Do you need to eat more plants?
You’re not alone. More and more Americans are starting to figure out that they need to diversify their diet with less meat and more plants. Fortunately, there’s no shortage of incredible vegetarian recipes out there to try out.
But today, we’re going to be talking about the health benefits of a plant-based diet. The concept of eating more plants is scary to a lot of people that are used to their meat-first diet, however, there’s a lot of evidence that too much meat is a bad thing. Vegetables are more than capable of giving you what you need.
1. Lower Your Blood Pressure
A plant-based diet will give you a substantial amount more potassium than you’d normally get, which is helpful for lowering blood pressure. Grains, legumes, seeds, nuts, fruits, and veg all contain lots of potassium and B6, while meats contain virtually none and can raise blood pressure.
Over 100 million Americans have high blood pressure, making it a huge issue in our country. High blood pressure can lead to stroke, heart disease, cardiac arrest, and other truly deadly conditions.
2. Decrease Your Weight
Plant-based diets are low in fat and processed sugars, so you’ll be able to manage your weight much more easily than with a meat-forward diet. In fact, you’ll find that within a couple of weeks of going plant-based that you’re naturally losing weight.
When you combine regular exercise with a plant-based diet, you’ll see countless health benefits.
3. Lower Your Cholesterol
Eating a lot of meat makes it far more difficult to keep your cholesterol down. High cholesterol makes it difficult for the blood to flow because fatty deposits are building up in your arteries. As with high blood pressure, this creates a huge list of potential problems when left untreated.
Eating more plants will help lower your cholesterol because, well, plants don’t contain any cholesterol. Even fish and eggs contain a lot of cholesterol, so if your goal is lowering yours, then eating plants is better for you.
4. Decrease Your Risk of Cancer
There have been numerous studies showing the benefits of eating more plants when it comes to reducing your risk of various cancers. Red meat, in particular, seems to increase the risk of colorectal cancer and processed meats increase the risk of bowel and stomach cancer.
5. Your Immunity and Gut Health
Fruits and vegetables are loaded with vitamins minerals, antioxidants, and fiber, which are all important for your immunity and gut health. The health benefits of fiber are well-documented, but very few people actually get the proper amount.
By eating fiber-rich foods, you can lose weight, maintain a healthier gut, lower your blood sugar, and improve your heart health.
Eat More Plants
Maintaining a balanced diet is important and if you decide on going plant-based, then you’ll have to ensure that you’re getting the proper amount of protein. However, if you start to eat more plants, you’ll see some of these health benefits right away and over time.
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