Good Health DEPENDS on This

A plant based diet is all the rage. You hear about it in the latest books, magazines, on the news,....it's everywhere. Maybe you are wondering...... why the big fuss? Some things, ok.... a lot of things you hear on popular media outlets are false. Especially in the nutrition world. However, the benefits of a plant based diet are completely true. 

Eating more plants and less meat can change your life, fuel your days, heal your cells and prevent disease. 

This is one of the reasons I speak out, as a certified nutritionist, and share what I know about the benefits of eating more plants. I don't want this important piece of information to drift through your inbox or facebook feed without getting the attention is deserves.

This year in particular, I really want you to know what plants can do for you. You have unique needs, because there is a global pandemic still raging around us. As we wait for a vaccine (which may or may not be as effective as we hope it will be), we should be smart and understand that there are things we can do now to stay healthy. Yes, washings hands is vital and social distancing is critical, but there's something else. 

Our good health DEPENDS on...... what we put into our mouths. The more plants (and less meat) we eat, the healthier we become. 

Yep, it's pretty simple. 

Eating more plants can help lower risk for heart disease, diabetes, blood pressure issues, cancer and more. It can also help improve gut health, which directly effects our immunity AND ability to recover from a virus. 

So while I didn't go on a tofurkey campaign over Thanksgiving.....I'm beginning to think about the benefits of such a crazy idea. I mean, if health improves as the amount of plants we eat increases, then....sign me up? 

As a disclaimer here, I do still eat meat. I just eat less than I used to. I try to eat vegan before 4pm. I just feel cleaner and healthier when I do that. 

The problem is that we know what's healthy... but we don't always put it into our mouths and eat it. Sometimes we put the wrong choices for food into our mouths, because we eat what we want, and not what our body needs. This can be categorized as emotional eating. If we make emotional food choices based on how we feel (which is even easier to do during the pandemic), rather than what foods are healthiest, it can be very harmful to us physically and mentally. Mental health is absolutely effected by what we eat. However, if we make choices based on what we know our body needs to function in a healthy way, then we can start healing. We feed wellness and we have a healthier, brighter future. 

Here's a couple of things to avoid over the next few months. Yes, even over the holidays. (and yes, it's possible to eat healthy even on Christmas day). 

Stop over eating sugar. Refined sugar will TANK your immunity. A little bit here and there is ok, but too much refined sugar will increase your chances of a common cold, flu, other viruses, infections, stomach issues, etc. Refined sugar is the #1 thing to avoid right now. I'm not saying don't eat anything sweet. All flavors can be healthy. But choose fruit rather than cake or cookies. Choose a home baked item made with natural sweetener rather than pure sugar or chemical sweetener. 

Avoid over eating meat. Meat is inflammatory and contains higher levels of toxins than other foods. Yes, some meats are better than others, but overall, the more meat you eat, the more toxins your body has to get rid of, the more calories you consume, and the more inflammation your body stores up. Too much inflammation leads to illness. It contributes to cancer, heart disease, diabetes and lowered immunity, which makes you more likely to get a virus or bacterial infection. 

So here's what to do. Eat more plants. Eat vegetables. Eat whole grains. Eat legumes and seeds. Eat fruit. A study had 17 individuals eating 20 servings a fruit a day for 2 weeks. No one gained weight. No one got high blood pressure or high blood sugar. Everyone saw improvements in health like lowered cholesterol, and they felt better. So don't hold off fruit. Eat it if you want it, and enjoy every single bite! If you need help making these changes, that's what I'm here for. I offer nutrition counseling that will help you make better food choices. Soon you will feel great and you'll love all the healthy food you can have. Cheers!

Disclaimer: If you are sensitive to oxalates, please be careful about which plants you eat. Chocolate, beans, nuts, green tea and spinach are all high oxalate. But studies do show that a plant-based diet with little to no meat supports kidney health even with oxalate related kidney stones.