Copyright 2021 AARON WILMOORE MD
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Table of Contents
Intrdutn
On of th most powerful t u n take to improve your hlth, bt nrg lvl, and rvnt chronic diseases to mv t a lnt-bd diet. If youve n Forks Over Knives, u knw tht science hw hngng ur nutrition a wrful w t live lngr, hl the nvrnmnt, and rdu ur rk f gttng k.
Theres xllnt ntf vdn that many hrn d can b rvntd, ntrlld, r vn rvrd wth a whl-fd, plant-based dt. Scientific rrh hghlghtd n th lndmrk bk Th Chn Study shows that a lnt-bd diet can reduce the rk f t-2 dbt, heart d, rtn t f nr, nd thr mjr illnesses. Mn l l rrt bigger ftn payoffs, mr nrg, rdud nflmmtn, and better hlth utm ftr making th wth.
What Is A Whole-Food, Plant-Based Diet?
A whole-food, lnt-bd dt lt u meet your nutrtnl nd by fung n nturl, mnmll processed plant fd, nd based n th fllwng rnl:
Whl foods drb natural fd tht are nt heavily rd. Tht mn whole, unrefined, r minimally rfnd ngrdnt.
Plant-based means fd tht m frm lnt and dnt nlud nml ingredients uh mt, mlk, eggs, or honey.
The Five Food Groups
Hr a uk overview of the mjr fd categories ull nj on a lnt-bd dt, wth xml:
Fruits: An t of frut nludng l, bnn, gr, strawberries, citrus frut, t.
Vegetables: Plenty f veggies nludng r, rn, lttu, nh, kale, , collards, t.
Tubr: Rt vgtbl lk potatoes, rrt, rn, wt tt, bt. etc.
Whl grn: Grn, cereals, nd other trh n thr whl form, such quinoa, brwn r, millet, whl wht, t, barley, etc. Evn rn is a whole grn.
Legumes: Bn f any knd, lu lentils, pulses, t.
Thr r lnt f other fd u can also enjoy, nludng nuts, d, vd, tofu, tmh, whl-grn flur nd brd, nd lnt-bd mlk. Hwvr, we rmmnd eating th foods n moderation, because th r more lr-dn nd can contribute to wght gn.
The Benefits Of A Whole-Food, Plant-Based Diet
There r vrl mjr bnft to mvng t lnt-bd nutrition, ll supported b xllnt science. Th benefits nlud:
Easy weight management: Pl who t a lnt-bd dt tnd t b lnr thn those wh dont, and th diet mk it easy t l weight nd k it ffwthut untng calories.
D rvntn: Whl-fd, lnt-bd tng n prevent, hlt, or even reverse chronic d, including hrt disease nd t 2 dbt.
A lghtr environmental ftrnt: A plant-based diet l muh l tr n the nvrnmnt.
Drng th hr lnt-bd dt is h whn talking nutrtn th days. But wh t ht rght now? Lurn Mnkr, RDN, who bd n Chrltn, South Crln, ut t bu f nrd wrn f th hlth and nvrnmntl bnft tht m along wth tng this way. Sm f tht uld b th rult of dumntr that thrw shade t tng mt nd other animal rdut, such as Wht th Health (2017), Cwr (2014), nd Forks Ovr Knv (2011).
But what does plant-based diet mn, nw? I it th same thing bng vgtrn or vgn? Or d this dt jut mean u mk an effort t k mr vgg into ur ml?
Wht D Following a Plnt-Bd Diet Mean, Extl?
Thnll, all f th bv interpretations r rrt. Some l u th trm lnt-bd dt as a nnm fr the vegan diet, says Summer Yule, RDN, a nutrtnt based n Hrtfrd, Cnntut. Othr m use th trm n a broader w that includes ll vgtrn diets, nd Iv l seen people u plant-based to mn dt tht are md mtl, but nt entirely, f plant fd.
Th mn d is t mk lnt-bd fd th central part f your meals. A lnt-bd dt mhz fd like frut, vegetables, nd bn, nd lmt fd like meats, dr, and gg, Manaker . Frm thr, mr restrictions uld be ut n l depending on hw strict u want t b. It may mltl eliminate foods frm animals r just limit ntk, depending n th ndvdul interpretation, Mnkr says.
Tht mn mt nd fd dnt nrl need to b off-limits u might jut dd t ut down on hw fruntl u eat those items.
Thnk f plant-based a broad category of dt, wth thr mr f diets fllng under t umbrll. Fr xml, th Mdtrrnn dt a vrn f a plant-based dt bu vn thugh t nrrt fh nd ultr, th mh on plant-based fd, Mnkr .
What D th Currnt Research Say Abut Plnt-Bd Dt?
Most people wh dt th way f tng d it for th tntl hlth bnft. There hv bn mn rd bnft linked t eating th w, like rdud hltrl, Manaker . Some studies suggest tht tng a plant-based dt m improve frtlt rmtr, and it l may reduce your rk of developing [t 2] dbt. A rvw published n Jul 2018 n th jurnl Frntr n Public Hlth urt hr statement.
On study, ublhd in the Jurnl of th Amrn Cllg f Crdlg n July 2017, lnkd dt rich in hlth plant fd (uh nut, whole grn, frut, vgg, and oils) with a gnfntl lower rk of heart disease.
Anthr tud, this n ublhd n the Jurnl of Geriatric Cardiology in M 2017, fund tht fllwng a lnt-bd dt n hl rvnt and trt t 2 dbt, nd t t rrh tht suggests th dt m help reduce th risk f other chronic illnesses, including nr. And a rvw ublhd n October 2018 in BMJ On Diabetes Rrh & Care uggtd tht fllwng a plant-based dt can hv a positive mt n mtnl nd hl well-being, ult f lf, nd gnrl hlth fr l lvng wth t 2 dbt, whl also improving hl mrkr of th condition n th ultn.
Fr Blk Americans, who r drrtntl impacted by many hrn d, following a plant-based diet may help rdu th risk f developing hrt disease nd tntll nr, rdng t one rvw ublhd in December 2019 n Nutrnt.
Sm rrh h l uggtd tht a dt containing higher lvl f lnt rtn is lnkd wth a lwr rt of rl death from all causes; n rvw of tud (nvlvng vr 715,000 rtnt in ttl) nd ublhd n July 2020 n th BMJ found tht rtnt wh diets ntnd th mt lnt-bd protein hd a 6 percent lwr risk f rmtur dth thn ndvdul who consumed less protein vrll.
Othr rrh seems t urt tng for plant rtn, too: On study f 135,000 individuals fund a lnk between nrd ntk of fruits, vgtbl, nd legumes nd a lwr risk f ll-u early death, wth rtnt rng mxmum hlth benefits t three to four rvng r d an amount tht nn following a plant-based diet is lkl t mt.
Food List f Wht t Et, Lmt, and Avd
What to Eat nd Drink
Vegetables (including kl, spinach, Swiss chard, llrd grn, wt tt, asparagus, bll r, and broccoli)
Frut (uh vd, strawberries, blubrr, wtrmln, l, grapes, bnn, grapefruit, nd rng)
Whl grn (uh as un, farro, brown r, whole-wheat brd, nd whl-wht t)
Nut (wlnut, lmnd, mdm nuts, nd hw all unt)
Seeds (uh flxd, h d, and hemp seeds)
Bn
Lentils
Coffee
T (nludng grn, lvndr, chamomile, r gngr)
Wht t Lmt (r Avoid Entirely, Depending on How Strt Yu Dd t Be)
Dairy (including milk and h)
Mt nd poultry (like chicken, bf, nd pork)
Prd nml meats, such ug and ht dg
All nml products (nludng eggs, dr, nd meat f ur fllwng a vgn diet)
Refined grn (uh white fd, lk white pasta, r, and brd)
Sweets (like k, brownies, and k)
Swtnd bvrg, such as d, and frut ju
Ptt and frnh fr
Hn (f nt vgn)
A 7-D Sample Menu fr a Stndrd Plant-Based Dt
Day 1
Brkft Tfu rmbl
Lunh Culflwr r bwl wth black beans, rn, vd, and l
Dinner Vgg-td zz
Snack Zuhn h
D 2
Brkft Oatmeal-based brkft muffins
Lunch Tomato basil u wth oyster rkr
Dnnr Veggie tr-fr wth tfu
Snack Hummus wr
D 3
Brkft Homemade oatmeal bars
Lunch Greek ld wth a slice f whole-grain t brd
Dnnr Kl nd tofu urr
Snk Chw gurt wth berries nd a f peanut buttr
Day 4
Breakfast Breakfast burrt wth gg, r, nd l
Lunh Vgg burgr and a d salad
Dnnr Culflwr tk wth rtd wt potato fries
Snk Vgg wth hummu
Day 5
Brkft Dr-fr gurt wth brr and grnl
Lunh Tmt ndwh wth t nd a drzzl of lv oil