7 Reasons I went plant based with my diet and why you should too

Before you start to roll your eyes and think “here goes another hippie vegetarian hype” let me be clear….

I still eat meat and animal products occasionally. Right now my diet consists of 75% plant based with the remaining 25% animal products. I believe just because you opt in to the “vegetarian” lifestyle doesn’t mean you have to follow a set of rules. There’s no book on this…well, there are tons actually but not one for your individual life.

Your body, your life, your diet.

This post is from my experience of “going green” in a sense and what I’ve been finding to be true through research and from my own experience.

1. My body feels better. By adding in loads of fruits, veggies, seeds, and nuts into my diet my body feels less sluggish, has a higher energy level, and feels lighter. The fiber in the fruits and vegetables keeps you “normal” while plants in general are easier for your body to digest, allowing your body to flow easier and not get congested.
2. Internal health benefits. Based on research from The Essentials and Sports and Exercise Nutrition By Dr. John Berardi and Ryan Anderson, consuming more whole foods (fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grains, seeds, etc) helps lower cholesterol, decreases chances of cardiovascular disease and type II diabetes, as well as lowers blood pressure and fights against cancer cells.
3. Clear skin. many animal meats contain saturated fats which are notorious for clogging pores. With the decrease in meat my skin has had a chance to renew itself and breath.
4. Weight loss. I’ve only been on this diet for a short time and have already lost 5 pounds and a few inches around my waist.

I could just stop there with the weight loss but there are more benefits.

5. I feel fuller with less. By eating more leafy greens, almonds, seeds, and fruits I feel fuller on less… calories that is. You are able to eat ten times more vegetable and fruits then meat and processed food without gaining weight. Also, my body recognizes what I’m eating as food and therefore takes the necessary steps (there’s A LOT of steps ps) for proper digestion to take place. Your body realizes it has a substantial amount of nutrients and doesn’t trigger for more food needed as it does with processed foods.

6. I’m saving money. A lot of people think eating healthy is expensive. The way I see it is any way of life can be expensive or cheap, depending on how smart you are with planning. I go to my local produce mart and get 2 weeks worth of groceries for $45. (Please remember, 75% of my diet consists of plants, so $45 is cheap!) Plus you can get cans of beans for $1.50 at your local market. meat is expensive, or at least it should be. By opting out of meat all the time I’m able to save a ton of money on groceries.

7. It’s good for the environment. Forms of government from the United Nations to the Honolulu City Council are all recognizing and taking steps to move more toward a plant based diet due to not only health benefits but environmental ones as well. More than half of our water supply goes to animal livestock and with the constant demand for more meat in our stores there is an increase in breeding animals for slaughter. many of these farms treat the animals poorly as well. (that’s the part I despise)

Our water shortage is becoming an increasing problem, even more so with the high demand of animal products. 

Increased animal demand creates increased animal waste. This is a problem since the means to get rid of the waste pollute the air and water supply, contributing hugely to global warming. Also contributing with animal waste are spills and accidents leading into our waterways. Between the years of 1995-1998 alone these accidents killed about 13 billion fish. To learn more about the environmental benefits CLICK HERE.

A great quote by Honolulu City Councilwoman Tulsi Gabbard explains it all when she said:

“If we are to make just one change in our lives as individuals, families, and communities that would have a ripple effect throughout our community in terms of helping us overcome our environmental problems, health problems, and our happiness problems, it would be to move from a meat-centered diet to a diet centered around plants, fruits, and whole grains.”

There you have it in a nut shell, my 7 reasons why I went more green and hopefully helped you find a few reasons why you should too. if you are interested in changing your lifestyle, my main advice is to go slow, and don’t put any major rules on it. If you would like some of themes common vegetarian myths busted for you then READ THIS ARTICLE.

By starting small the major change doesn’t seem so scary and still allows you to gorge on Thanksgiving day. If you have any questions for me please comment below and I will be happy to answer them!