Power Up Your Life: Eat More Plants

Think about eating more plants for the sake of your health and longevity. Plant-based diets help beat lifestyle-related diseases. These include big ones like heart disease while cutting down on serious stuff like cancer. But scientists recently tried to figure something out, don’t just assume because it has plant in its title it is good for you. Simply eating a bunch of potato chips and donuts does not make it a healthy diet, right? . That's why there’s more to it. Natural and unprocessed foods are the real MVP’s when it comes to knowledge and nutritional benefits. We're talking about leafy greens, whole grains, nuts, which are designed to boost your body's performance. So, what`s the bottom line? Keep it simple yet effective. Remember this simple rule,real food is king. If it sounds too good to be true, it might be. Research studies are often unclear about the full impact of a plant-based diet because they are often not reliable. Researchers have been trying to connect the dots between eating plant-based and living longer. The problem? Some studies have shown that plant based foods can help improve your diet and reduce the chances of developing serious diseases. But other studies have had mixed results. It can be a real puzzle. What is definitely true is that healthy plant based diets deliver the nutrients your body needs and nothing you don’t. This is where it gets interesting and a little complicated. Plant based diets can be labeled as good and bad. Remember we talked about chips and donuts? Just because they are form plants doesn’t mean they are healthy. The bad kids are the ones packed with too much sugar, salt and processed stuff. The good ones are filled with all the healthy stuff we mentioned like fiber. Just ask yourself this question , does this plant come from a box, bag or can? This means the focus goes back to eating the good foods. The question for you is, how can you tell the difference between the good and the bad ones? Several studies looked at tons of different people and over a long period of time. The results were then reviewed and compared. It’s like solving a huge jigsaw puzzle. In these studies, people had to track what they ate and when they ate it. The plant-based diet index (PDI), healthy plant-based diet index (hPDI), and unhealthy plant-based diet index (uPDI) were used to figure out who was eating what and how healthy their choices were. When researchers looked at the results, they found out that people with the best and healthiest diet had a lower chance of dying early from various diseases. Not surprisingly, they also had a lower risk of dying from specific health issues that come from a dodgy lifestyle. The most staggering finding was that including fruits and veggies in one’s diet can reduces their risk of dying early from any cause by about 15%. This discovery was big news, but the researchers knew that they couldn’t ignore the elephant in the room. The real trick to being healthier is getting the balance right. You have to eat the right kind of plant foods and the wrong kind in moderation. If you can do it, you’ll reduce your chances of getting chronic diseases and living longer. Just remember - the key is eating more real plant foods and less of the added, processed, and sugary stuff. This will lead to better overall health and fewer problems down the road. The results of the research show that the effects of a plant-based diet grow with each serving. It is good for you to have a balanced diet. Eat fruits and vegetables in large amounts, thanks to their protective effects. Keep it at least 75% of your total consumption. At the end of the day, the better the diet, the better the chances to prolong life. Studies have shown that a healthy diet can be the single most important factor for improving one’s health and longevity. Balancing a healthy plant-based diet with a bit of protein can help you maintain that healthy lifestyle. Don’t forget, to get to the point where your diet helps you live longer, you need to keep a check on the quality of the foods you eat.