Benefits of a Plant Based Diet
Mankind evolved to eat meat, and plants, making us omnivores. In recent years, however, there has been an increase in the number of people who are saying no to meat and making the switch to eating plant-based diets instead. This is partly because of increased awareness of animal rights and also awareness of the need to be more environmentally conscious.
Many people are also turning toward eating plant-based foods over meat and processed foods, even if they are not vegetarian, in a bid to cut down on their meat consumption. This is partly down to the benefits involved, some of which are listed in further detail here.
1. Reduces Heart Disease
Heart disease is one of the biggest killers among people of a certain age. It is also often avoidable and a result of personal lifestyle choices. Far fewer people would die from heart disease if only they took better care of themselves. This includes avoiding certain types of food.
Processed foods and meat tend to be high in cholesterol and saturated fats. Plant-based diets contain none of these, making them far healthier for us to eat. Changing to a plant-based diet can help to remove excess fat from areas like the abdomen and waist, while it can also help remove fatty tissue build-up in blood vessels and organs.
2. Weight Loss
Too many calories are what causes us to put on weight, and putting on too much weight can be very bad for us. Processed foods and meats tend to be very high in calories, making them very fattening. A lot of junk foods in particular are packed full of carbohydrates and these are very fattening indeed. While packed full of nutrition, a plant-based diet will also be low in calories, and this will help you to lose weight.
What’s more is that a plant-based meal will leave you feeling fuller for longer, further reducing your calorie intake. This helps you to lose weight with relative ease, while also helping ensure you remain healthy.
3. Feeling Great
Processed foods tend to have a high chemical content and this will affect their nutritional value. Many types of meat products are also highly processed and, again, this means lots of chemicals. After eating them, we end up having consumed chemically rich dishes but with poor quality nutrition.
The lack of good nutrition will make us feel fatigued and generally just not at our best. A plant-based diet, however, will be jam-packed full of nutrients and without the high chemical content. This means that they will help you to feel a lot better about yourself, and about life in general.
4. Reduces Diabetes
One of the potential causes of diabetes is obesity, and diabetes is potentially a very serious condition that can have a severe impact on the patients life. Anybody with the condition will need to be careful about what they are eating to prevent dangerously high surges in blood sugar levels.
Eating lots of animal-based products and other processed foods can contribute to obesity, increasing your chances of developing diabetes. Thus, sticking to a plant-based diet is less likely to cause obesity, which can mean that you remain healthier overall. A lot of vegetables are also good for people who already have diabetes.
5. Healthy Skin
Clear and healthy skin can help to make you look a lot better, and this can have a significant impact on your emotional well-being. Healthy skin can also benefit you in other ways, such as helping to keep you protected from pathogens. Keeping your skin clear and healthy can be difficult, though.
Many people turn to cosmetic products, but there are other ways that you can get a beautiful complexion. One method is to eat a plant-based diet, which will help thanks to its high water content, and because plants have a number of compounds that can directly benefit the skin.
6. Fewer Cravings
When our bodies start running low on nutrients, we start to feel hungry. This is our body’s way of telling us that we need to stock up on nutrients again. Some foods are more nutritious than others, meaning that they keep us satiated for longer. Thus, some foods will cause us to have fewer cravings than others.
A lot of heavily processed foods are low in nutritional value. This means that we can eat a lot of them, but it is not long before we feel hungry again. Plant-based diets, however, are densely packed with nutrients and this means that we will feel fuller for longer after eating.
7. Reduced Hypertension
Hypertension is the technical medical term for high blood pressure. A high blood pressure can be very dangerous so it is something that should be addressed as well as you possibly can. Addressing the problem usually means making some changes in your lifestyle, but that is not always the case.
Red meats and processed foods can be very bad at increasing hypertension. Many have a high salt content, which is particularly bad for causing high blood pressure. A plant-based diet will have little salt and other ingredients that cause hypertension. This can be very beneficial to your well-being in the first place.
8. A Healthy Digestive System
Our digestive system is one of the first lines of defense when it comes to protection against pathogens. It is also a very good idea to keep it in good working condition to help ensure that we get the maximum amount of nutrients from what we eat.
Plant-based diets are very high in fiber content and plenty of fiber will help to keep our digestive system in great working order. They are also low in fats and other items that can be difficult for us to break down. This means that problems like constipation will likely become a thing of the past.
9. Less Inflammation
Inflammation in the body can cause a lot of problems for some people. For some, it is little more than an irritant, but is still usually something they would rather not have to endure if they could avoid it. For others, it can be downright dangerous and something that needs to be taken very seriously.
Some types of food are more likely to encourage inflammation than others, and plant-based foods are less likely to cause a problem. If you are suffering from an inflammatory condition like arthritis, for example, then switching to a plant-based diet may help make you feel more comfortable.
10. Helps the Environment
Animal agriculture is one of the biggest contributors to global warming on our planet. It requires a lot of trees to be cut down, and large animals like cows add a lot of methane to the atmosphere. It is also a very inefficient way to make food because livestock needs to be fed a lot. If you were to switch to a plant-based diet then you would be doing your bit to help the environment.
Granted, it would make only a very tiny contribution on a personal level, but it can develop into something more significant when more and more people follow suit.
