Live Fit Magazine

Tips for Eating a Plant-Based Diet

The ideas of nutrition are changing. A lifestyle with quality plant-based foods can prevent, treat and reverse many major diseases, and improve overall health. Animal products such as meat, dairy and eggs can increase our risk of disease. Public awareness is growing over the impact of modern factory-style animal farming methods on our health and environment.

There are many benefits to a plant-based diet including fewer health problems such as heart disease, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes and some cancers. It’s important to know what foods to eat on a plant-based diet to make sure you get the nutrients easily missed such as protein, vitamin D, vitamin K, calcium, B12, and omega fatty acids.

Following a plant-based diet can lead to a higher consumption of carbohydrates. Gluten in grains like wheat, kamut, barley, rye and oats can be problematic for people with gluten intolerance or celiac disease.

A strict plant-based diet can prevent you from getting enough protein. Your body requires a certain balance between all the essential and non-essential amino acids. Unfortunately, the protein found in grains, legumes, soy and nuts is incomplete and may cause malnutrition in some people so its important to keep up on your blood panels to stay in check with your body’s chemistry. Supplementation is sometimes key to maintaining balance on a plant-based diet.

Choose organic vegetables, especially non-starchy vegetables, and organic fruits–the most dense sources of vitamins and minerals. Vegetables and fruits provide different antioxidants, which can further contribute to your health and prevent diseases. Organic vegetables carry 35 percent more nutrients and taste 100 times better. Although whole grains are plant-based foods, they have a poor nutrient density and do not provide as much nutrition per calorie compared to non-starchy vegetables and fruits.

Vitamin B12 is also a major concern. Read more at The Plant-Based Diet.com