8 health benefits of eating more plant foods and 6 tips to dive into it
You have probably heard that eating more fruit and vegetables is good for you, but maybe you don't really know why or how great the health benefits of eating more plant foods actually are. Also if you have grown up eating meat or animal produce in every meal (like I have), it can be really difficult to know how to get started introducing more plant foods into your diet.
But don´t worry, because, in this blog post, I will give you 8 health benefits of eating more plant foods and 6 tips to dive into it.
So without further ado, let's start looking into the benefits of eating more plant foods.
More energy
Eating a more plant-based diet filled with whole foods like fresh fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, and whole-grain will give you more energy. One reason for this is that these foods are made up of complex carbohydrates, healthy fats, and protein, all of which take longer to digest, leaving you feeling satisfied for longer, while providing a slow, steady stream of energy.
Another important reason plant foods give you more energy is that they are packed with fiber. Although fiber doesn't provide energy, fiber helps with energy regulation as it slows down the speed at which sugars enter the cells, which helps keep blood sugar levels steady. Your digestive system will be grateful for the increased fiber from eating more plant foods. Proteins in meat and fish can take as long as two days to fully digest, while fruits and vegetables may move through your system in less than a day due to the higher fiber content.
So by eating fewer animal products, your body doesn't have to use as much energy to digest your food, leaving you with more energy for other things.
2. Better mood
Research has shown that greater fruit and vegetable consumption makes you feel less depressed, have fewer mood and anxiety problems, and give you improved perceived mental health.
Arachidonic acid, an unsaturated, essential fatty acid found in meat, has a negative effect on your mood. So, when you reduce or eliminate meat from the diet, your mood can be improved.
As you also have learned, eating more plant foods give you more energy. With more energy, you will most likely move your body more. When you move your body, your body produces endorphins, leaving you happier and less stressed. If you are interested in learning the 8 strategic steps you need to take to create consistency with exercise, I have another blog post covering that. Other great side effects of moving more due to more energy are better sleep and improved self-esteem.
3. Healthier hair, skin, and nails
Eating more plant foods increases your intake of vitamins and nutrients. The increase of nutrients has many great benefits for your hair, skin, and nails. It is not uncommon that we don´t understand the connection between weak nails or unhealthy skin and the food that we eat, but the foods we eat truly have a big impact.
The increase in nutrients helps your hair to grow quicker and become healthier overall. Vitamin B (found in f. ex. bananas, bell pepper, mushrooms, sweet peas), vitamin C (found in f.ex. oranges, apples, beets, blackberries), protein (found in f.ex. beans, cashews, peanuts, pistachios), and omega 3s (found in f.ex. walnuts, flax seeds) all contribute to making your hair stronger.
Similar to your hair, your nails also need vital nutrients in order to be strong and healthy. In addition to the nutrients that are essential for healthy hair, magnesium (found in f.ex. almonds, chia seeds, peanuts), zink (found in f.ex. pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, pine nuts), and iron (found in f.ex. broccoli, leafy greens, asparagus, snap peas) are also great for getting stronger nails.
Another direct result of the way we eat can be shown in our skin. Some of the processed foods that we eat; dairy, refined sugar, and fats, are all foods that directly affect your skin. They can contribute to clogging your pores, lead to inflammation, and increase oil production. And as a result you can get breakouts or acne. Eating more plant foods that are rich in vitamin A (found in f.ex. brussels sprouts, cantaloupe melon, carrots) vitamin B, and vitamin C can give you healthy, glowing skin.
4. Healthier weight
Generally, those who eat more plant foods tend to be leaner than those who don´t. Eating more plant foods can make it easier to lose weight and keep it off. The increased macronutrients (carbohydrates, fat, and protein) that you will get from eating more plant foods makes you consume less food compared to meat-eaters.
Eating more plant foods may result in weight loss because of the high fiber and nutrient content. Due to the nutrient density of plant foods, you become full quicker, which may make you eat less. Making sure you eat more nutrient dense-foods is one of the best ways to minimize the chance of developing any nutrient deficiencies, which in worst case can lead to developing chronic disease and even shorten our lifespan. But what is super important is to get enough calories so that you get the nutrients that support your needs. Great food picks for making sure you consume enough calories and nutrients are plant foods like avocados, nuts, and seeds.
5. Longer life expectancy
Eating more legumes, whole grains, and nuts, and eating less red meat and less processed meat, increases life expectancy. Research has actually shown that you could live more than a decade longer by eating more plant foods.
The greatest increase in lifespan has been seen in the 20-something age group, with 11 years added for women and 13 for men, but for people in their 60s, there was an increase of an average of 8 additional years by making the switch from a modern Western diet to a plant-based diet.
What we eat can have a dramatic effect on whether we develop disease, reverse disease, and our longevity. The foods that have shown to be the most effective to increase life expectancy were legumes, nuts, and whole grains.
6. Better focus
One thing I hear a lot of people struggling with in this fast-paced world we are now living in is the ability to keep our focus. Coffee can be a quick fix to this, but consuming too much can have a negative effect on several parts of our health.
Eating more plant foods can actually create better blood and oxygen flow to our brains. Why is that you ask? Carbohydrates, which come almost exclusively from plants, provide our brain with its main fuel - glucose - which helps us stay sharp and focused throughout the day. Consuming more plant foods can help improve focus regardless of age.
Examples of plant foods that are particularly good for increasing focus are almonds, raw cacao, bananas, and leafy greens. The latter is also known for helping fight stress, headaches, and depression.
7. Reduced inflammation
Fruits, vegetables, and healthy vegan fats all have anti-inflammatory properties. Inflammation occurs when you eat foods that over time make the “bad” bacteria outnumber the “good”. This leads to the “walls” in the gut no longer functioning efficiently as a barrier for the “bad” bacteria, which can cause the immune system to constantly be on high alert, leading to inflammation.
Eating more food with anti-inflammatory properties will give you a healthier gut, which — in turn — boosts your energy and mood. Also when our bodies are faced with inflammation, less energy is available to the brain. This is another reason why it is so important to eat anti-inflammatory foods as all plant foods are, so that you can become happier, energized, and focused.
8. Better mental health and conscience for the animals, the environment, and the less fortunate here on this earth
There is no shortage of information on this topic. We all know deep down that eating less meat and animal produce is going to help our animals and our environment massively. Just knowing this will improve most people´s mental health. Helping others is also beneficial for us because it fulfills a basic human need. Eating more plant foods is one of the easiest ways we can all step up to help animals, the environment, and the less fortunate.
Eating more plant foods is probably the single best way to reduce your negative impact on unnecessary suffering for animals and the size of the carbon footprint you leave on the environment. By consuming less meat, the demand goes down, fewer animals will be kept in environments that are not natural for them (cramped spaces, not enough access to nature, not being able to do natural behaviors) and the ones that are kept will have a better life. Much like it was in past times or for the cows I met while traveling in India.
Eating more plant foods will increase the likelihood of still having access to fresh water to drink, clean air to breathe, and fertile soils to grow nourishing food in the future. By continuing to demand the enormous amount of meat and animal produce we do today, we will lose the lakes, rivers, forests, rich soils, and other natural resources that we are dependent on for survival.
The amount of food needed to feed livestock has continued to increase exponentially during the last decades to produce the amount of meat that people are demanding in the western part of the world. A direct effect of this is an increase in grain prices. This increase leads to people living in poverty not having financial access to food. If humans would eat the grain that is fed to animals, we could feed an extra 3.5 billion people!
Now that you are more familiar with some of the many benefits of eating more plant foods, let's look at 6 tips to dive into it.
Find your reason
To have a reason for why you want to eat more plant foods is so important because that is what will help you on days when you want to “do the right thing” for your health, the animals, or the environment, but you somehow find yourself going back into old ways. It is important that you find a strong “why” because that will make it a lot easier for you to stick to your new and healthier food habits.
When I shifted to a plant-based diet 13 years ago it was my love for animals that pushed me to change the way I ate, even though it went against the western diet that we have in Norway, with meat traditionally being an obligatory part of all meals.
2. Focus on adding in instead of taking out
Since food habits form over many years – and food choices often have an emotional component – simply taking foods out of the diet usually doesn’t work well for very long. Not restricting your diet can actually reduce cravings for other more unhealthy foods.
Eating more plant foods doesn't mean you can't still have your favorite foods. It just gives you an opportunity to remake them in a more creative and healthy way. F.ex. if you are a taco lover, substitute meat with beans and use the same seasoning as you are used to, or if you love a good burger, substitute the beef with a tasty portobello mushroom.
Also, make sure you don´t fall into the trap of replacing all meat with highly processed “vegan substitutes”. Instead substitute with different whole foods like beans, peas, nuts, seeds, or vegetables that will go well with the rest of the ingredients in the meal you are making.
3. Start slow and be flexible
As with all change, starting small and continuously increasing is the way to go about it, if you are looking to make this a sustainable and long-term change.
Not being too restrictive in the beginning is also a success factor. Nobody likes feeling restricted or punished. So don't be too hard on yourself when you slip up once or twice, because we all do. Instead, try reminding yourself how choosing to eat more plant foods will make you feel good inside and out, and remember your “why”.
4. Learn the basics of balancing nutrients
Learning the optimal amount of the different macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates, and fats) your body needs is important to make sure you get enough calories. It is especially important to eat enough protein and healthy fats, so try including these in most of your meals. A typical caloric ratio for the macronutrients would be 45–65% carbohydrates, 25–35% fats, and 10–30% protein.
5. Follow inspirational plant focused Instagram accounts and blogs
When implementing new ways of eating, it can sometimes be difficult to know what to cook or how to balance your plate between the three macronutrients. Luckily there are tons of inspiring blogs, Youtube channels and Instagram accounts where you can find tips and recipes when you don't know what to cook. Find your favorites and give them a follow. I share plant-foods recipes and tips on eating more plant foods from time on my Instagram account.
6. Cook more at home
When you cook more at home you decide what foods you eat. The foods we are served in cafes and restaurants typically contain higher amounts of sodium and saturated fat than home-cooked meals. But this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t enjoy eating out from time to time.
When food shopping for home cooking try most of the time, to use fresh, organic, and seasonal produce. This is better for our body and the environment and will keep pesticides and chemicals off your plate. But organic and local produce may not always be available where you shop or for your wallet. In that case focus on the foods that you find at the outer perimeter of the grocery store and try not to spend too much time in the inner aisles, where most of the highly refined foods are. Frozen foods and canned food can also be great options if you don't have access to fresh vegetables and fruits.
When you cook at home prepare more food than you need for your meal so that you don't have to cook every meal and therefore save yourself a lot of time. Try new recipes and challenge yourself by trying out new foods.
That was 8 benefits of eating more plant foods and 6 ways to dive into it! I hope you learned something and found inspiration to eat more plant foods.
If eating more plant foods is something you would like to explore further, while also implementing other healthy habits like working out regularly so that you can regain your joy, energy, and self-confidence, then tap here to learn more about my coaching program designed to help you do just that.
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