Scale to Plant-Based Nutrition
Start where you are today, and scale to more plant-based as you incorporate healthier choices. Don’t focus on what you are giving up, but what you are adding to your nutrition and health.
I'm Considering More Plant-Based Nutrition, Where Do I Start?
The food we consume is either one step towards good health, or away from health. Depending on the regularity of poor food choices, our decisions can undoubtably result in long-term health consequences. Health Canada is strongly encouraging us to increase our consumption of plant-based nutrition.
Advantages of Plant Based Nutrition
- Decreases our risk of cancer. In fact, 1/3 of all cancers are preventable.
- Optimize our cardiac health, prevents and may reverse heart disease, and type 2 diabetes.
- Lowers cholesterol.
- Improves immune function.
- Enables weight loss and healthy weight maintenance enabling lower blood pressure, and a decrease risk of prediabetes.
- Increases energy and improves mood.
- Environmentally friendly.
Which Foods Do I Need to Eat More Often?
Vegetables, fruit, whole grains, nuts and seeds, legumes (beans, peas and lentils), and water. Fruit and vegetables are high in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fibre. Antioxidants help protect us against cancer and heart disease, also reduces inflammation in our body. Fibre facilitates regularity for our bowels, lowers our risk of some cancers, and helps us maintain a healthy weight.
Which Food Groups Should I Limit?
Meat and poultry – beef, pork, lamb and goat are red meat. A diet high in processed and red meat increases your risk of colorectal cancer. Meat, eggs, and dairy products are high in cholesterol and saturated fat. Saturated fat raises cholesterol and leads to heart disease. Unlike whole grains, refined grains are significantly lower in fibre, and often these products are highly processed and contain added sugar and fat. Processed and packaged foods are linked to inflammation, poor food value, and obesity.
A Nutrition Plan for All Ages
Ideally, beginning to focus on a diet rich in plant-based foods as a child helps to develop a healthy eating pattern for life. These children have an advantage, unlike the average adult that consume a typical North American diet and suffers from health complications such as heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. Remember, it is never too late to start a healthier eating plan by incorporating more plant-based nutrition. Statistics prove, adults that switch to a plant-based diet are able to lower their cholesterol, blood sugar levels, and body weight.
3 Steps to Incorporate More Plant-Based Nutrition
- Start where you are at today. Enjoy plant-based meals that you consume regularly already, for example, pasta primavera, burritos made with beans, hummus on your wraps, minestrone soup.
- Modify and adapt your favourite recipes, ie. chili without the meat, choose a veggie burger instead of a hamburger.
- Be adventurous and explore different plant-based food and recipes. For example, choose a restaurant with plant-based options on the menu, pick up a vegetarian cookbook, surf the internet for new recipes and step-by-step instructions.
