linked to less weight gain. They observed over 125,000 adults over the course of four years and they monitored their weight gain and loss. Half of the group consumed only high-quality plant-based foods like whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and nuts; the other group mostly ate unhealthy plant-based foods such as fries, sweets, and refined grains.
As you may have guessed, the latter gained significant weight, while the former had less weight gain. This goes to show that eating junk plant-based food is still not okay.
Lowers the Risk of Heart Disease
The next study, lead by Kim V.E. Braun from Erasmus University Medical Center in Rotterdam, suggests that a plant-based diet lowers the risk of heart disease. They observed around 6,000 people in the Netherlands and they discovered that the people who ate more plant-based food instead of animal meat showed positive results. Their risk of developing coronary heart disease lowered.
Lowers Risk of Death
This study adds to the fact that a high-quality diet adds more years to your life. However, after observing over 30,000 adults in the United States, they found out that consuming high-quality plant-based foods is more important than the quality of animal-based foods.
Apparently, higher quality of plant-based foods lowers the risk of death by 30% while higher quality animal-based foods didn’t have any significant effect on mortality. The researchers said that it’s better for people to improve the quality of plant-based foods than improve meat quality, especially for people with chronic health diseases.
Less Plaque in the Arteries
This study observed 4,500 Brazilian adults to find out how their type of protein consumed affects their coronary artery calcification scores. The ones who mainly ate plant-based protein were 60% less likely to have plaque in their arteries than the ones who consumed more animal protein. In case you didn’t know, plaque buildup is usually used to determine the risk of heart disease.
Prevents Diabetes and Heart Disease
This study proves that plant-based diet significantly lowers the risk for heart disease and diabetes. The researchers observed the eating habits of South Asians living in America. They discovered that the ones who followed a plant-based diet not only reduced their chances of developing heart disease and diabetes, but also had a lower body mass index, lower amounts of abdominal fat, lower cholesterol, lower blood sugar, and had smaller waists as opposed to the ones who consumed meat.
Ensure High Food Quality and Eat Your Veggies
It doesn’t matter if you’re eating a plant-based diet, if your food isn’t high quality, you wouldn’t reap the maximum benefits. High food quality is still important. At the end of the day, not much has changed since Michael Pollan told us to “Eat food, not too much, mostly plants.” A plant-based diet is still, and will probably always be, beneficial to all of us.
But as much as possible, choose whole foods – the ones that haven’t been processed into plant-based junk. Make sure to choose foods that are close to their natural form, free from additives, chemicals, and a bare minimum of process. Examples of these foods are:
- Grains – Wheat, wholegrain rice, quinoa, bulgur wheat, rolled oats, faro, and barley.
- Beans and legumes – lentils, kidney beans, lima beans, split peas, chickpeas
- Nuts and seeds (not salted) – peanuts, almonds, cashews, sunflower seeds, linseeds, pumpkin seeds
- Fruits and vegetables – all of them!
These are some of the examples of what you can eat to reap the benefits shown above. Plus, all of these foods are easily found in your local supermarket!
We Care For You
We believe that meal times are the best times of the day. Our residents are provided with three healthy and delicious meals that are tailored to their needs and preferences. We offer special food plans for residents with food allergies or other dietary restrictions. In addition to the great tasting food, we take extreme care to make sure that our residents receive the best nutrition, daily vitamins, and needed caloric intake and are well hydrated to stay healthy and active.
If you want to know more about assisted living facilities, A Paradise for Parents staff and our resources can answer all your questions. Don’t hesitate to give us a call at (623) 295-9890 or email us at cam@aparadiseforparents.com to know more about the services we offer. You can also fill out an online form located on our homepage. We’d be happy to assist you in your search for an assisted living facility for your loved one.
