Plant based diet

So many of you asked me what I think of plant based diets, so I thought I would write a post about it. Hippocrates once said 'let food be the medicine'. It seems that this scholar, from ancient Greece, had more wisdom 2000 years ago than modern people have today as they replace natural nutritious foods with highly artificial refined ones that have little or no nutritional value. Sadly this naturally leads to multiple issues that can even include severe conditions. So it's important to learn more about plant based diets and maybe challenge yourself and embark on a new plant based journey!

What is plant based diet?

This diet refers to the consumption of plant foods and eliminating or minimizing as much as possible processed foods and animal ones. It is known for being a low fat diet that promotes fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, as well as beans, soy and peas.

Benefits of plant based diet

This diet brings along so many advantages that are remarkably helpful for anyone, regardless of age. The main ones are the following:

• It is useful for your health.

It can alleviate the symptoms of some conditions and research shows that it can prevent many illnesses often associated with poor eating habits such as diabetes, high blood pressure and even cancer or cardiovascular disease. It provides plenty of fibre and of course fibre intake is very important for your digestion.

It normalizes the bowel movements and it contributes to bowel health. It also reduces inflammation and cholesterol levels. The vitamins and minerals contained in plants aid vision, care for the skin and help the body function properly.

• It promotes weight loss.

Though they are full of nutrients and you can feel full pretty fast, plants have very few calories compared to processed foods. That means you'll stay away from obesity and keep your weight under control better than ever without starving yourself or following a strict diet that prevents your body from getting the essentials. You'll have a lower body mass index (BMI) and you'll burn fat more easily.

• It is cost-effective.

It consists of economical all-natural foods that help you feel full for a longer period of time as opposed to the highly refined ones that require you to eat large amounts in order to stop feeling hungry.

What is the difference between vegan and a plant based diet? Is there any?

Yes, there is a difference between vegan and plant based ones. The latter is defined by the kinds of products it includes, while veganism is defined by the foods it excludes like all animal ones. Basically, the plant based diet encourages the consumption of foods that are as natural as possible, while the vegan one focuses on the restriction of animal products.

How can I change to a plant based diet?

If currently your nutrition habits are very different from this diet, you will need a bit of time to switch. Some highly determined people decide to change very fast. Do it at your own pace, just don't procrastinate. Take things one step at a time. A few weeks or months are more than enough to adjust.

It could be a bit challenging to make some foods from scratch, especially if you are a busy person. Companies like Provamel, which is my all time favourite plant based brand can help. Provamel's mission is to provide healthy organic foods based on plants. Apart from being completely natural, not treated with any pesticides and free of any harmful chemicals, these foods are also surprisingly appetizing and allow you to enjoy your new diet. This eliminates the common misconception that healthy food is tasteless and efficiently assists you in changing your diet sooner than you thought.

Provamel offers four main categories of products:

• Drinks – a wide variety of drinks made of nuts, cereals or soy that can successfully replace the controversial cow's milk (my favourite is rice, pineapple and coconut milk)
• Desserts – delights for people with a sweet tooth
• Soya yogurts – a range of plain and fruit yogurts that come with or without all-natural sweeteners
• Cream alternatives – ideal for people suffering from lactose intolerance

These products feature organically grown ingredients that maximize the amount of nutrients provided. They don't include any artificial flavours, colours or any other additives.

Plant based diets can be the solution to improve your overall health and well-being. It is a lifestyle change that can turn into the wisest decision you've ever made. Remember that the quality of your life is at stake so you shouldn't overlook the characteristics of your current diet versus the benefits of the plant based one. If you are not sure where to start how about swapping your dairy milk for a plant based one? Here are some of my favorite non-dairy milks.

Are you going to give it a go? Let me know if I helped to inspire you to go at least once a week plant based

Much love,
Hedi

 

 

Disclaimer:  This is a sponsored post. I received payment, or one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission.  Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.