You probably understand what plant based foods are. These are non-animal sources of food like vegetables, fruits, grains, nuts and berries.
Pretty much everyone understands the difference between food that comes from animals and foods that come from plants. Not so many people are sure about the meaning of the term “whole foods”.
The common way that many people define whole foods is …
“Whole foods are as close to their natural state as possible.”
What does that mean for you? It means that you should try to eat foods that are minimally processed. In other words, foods that are as clean and natural as they possibly can be.
If you were to take a carrot out of the ground, clean it off and eat it, you would be enjoying a naturally nutritious, healthy, whole food that is plant based.
Believe it or not, many people consider meat to also be a form of whole food, as long as it is in its most natural state. Look for labels like ‘wild caught’, ‘organic’, and ‘grass-fed’. These labels will tell you that the food you have selected has not been crammed full of antibiotics, preservatives, toxins and other harmful chemicals and substances.
The same can be said for dairy and oil food products that qualify for the whole foods label. If you are trying to transition to a plant based diet from a meat eaters diet, consider only selecting healthy meat anddairy options, on the rare occasions that you may eat them.
If You Want to Lose Weight, Choose a Whole Food Plant Based Diet
When you are talking about weight loss, the quickest results and best health benefits will come from a whole foods nutrition approach that avoids meat, oil and dairy, and focuses primarily on plant based foods.
When you eat plant based, you will be eating naturally tasty fruits like mangoes, strawberries and oranges. You are also enjoying foods that are packed with vital nutrients, such as lettuce, kale, carrots, broccoli and cauliflower.
Eating plant based will also give you a good amount of healthy starches. Plant based whole foods such as potatoes, yams, winter squash, corn and green peas will help to ensure that you get enough calories to eat healthy.
Getting enough protein in your diet is something that is crucial to feeling full and helping you not to overeat. While many meat eaters are concerned about getting enough protein on a plant based diet, there is evidence that eating plant based can meet, or even exceed your protein needs.
For example, beans are a great way to get protein. Kidney, lima, and black beans are all versatile foods that can be eaten alone, as part of a recipe or even eaten raw.
There are also many ways that you will be able to get creative and make healthy plant based versions of your favorite mainstream meals. People have very inventive recipes for plant based popsicles, burgers, french fries, milkshakes, cookies, and more.
This is the reason that it is so important to connect with other whole food plant based eaters, as they will be able to share recipes and help you to create healthy plant based versions of your favorite recipes.
Health Benefits of Eating Plant Based Whole Foods
When you ditch the processed stuff, one of the biggest changes you will notice is a change in your overall health. Even before you begin to lose weight you will start to see a shift in the way you feel. Remember, our bodies were made to be healthy.
We have been taught to feed it unprocessed foods, to eat on the run, and to spend less time in the kitchen. But our bodies, they were designed to be fueled by foods that come from the Earth. Remember, your body is your best healthy ally.
All of your internal processes, from your brain to your digestive tract to your cardiovascular system, were designed to help each other create perfect health. Your body wants you to live as long as possible and it wants you to look and feel as good as you possibly can, because these are the natural signs of a healthy body.
For many of us, the issue isn’t that we don’t want to eat plant based, instead the issue is that we don’t know how to eat plant based. Sure, you can grab an apple and go about your day, but you can’t base all of your meals around that. Sooner or later eating plant based will require planning meals and spending more time in the kitchen preparing those meals.
But unfortunately, this is not what we are being taught as a society. Instead we are taught to eat as quickly as we can, have minimal stress in the kitchen, and reach for something fast and filling (usually processed) when we don’t have the time to make something.
Fortunately, your body and mind have never forgotten the recipe for great health. So once you begin giving your body the natural, plant based whole foods it craves, you will begin to experience the amazing benefits that only eating plant based can offer. Examples include:
- Weight loss and an effortless, healthy weight maintenance
- Healthy cholesterol, blood sugar and blood pressure levels
- A healthy heart and cardiovascular system
- Strong, youthful looking skin and hair
- More mental and physical energy
- Improved brain functioning and memory
- A boosted resistance to cancer, heart disease and stroke, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases
- A strong autoimmune system that ramps up your resistance to infection, disease and illness of all kinds
If weight loss may be your goal, there is no doubt that your body will start burning fat and shedding excess weight when you stop eating garbage, and start eating nutritious, natural foods that your body loves and craves. But unlike most weight loss programs, you will not only lose weight, you will also gain health.
Hidden Benefit of a Plant Based, Whole Foods Approach to Weight Loss
One of the biggest benefits of achieving weight loss through this type of eating plan is the simplicity. You will not be counting calories, adopting a strict regimen, following weekly meal plans, or dividing your plate up into exact food portions and specific ratios of the types of food you will eat.
You will simply eat natural whole foods from the plant kingdom which deliver all of the nutrients, enzymes, minerals, protein and healthy fat your body requires.
Another benefit is the amazing impact you will have on animals and the world as a whole. The current raising and harvesting methods by which animals are turned into food are morally corrupt at best, and borderline criminal at worst.
In the US alone, thousands of animals are slaughtered every minute for their flesh, meat and excretions. Up until that point, they live their lives in conditions that are cruel, inhuman and unnecessary. By changing to a diet rich in plant based whole foods, you make the world a better place for the animals that live on it.
Speaking of making the world a better place, there are hidden ecological benefits to this weight loss approach as well. Modern, industrial farming methods are extremely unhealthy for our planet.
When you switch to healthy, fresh, plant-based whole foods (organic whenever you can get it), you make the world a more sustainable place not only for yourself, but for future generations.
