The Good News About Plant Foods: How They Can Benefit Your Health
Plant foods are not only good for the environment, but they’re also good for your health. In addition to being more sustainable than animal products, plant foods have been linked to reduced risks of heart disease, certain cancers, and even weight gain. This article discusses how plant foods can benefit your health in various ways and improve your overall quality of life.
Plant-based diets are becoming increasingly popular around the world, and it seems that meat-eaters aren’t the only ones who want more plants in their diets!
Plant foods can boost your mood
One study found that women who ate five servings of fruits and vegetables per day were less likely to be depressed than those who ate less than one.
That’s probably because eating lots of produce is linked to improved mood. While more research is needed, it’s not a bad idea to reach for some berries or greens if you’re feeling blue! Fruit and veggie servings are easy ways to get more fiber, which will help keep your digestive system running smoothly and make sure you don’t get constipated (yuck!). And you can always supplement your plant-based diet with a fiber supplement for an added boost.
Fiber has been shown to improve both bowel regularity and reduce blood cholesterol levels. It may also help decrease your risk of colon cancer by preventing excess bile acids from reabsorbing into your body where they can damage cells lining your colon.
Be careful though; too much fiber can actually cause diarrhea, so talk to your doctor about how much is right for you. If you want to try increasing your intake naturally first, add more whole grains into meals like oatmeal, quinoa or brown rice at dinner time.
The extra carbs will also help keep you full longer so that snacking between meals isn’t necessary. Plus, each serving of whole grains provides two grams of fiber—that’s as much as half a bagel! In addition to being good for digestion, soluble fiber has been shown to lower LDL bad cholesterol while leaving HDL good cholesterol unchanged.
These results have led researchers to suggest that a high-fiber diet could help prevent heart disease in people with type 2 diabetes and pre-diabetes (who often have higher rates of heart disease).
Just remember: Soluble fiber doesn't dissolve in water but instead dissolves in your gut's contents, absorbing all sorts of things along the way including glucose and helping lower blood sugar levels after meals. This action helps slow down absorption of food entering your bloodstream—thereby slowing down spikes in insulin production and reducing overall insulin needs.
Eating plant-based diets may reduce your risk of heart disease
A 2010 study of 28,000 people published in Archives of Internal Medicine found that vegetarian diets may lower cardiovascular risk factors by as much as 40 percent. These researchers also concluded that a vegetarian diet can be useful in reducing body weight and cholesterol levels.
Eating plant-based diets may reduce your risk of cancer: In 2008, researchers at Penn State University studied more than 35,000 men and women between ages 50 and 76.
Those who ate meat three times per day or more were about three times more likely to die from cancer than those who consumed red meat less frequently or not at all.
Also, an American Cancer Society study found that vegetarians have an 18 percent lower incidence of cancer compared to non-vegetarians.
Eating plant-based diets may help you live longer: According to a 2009 report published in The New England Journal of Medicine, vegetarians had a 12 percent lower overall mortality rate than their meat-eating counterparts.
The results are even more impressive when you consider that healthful behaviors like exercise and not smoking aren't factored into these statistics.
Vegetarianism has been linked with better heart health, lower blood pressure, improved insulin sensitivity and reduced rates of hypertension. In addition, vegetarians tend to weigh less than their carnivorous counterparts—an average of 5 pounds less for every 10 years they've been vegetarian!
Eating plant-based diets may improve digestion: Because plants contain fiber, they promote regularity and good digestive health. Additionally, because many vegetables are naturally low in fat (and high in water content), eating them is often easier on your digestive system than consuming animal products.
Fiber also helps fill you up so you don't overeat; it's no coincidence that many vegans are leaner than meat eaters. Eating plant-based diets may prevent osteoporosis: While it's true that our bodies need calcium to maintain strong bones, there's actually no evidence that dairy products are superior sources of calcium over other foods (in fact, some studies suggest dairy products actually cause bone loss).
Many experts now believe we should get our calcium from leafy greens like kale and broccoli instead.
A diet rich in fruits and vegetables can reduce your cancer risk
Eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables may reduce your risk of cancer, according to research published in BMJ.
British researchers examined health records from 60,000 people with an average age of 55. After accounting for other factors that could influence cancer risk—such as smoking, drinking and body mass index—they found that those who ate more than five servings of fruits and vegetables per day were 20 percent less likely to develop cancer over a 10-year period compared to those who only ate one serving per day.
Another study published in Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention found that consumption of more than 20 grams of fiber a day was associated with a decreased risk of breast cancer recurrence.
Make sure you get enough fiber by eating plenty of fruits, vegetables and whole grains every day. You can also add chia seeds or flaxseeds to smoothies or yogurt for added fiber.
The importance of calcium and vitamin D: If you don’t eat dairy products or eggs, it can be hard to get enough calcium and vitamin D. These nutrients are essential for healthy bones, but they also play a role in regulating blood pressure and reducing inflammation.
Luckily, there are several plant foods that are good sources of calcium and vitamin D—even if they’re not usually thought of as such. In fact, some plant foods have more calcium than milk! Some examples include broccoli, spinach, kale and collard greens. Be sure to check out our guide on how much calcium is in common plant-based foods .
Vitamin D is found naturally in very few foods (namely fatty fish), so most people rely on supplements or fortified foods like cereal and soy milk to meet their daily needs. But don't forget about mushrooms!
Mushrooms provide small amounts of vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) which is different from vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol). Ergocalciferol is made by plants; cholecalciferol comes from animals. Either way, mushrooms make an excellent addition to any diet.
Vegetarian diets can help you lose weight
While research on vegetarian diets is limited, many studies have found that they can help you lose weight. In fact, meat eaters who switch to a vegetarian diet lose about 7 percent of their body weight in one year.
The key, though, is to avoid processed vegetarian foods like veggie burgers and cheeses. You might try switching your normal three-bean salad for one made with black beans or chickpeas instead. And rather than sprinkling cheese on top of your salad, try cubed raw zucchini or crumbled feta cheese instead.
If you do choose vegetarian foods that are high in fat and calories, make sure to reduce your intake so you don’t gain weight as a result of making the switch. Switching from whole milk to skim milk is an easy way to cut back on extra calories.
Try cutting out butter and margarine, too. Instead use cooking spray when you want to add flavor to your food. You could also try using olive oil or other healthier oils for cooking and drizzling it over vegetables.
To learn more about healthy ways to incorporate plant foods into your diet read our free Vegetarian Diet Guide today!
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Plant foods can protect against autoimmune diseases
When it comes to preventing autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis, plant foods may offer more protection than commonly thought. Certain molecules found in plant foods appear to suppress T cells and help prevent them from attacking healthy tissue.
These nutrients can act similarly to traditional drugs used for treating some of these conditions. For example, flaxseed oil is a good source of a molecule called lignan, which may help prevent type 1 diabetes by lowering blood sugar levels and helping reduce insulin resistance (when T cells are able to overcome insulin’s anti-inflammatory effects). Similarly, soybeans contain a substance called genistein that can lower your risk of rheumatoid .
Taking in lots of antioxidants may benefit brain health
Consuming lots of plant foods like fruits and vegetables, which are rich in antioxidants, has been linked to a lower risk of developing dementia. In fact, recent research suggests that people who ate one to three servings of fruits and vegetables per day were at a decreased risk for Alzheimer’s disease than those who consumed less than one serving per day.
This doesn’t mean you need to go vegetarian, but it does suggest that eating more plant-based meals could be beneficial for overall health.
If you can’t get enough antioxidant-rich produce through diet alone, consider taking an antioxidant supplement—but do your research first; most have little proven effect on overall health and are expensive.
You might also want to focus on avoiding processed foods high in refined sugar, as there is some evidence that sugar itself may increase oxidative stress.
Many individuals report feeling better after switching from animal products to a plant-based diet: Going vegan or vegetarian isn’t for everyone, but many individuals report feeling better after switching from animal products to a plant-based diet.
This isn’t surprising considering meatless diets tend to be low in saturated fat and high in fiber, vitamins C and E, magnesium, potassium and folic acid. Studies show that consuming plenty of these nutrients is associated with lower blood pressure levels. But don’t think you have to give up your favorite steak—just try going meatless one day per week.
If you don’t want to go completely veggie, consider eating more seafood like salmon and less red meat like beef and pork; research shows fish can improve brain health as well as help prevent heart disease.
On average, vegetarians live longer than nonvegetarians: Several studies have found that people who eat a predominantly plant-based diet are less likely to die from heart disease than those who eat more animal products.
In fact, one study found that vegetarians were about half as likely as nonvegetarians to die during an 18-year period.
And more...
A vegan diet is just one type of plant-based diet. A vegetarian diet, which is generally defined as a regimen devoid of meat, fish and poultry but that may include dairy products and eggs, is also a type of plant-based diet.
Many health professionals promote certain benefits related to both of these diets that you should consider. For example, a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine found that people who consumed less than half an ounce of red or processed meat daily had lower mortality rates than those who ate more than half an ounce.
Additionally, another study published in JAMA Internal Medicine found that eating nuts reduced overall mortality by 20 percent compared with not eating nuts. These findings support previous research showing similar results when it comes to consuming other types of plants foods such as fruits and vegetables.
You can read more about how plant foods affect your health at Harvard Health Publishing. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reports that legumes—including beans, peas and lentils—are some of the most nutritionally dense foods available. Legumes are packed with fiber, protein and vitamins; they’re low in fat; they contain no cholesterol; and they’re inexpensive to boot. As far as what types of legumes are best for you, there’s a lot to choose from.
Beans and lentils tend to be popular because they're versatile. But if you want something heartier, try split peas or chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans). If you prefer something sweet, go for soybeans or edamame (soybeans harvested before maturity).
Peanuts are technically legumes too—but they're typically classified separately because they have their own unique nutritional profile. What's more, all plant foods offer varying amounts of antioxidants and phytochemicals (plant chemicals), so it's worth exploring different varieties even if you're not ready to become a full-fledged vegan just yet.
