Plant-Based Diet: Benefits, Challenges, And Changes

A plant-based diet is one that focuses on eating whole foods, including vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, and leafy greens, while avoiding meat, dairy, poultry, eggs, and fish. Plant-based diets have been around for centuries and were once named after the ancient Greek Pythagoras, who was said to have feasted on vegetables, bread, and honey. Today, plant-based diets are gaining popularity due to their potential health benefits, such as weight loss, reduced risk of heart disease, lower cholesterol and blood pressure, improved gut health, and better skin. In addition to health benefits, plant-based diets are also better for the environment and can be more affordable than diets that include animal products.

You will lose weight

Switching to a plant-based diet is a great way to lose weight. Plant-based diets are scientifically proven to help you lose weight and keep it off without counting calories. Research shows that people who eat plant-based diets tend to be leaner than those who don't. A review of 19 intervention studies found that participants assigned to plant-based diets lost weight.

The reason plant-based diets are so effective for weight loss is due to the calorie density of whole plant-based foods. Dairy products and highly processed foods are high in calories yet low in the fibre that helps us feel full. Whole plant-based foods are low in calories, meaning you can eat large volumes without exceeding your calorie needs.

The more plant-based you go, the more weight you will lose. In studies published by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), the average weight loss after switching to a whole-food, plant-based diet is about a pound a week. Some people may lose more, like two or three pounds a week, if they also stay off simple carbs like white bread, pasta, and rice, along with sweets.

Plant-based diets are packed with nutrients and are naturally lower in calories than animal-based foods, like meat and dairy. This is the perfect combination for weight loss. Plus, when you switch to a whole food plant-based diet, you move away from processed foods, which are full of refined sugar, extra salt, and saturated fat—all contributing factors to overeating and unhealthy weight gain.

A plant-based diet is a great way to detox your body and lose weight. By cutting out meat, dairy, eggs, and processed foods, you will consume fewer calories and your body will be able to burn fuel more steadily.

You will reduce inflammation

Chronic inflammation can cause aches and pains, and increase your risk of diabetes, heart disease, stroke, autoimmune diseases, and other serious conditions. A plant-based diet can help to keep this inflammation at bay.

The Standard American Diet (SAD) is brimming with inflammatory triggers like saturated fat and endotoxins, which can wreak havoc on our bodies and health. A plant-based diet is not only low in both saturated fat and endotoxins, but it's also packed with anti-inflammatory fibre. Fibre is protective against high C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of acute inflammation.

The more plant-based your diet is, the more health benefits you will experience. Carolyn, who went plant-based in her 60s, lost a shoe size worth of inflammation. She also came off all her medication and treated the side effects of her four autoimmune diseases.

Within a month of switching to a plant-based diet, all systems in your body will be feeling different, less inflamed, and less achy.

You will lower your cholesterol

Adopting a plant-based diet can have a positive impact on your cholesterol levels. Plant-based diets are scientifically proven to help lower your risk of heart disease, and one of the key contributing factors to this is the diet's ability to reduce cholesterol levels.

Plant foods contain zero cholesterol and generally have a much lower saturated fat content, with the exception of palm and coconut oils. Therefore, by eliminating animal products from your diet and replacing them with whole plant-based foods, you can effectively lower your cholesterol levels. This is because animal-based foods are high in saturated fat and cholesterol, which cause a build-up of fatty, wax-like plaque in your arteries, leading to an increased risk of heart disease.

The positive impact on cholesterol levels can be seen within just one week of adopting a plant-based diet. Research has shown that a group of firefighters who ate only plants for one week experienced a drop in their cholesterol levels. Over a longer period of time, a plant-based diet can decrease your blood cholesterol by up to 35%.

In addition to lowering cholesterol, a plant-based diet can also stabilize your blood sugar, reduce your blood pressure, and even reverse type 2 diabetes. These factors, along with the reduction in cholesterol, contribute to the overall improvement in heart health that can be achieved by adopting a plant-based diet.

You will cut your heart failure risk

Plant-based diets are scientifically proven to help you lower your risk of heart disease, including stroke, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and several types of cancer, as well as Alzheimer's and dementia. Research shows that risk of heart disease can be reduced by 42% when switching from a Standard American Diet to a plant-based one.

Plant-based diets are low in saturated fat and high in fibre, which helps the body to regulate blood sugar and properly absorb nutrients. Plant-based diets also reduce the risk of being overweight or obese, a primary risk factor for Type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

A 2021 review of 99 studies found that diets rich in whole and minimally processed plant-based foods were associated with a significantly lower risk of cardiovascular disease compared with diets high in meat and dairy products. Animal-based foods are high in saturated fat and cholesterol, which raise blood cholesterol levels, causing fatty, wax-like plaque to build up in the arteries.

Within a few days of starting a whole-food, plant-based diet, you may be able to significantly reduce your insulin dose or medication. However, this should only be done under a doctor's supervision and it is important to talk to your doctor before you try to treat your symptoms with diet.

The Mediterranean diet, which has a foundation of plant-based foods, has been shown in both large population studies and randomised clinical trials to reduce the risk of heart disease.

You will regulate your blood sugar

Plant-based diets are proven to help regulate blood sugar levels, and can even reverse type 2 diabetes. Plant-based diets are low in fat and high in fibre, which helps to slow digestion and prevent blood sugar spikes and drops.

The science behind it

Within 24 hours of switching to a plant-based diet, you may be able to reduce your insulin dose or medication. This is because plant-based diets help the body to make healthy amounts of insulin. The fibre in vegetables, fruit, legumes, and whole grains helps to keep blood sugar in check, and the body to burn fuel steadily.

The long-term benefits

Plant-based eaters have a 34% reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Research has shown that a plant-based diet can dramatically regulate blood sugar levels and, in some cases, reverse type 2 diabetes altogether. In one study, 96% of type 2 participants were able to go off insulin thanks to plant-based foods.

How to get started

If you're thinking of switching to a plant-based diet, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Some people cut out dairy first, then meat, while others go meatless for one day a week and gradually add more plant-based days. You could also try it for a set amount of time, such as three weeks, and see how you feel.

Frequently asked questions