The holidays always consist of overindulging behaviors that no one wants to carry over to the new year. That’s why when it’s January, everyone wants to start the new year either on “Veganuary” or on a diet that would help hide away all the guilt we carry over from the holidays. If you want to go on a plant-based diet, it doesn’t matter your reasons or the time of the year; there will never be a better time.
Switching up your diet to accommodate more plants and even cutting meat and animal products is a great way of showing your body love and reducing the harm that eating meat imposes on the animals. Of course, your body will be grateful to you for the effort since you start the switch will start changing your body immediately.
What to expect if you try a plant-based diet
If you're considering the option of adopting a plant-based diet, you are not alone. Most people adopt a dairy and meat-free diet for health, ethical, and environmental reasons. When thinking of a plant-based diet, many benefits come to mind, like keeping chronic diseases at bay and losing weight. Here are some of the changes you could experience:
1. You can lose extra weight.
Most people have reported losing unwanted weight after adopting a plant-based diet. The diet is clean, and once you stick to whole foods, your body will thank you for it. Eating proteins from animals tend to contain a lot of calories, but plant-based proteins like beans, lentils, and tofu are way lower in calories. Once you start your plant-based journey, you need to stick to a well-balanced diet. Eating vegan junk food could result in the addition of extra weight.
2. Low cholesterol and blood pressure
In as little as a week of consuming plants only, your cholesterol drops and lower saturated fat content. When making meals, the best way to avoid cholesterol in your food is to avoid palm and coconut oil. They both contain cholesterol, all whole foods that are plant-based don’t contain cholesterol or saturated fat, which also prevents blood pressure. Cutting off animal products and meat immediately shows a decrease in blood pressure.
3. You will be more energetic.
Most of the time, you would need a couple of cups of coffee in a day to feel energetic. Being on a healthy diet increases your energy, and going plant-based, means that you will be avoiding sugary foods and processed foods which mostly spike up blood sugar.
4. Reduces inflammation
Unhealthy foods cause chronic inflammation, and eating healthy foods keeps inflammation at bay. Plant-based foods contain antiinflammatory fiber, which protects against high C reactive protein, a marker for acute inflammation. Inflammation not only causes aches and pains, but chronic inflammation can also increase your risk of diseases like stroke, heart disease, diabetes, autoimmune diseases, and other serious conditions. Once you stick to a plant-based diet, your inflammation levels will reduce, and you’ll be able to keep away these chronic diseases.
5. Glowing skin
Most people who switch to a plant-based diet see the first results on their faces. A plant-based diet is a clean diet, and once you stick to healthy whole foods, your body will show you that you are doing the right thing. Our skin is mostly a reflection of what we eat and how much water we drink. If you keep your diet clean and drink lots of water, you will achieve a smooth, glowing complexion.
6. You will learn how to make great meals.
It is possible to get plant-based takeaway food, but once you decide to challenge yourself and make your meals, you will learn a lot. Most people who have adopted a plant-based lifestyle tend to learn how to make delicious and healthy meals because once you make it a point to prepare your meals, you will learn a lot. You will get new spices that you didn’t even know existed and learn how to make your meals delicious using them.
7. You will live a longer, healthier life.
A clean plant-based diet will enable you to have a healthy gut microbiome and natural probiotics that affect mental and physical health. Your gut health is directly linked to your mental health, and to live a longer life, you need your mental health to be perfect. A plant-based diet also has great physical effects on your body. You will have great health because of low cholesterol and blood pressure, among other great things. Most people who have been living a plant-based lifestyle for over twenty years look very fit physically. Stick with a plant-based diet for longer to experience these amazing benefits.
Conclusion
Going plant-based for a month is a very good decision. If you’ve been thinking about making this decision, you should start as soon as possible. After you’ve completed your first month, it’s upon you to decide whether you will stick with the lifestyle or not. But considering the immense benefits, it will be best to keep implementing a plant-based diet in your life. Not only will it benefit your life, but it will also be good for the environment and the animals. Even if you decide to go back to your normal diet, after a month of being plant-based, you can decide to live at least 90% plant-based, which is good too.
Written By: Catherine Kakenya
Comments