Benefits of a Plant Based Diet | What Is It & What Are The Effects?

You will often hear about how people who participate in vegetarianism or veganism do not receive enough nutrients from the foods they eat. On the contrary, have you ever considered how incredible a plant-based diet can be for your mind, body, and soul?

When you boil your eating regimen down to just foods grown from the earth, and mostly green foods, you are doing your body a great service. Your body alone gleans significantly larger amounts of energy from plant-based proteins; think of all of the brainpower you will gain, too. Today we look at what plant-based diets are, and how they can benefit your daily experience.

What is a Plant Based Diet?

A plant-based diet consists mostly of foods derived from plants. This includes no artificial ingredients, and limited to no ingredients that come from animal sources. This style of eating is considered to be one of the healthiest ways to nourish your body!

Adopting a plant-based eating habit does not mean that you necessarily have to subscribe to vegetarianism or veganism; you can eat mostly plant-based foods by allowing them to consist of the majority of what they consume. Plant-based eating is not just fruits and veggies – it also includes nuts, grains, legumes, seeds, oils, and beans.

The wonderful thing about eating plant-based foods is that it really is not much of a “diet” at all, in the traditional sense. As we always say, making small changes to what you already eat is a fantastic way to make healthy changes; when you slowly cut out meats and other animal products from what you eat, you’re making a healthier choice. Green is the goal.

How Will a Plant-Based Diet Affect You?

Steering your eating habits in the direction of plant-based foods can give you more energy, help you to lose weight, as well as help prevent the onset of chronic diseases. You will be surprised to learn that many herbs and vegetables have healing and medicinal properties – take a look at this article about Plants & Herbs for Inflammation. Inflammation is the root of many chronic diseases, so keeping it at bay is a great way to be proactive in your body’s health.

Little by Little

When it comes to eating healthier, it’s important not to stress too much about changing your diet. Indeed, stress is the antithesis of good health. Instead of worrying about whether or not you’re eating the wrong thing, focus on adding plant-based foods into what you are already eating. Slowly, you can phase out things like meats, processed foods, dairy products, and fried foods. 

What Foods Can I Eat?

You can still enjoy all of the foods that you already love when you decide to start working towards adopting a plant-based diet. You will end up discovering new ways to enjoy foods you love, as well as new foods to add to your menu. For some culinary inspiration, take a look at these 7 (Yummy) Plant-Based Recipes that we can’t get enough of. 

Some of the best plant-based protein sources include:

Edamame, Lentils, Chickpeas, Peanuts, Almonds, Spirulina, Quinoa, Chia Seeds, Beans with Rice, Kale, Broccoli and Spinach.

Make a Change

If you have been searching for a sign to make a change in your eating habits, consider this your sign! Try adding moving towards a plant-based diet this year; you will find that you can still enjoy all of the same delicious foods, while also trying out some new things along the way. Eating plant-based foods is better for you and better for the Earth. Try your hand at growing your own greens with our Super Hero Garden Kit.