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I lost most of my weight with a change in eating habits…It’s that simple and honest.
What about working out?
“Sorry, I didn’t really want to.” But I could change what I ate. And I did. I lost almost 80 lbs total.
Research shows that we need more fruits and vegetables in our plates to prevent chronic disease and help with our weight management. I’ll chat a little more about what is needed in our diet to live a healthier life.
Fruits and Vegetables
Plant-based eating means that you have a large proportion of your meal that comes from plant-based food. That said, fruits and Plant Based Science
Vegetables are often the number one thing that comes to mind when we think of plant-based nutrition.
According to some studies, only 15% of our population is able to meet the minimum requirement of daily recommendation for fruits and even less (10%) for vegetables. Experts in nutrition all across the world agree that the insufficient consumption of fruits and vegetables contribute to the obesity epidemic and chronic disease related to poor nutrition, especially in our country.
A report published by the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended that a daily intake of 400 g of fruits and vegetable would contribute to preventing chronic diseases which include diabetes, heart disease, cancer and obesity. To put this in perspective, 1 tomato is approximately 75 grams while a medium size potato is about 150 grams. For fruits, a medium apple is about 150 grams and a small kiwi is around 75 grams.
Fiber
It is recommended to consume from 25 grams (women) to 38 grams (men) of fiber on a daily basis. Unfortunately, we consume an average of 15 g daily. That is not enough for most of us and can have a negative impact on the bowels and cause constipation or hemorrhoids.
According to research, an increased intake in fiber can help prevent and reduce heart diseases, diabetes, and colon cancer.
You can find two types of fiber, water-soluble and water-insoluble. Water-soluble fiber can be found in fruits, vegetables, legumes, oat and bran. Since water-soluble fiber absorbs water during digestion, it can help decrease or prevent constipation. Fiber is also known to decrease the blood cholesterol levels.
As for water-insoluble fibers, they can be found in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and many cereals, including brown rice. The insoluble fiber wears that name because they remain unchanged during the digestion and help with digestion, encouraging a regular movement in the intestine.
Here’s the approximate amount of fiber found in various plant-based foods:
– 1⁄2 cup of black beans, 7 grams
– 1⁄2 cup of cooked broccoli, 5 grams
– 1 Apple, 4 grams
– 1⁄2 cup Bran cereal (no sugar), 14 grams
– 1 cup cooked brown rice, 3.5 grams
– 1 cup of oatmeal, 4 grams
Sodium
Sodium might be considered a plant-based food but there is a strong warning to decrease our consumption so that we don’t exceed the requirements of 2300 mg of sodium, about 1 teaspoon, daily. The salt shaker in your kitchen is rarely the culprit. The sodium usually comes from highly processed foods (frozen aisle in the grocery store) and restaurant meals.
For example, a fast-food burger can have twice the sodium a homemade one has. According to some research, individuals who regularly consume a meal at fast-food restaurants were approximately 296 mg above the recommended daily intake.
Other studies indicate that individuals who had a plant-based nutrition with reduced sodium consumption (2300-1500 mg a day) showed a reduction in blood pressure and increased weight loss. That said, it is important to understand that plant-based food doesn’t always mean healthy food. Sugar is the other plant-based food to beware of.
Sugar
Did you know that we are among the largest sugar producers in the world? And we are also high consumers of sugar (3rd country in the world after India and China). The average American will consume 152 pounds (six 25 lb. bags of sugar cane) of sugar a year.
Some people will try to convince you that some sugars are better than others. It is true that different types of sugars will have a different impact on your metabolism. But sugar remains
something that you should not consume in a large quantity no matter if it is coming from fruit juices, honey, or a muffin.
Just through persistence and better eating habits the only sugar I take in is that found in whole foods like fruit. Typically 1 banana and 1 apple a day.
It is recommended to stick to less than 50 g of sugar a day. A packet of sugar is about 4 g, one glass of cow milk is around 14 g of sugar, a popular brand of store-bought muffin is approximately 32 g of sugar added. In my post, “Why Sugar is Not Really Sweet” I discuss this a little more.
I challenge you to start looking at the labels of the food you eat on a daily basis and identify the amount of sugar intake you get from those foods. You will be quickly surprised to see that sugar is added to so many products we purchase. Even canned vegetables can have added sugar.
Be on the lookout for High Fructose Corn Syrup
By reducing your sugar intake, you increase your chance of losing we and staying healthy while preventing chronic disease. Reading labels can be difficult, look for the word sugar on the
nutrition label, you will see how many grams of sugar there is in the product. Many companies hide the ingredient by using multiple names to describe the sugar added, they use at least 60
names for sugar on labels.
Companies do it that way because they can “divide and conquer” if they only used the name sugar, it would often be one of the first ingredients on the list (which is in order of quantity) and that would tell us that it’s not a healthy option. In order to confuse you
(even more) into submission, they categorize the type of sugar by its scientific name so that they can have 10 small amounts of sugar instead of one large amount of sugar.
Here’s an example, the order of ingredients on a popular can of pumpkin pie filling reads like this: pumpkin, water, sugar, salt, spices, dextrose, natural flavors.
Dextrose is a type of sugar, and some companies choose to use that term instead of sugar because it would’ve placed sugar before pumpkin in the ingredient list. Same with a popular bottle of our ketchup that has the following ingredient label: tomato concentrate from ripe red tomatoes, distilled vinegar, high- fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, salt, spice, onion powder, natural flavoring.
This one uses the term high-fructose corn syrup and corn syrup to describe sugar. One packet of ketchup weighs 9 g and 2 g is sugar.
I know, choosing healthy seems like a lot of work, but once you know which products are good for you, it makes your grocery. shopping quicker. Some labels now say low sodium or no sugar added, this can help you pick the right item faster.
Protein
It is a myth that animal protein is a better protein than plant protein. Since 2007, the World Health Organization has indicated that the difference between animal or plant-based protein is not Significant.
For most Americans, the average daily intake of protein is recommended at 46 g (women) and 56 gram (men). One cup of shredded cheese is about 26 grams of protein and a 1 cup of diced chicken is 38 grams of protein.
That means that if you eat cottage cheese for breakfast with a glass of milk, an egg sandwich for lunch, and a ribeye steak for dinner, you are probably looking at double the amount of protein recommended for daily intake.
You can now understand why the average American eats about 100 grams of protein per day. Our society seems to be eating too much protein, which can cause issues with the bowels or digestion. It is true that some individuals need more protein than others but in general, our protein rich nutrition is overindulgence.
It was once believed that you needed to add animal protein in your meals to increase muscle mass. Some studies and athletes have demonstrated that it is possible to increase muscles and be fit with plant-based nutrition. For example, one of the best runners of all time and American ultramarathoner, Scott Jurek is known to be a plant-based eater and he ran the Appalachian Trail in 46 days.
Professional Body Builder Torre Washington has been vegan most of his life and remains shredded on a plant-based diet.
While thousands of researchers demonstrate the health benefit of consuming vegetables as a way to prevent illness, many of us still refuse to change their nutrition to increase our quality of life.
Too many people believe that exercising, medication and supplements are sufficient to maintain health. Meanwhile, experts in the field of health and wellness say that weight management is 75–80% nutrition and 20–25% exercise.
A friend of mine, Noel Schroeder, who is a teacher, fitness coach yoga instructor and small business owner said, “Keith, you can’t exercise your way out of a bad habit.” I’ve used her quote several times since she said that.
So why do we still struggle to implement change? What stops you from applying changes to your life?
Well, there is a saying, “some people only change when the status quo is more uncomfortable than changing.Not sure who exactly said the but their first name is They……Forgot their last name.
Are you that kind of person? Are you really waiting for your health to be gone to make your illness your number one priority? I don’t think so, because you wouldn’t be reading this if you weren’t contemplating a change.
I was chatting with another friend recently about the sugar part of her diet. She was telling me how she’s addicted to sugar. You know whe’s a hot coffee 3 and 3. Three sugars and three creamers. I asked, “who’s in charge of sugar intake,” trying to be all parent like. And she said without hesitation, Sugar is.”
“Only if you let it my friend.” You know who your are.
But back to you and since you are not a quitter, let’s move on to the next topic. I’ll be working hard to make sure you have all the tools and knowledge to reach your plant-based eating goal with success!
Something else to consider is what type of plant-based nutrition is for you?
Vegan, Pescatarian or Flexitarian? Or something in between?
It’s clear that following a plant-based diet is associated with a lower risk of heart disease. But do all plant-based diets have the same effect? And do you really have to cut out all meat for your heart’s sake?
“For heart health protection, your diet needs to focus on the quality of plant foods, and it’s possible to benefit by reducing your consumption of animal foods without completely eliminating them from your diet,” says Dr. Ambika Satija of the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Make good choices
There are many types of plant-based diets, but they all emphasize certain foods associated with heart benefits, such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and healthy oils like olive oil. The diets that have been most studied for their impact on heart health include the Mediterranean diet, the DASH diet, and the MIND diet. These diets are rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals that help lower blood pressure and LDL (bad) cholesterol, reduce the risk of diabetes, and help maintain a healthy weight, all of which can lower your risk of heart disease.
Yet, the types of plant foods and their sources are also important. For example, white rice and white bread are plant-based foods, so you would think they’re good to eat. But they are highly processed, and so are depleted of many heart-healthy nutrients and have a high glycemic index, which means they can make blood sugar levels spike and increase hunger, leading to overeating.
Drinking 100% fruit juice is not the same as eating the whole fruit, since juices can be high in sugar and squeeze out valuable fiber and vitamins. And many canned plant foods include extra additives, sodium, and sugar.
The meat of plant diets
This question deals with a man’s appetite for animal products. When it comes to your heart, are all animal foods off the table? Maybe not — if you’re smart about your choices.
Dr. Satija led a study, published in the July 25, 2017, Journal of the American College of Cardiology, that examined the dietary data of about 209,000 adults (43,000 of whom were men) over two decades. The researchers compared the heart disease risk posed by these three categories of plant-based diets:
- an overall plant-based diet that emphasized consumption of all healthy plant foods while reducing intake of all animal foods, like dairy (skim, low-fat, and whole milk; cream, ice cream, yogurt, and cheese), eggs, fish, meat (chicken, turkey, beef, and pork), and foods that contain animal products like pizza, soups, and mayonnaise
- a healthful plant-based diet that emphasized consumption of only healthy plant foods, such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, and healthy oils, while reducing intake of less healthy plant foods as well as animal foods
- an unhealthful plant-based diet that emphasized consumption of less healthy plant foods, such as fruit juices, refined grains (pasta, white rice, and processed breads and cereals), potatoes (French fries and potato chips), and sugar-sweetened beverages, while reducing the intake of healthy plant foods as well as animal foods.
ICE CREAM IS MY WEAKNESS
No surprise, they found that the people who followed the healthy plant-based diet (the second group) had the lowest risk for heart disease. They were also more active and leaner. On the other hand, those who followed the unhealthful plant-based diet (the third group) had a substantially higher risk for heart disease.
Thus, the study found that reducing animal foods doesn’t necessarily lead to a healthier diet and greater heart protection if the resulting diet is based on less healthy plant foods.
While this study didn’t look at which animal foods, especially meat, could have an impact on heart health, other research has shown that, as with plant foods, the type and amount matter most.
For instance, a study in the January 2017 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that eating 3 ounces of unprocessed red meat, three times per week, did not worsen blood pressure and total cholesterol levels.
However, a 2014 study from the American Heart Association showed that men ages 45 to 79 who ate 75 grams or more per day of processed red meat, like cold cuts, sausage, bacon, and hot dogs, had a 28% higher risk of heart failure compared with men who ate less than 25 grams.
My weight loss over the years, hands down without doubt is exclusively a direct result of increased plant based eating. During the course of my weight loss the only exercise I really got was walking during my lunch break at work and some push ups in the morning. I’m not discounting the need for exercise. I’m just saying if you really want to lose some weight take a close look at how to ADD more whole foods to each meal.
Simple and Honest. Are you up for it?
