The Benefits of the Plant Based Diet
Did you know that Plant Based Diet is associated with improved metabolism and reduced body fat?
Vegan food has followers all over the world, but the growing wave of individuals concerned with habits that do not include animal products goes far beyond the ethical or economic issues cited in the media, essentially going through the health of the human being and the environment that surrounds. Learn more about the Plant Based Diet.
There are several scientific articles that warn of the benefits of a vegetable diet, more than a diet without products of animal origin, a diet that favors fruits, nuts, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, seeds and that totally renounces processed products.
The Food Industry has created a series of products with a vegan label that are rich in saturated fats, sugars, sweeteners, preservatives and dyes; products designed to gain the confidence of a new audience but also to convince new supporters of this lifestyle that there are specific products for them.
This food market is mostly a lure, it is a way to keep consumers who change their lifestyle from buying the same brands, however they will hardly gain health from these choices. The consumption of vegan products is no longer associated with a balanced diet and has become a sales force.
As such, a new expression emerged, the Plant-Based Diet, which has as principles the refutation of any consumption of food of animal origin but also that of all processed products.
What are the great benefits of this new food chain?
1. Controlled blood pressure
The consumption of plant products rich in potassium and vitamin B6 helps to maintain a lower blood pressure. In the same way, the elimination of processed and preserved products rich in sodium, as well as animal products rich in fat can help to control tension.
2. Lower Cholesterol
Intake of foods high in cholesterol is most commonly associated with a diet with animal products (red meat, eggs, butter and other fatty dairy products). Plants have no cholesterol, and although vegetable fats like coconut oil and olive oil, e.o. should be consumed in moderation, the reality is that the consumption of a plant-based diet largely benefits the reduction of blood cholesterol values.
3. Improving Metabolism / Reducing Body Fat
Eating a diet rich in vegetables helps to maintain lower levels of Leptin. Leptin is the hormone produced by adipocytes (fat cells) and which regulates energy balance and inhibition of hunger. Privileging a diet rich in vegetables and whole grains (taking into account the daily energy intake of each) is beneficial for energy metabolism, helps to maintain lower levels of body fat and consequently maintain a healthy weight.
4. Weight loss
If the caloric intake is adapted to the individual's age, sex and energy expenditure, and if he does not consume animal products rich in fat and products processed with added fat and sugars, he will benefit from weight loss. The consumption of vegetables and whole grains rich in fiber also promotes greater satiety, which allows less food intake and enhances weight loss in a healthy way.
5. Reducing Sugar Levels / Preventing Diabetes
Fiber is not only important in satiety, vegetable fiber is an excellent regulator of blood sugar absorption. It is proven that the plant-based diet benefits the regulation of glycemia, consequently the prevention of Diabetes and glycemic control in patients with Diabetes II and Gestational Diabetes.
6. Anti-Cancer
The development of specific medication to treat the most varied types of cancer has been a constant battle in the medical and pharmaceutical world, but what if the solution lies in prevention? On the simplest basis, which is our daily food intake?
Plants are rich in the best known and most studied anti-cancer constituents, antioxidants such as Vitamin E and C present in fruits, phytonutrients such as flavonoids, among others.
In addition to the daily inclusion of protective nutrients, the elimination of animal products rich in saturated fat, nitrates and nitrosamines, cholesterol, and other inflammatory foods, prevents different types of cancer.
Cancer prevention will always have several associated factors and conditions, but the reality is that more and more consumption of animal products, and processed and sugar-rich vegan products can affect people's health.
Conclusion:
Plant-based diet can be an advantage in preventing, reversing and advancing various pathologies; but like any other lifestyle and type of food, you should also look at the quality of the foods chosen. Always prefer fresh food, without preservatives and preferably of local origin, which does not have a high ecological footprint and which benefits not only individual health but the well-being of the environment.
Further studies will be needed to see if this type of dietary pattern fits all of us, but the advantages are in sight, and just try to prove its immediate benefits, improved skin health (less acne), less abdominal inflammation, improved cholesterol levels, blood glucose, hypertension. The advantages vary from individual to individual, but as in any other process of food change this must be taken care of and accompanied by a Nutritionist.
Raquel de Morais Carvalho Neto
Nutricionist CP1641N
Holmes Place Cascais
Bibliographic references:
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https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30720747
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https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30769342
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https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30507650
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