Because living clean tastes and feels so good!!

Many people today are switching from our typical American animal fat-laden diet to a cleaner, healthier way of eating.  You’ve no doubt heard of plant-based diets by now or seen that once small section at the grocery store or on restaurant menus grow bigger and bigger with lots of options. 

In this Nutrition corner of my Permanent Results Coaching website, I will be sharing lots of pros and cons about whether eating animals or plants is best for us. 

A whole food, plant-based diet is based on the following principles:

·  Whole foods

Natural foods that are not heavily processed. That means whole, unrefined, or minimally refined ingredients.

·  Plant-based

Food that comes from plants and is free of animal ingredients such as meat, milk, eggs, or honey. 

A whole food plant-based diet is associated with lower rates of hypertension, cancer, obesity, stroke, diabetes, and many other chronic diseases, plus lower LDL and total cholesterol levels.  WFPB meals improved glycemic control, better weight management, and lower BMI (body mass index) is obtained. 

This dietary approach also supports the microbiome. A whole food plant-based diet is the most optimal way to feed your gut microbiome. A healthy microbiome staves off disease that usually starts with an unhealthy gut.  More on this subject later.

Plant-based diets are low in saturated fats and are cholesterol free.

Animal-based foods are high in saturated fat and cholesterol, which raise blood cholesterol levels, causing fatty, wax-like plaque to build up in the arteries.

Highly processed foods often contain excessive salt, sugars and nitrates which raise blood pressure, damaging the lining of the arteries over time.

Whole plant foods are low in calories and high in fiber, meaning you can eat a high volume of food without exceeding your daily caloric needs and helps you to feel fuller.  

Plant-based whole food diets are cost effective.  When you stock your kitchen with WFPB staples such as brown rice, potatoes, and dried beans, you can assemble nutritious, satisfying meals for just a few dollars, replacing produce as needed and focusing on seasonal fruits and vegetables for lower costs.

Try starting with just one WFPB meal per day for one week, perhaps breakfast. Then add another meal the second week such as lunch. The third week add dinner.  Soon you will be living a WFPB lifestyle.

Debbie H.

Contributing Blogger