Content Sections
Put simply, most of us benefit greatly from making plants the basis of our diets. The science is pretty clear: that's irrespective of country, ethnicity or religious affiliation. Research like the BROAD study demonstrates that adopting a plant-based diet is good for health, and other studies show that plant-based diets (PBDs) dramatically improve your blood lipid profile, reduce your risk of heart attacks by 40% and strokes by 29% and can be instrumental in tackling the obesity and type 2 diabetes crisis that's sweeping the globe.
In a world where people’s diets are dominated by processed foods, many are struggling to eat even government recommended levels of fruit and vegetables each day. In the US, only 1 in 10 adults, and in the UK, 26% of adults and 16% of children are meeting expected recommendations for daily vegetable and fruit consumption. This is despite recent research that found that five portions a day are good, but ten are even better.
What exactly is a plant-based diet?
Whilst there is no precise definition of what a PBD is, at ANH-Intl, we use the term to describe a diet that includes at least 50% by weight of whole, unprocessed vegetables with minimal fruit. We know that that the term is open to many interpretations and understanding varies widely. These days in the UK or USA, if you say you follow a PBD, people tend to assume you’re either vegetarian or vegan - such is the power of media and trends. But there are many PBDs, including ovo-vegetarian, lacto-ovo-vegetarian, pescatarian, flexitarian and just being a plain-old omnivore, probably like the majority of our ancestors. Despite their differences, common to all of these is that plants are the central focus of each meal. Animal foods, should you choose to eat them, play smaller, supporting roles.
Plants - from blueprint to Blue Zone
Like it or not, our bodies are designed to primarily derive energy and nutrients from plants – and the idea that our Palaeolithic ancestors spent most of their time hunting large game and gorging on huge quantities of meat doesn't seem to be supported by fact. Plant chemicals, or phytonutrients, act as co-factors, signalling molecules and active biochemical influencers that make our bodies function. Our health is dependent on them and the decline in population health should also be seen in the light of the declining plant food diversity in our diets.
Our evolutionary blueprint suggests plants have always been the basis of our diets and it’s only since the industrialisation of our food supply that things have changed for those in more wealthy, developed countries. Processed foods, meats and refined fats have become staple foods for too many people with a token gesture of something green on the side or in the burger bun.
Research into the world’s longest lived people is further confirmation that those eating PBDs not only experience the lowest levels of disease, they also live the longest. Five Blue Zones have been identified in different parts of the globe, these being characterised by the very high proportion of people living into their 100s, as well as very low rates of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, obesity and Alzheimer’s disease – all diseases that are now the main burden in modern societies.
Plant phytochemicals, are potent biologically active compounds naturally present in plants, along with vitamins, minerals and fibres. Above-ground vegetables are also low carb - most containing less than 10% carbohydrate by energy. The nutritional density of plant foods and their action on multiple parts of the 135 or so metabolic pathways in our body is the main reason why incorporating more plants into our diets is such an effective way of preventing and managing disease, in turn reducing pressure on overburdened healthcare systems and empowering a new generation of self-care.
If you need any more persuasion that eating a plant-based diet is good for you, then here’s some bedtime reading to help you lower your risk of:
Cancer, and
Is your diet sustainable?
What we choose to eat (both animal and plant-based) can impact the environment both positively and negatively. As responsible consumers we need to know where our food comes from and how it’s been produced.
As worldwide sales of meat and meat-based products continue to climb, so does inhumane, unhealthy factory farming because it’s the only way to keep up with demand. Reducing consumption of animal products in favour of plants presents us with the opportunity to choose ethically and sustainably raised meat and animal products that are kinder to animals and the environment.
However, as more and more people adopt PBDs the demand for meat alternatives is skyrocketing along with its own environmental impacts. Soy, often used as a meat substitute, and palm oil, used in many processed foods, are good examples of how intensive, mono-agricultural farming practices create damage to the environment when not handled responsibly. The introduction of genetically modified crops to ‘feed the world’ and the corresponding increase in pesticide and herbicide use is not only damaging the natural world, but also human health. Ideally, like most things in life, this is all about balance. We should aim for whole, unprocessed, largely unbarcoded, foods that don’t have laundry lists of ingredients. Eat organic where possible, or locally produced from the ‘farm gate’ if not.
The less healthy side of plant-based eating
You don't need to be a rocket scientist to work out that eating a PBD doesn't automatically mean a diet is healthy. People who chomp their way through packets of crisps and live off french fries cooked in vegetable oil don't do well.
Over-consumption of refined grains and cereals is a well known problem because such diets are energy dense and not nutrient dense. Many people have a sensitivity or intolerance to gluten and associated proteins in gluten-containing grains.
Beans, as in legumes or pulses, are plant protein alternatives to animal protein. However, these pulses are the plant storage vessels to ensure the plant’s survival. As such, they contain plant chemicals called lectins, which are powerful natural herbicides and pesticides, but can be powerful anti-nutrient factors for us. Lectins occur naturally in a wide range of plant foods to help growing plants combat herbivorous insects. In us, they can threaten and disrupt the uptake of certain nutrients, (hence they are often referred to as ‘anti-nutrients’), they can also irritate the gut lining or, worse, contribute to ‘leaky gut’ syndrome in sensitive individuals. If you can’t reduce the amount of lectins in your diet because these foods are main protein sources for you, ensure you soak and cook legumes for 4-6 hours to deactivate the lectins and reduce the potential for gastrointestinal discomfort (bloating, wind, pain).
Similar to legumes, gluten-containing grains are another dietary staple that can also contribute to the development of a ‘leaky gut’, which can lead to chronic inflammation (the basis of all chronic disease) and autoimmune disease.
Choose your fats carefully and despite government recommendations, avoid low fat foods. Furthermore, it’s advised to avoid significant consumption of refined vegetable oils rich in Omega-6 polyunsatured acids and processed foods containing trans fats.
The more diverse the better
Diversity and quality are key to making a PBD really work. The wider the range of foods we eat, the more nutrients we get and the more protection we have against developing chronic disease. Plants are complex organisms. By eating whole plants, rather than small segments, we benefit from a whole matrix of different nutrients - which ensures we reap the rewards of all. Change the way that plant grows, is fed or processed and you’ll fundamentally change the interaction of those naturally occurring nutrients completely.
Plants also feed our gut microbiome. As with all healthy ecosystems the healthier your microbiome, the healthier the individual.
Incorporating more plants into your diet
A PBD doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing diet. It should become an individually-tailored way of life.
Here are some of our top tips for adopting and staying on a healthful plant-based diet:
- Aim to eat 7-10 portions of vegetables, with minimal fruit, a day as recommended by the ANH Food4Health Guidelines
- Eat a rainbow every day to ensure you get a wide range of nutrients
- Don’t forget to add fresh herbs and spices as often as you can, or choose good quality, non-irradiated dried versions to flavor your foods. Use home-made salsas and herb sauces such as chimichurri or pesto as regular condiments
- It’s easy to replace most of your starchy carbs (from grains or root veg) with fibre-rich, complex vegetable carbs, e.g. swapping mashed potato for mashed cauliflower; having a choice of 3 or 4 different veggies on your dinner plate instead of 1 or 2
- Choose a mix of raw and cooked veggies every day and add the protein source of your choosing
- Increase sources of healthy plant proteins – fermented soy, legumes, nuts, seeds, chia seeds, quinoa and oats - and remember that vegetables contain protein too
- Consider a good quality pea or rice protein powder to drink in a smoothie, eat in a protein bar or cook with. This becomes especially helpful to ensure sufficient essential amino acids, branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) and arginine which is necessary to complete the wound healing process and for cardiovascular health amongst other health benefits
- Include a variety of healthy fats from natural sources such as virgin coconut oil (VCO), virgin avocado oil (VAO), extra virgin olive oil and sustainable (RSPO certified) palm kernel oil (PKO) for cooking and use in dressings. The fatty acids in VCO, VAO and PKO upregulate adiponectin helping to reduce insulin resistance, improve fat burning ability and manage weight
- Don’t damage your plant foods through over-cooking, which causes a loss of nutrients, and excessive heat, like high temperature frying, deep frying etc, as this will damage the delicate proteins and can even create carcinogenic compounds like acrylamide.
- Subscribe to a weekly organic veg box service to help you become more creative with your cooking choices
- Challenge yourself to find new ways to prepare vegetables to help you fall back in love with veggies
- Take everyday meals you make already and try adding one more vegetable to the mix
- If you eat breakfast, try incorporating some veggies, e.g. avocado, kale, green leaves, tomatoes, or mushrooms
- Raw vegetables can make a delicious, quick snack with a home-made veggie based dip!
- And most of all have fun cooking and sharing your meals!
Comments
your voice counts
J Evans
15 February 2018 at 9:01 am
I have read your posts for years with interest and find them informative, I am disappointed with this article where you suggest the use of palm oil, as the concept of any of it being 'responsibly sourced' is an oxymoron and marketing nonsense propagated by large corporations to justify it's use in their products. The damage to the environment in the form of mass catastrophic rainforest deforestation, leading to the consequential loss of endangered flora and fauna is heartbreaking, unjustifiable and it is irresponsible and immoral to promote the use of palm oil, whatever the reason.
Dr Rob Verkerk
23 February 2018 at 3:32 pm
Hi there - I totally understand your sentiments and they have long been mine - until I looked again at what is happening in small parts of Malaysia and Indonesia. I worked in the region as an academic seconded from Imperial College London in the mid-90s and campaigned passionately with local environmental groups to stop rainforest deforestation to make way for oil palm. Coming back 20 years on, the situation is as grave as ever with the rainforests, but there is also pushback from certain quarters, including small bands of growers, academics, environmentalists and even companies that are trying to develop oil palm in a sustainable manner, including with smallholder farmers. This means wider line spacing and biodiversity. It also stresses that current RSPO standards aren't sufficient to ensure sustainability - and of course neither is organic for that matter. Avoiding burning is also key. Following are some fruits from a Malaysia-UK academic collaboration: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5574735/. The point I was attempting to make is that oil palm as a crop is not the problem - it is a highly efficient one especially if we are to use the kernel as well for human consumption. But, by contrast, the problems stem not from the crop itself but from how and where the crop is grown, especially when it involves destroying rainforest to make way for oil palm. We need to learn something from the lessons of soya and even acerola plantations in the Amazon. We also need to recognise that if the livelihoods of millions of people are taken away - what might they do to make a living? How destructive could this be - and you'll probably be aware of the link between deprived populations near rainforests and illegal logging. What we're suggesting is that we don't turn a blind eye to oil palm - we think more about how and where the crop can be grown sustainably. And, in parallel, every effort should be maintained to preserve every square centimetre of rainforest - as well as to support the regeneration of new ones. Best, Rob
Dr Mike Grant http://www.thelondonhealthcentre.com
19 February 2018 at 9:02 pm
You 'aint seen nothing yet as the saying goes. Microplastics are being eaten by virtually all living creatures - even fish in the sea. Humans eat fish... get it? Organic farming is not possible outdoors because there is no such thing as Organic Rain unless you are a farmer living in a very remote part of the world. Grains? Whole or not, they have usually been genetically engineered to supply the demands of Big Food. One day virtually all commercially produced food will be grown hydroponically in vast greenhouses under sterile conditions. At least it will be safe to eat. Concerned about your health? Time to get real!
Dr Rob Verkerk
23 February 2018 at 2:18 pm
I agree, Mike. The increasing sterility of our globalised food supply, our homes, working and other environments in which we spend most of our time will soon be understood to be a major problem for our health. The concept of sterilising our food and environment so that we don't develop normal immune competence and then challenging our immune systems with vaccines and adjuvants like aluminium that bypass our epidermis and gut is an odd one when seen in terms of our evolutionary biology. Yes, and I'm no fan of hydroponics because you can't establish a proper rhizosphere or soil microbiome which is as important to the crop's development as a healthy gut microbiome is to human health. Best, Rob
Fabien
23 April 2018 at 1:11 pm
Regarding the recommendations on oils, what about the claim that oils mess up with enzymes to digest starch? Is it not funded or is it just about quantity?
Your voice counts
We welcome your comments and are very interested in your point of view, but we ask that you keep them relevant to the article, that they be civil and without commercial links. All comments are moderated prior to being published. We reserve the right to edit or not publish comments that we consider abusive or offensive.
There is extra content here from a third party provider. You will be unable to see this content unless you agree to allow Content Cookies. Cookie Preferences