Why You Should Follow a Plant-Centered Diet

Plant-centered diets range from eating only plants to diets that include some meats and animal products. Here are some of the many you can follow:

Vegan… is in the extreme only plants end of the spectrum. Vegans eat vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, beans, and whole grains. But they exclude all foods of animal origin from their diet … these include meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, and dairy products like milk, cheese, butter, etc.

Vegans replace animal sources of protein with other sources that provide a large amount of this vital macronutrient. These include beans, peanuts (as in peanut butter), tofu, walnuts, peas and other legumes, and ensure that vegans, despite rumors to the contrary, do not suffer from a lack of protein.

Lacto vegetarian… is a diet that excludes foods of animal origin except for dairy products, such as milk, butter, cheese and other foods derived from animal milk.

Ovo-vegetarian… is another diet that excludes foods of animal origin (meat, fish and dairy) except that it includes eggs.

Lacto-ovo-vegetarian… is a vegetarian diet that includes dairy and eggs, but excludes meat and fish.

Pescatarian… is a lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet that also includes fish.

Flexitarian or semi-vegetarian… encompass a variety of diets that are based on a vegetarian diet. They are plant-centered diets that can also include small amounts of red meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, and dairy products.

As you can see, these plant-centric diets range from strictly plant-based to diets that include some or all animal products, but in restricted amounts.

What are the benefits of plant-based diets?

Making plants the mainstay of your diet can:

• lower your blood glucose levels and prevent or delay the development of type 2 diabetes (DM2)

• lower your blood pressure

• reduce stress on your kidneys (by avoiding or reducing animal protein in your diet)

• help you lose weight and

• Prevent heart disease and stroke (by reducing plaque build-up in blood vessels.

… among many other benefits.

This claim is supported by many recent studies. For example:

A study, conducted by Loma Linda University in California, of nearly 100,000 members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, which encourages a vegetarian diet, found that vegetarians had lower rates of type 2 diabetes than non-vegetarians. The study also found that vegetarians tended to have a healthier weight, which may explain why fewer of them are diabetic.

A 72-week study, published by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, examined the differences between type 2 diabetics who followed a low-fat vegan diet and those who had a moderate carbohydrate eating plan. The researchers found that there was a significant decrease in HbA1C and LDL (bad) cholesterol levels in the vegans. A low HbA1C level indicates that you are managing your T2D well.

Two ongoing long-term studies from the Harvard School of Public Health found that, among 150,000 healthcare providers, those who ate an additional half serving of red meat a day for four years had a 50% increased risk of developing type diabetes two.

Recent research suggests that inflammation within the body plays a role in the development of type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes manifests as insulin resistance. Both of these interrelated problems appear to decrease with a plant-centered diet.

But this positive effect may not be due solely to vegetarian diets.

Most vegetarians are very health conscious (which is probably why they become vegetarian in the first place). But they also tend to practice other types of healthy behaviors, such as exercising, not smoking, not being addicted to television, and getting enough sleep.

The type of lifestyle that vegetarians tend to follow will greatly contribute to their overall health and help them control their diabetes and other health problems.

That said, diets without meat or diets that restrict the amount of animal products (of all kinds) you eat contain loads of beneficial nutrients. These diets are rich in dietary fiber, phytochemicals, vitamins, and minerals. Also, the fats they contain are healthy … plant foods are low in saturated fat and dietary cholesterol.

How to switch to a plant-centered diet

Some people who need to reduce the amount of animal products in their diet resist the effort they think will be involved in the change. This is a misunderstanding.

Here are some suggestions …

• Don’t change everything at once. Instead, gradually reduce your consumption of animal products.

• Mentally prepare yourself by thinking of animal products as a garnish or garnish rather than the main ingredient in your dish.

• Try to have one meatless day a week at the beginning of the change.

• Create a collection of recipes restricted to meat.

• Know the beans. Many varieties provide as much protein as meat and fish. See all the different ways you can make bean-based meals, make them in batches to build up a stock and freeze.

• Learn about whole grains like barley, quinoa, brown rice, and couscous. Cook them in batches and refrigerate or freeze.

• Limit your carbohydrate intake by using peanut butter, egg whites (which are at least 90% protein), low-fat or fat-free cheese, or other fillers.

• Keep it simple. Choose things like veggie burritos stuffed with beans and green peppers.

Protein… some people fear that if they switch to a plant-based diet they will end up being protein deficient. But this fear is completely unfounded.

Many plant foods contain a lot of protein … beans (the best source), nuts, grains, and vegetables. Know the macronutrients (proteins, fats, and carbohydrates) in the plants you like to eat. You’ll find tons of verified data at http://nutritiondata.self.com/.

Note… the advice that you should mix several plant foods at each meal to get complete proteins (that is, proteins that contain all essential amino acids) is now outdated and no longer valid.

Umami… is one of the five basic flavors (along with sweetness, acidity, bitterness and saltiness). The name is a Japanese word that means “pleasant salty taste” and has been described as a pleasant meaty or broth taste.

Umami is one of the reasons people enjoy meat so much, or why we are addicted to meat, according to some people.

However, meat is not the only source of umami … this flavor is also found in roasted vegetables, mushrooms, avocado, walnuts, soy sauce, and cheese. It is also found in breast milk, which explains its attractiveness.

Including non-animal foods that contain umami in your diet will make it easier to switch to a plant-based diet.

Supplements… when switching to a plant-centered diet, you should be aware that your diet could be deficient in micronutrients, such as vitamins B12 and D, omega-3 fatty acids, iron, and zinc.

Your body can make small amounts of vitamin B12, but not enough for your needs, and the only external source of this vitamin is meat. All omega-3 fats must be obtained outside the body and the main source is fish (although some plants contain miniscule amounts).

Therefore, taking supplements on a daily basis is highly recommended. This is what I take:

(1) Multivitamin

(2) B12 (4 mcg) in a separate tablet

(3) Calcium (400 mg) plus vitamin D (2.5 mcg) together in a separate tablet

(4) High concentration cod liver oil capsule with vitamins D and E, in a separate capsule.

I urge you to do the same.