Michele Wallace
So many people ask me “what is a plant-based diet” and “what do I eat?” Simple! You want to eat whole, unrefined, plant-based foods. Pretty simple right?
But why would I want to a plant-based diet?
It has been scientifically proven the benefits of a eating and living healthy lifestyle are enormous. When you change and adopt a whole food, plant-based lifestyle you will experience:
- Lower risk of prostate, breast & other cancers
- Prevent, even reverse, heart disease
- Prevent & treat diabetes
- Lose weight & have more energy
- Live longer
- …and so much more
Ok but how much will this cost? What’s the price? Simply changing your diet is all it takes. You couldn’t get any easier than this and to reap the benefits are huge. It is pretty effortless when you think about it and just think how healthy you will be.
Let’s break it down further. On the next page is a table to help you understand what should and should not be on your plate…
EAT THESE IN ABUNDANCE
Enjoy a wide range of whole, unrefined plants. The best news of all? You can eat when you’re hungry and eat until you’re full.
OCCASIONALLY EAT THESE SPARINGLY
Many of the foods in the “sparingly” list are healthy foods. Lots of evidence suggests nuts are healthy, for example, and avocados and seeds have many valuable nutrients. But there’s a unique circumstance
with people used to the standard American diet who suddenly are trying to avoid added fats, cheeses, and rich cuts of meat. They still crave rich, fatty meals, and if they realize they can put a ½ cup of cashews in every meal, or a ½ of an avocado on everything, then they can “follow the rules” and still love the taste of their food. And guess what? They won’t lose as much weight as they want or necessarily get the maximal benefit.
If purchasing a pre-packaged food product, be sure to carefully read what is in the package, box, or can. Note that product ingredients are listed in descending order, with the greatest amount by weight listed first. Purchase products with just a few recognizable plant-based ingredients. The less processed the better.
AVOID THESE FOODS TOTALLY
The standard American diet, or the Western diet, is heavy on meat, dairy, white flour, sugar, and oil. Imagine the standard fast-food meal of a cheeseburger, fries, and a milkshake, or a “healthier” meal which might include chicken, rice, and broccoli with a cheese sauce. Whether it’s the “healthy” or junk food meal, the Western diet relies heavily on animal foods and processed plant fragments. The consequences of the Western diet are epidemic levels of obesity, heart disease, and diabetes and staggering health care costs.
