Mens Health - Mens Health Plant-Based Eating: (The Diet That Can Include Meat)

Plant-based diets have exploded in popularity, in part due to recent movies like Forks Over Knives, What the Health, and The Game Changers. Yet with each new film, the term plant-based grows more confusing as different proponents of this way of eating vary in their interpretations, ranging from strict vegans who do not eat any meat or dairy to individuals who practice Meatless Mondays as their nod to eating more vegetables and grains. In this book, youll learn what the term plant-based actually means and how you can follow a plant-based way of eating thats right for you. At its core, the goal of a plant-based diet is to eat more whole, minimally processed plants, especially vegetables and fruits. Any gesture, no matter how small, toward including more plants in our diets can make a difference, as eating your fruits and vegetables comes with multiple health benefits such as fighting disease, losing weight, and prolonging life. Yet according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only 9 percent of American men (15 percent of women) eat the recommended daily amount of fruit (2 cups), and only 7.6 percent of men (11 percent of women) eat the recommended servings of vegetables (3 cups). But does that mean you have to go meat-free, eat Beyond Meat, and overhaul your intake to become plant-based? We argue no.

Your diet is not a zero-sum game. Eating more plant-based foods does not mean you have to give up all animal foods such as meat or eggs. Our experience at Precision Nutritioncoaching pro athletes as well as regular folks who have all types of dietary goals, combined with the full body of clinical evidencehas proven to us that there are many ways to eat healthy. This is why we teach an agnostic approach to dietary choices. Both plant-only (done well) or meat-inclusive (done well) can be part of a healthful way of living. You dont have to eat meat to be healthy, strong, or fit.

And you dont need to give up meat to be healthy, strong, or fit. Its not a binary either/or proposition. YOUR DIET IS NOT A ZERO-SUM GAME. EATING MORE PLANT-BASED FOODS DOES NOT MEAN YOU HAVE TO GIVE UP GOOD SOURCES OF PROTEIN SUCH AS MEAT OR EGGS. When you look out across the diet landscape, from DASH to Keto, Mediterranean to Paleo, most of the best diets have the same things in common. They emphasize eating an abundance of minimally processed whole foods, including lots of plants, and minimize ultra-processed foods (such as ice cream, chips, and sugar-sweetened beverages). And ultimately, a well done plant-based diet is one that includes lots of plant foods, rather than one that decidedly excludes animal foods.

Because its the inclusion of more and varied plants that improves human health, far more than the exclusion of meat or animal foods. For me, personally, as a guy who wants to feel good (and look good, Ill be honest), I include lots of whole, minimally processed plants in my diet, along with some meat, dairy, and eggs. And to me, this is a plant-based diet, just not a plant-only one. As a parent of three children, I want to set a good example for my kids. To teach them to enjoy food, and all the inherent pleasure and social joy it brings. To have them choose healthy foods, including a wide variety of plant foods, because they want to, not because they have to.

And to have a healthy relationship with food, and the world around them. This is an important book at an important time. It delivers something most books about eating better do not: an opportunity for you to not only improve your diet, but also expand your diet. Thats easierand way more deliciousthan you think.