Registered dietitians as well as nutritionists have long extolled the virtues of eating a plant-based diet and consuming less meat. People appear to be catching on, too. According to a study, the popularity of plant-based diets can be attributed in part to the benefits being well-researched and the fact that many medical professionals are recommending it since they have witnessed amazing results in their patients.
- Your blood pressure may drop if you eat more plants.
Heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes are just a few of the health problems that high blood pressure, or hypertension, might make you more susceptible to. (2) Thankfully, the food you eat can influence your health. According to numerous studies, maintaining a plant-based diet helps lower blood pressure, lowering your risk of developing these diseases. Following a meta-analysis of data from 39 research, it was discovered that vegetarians on average had lower blood pressure than omnivores, or those who consumed both plants and meat. (3) A different study discovered that vegetarians had a 34% decreased chance of getting hypertension compared to non-vegetarians.
2 . Your heart health may be preserved by a plant-based diet.
The saturated fat found in meat might cause heart problems if consumed in excess.A plant-based diet may lower the chance of acquiring cardiovascular disease by 16% and the likelihood of dying from this condition by roughly 31%, according to a study that was published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
Yet it goes beyond just avoiding meat: You should eat foods that are anti-inflammatory, which are mostly made of plants, to help avoid cardiovascular disease. Among them are fruits, whole grains, walnuts, extra virgin olive oil, fatty salmon, tomatoes, and green leafy vegetables. Likewise, pro-inflammatory foods including processed meats, processed meals, fried foods, and refined sugar should be avoided.
3 . Type 2 diabetes may be prevented by consuming more plants.
It is commonly established that type 2 diabetes and diet are related. According to the Mayo Clinic, weight is a big risk factor since having more fatty tissue makes cells more resistant to insulin.
What diet is most effective for preventing type 2 diabetes, though? According to studies, a plant-based one provides advantages.
A plant-based diet rich in high-quality plant foods, according to a study, lowers the incidence of type 2 diabetes by 34%. (9). According to the American Diabetes Association, this is probably because plant foods have less saturated fat than animal meals, which increases cholesterol levels and your risk of type 2 diabetes. (10) According to another study that was published in Diabetes Care, vegans had a type 2 diabetes prevalence of only 2.9% compared to nonvegetarians who had a prevalence of 7.6%.
4 . You May Lose Weight by Following a Plant-Based Diet
By switching from a diet that is high in meat to one that is plant-based, your risk of obesity is reduced. Short version: Plant eaters typically lose weight, even though it isn’t usually the main objective. Although replacing and limiting some meals may result in weight loss, the goal is to nourish the body and cells to promote health outcomes, according to Feller. Body mass index (BMI) discrepancies between meat eaters and vegetarians were shown to be significant in the aforementioned Diabetes Care study. (11) The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute reports that the mean BMI of vegans is 23.6, whereas the mean BMI of non-vegetarians is 28.8, which is considered overweight.
