“People are fed by the food, which pays no attention to health, and are healed by the health industry, which pays no attention to food.”
∼Wendell Berry
Table of Contents
What Is a Whole Food, Plant-Based Diet?
It is a diet based on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes; it eliminates or limits any kind of meat, dairy products, and eggs, as well as highly processed foods like white flour, refined sugars and oils.
How do we recognize whole plant foods?
They don’t come in a package, and look pretty much the same as they do in nature or close to it. Which means this kind of food is whole, unrefined, or minimally processed.
Have you ever seen cupcakes growing on a tree, or can you pick potato chips? I hope not 😀 because they’re definitely not whole foods.
We are brought up to think that we should eat meat for proteins, fish for omega-3 fatty acids, drink milk for calcium, or eat oranges for vitamin C. But they are not the only sources of these important nutrients. All of these nutrients you can find in other foods. For example, kale is rich in vitamin A as well as in calcium; lentils are a great source of proteins as well as fibres; chia seeds, known for their many health benefits, are also a source of omega 3, fibre and protein.
Therefore we came to the conclusion that no food is a single nutrient. What really matters is a whole package. Your whole plate!
Now, I invite you to drop this belief and proceed from there.
I will give you 6 reasons to consider switching to a whole food, plant-based diet.
Nature knows best
Everything we need to survive and thrive is provided by nature.
The food industry has so much influence on our own personal nutritional choices and health. Next time you go to the supermarket, take a look what’s on those shelves. The abundance of colourful packaging bags with some strange phrases on the front shouting nonsense at you. Potato chips “45% less fat”, Wow! “No-sugar added” cookies, but still heavenly delicious, huh?! Candies “made with real fruit”; ice-cream “made with fresh cream from our region”. Those are all extra reasons to buy them, aren’t they! Chocolate granola “part of a healthy breakfast”. Orange juice “not-from-concentrate”. I bet you’re already imagining a nice farmer squeezing oranges for you, but the reality turns to be very different from our imagination.
No wonder most of us are confused about what to eat to stay healthy. We can’t trust those labels, neither can we trust our food system and the government’s dietary guidelines.
I know who is not confused, trustworthy, has always been in order, does things correctly and never let us down. ♥ Nature ♥
Don’t you think it’s time to go back to our sustainable food source?
Contains all you need
Whole foods have all essential nutrients except vitamin B12.
Due to massive meat production, animals have to get their B12 through a supplement. How about we just take a supplement so nobody has to die for our B12 😉
They don’t only supply our body with vitamins, minerals and fibres but also with phytochemicals.
Phytochemicals are compounds that are produced by plants, and they contribute to their pretty colours, distinctive flavours and smell. According to recent studies phytochemicals have promising benefits. There are thousands of different phytochemicals and they all may have different function in our body.
◊ Fun fact: there are more than 100 phytochemicals in a single carrot!
So far, the scientists found that many phytochemicals are antioxidants, some of them stimulate the immune system, and some help decrease inflammation and blood pressure. We are continually learning how important these compounds are to our health.
You have already heard that fibres play a major role in our digestive health. They are only found in plants and not in any animal product or refined food.
Whole-grains increase microbial richness and can improve health in many ways.
By eating a rainbow of plant-based foods your body gets a variety of phytochemicals and other essential nutrients.
Sense of well-being
Food itself has energy. That energy is our fuel moving us throughout the day. Therefore we need to choose the fuel that will benefit us physically and mentally.
What we eat is directly connected to how we feel. Food affects body then mind. This interconnectedness is the key to understanding the body-mind function. Our body responds to food by creating emotions. Emotions create feelings. Feelings create thoughts. Thoughts create our world.
Ultra-processed food is designed by factory to give you instant bliss, leave you craving for more, and afterwards make you sick. It seizes your whole biology- hormones, metabolism, brain system, immune system… everything.
Whole food is designed by nature to feed the body in such a way that the mind can operate freely, and we are designed to love the taste of all natural food. By following nature’s diet we are in a heathier state.
Love for your planet
Switching to a plant-based diet is more humane. It isn’t only beneficial to your health but environment too.
Mother Earth says: “ Thank You!”.
The way we are eating is devastating our planet. The food industry is the biggest industry in the world. What we buy every day in the stores and our eating habits cause significant harm to the planet. For example: 1kg of beef requires about 43,000L of fresh water VS 1kg of grain only requires 1,000L.
In order to produce the large quantities of food required to feed livestock, we have to destroy forests and to convert them into lands. Then we waist so much energy and water to grow the crops. We are destroying our rivers, lakes and oceans with nitrogen-rich fertilizers.
We can simplify this process by getting food right from the source. By eating more sustainably!
Another big problem we are facing is the ocean of plastic waste. You remember what I said at the very beginning of the article – whole foods do not come in packages.
The math is simple: Less packaging = less plastic Yay!
We can greatly impact our environment with food choices by not supporting agriculture that harms our environment. Eating lower on the food chain requires less energy and water, plus preserves the environment.
No need to count calories
Reach your ideal weight and keep it off permanently!
Weight loss requires self-love and patience, but also adopting a heathier diet.
Weight loss = healthy eating
Relying solely on calorie value of food, you neglect their nutrient value. What really matters is the source of those calories. For example, an apple is rich in simple carbohydrates, but it’s still better for you than other simple carbohydrates like chips. Therefore the quality of the calories matters. When you focus on eating whole foods, and avoiding processed carbohydrates – cookies, crackers, or soda, you simply don’t need to the math.
The foods with the highest nutrient density are also the foods with lowest calorie density.
Vegetables contain water, so they are low in calories but high in weight. Fibre rich foods are lower in calories and keep you fuller at the same time. The feeling of satisfaction motivates you to keep up with this diet. They also speed up your metabolism by promoting healthy gut microbes.
Animal products will definitely increase your fat intake, but whole foods are super low in fat generally speaking. Instead of worrying about your carb intake, you’d better start worrying about the fat you consume per day. We absolutely need good sources of fat. For example: green leafy vegetables contain some omega-3 fatty acids in small amounts but the quality of fat is just excellent. Once again we can see that the source of calories really matters!
I am sure you like to eat potatoes, sweet potatoes, rice, corn and pasta. We all love those starchy foods, but we’ve been told there are not good for weight loss.
Think about Asian people, their staple foods are rice, noodles, and wheat. In those cultures, plant-based diet high in starches from whole foods is considered as a prescription for a long and healthy life. They all have their medicinal properties. In Okinawa 50% of what they eat comes from sweet potatoes so majority of their calories comes from carbohydrates. This kind of diet is associated with longevity and people thrive on it.
◊ Fun facts: Noodle means health and longevity in China; Rice means vital energy in Japan.
Therefore carbohydrates are not your enemies.
You won’t only reach that number in your head, but feel truly healthy and happy to be resident of your body. Whole food, plant-based diet allows you to eat satisfying portions of food without going hungry and still loose weight. You can actually eat more and weight less. How amazing is that!
Here is an interesting video about “The food we were born to eat” from Dr. McDougall. He claims that starch-based diet can reverse serious illness, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and others, all without the use of drugs.
“Throughout the human history, all large, successful populations of people, have obtained the bulk of their calories from starch. ”
Video : https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=d5wfMNNr3ak
Save time and money
It sounds inviting!
Cooking plant-based meals isn’t complicated and time-consuming. They are simple with a lot of vegetables, fruits, spices, legumes and grains, and perfect for everybody. You will need maximum 30 minutes to prepare and cook a plant-based meal. Of course your kitchen organisation and skills come into play but that’s something you constantly improve by just doing it.
The simpler you cook, the less time you spend in the kitchen, the better it tastes!
Where you live and what’s on your grocery list will definitely influence the cost. I’ve been hearing from people that healthy foods cost more, and they can’t afford. So I decided to do some price comparisons. I live in France where the price of meat, fish and cheese is high. For example: 250g of Comté (the most famous French cheese) cost 6,25€, or 300g of steak cost 6€. I can buy 6kg of bananas, or 3kg potatoes, or 3 heads of cabbage, or 2kg of beans for the same price. On an average we would spend 60€ per week for 2, on vegetables, fruits, grains, bread with a bottle of wine. It’s important to note that we buy most of the products in bulk which also saves a lot of money.
Consider also the invisible cost of our food. How much does it cost our planet? We won’t be even able to afford to eat meat and dietary products every day.
Overall, meat and diary products are more expensive than whole foods.
Whole-food, Plant-based diet supports our overall health, and our beautiful planet.
We have ability to change. By simply going on a whole food, plant-based diet, we can improve the health, end hunger, reverse climate change, and increase biodiversity. We can do so much by using the power of our forks!
I am encouraging you to go on a whole food, plant-based diet for a month. Observe what’s happening letting your body tell you how it feels.
Please let me know about your experience. What kind of changes have you experienced? What struggles have you faced?
Let the food be your medicine!
♥ Kristina
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