Make 50% of your plate plant-based, especially vegetables or leaves.
Why?
There is so much goodness in plants and they are so important for good health. They are rich in antioxidants, fibre, essential fatty acids. They can also help reduce inflammation and prevent illness and disease. There are plenty of scientific studies showing that increasing consumption of vegetables and fruits can lower the risk of cancer (but note that being overweight, smoking and alcohol consumption highly increase your risk of cancer). Michael Pollen’s research has shown that vegetarians are notably healthier than carnivores, and they live longer.
If you are looking to lose weight, plant-based foods are your best friend. With the exception of grains, seeds and nuts, plant-based foods such as fruits and vegetables are less calorie dense than animal products. Plant based foods are rich in important vitamins and nutrients essential for health. The fibre in plant foods can help remove toxins from the body, prevent constipation and cancers. The fibre will also help make you feel full, and feeling full stops you reaching out for snacks, plus fibre keeps you regular and keeping toxic waste in your colon is not good for anyone’s health.
Some people struggle to eat 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day. But, did you know, that it is recommended that for optimal health, we eat 10 portions a day, with most of the portions from vegetables! See if you can challenge yourself to eat more vegetables and fruit.
Here are some super healthy plant-based recipes to try:
- Japanese Style Noodle Salad
- Green Goodness Salad
- Warm Sun-dried Tomato Pesto, Chicken & Watercress Salad
- Nourishing Black Bean Brownies
You can find lots of other plant-based, nutrient rich recipes on my blog.