Benefits of Plant-Based Diets

Research suggests that well-planned plant based diets can offer some very impressive nutritional and health benefits.

Moreover, dietary patterns that include very little (or no) meat at all, may potentially increase life expectancy.

Some benefits of following a plant-based diet include..

Lower blood pressure levels as opposed to omnivores:

Lower blood pressure levels and lower hypertension rates have been observed in comparison to those following an omnivorous diet - this can be due to plant-based diets typically being higher in dietary fibre, fruits, vegetables, soy protein as well as being lower in both total and saturated fat.

Healthier body weight:

In general, those who follow plant-based diets have and maintain a healthier body weight in comparison to those who follow an omnivorous diet. This is typically the case due to the higher intake of fibre and lower intakes of fat.

Lower incidence of heart disease:

The dietary factor that is most directly related to heart disease is saturated animal fats. Those following a plant-based diet typically have lower intakes of total fat, saturated fat and cholesterol compared to those following an omnivorous diet. In addition, plant-based diets are typically richer in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats (from nuts, seeds, avocado, olive oil) which are simultaneously associated with a decreased risk of heart disease.

Lower rates of cancer:

Slightly lower rates of cancer have been observed which is thought to be due to the increased consumption of fruits and vegetables. One noteworthy point is that the ratio of vegetables to meat in ones diet may be the most relevant dietary factor in terms of cancer prevention.

For specific cases - people with colon cancer tend to consume more saturated fat and meat and less vegetables than those without.

May help prevent the development of other diseases:

Well-planned plant-based diets can indeed pose many beneficial protective properties to individuals and their health.