Progressively working towards a diet that is centered around plants is one of the best things you
can do for your health and the sustainability of our planet. Regardless of your beliefs or
practices in regards to consumption of dairy, poultry and other various meat sources, the perks
of eating more plants are undeniable.
If you still need some convincing, it’s worth considering that some of the strongest, most robust
creatures on the planet thrive on a plant based diet. Elephants, rhinos, hippos, bison and horses
all thrive and healthily reproduce on a vegan diet.
Increased Energy
Digestion is one of the most taxing processes that your body undergoes. Since we are digesting
food several times a day, it’s best to stick with foods that are easiest for our system to digest.
Doing this will minimize the energy that your body is expending. You can expect to see a
noticeable difference in your energy once you start looking to vegetables and fruits to make up
the majority of your diet.
Some good foods to look to for maximum digestion are water-dense fruits, vegetables like leafy
greens, squash, cucumbers, carrots and healing roots like ginger and turmeric. Aim to keep your
diet ever changing and vast. Strive to eat what’s in season; you may even find that you save
money by buying most of your produce at your local farmers market.
Athletic Performance
Contrary to popular belief, plant do contain protein. Plants are actually a primary source
of protein, while meat is a secondary source. In fact, a sea green vegetable called
spirulina is, pound for pound, the most protein dense food on the planet. You can
purchase spirulina or its sea green cousin, chlorella, at most health food stores in the
supplement section.
Look to plant based sources of protein like nuts, seeds, beans, legumes, nutritional
yeast and fermented soy to make up the rest of your protein consumption. With more
vegans online than ever, it’s easy to find delicious recipes to kick start your plant habit.
Weight Loss
When switching over to a plant based diet full of whole foods, many experience weight
loss. This is primarily due to the fact that your body is detoxing more efficiently and your
system is flushing out toxins more readily. Since toxins and heavy metals are stored in
fat tissue, fat loss is imminent.
Your body’s internal pH is gradually changing as well, as plant foods are more alkaline
than animal foods. As your stomach’s pH becomes more alkaline, better digestion takes
place and your body assimilates nutrients more effectively.
Helping the Planet
While there are avenues of meat production that are done more sustainably and
mindfully than others, most meat is produced via factory farming. Factory farming is
meat production done in large quantities and often with cruel practices. The animal’s
quality of life is low and it’s unethical in many ways.
Also, the facts tend to be shocking when you really contemplate them. According to
PETA, it takes more than 2,400 gallons of water to produce 1 pound of meat, while
growing 1 pound of wheat requires only 25 gallons of water. Furthermore, it takes 11
times as much fossil fuel to make 1 calorie of animal protein, versus the energy required
to make 1 calorie of plant protein.
Veganism is a hot buzz word in recent times, with reportedly close to 6 percent of
Americans adopting a vegan lifestyle. All things considered, this is a choice that could
continuously benefit the planet as the plant-eating crowd grows. If you’re curious about
how eating more plants could benefit you, try it out for a week and journal how you feel.
Chances are good that you’ll love how you feel and be proud of your small effort
towards sustainable eating.
About the Author
Helen Sanders is chief editor at HealthAmbition.com. Established in 2012, Health Ambition has grown rapidly in recent years. Our goal is to provide easy-to-understand health and nutrition advice that makes a real impact. We pride ourselves on making sure our actionable advice can be followed by regular people with busy lives.