9781422269855

Benefits of a Plant-Based Diet Eating Healthier as a Family Eating Whole Foods, Minimally Processed Foods for Peak Fitness Fruits and Vegetables for Health

How to Eat a Balanced Diet Eating in Moderation and Intermittent Fasting Lean Protein for Health Nuts and Seeds for Health What’s in a Label?

By Leigh Clayborne

MASON CREST M i a m i

Mason Crest PO Box 221876, Hollywood, FL 33022 (866) MCP-BOOK (toll-free) • www.masoncrest.com

Copyright © 2024 by Mason Crest, an imprint of National Highlights, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Printed in the United States of America First printing 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Series hardcover ISBN: 978-1-4222-4823-2

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KEY ICONS TO LOOK FOR: Words to Understand: These words with their easy-to-understand definitions will increase readers’ understanding of the text while building vocabulary skills. Sidebars: This boxed material within the main text allows readers to build knowledge, gain insights, explore possibilities, and broaden their perspectives by weaving together additional information to provide realistic and holistic perspectives. Educational Videos: Readers can view videos by scanning our QR codes, providing them with additional educational content to supplement the text. Text-Dependent Questions: These questions send readers back to the text for more careful attention to the evidence presented there. Research Projects: Readers are pointed toward areas of further inquiry connected to each chapter. Suggestions are provided for projects that encourage deeper research and analysis. Series Glossary of Key Terms: This back-of-the-book glossary contains terminology used throughout this series. Words found here increase readers’ ability to read and comprehend higher-level books and articles in this field. Plant-Based Diet......................................................57 Chapter 5: Eating Plant-Based Foods on the Go.............73 Series Glossary of Key Terms........................................88 Further Reading & Internet Resources..........................92 Index.......................................................................... 94 Author’s Biography & Credits.......................................96 Chapter 1: The Many Benefits of a Plant-Based Diet.........7 Chapter 2: Planning Healthy Plant-Based Meals............23 Chapter 3: Eating a Healthy Plant-Based Diet on a Budget.............................................................39 Chapter 4: Time-Saving Strategies for a

WORDS TO UNDERSTAND

Nutrient-dense: An adjective used to describe foods that have a lot of nutrition but a relatively low number of calories. Also “nutrient-rich.” Plant-based diet: A way of eating that is based on nutrient dense whole plants while minimizing the eating of animal products and highly processed foods. Randomized controlled study: A study of an intervention, treatment, or policy in which participants are divided up by chance into two groups: a group that will receive the intervention, and a control group that does not. This allows researchers to compare doing something with doing nothing, and it reduces the risk that the outcome is simply due to chance. Ultra-processed foods: Food products that are designed in a lab to be very tasty and last a long time. To accomplish this, food scientists must usually strip most of the nutrition and add sugar, fat, and/or nonfood ingredients.

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Chapter

The Many Benefits of a Plant-Based Diet

When many people think of a complete meal, they form a certain image in their minds. It is based on a large portion of meat, such as a chicken breast, a beef patty, or bologna. This meat is definitely the star of the show. Everything else is treated as an afterthought and called a “side dish.” This meal might be served with a bun or white bread. A potato, French fries, or chips might fill out the plate. Vegetables, lettuce, or fruit may come to this party, but they are not seen as essential and are usually in a much smaller portion size than the meat. This is a very common way to build a meal, especially in wealthy countries like the United States. But there is another way—one that is healthier, better for the environment, and can be less expensive. It can also be more fun to eat and is beautiful for social media sharing. It’s called a plant-based diet .

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Watch to see what a person on a plant-based diet might eat in a day.

What Is a Plant-Based Diet? A plant-based diet is a food-related lifestyle choice that makes whole plants the centerpiece of each meal. It involves a person getting most of the calories they eat from whole plants. Most plants have fewer calories than an animal product of the same serving size, which means eating a lot of plants and very few animal products, if any. Those who eat a plant-based diet usually care a lot of about their health. For this reason, they also try not to eat deep-fried foods, refined grains, white potatoes, added sugar, ultra processed foods , or salt. With the exception of the salt, each of these foods has a high number of calories but is low in nutrition. This is something the person who chooses to eat a plant-based diet tries to avoid. Instead, these individuals eat a variety of nutrient-dense whole plant foods every day.

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Benefits of a Plant-Based Diet

Types of Plant-Based Diets There is more than one way to eat a plant-based diet, and also some debate about whether a person must eat only plants to be on a plant-based diet. Many traditional cuisines around the world, such those from Greece, Norway, West Africa, and Japan, have their own version based on the plants that grow well in these regions. Some people eat plant-based diets for economic and cultural reasons, while others are plant-based by choice. Even though health is a common benefit, not all plant-based diets are healthy, especially if a person doesn’t eat a variety of foods. For the purposes of this book, “plant-based” can apply to the many different groups of people who identify as eating a plant-based diet, while acknowledging that there is no single way to eat plant-based. The book will discuss many options for consuming a plant-based diet. A person who is eating plant based may or may not also identify with one of these subgroups of plant-based eating patterns: 1. Vegetarian diet: A type of plant-based diet that comprises mostly plants but may also include eggs, dairy, and sometimes fish or shrimp, but not meat (e.g., pork, beef, chicken). The vegetarian diet also has subgroups that can include those who eat eggs but not dairy, for example. 2. Flexitarian diet: A type of plant-based diet that is vegetarian most of the time but occasionally allows meat for convenience, health, or enjoyment. One might only eat it weekly, on holidays, or at family gatherings. 3. Nutritarian diet: A type of plant-based diet promoted by New York Times bestselling author Joel Fuhrman, MD. It puts the primary focus on eating very nutrient-rich,

Chapter 1: The Many Benefits of a Plant-Based Diet

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whole plants and getting healthy fats from whole foods rather than adding oil (e.g., eating olives instead of olive oil, or peanuts instead of peanut oil). Dr. Fuhrman says the most health-promoting foods are G-BOMBS, which stands for “Greens, Beans, Onions, Mushrooms, Berries, and Seeds.” 4. 100 percent plant-based diet: A 100 percent plant-based diet revolves around only plants and mushrooms, with no animal products at all. Those who eat a 100 percent plant-based diet must pay more attention to what they are eating, to make sure they are getting all the nutrition they need. For example, vitamin B12, protein, iron, and omega-3 fatty acids are more readily available in animal products. Someone who is 100 percent plant-based needs to make sure they eat foods that have these nutrients in them, or take supplements. This eating pattern can be very healthy when done correctly. 5. Fruitarian diet: This experimental plant-based diet consists of only fruit. This is not a nutritionally balanced way to eat, and it can lead to health problems. An early-2000s eight-year population study of over 70,000 participants in Sweden, with no history of diabetes or cancer, found that those with high sugar intake (including fruit) were 1.5 times more likely to develop pancreatic cancer. 6. Other unhealthy plant-based diets: Other unhealthy plant-based ways of eating include diets that consist of large amounts of cooking oil, fried foods, salt, sugar, white bread, white rice, white potatoes, supplements, protein powders, or ultra-processed foods. It would also be very unhealthy not to eat a variety of plants, since different types of plants have different nutrients.

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Benefits of a Plant-Based Diet

Q: Why does a person who is eating a 100 percent plant-based diet need to pay more attention to what types of plants they eat? A: Some nutrients are available in abundance in animal products, so it’s easy for someone who eats some meat, eggs, or dairy—such as a flexitarian or vegetarian—to get all they need. Few plants have these nutrients, or they only have them in small quantities. If a person wants to eat only plants, they need to make sure they are eating enough of the plants that do have these nutrients.

Health Benefits of a Plant-Based Diet Studies show that those who eat healthy plant-based diets based on a variety of nutrient-dense plant foods have lower rates of several serious diseases, such as:

• heart disease • diabetes (type 2) • cancer • dementia • skin disorders

People who eat healthy versions of the plant-based diet also seem to live longer and stay active and healthy to a later age. It’s important to mention that people who eat plant-based diets

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usually have healthier overall lifestyles, which also contribute to lower disease risk. For example, they may exercise more and not smoke or vape. Diet, exercise, and other lifestyle factors all work together to promote health and wellness. Reducing animal product consumption in favor of plants can also lower one’s risk of illness from bacteria, viruses, and parasites that animals can pass to humans, such as E. coli , salmonella, mad cow disease, and trichinosis. It also helps lower the risk of animal diseases jumping to humans, which current research suggests is what happened with SARS and COVID-19. To be clear, eating a plant-based diet won’t prevent COVID-19. However, if more people were to switch to plant-based diets around the world, it could reduce the number of some highly contagious and deadly future diseases jumping from animals to people.

Diet, exercise, and other lifestyle factors all work together to promote health and wellness.

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Benefits of a Plant-Based Diet

Skipping meat and milk in favor of plants can also reduce the animal hormones a person eats or drinks. Some hormones occur naturally in animals, but some cow farmers give their animals growth hormones to increase their size and get more meat or milk. Whether naturally occurring or given as supplements, these hormones are chemically similar to those found in humans. They can impact the human body and do not go away when the animal is slaughtered. There is some evidence that the growth hormones given to some cows can increase a person’s risk of developing certain cancers, but this is still new research, so the precise risk is unknown. Studies such as a 2021 twelve-week randomized controlled study conducted by the Department of Nutritional Sciences at Pennsylvania State University show that those who eat healthy plant-based diets (in this case the Mediterranean diet) experience improvements in depressive symptoms. Similarly, a second randomized controlled trial in Australia that lasted three months showed statistically significant improvements in overall mental health scores for the participants who ate a plant-based diet. When the body is getting proper nutrition, as it does with a high-quality plant-based diet, it simply works better than it would otherwise. Vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fiber, protein, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fats impact how the body works. All systems within the body need a certain combination of these nutrients to do their jobs. For example, the immune system, digestive system, and hormonal system all play a significant role in how the human body manages emotional stress. When poor nutrition causes these systems to start breaking down, a person might feel more “stressed,” even in only mildly stressful situations. When someone isn’t getting what they need through their diet, the body’s systems can’t do what they are meant to do,

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Studies show that those who eat healthy plant-based diets experience improvements in depressive symptoms.

and they begin to break down. This increases a person’s risk of developing certain diseases, even at a young age. On the other hand, when someone starts paying more attention to what they’re eating and getting these nutrients, they can directly improve how the body works both mentally and physically. Even if a person has a medical condition they were born with or a disease they were diagnosed with by a doctor, improving their nutritional intake can impact how well their body is able to manage that condition.

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Benefits of a Plant-Based Diet

Preparing Delicious Plant-Based Meals Is Easy

A plant-based diet can be fun, colorful, and easy, with no cooking skill required. For a quick and healthy meal, throw a bunch of healthy plant foods into a bowl, enjoy, and store the remainder in the refrigerator for up to five days. 1. Start with a leafy green (e.g., kale, arugula, spinach, or cabbage). 2. Add two or more vegetables (e.g., tomatoes, carrots, celery, broccoli, cucumbers, or radishes). 3. Dice or mince in an allium (e.g., green onions, white onions, or garlic). 4. Add a legume (e.g., cooked lentils, chickpeas, soybeans, black beans, or kidney beans). 5. Sprinkle nuts or seeds (e.g., crushed walnuts, almonds, flax seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, or chia seeds). 6. Add a healthy fat (e.g., avocado, olives, extra virgin olive

oil, hummus, or a plant-based dressing). 7. Add sliced fresh or canned mushrooms.

Environmental Benefits of a Plant-Based Diet

Reducing the amount of animal products one eats, even without giving them up entirely, can have a big impact on the environment, human welfare, and animal welfare. Raising animals for meat, dairy, and eggs is more resource-intensive and polluting than raising plants for food—even when one considers that producing plant food at scale usually involves pesticides, fertilizers, and machinery.

Chapter 1: The Many Benefits of a Plant-Based Diet

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