It wasn’t all that long ago that the mention of consuming plant-based foods for promoting good health fell under the umbrella of fad diets: eating plans that are usually presented as quick ways to lose weight. Even though official guidelines for healthy eating back in 2013 noted that a strictly plant-based diet was particularly beneficial for preventing and managing endocrine diseases such as type 2 diabetes, the guidelines still considered that going plant-based was a fad diet. Two years later, the guidelines changed, endorsing a plant-based diet to prevent and manage this serious health issue.
All of the above was duly noted in a recent blog by world-renowned physician and author, Michael Greger, whose nutritionfacts.org website continues to provide an incredible source of useful information about nutrition that is firmly based on research, not fads.
According to Greger, Canada “has really taken the lead” in regard to plant-based diets. To adopt such an eating plan, Diabetes Canada is focused on encouraging whole, plant-based foods while discouraging refined and processed foods, dairy products, eggs and meats. And November just happens to be Diabetes Awareness Month in the Great White North.
A good reason for cutting back on eating meat comes from a study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition [October 2023]. This research revealed that the risk of type 2 diabetes increases with the consumption of red meat. That risk increase starts just by eating two servings of red meat per week. The more meat servings eaten, the greater the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Whether or not blood sugar issues are a concern, going plant-based is simply a healthy way to go.
One of the many great benefits of a plant-based diet is that when you eat a meal, you tend to stay satiated for hours due to the filling fiber that is naturally present in plants. This reduces cravings for unhealthy snacks and greatly contributes to weight management, another factor in staying healthy.
Starting a plant-based lifestyle is similar to physical training that exercises your body, but it’s focused on training your mind and stomach to crave food that is good for you. It’s hard to break habits even if you know they’re unhealthy, but it can be done by putting yourself firmly in charge of what you consume.
It may seem limiting and unappealing in the beginning, but filling up on mostly fruit and vegetables and having healthy snacks of nuts or seeds can become habitual. Besides, there are so many more choices from the plant world than the animal world to make a variety of meals. The most important takeaway is that those plant-based meals are filled with the nutrients and phytonutrients that are greatly lacking in those that are meat-based. And that’s a plant-based story that we can all make our own.
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