Plant-based foods are good for you.
While the constant parade of new fad diets promise to offer health benefits, many nutritionists and doctors continue to encourage patients to adopt a plant-based lifestyle.
1. Heart health
Plants are naturally low in salt and typically contain little saturated fat, both of which can contribute to the development of heart disease, says Kathryn Parker, a registered dietitian and licensed dietitian nutritionist with Aviv Clinics in The Villages, Florida. Eating a diet composed primarily of plants, which is high in cholesterol-reducing soluble fiber, can “help reduce plaque build up in the bloodstream,” which may reduce your risk of developing heart disease or having a heart attack or stroke.
2. Blood pressure control
Plant-based diets can lower blood pressure. “Various nutrients, vitamins and minerals, including dietary fiber, potassium, calcium and unsaturated fatty acids present in fruits, vegetables and whole grains, can help lower blood pressure when eaten as part of a balanced diet with limited animal-based foods,” Wong says.
3. Lowered stroke risk
It’s often been said that what’s good for the heart is good for the brain, and that’s true with a plant-based diet. A 2021 study from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health found that “high-quality plant-based diets, that is, diets including leafy greens, whole grains and beans but less refined grains and added sugars may lower overall stroke risk in the long-term by up to 10%,” Wong says.
4. Brain health
In addition to lowering risk of stroke, a plant-based diet can reduce your risk of developing dementia and other age-related brain diseases. Recent research out of Boston University found that adopting the Mediterranean or DASH diet (designed to improve blood pressure) could also improve cognitive health.
5. Diabetes prevention and management
A diet that’s high in fiber and low in blood-sugar-spiking high-glycemic index foods has been associated with improved blood sugar control by improving your fasting blood sugar and cholesterol levels, Wong says. This is because “plant-derived foods contain dietary fiber, which helps stabilize blood sugar levels and lowers serum cholesterol and triglycerides, lowering the risk for Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, respectively.”
6. Weight management
Keeping excess weight off is also a key selling point for a plant-based diet. Managing your weight can also help you avoid chronic diseases such as diabetes and cancer. Obesity is a risk factor for both those conditions and many others, so controlling your weight is an important piece of staying healthy for the long term.
7. Digestive health
Eating more plants also benefits the microbiome in your gut, because the microbes that live there are fueled by plants — or more specifically the fiber that’s in plant-based foods. “Fiber provides many of the prebiotic foods needed by the gut biome to live and protect the intestinal lining from invasion of pathogens into the body,” Parker explains.
8. Kidney health
Typically, patients with chronic kidney disease have been warned to limit intake of fruits and vegetables to avoid hyperkalemia, or elevated potassium levels that can increase risk of heart attack. However, recent research is turning that advice on its head.
9. Reduced cancer risk
A plant-based diet may also lower the risk of certain types of cancers, such as pancreatic, colon and possibly others. That’s according to the Adventist Health Study, a 15-year study of 100,000 California-based Seventh-Day Adventists, a religious group that follows a mostly plant-based, whole-foods diet and largely abstains from alcohol, smoking and eating pork.
10. Immune system health
Plant-based diets and the variety of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other compounds can support immune system health. “For example, you may experience fewer symptoms and recover from a flu infection” faster if you’re following a plant-based diet, Wong says.
11. Lowered severe COVID-19 risk
Putting the immune system support idea into current context, research has found that people eating plant-based diets likely will fare better if they contract COVID-19. Wong points to a 2020 study that examined 31,815 cases of COVID-19 and found that cases in adults who consumed more plant-based foods had a 41% lower risk of developing severe COVID-19 (i.e. cases requiring hospitalization and respirator support).
12. Environmental health
Lastly, a plant-based diet is a healthier alternative for planet Earth, Wong says. “The 2019 EAT-Lancet commission on healthy diets from sustainable food systems states that choosing plant-based foods would help sustain our planet and feed healthy foods to our growing population. Incorporating more wholesome, plant-derived foods — more whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes (beans, peas, lentils) in your meal — allows you to engage in sustainable eating, and this means you are supporting your health and our planet when purchasing and eating food.”
Do you have to kiss all meat goodbye?
The evidence is clear that plant-based diets can support improved health in a variety of ways. But does adopting a plant-based diet mean never eating meat again?
Adopt a healthy lifestyle.
Improving your diet is a very effective way of reducing your risk of developing chronic diseases and better managing them if you have them. “A small serving of plants provides a wealth of nutrients,” Parker says. “They’re the best investment in your health.”
12 benefits of a plant-based diet:
Heart health. Blood pressure control. Lowered stroke risk. Brain health. Diabetes prevention and management. Weight management. Digestive health. Kidney health. Reduced cancer risk. Immune system health. Lowered severe COVID-19 risk. Planetary health.
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12 Health Benefits of a Plant-Based Diet originally appeared on usnews.com
Update 11/01/22:
