Is a Plant-Based Diet Right for you?

Adding more plants to your plate is a simple way to boost your health—but don’t underestimate the significant positive effects of following a plant-based diet. In fact, research has found that plant-based diets can reduce your risk of developing an array of chronic diseases—including heart disease and diabetes—support weight management and more.

Interested in adopting a plant-based eating plan, but unsure of where to start? Read on for everything you need to know about plant-based diets.

What Is a Plant-Based Diet and Why  should you try it?

Plant-based or plant-forward eating patterns focus on foods primarily from plants. This includes not  only fruits and vegetables, but also nuts, seeds, oils, whole grains, legumes, and beans. 

It doesn’t mean that you are vegetarian or vegan and never eat meat or dairy. There are some people who view a plant-based diet as being 100% plants and no animal products whatsoever. However, “it’s not about just being vegetarian or vegan,” says Sujatha Rajaram, Ph.D., professor at the Loma Linda University School of Public Health and the scientific committee chair of the International Congress on Vegetarian Nutrition. “A good way to look at it is as a continuum—the general public includes everyone from people who are mainly eating refined foods, fast foods, animal-based foods, and on the other end, you have vegans and people eating planet-friendly or whole-food diets. All of us are in this continuum.”

Foods to Eat on a Plant-Based Diet

Consider adding the following to your plate:

• Nuts: When added to a daily diet, nuts—particularly almonds and other tree nuts—may help lower LDL (“bad”) cholesterol levels. They are also satiating, which can help with weight management.
• Vegetables: Veggies are a dynamic part of the diet. They are nutrient dense and their array of colors corresponds to an array of health benefits.
• Fruits: Many fruits, especially berries, have high amounts of fiber, including soluble fiber, which may help manage cholesterol and blood glucose levels.

Benefits of Plant-Based Diets

Plant-based diets have been linked to many positive health outcomes^[1]. Researchers have found that these diets may:

• Reduce the number of deaths from heart disease
• Support weight management
• Reduce the risk of most chronic diseases
• Decrease the risk and severity of conditions like obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and high blood glucose

In addition, recent studies have proposed that plant-based diets may be helpful for people alleviate common COVID issues like:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Sleep disorders
• Musculoskeletal pain
• Systemic inflammation