Whole Food Plant-Based Nutrition

Why a Whole Food, Plant-Based Diet?

Stop and think for a moment. Can you name one (just one) medication on the market today that can do all of the following: lower cholesterol, decrease your weight, lower blood pressure, control blood sugars, and protect against cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and chronic inflammation? No.

Significant Benefits of a Plant-Based, Whole-Foods Diet:

  • You will lose weight and achieve permanent weight control without having to constantly count calories.
  • You will improve your cholesterol and lipid profiles.
  • You will lower your risk for many chronic diseases including cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.
  • You will have increased energy, with less blood-sugar fluctuations and increased satiety.
  • You will consume less fat, less saturated fat, less cholesterol, fewer processed and refined foods, and MORE fruits and vegetables.
  • You will live a long and happy life. A plant-based diet operates on calorie balance (calories consumed are equal to calories burned) to keep body weight under control in several ways:
  • Calories are discharged as body heat instead of being stored as body fat.
  • A plant-based diet encourages more physical activity. As body weight goes down, exercise becomes easier.
  • Vegetarians have been observed to have a slightly higher resting metabolism.

Key Nutrients found ONLY in Plant Foods

The Power of Fiber:

  • Found exclusively in plant-based foods.
  • Eliminates excess cholesterol and hormones.
  • Decreases risk of constipation-based diseases.
  • Creates stomach fullness and decreases appetite.
  • Decreases over consumption of calories by increasing food volume without adding calories.
  • Recommend intake: 27-40 g/day vs. the average 10-15 g/day.
  • Whole food plant-based people average 40-50 g/day.

The Power of Phytonutrients

Phytonutrients: Compounds found in plants (both fruit and vegetables),vital for long-term health and survival. They protect you from free radicals. Thousands of phytonutrients in fruits and vegetables. Every hue-green, red, orange, yellow, blue/purple, and white signifies a different class of nutrients, each with a unique benefit. Include a variety of colors at each meal. Can block the replication of DNA so cells cannot reproduce unprotected. Helpful in cancer prevention.

The Power of Antioxidants

  • Protect our bodies from wearing down; strengthen the immune system, muscles, bones, and skin.
  • Stabilize damage to cells from free radicals. The more antioxidants present in the body, the less damage free radicals can cause. Once the free radical is destroyed, it is no longer capable of causing cancers, heart attacks, and other illnesses.
  • Cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage), stimulate the liver to produce enzymes that neutralize chemical carcinogens.