Quick Take
Moving to a whole food plant-based diet can change your life and health, period. And we’re not just talking about “feeling better,” or other anecdotal measures of health improvements — although you’ll hear about those in spades if you talk to plant-based eaters.
When it comes to a whole food plant-based diet and your body, there’s science at work here and it’s fast-acting. Within a matter of weeks of eating this way, your body undergoes several life-altering (and life-extending) changes. With a matter of hours, you'll be able to feel, and see tangible results.
Before we begin: Want to kickstart your plant-based diet?
Get plant-based meals delivered and the support you need to thrive on a whole food plant-based diet with the MamaSezz Detox and Reboot bundle. Kickstart your whole food plant-based diet a 2-week program with proven results and set yourself up for a lifetime of health.
On this page
Benefits of a plant-based diet
Your body on plants
Key takeaways
Benefits of a plant-based diet include:
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you can lose unwanted weight
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reduce chronic inflammation (and your chances of developing the chronic conditions that come with it)
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lower your cholesterol
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lower your blood pressure
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clear your acne
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cut your heart failure risk nearly in half
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stabilize your blood sugar
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even reverse type 2 diabetes.
You'll be adding more enjoyable years to your life, and reduce the change that you'll spend your elder years in and out of hospitals. All from adding more plants to your plate. Yeah, it's just that simple.
Many diets promise detox, weight loss, and healthier skin. But what are you detoxing from? Might as well not add the BS (bad stuff) into your diet in the first place. Our bodies are meant to eat real food. Let's give them simply that: Real food, grown from nature.
Your body on plants
How we choose to feed our bodies can either fuel or hinder us — we know this and science shows us again and again that a whole food plant-based diet is optimal for living our healthiest lives. But hey, don’t just take our word for it! Let’s take a deeper look.
Dr. Greger uses only peer reviewed, double blind placebo studies, and is always transparent about who funds them.
What type of changes can you expect to undergo when you go plant-based? Here’s what nutrition science tells us...
1. You reach your healthy weight loss goals
At MamaSezz, moving to a whole food plant-based lifestyle isn’t about getting that beach body so much as it’s about finally living the life you deserve -- one free from illness, aches and pains, fatigue. That said, we do know that the higher your BMI, the larger your risk for developing serious chronic conditions, like heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, even cancer. So if losing some extra weight is part of your healthy lifestyle goals, we get it and we’re here to tell you that stocking up on plants is a dang fine idea.
Plant-based foods are packed with nutrients and are naturally lower in calories than animal-based foods, like meat and dairy. This is the perfect combo for your general health and weight loss. This means you'll lose fat, but also detox your body. Plus, when we switch to a whole food plant-based diet we move away from processed foods, which are laden with refined sugar, extra salt, and saturated fat -- all contributing factors to overeating and unhealthy weight gain.
Pro Tip: avoid oils! They’re a quick way to accidentally add calories and extra fat, with little nutritional value, to your meal. Yep, even olive oil. Not sure what cooking without oil even looks like? We’ve got you covered with our oil-free cooking guide here.
2. You reduce inflammation
Feel stiff and achy, even when you didn't work out? Get bloated after dinner? Chronic inflammation might be a play. The Standard American Diet of processed foods and animal products is brimming with inflammatory triggers like saturated fat and endotoxins, which can wreak havoc on our bodies and health. Chronic inflammation isn’t just linked with aches and pains; it can increase your risk for diabetes, heart disease, stroke, autoimmune diseases, and other serious conditions.
But beating inflammation is possible! Just as unhealthy foods can cause chronic inflammation, choosing the right ones can keep it at bay. A plant-based diet is not only low in both saturated fat and endotoxins, but it's also chock full of anti-inflammatory fiber. Not to mention, fiber is protective against high C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of acute inflammation.
Moral of the story? Stick to a plant-based diet with as many whole foods as possible (that means reduce your sugar, oil and refined grains intake). Just ask Carolyn who went plant based in her 60s and lost a shoe size worth of inflammation (not to mention she went off all her medication, and treated the side effects of her 4 autoimmune diseases!)
3. You lower your blood cholesterol
More than 102 million American adults have too much cholesterol in their blood. What’s the big whoop? Well, high cholesterol is one of the biggest risk factors for heart disease and stroke (the two leading causes of death in the United States.)
But it’s not all doom and gloom, we swear! The power of plants comes to the rescue again; a plant-based diet can decrease your blood cholesterol by up to 35 percent.
How? Whole plant-based foods have very little saturated fat and zero cholesterol. That's right: ZERO cholesterol. So if you're wondering if something is vegan, and it has cholesterol in it... the answer is no.
4. You cut your heart failure risk by almost half
One in four deaths are caused by heart disease, but they don't have to be. Research shows risk of heart disease can be reduced by 42% when folks move from a Standard American Diet to a plant-based one.
Eating a whole food plant-based diet isn't just great for preventative care. Heart disease has been shown to be reversed with plant powered foods. The healthiest foods for your heart? Leafy greens, berries, and beans. So eat up!
Need a daily dose of inspiration? Watch our founding story that involves the recovery of Millie, a spunky and social Great-Grandmother that went from 10% heart function to normal heart function in her 80's (she's now 90!). Doing yoga, playing with your grandkids and driving around sure beats bedrest in hospitals and buckets of mediation.
5. You regulate your blood sugar
Plant-based eaters have a 34% reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes, but what about those already living with a diagnosis? It turns out, switching to plants can dramatically regulate blood sugar levels, as well...sometimes in as few as 24 hours!
And like heart disease, munching on more plants is associated with reversing type 2 diabetes altogether. One study from James Anderson, MD resulted in 96% of his Type 2 participants going off insulin thanks to plant-based foods!
What the heck is happening here? Plant-based magic!
Ok, well it’s science actually, but it seems magical, doesn’t it? Plant-based foods, even fresh fruits with natural sugars, are low in fat (a main contributor to diabetes, even though carbs get all the blame). Whole plant foods have also got their fiber intact, which slows digestion and prevents the blood sugar spikes and drops common in those with diabetes.
6. You live a longer, healthier life
Besides being more regular, building up that glorious gut microbiome with natural probiotics and probiotics (which effects our mental health and heart health), and having more energy because of it, you'll also save money at the grocery store. As long as you avoid the processed stuff, a vegan diet is actually quite inexpensive. You know what's expensive? Healthcare, so let's work on preventative medicine as much as we can, and you'll save in the long run. Enough about money, let's learn how fruits and veggies could save your life...
Key Takeaways
A whole food plant-based diet can improve your health and change your body in a matter of weeks! Weeks, people! When you make the switch to a plant powered life you can expect to:
- Reach your healthy weight loss goals
- Kick chronic inflammation to the curb
- Lower your cholesterol
- Cut your heart failure risk by almost half!
- Control your blood sugar and even reverse type 2 diabetes
- Boost your longevity
Ready to get started on your healthy life?
Join our Detox and Reboot 2-Week program and kick it into gear! Learn what's happening to your body in real time, as you heal! Receive ready-made meals delivered with meal plans and shopping lists, daily emails, online support, plus the tools you need to make this lifestyle stick...for good. What are you waiting for?
Updated 6/1/21
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By Ali Brown
Ali is a mom, wife, and nutrition and lifestyle writer and editor. She has her Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate from the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies.