Plant-based foods give a high weight loss potential
With warmer weather and longer days, a person may find they have more energy – and no excuses – to get outside and move their bodies. While exercise is a great way to shed pounds, half of the effort put into losing weight, is about what they choose to put into their mouths.
One philosophy does not encourage dieting, as following specific diets can put a strain on a person’s mental health and lead to an unhealthy obsession with food. Instead, those trying to lose weight should be motivated to adopt healthy eating habits.
Those habits might incorporate plant-based eating. While this idea originated over 2,000 years ago, it has become a modern trend, as health and wellness have become popular topics in today’s society.
Plant-based eating focuses on putting plants like vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds on the plate. At the same time, this eating plan limits or outright avoids animal products, specifically meat and dairy.
When many people sit down for a meal, it’s typical for proteins like chicken, steak or eggs to be the main part of the meal, with items like vegetables or fruits on the side. Plant-based eating flips the script, with vegetables, fruits, whole grains and legumes as the focus of the plate.
While some treat plant-based eating almost like a vegan diet (no animal products), others enjoy meat, fish and dairy in moderation.
Foods like kale, broccoli, berries, beans and whole-grain rice are high in fiber. High-fiber foods make one feel full faster, limiting the amount of calories consumed.
Plant-based foods are also low in fat, as they have fewer calories to start with. This helps avoid deprivation – one can eat until full, without consuming an excess number of calories.
These foods are also known to increase post-meal energy expenditure, where the body will burn extra calories, even after done eating.
Just like with any new routine, it’s OK and even recommended to start slow. If one can’t eat all plants all the time, try adding more fruits and vegetables to the plate over time. Also try eating a certain number of plant-based meals, per week, such as one a day, at first.
Some doctors suggest aiming for 40 grams of fiber, per day. That might seem overwhelming, but when fruits and vegetables take up half of each plate consumed, one will hit 40 grams in no time. Legumes like peas or beans can also help reach that magic number; experts say that a half a cup of legumes, per day, will positively impact weight loss efforts.
As any person trying to shed weight knows, it is best to avoid fast foods, sugars and sweets, like soda and cookies, refined grains like white rice, processed foods, like lunch meat and bacon, and artificial sweeteners, like Equal and Splenda.
As long as eating habits are well-balanced, a plant-based diet can provide health benefits like lower cholesterol levels, reduced risk of diabetes and heart disease.
