What is a “Whole food plant based diet”
A whole food plant-based diet entails centering one’s diet mainly or exclusively on the food groups of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes (pulses), nuts and seeds. This encompasses a huge variety of nature’s most nutritious and filling foods with endless options for meals. “Whole food” refers to the food being in its natural state or minimally altered or processed. “Plant based” refers to the fact that the foods come mainly or exclusively from plants. This includes such as Mediterranean diets, flexitarian and vegetarian and vegan diets. People eating this diet eat limited or no foods which are derived from animals (meat, dairy, eggs chicken or fish), due to the detrimental effects to health that they have been shown to cause in the scientific literature when eaten in regular quantities in the standard western diet.
Evidence shows that eating a diet of foods which come from minimally processed plant origin helps prevent and even treat our most common diseases. Peer reviewed scientific studies show heart disease and diabetes may be reversed, weight can be normalised, and some cancers be prevented or even have their growth slowed (in conjunction with standard medical treatment.) This also applies to many other of our most common non-life threatening but other common debilitating medical conditions, such as menstrual problems, acne, skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis and sinus problems.
A beneficial component of a healthy diet is ‘SOS free’ – with no added free salt, oil, and sugar. These are all highly refined processed foods stripped of the nutrients that occurs in the foods they derive from, such as fibre, vitamins and minerals and come with their own associated deleterious effects on the body. For more details please see here www.wholefoodsplantbasedhealth.com.au/no-oil/
Whole food plant based is not just a vegan or vegetarian diet
A vegan diet refers to a diet which involves no animal products but does not tell you anything about the quality of the foods in the diet. Oreo cookies, processed soy mock meats, vegan pastries, and fizzy drinks are vegan but detrimental to health. The key term is ‘whole food‘ i.e. minimally processed. Processing removes fibre, minerals, vitamins, phytonutrients (the hundreds of beneficial plant molecules such as beta carotene and anthocyanins) and water leaving a food which is far less nutritious. Cooking is fine – in fact many healthy plant based foods cannot be eaten without cooking e.g. grains and starches.
A whole food plant based diet may be vegan, or some people may eat a little animal product foods. In general the less animal foods and the less refined foods a diet contains the healthier it is.
It’s not a restrictive ‘diet’
Eating a WFPB diet means you can eat freely from the plant food groups mentioned above, without restricting portion sizes or counting calories. This is because these foods are high in fibre and water and lower in calories than a typical western diet, so the body’s natural satiety mechanism of a full stomach limits how many calories one consumes. Animal product foods, and processed foods, are relatively high in calories meaning to feel full, one often eats more calories than the body needs. A person only needs to eat a few more calories each day than the body requires to gain weight.
Will I be deficient in any nutrients?
In a well planned WFPB diet (as any dietary pattern must be), you will be eating an abundance of essential vitamins, minerals, macro and micro nutrients, a lot more than a person on a standard western or mixed omnivorous diet. Once you get the hang of it, eating this way becomes easy on a day to day basis, as plant based foods are so packed with essential healthy nutrients they give the body all it needs. There are a few tips and foods to concentrate on to ensure you get enough omega 3 fatty acids, iron, calcium and iodine for example.
There is one supplement which every fully plant based person must take – B12 vitamin. We used to consume enough of this from our plant origin foods and water sources but with modern food preparation methods, we may often not get enough, whether in fact we are omnivore or plant based (all over 50s are recommended to take B12 regardless of diet). If you are eating an entirely plant based diet it is recommended to take one 2500mcg tablet week or 100-200mcg daily. This is very cheap to buy. Animals obtain their B12 from the soil on their fruits and vegetables as it is produced by microorganisms on the soil, which is why people eating an omnivorous diet will usually obtain enough that way. However, the animal flesh foods come with their own deleterious constituents such as saturated fat, animal protein itself, harm iron and IGF-1.
What is the food like? What do I cook?
Amazing! There is an endless variety of delicious dishes you can make for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. Most people eating a WFPB diet find they are eating a much wider variety of foods than they were previously, and that it gives them renewed interest in meal preparation and cooking. You can make plant based versions of just about any usual meal, including European and ethnic dishes, or completely different combinations. ‘Buddha bowls’ are very popular – putting together foods from the different plant based food groups to make a hearty and tasty meal. The food can be as complicated or as simple as you wish to make it, and can be equally healthy.
Will it be expensive?
The opposite – this way of eating uses whole, plant based foods, which are the cheapest found in the shops. Grains, pulses, fruits and vegetables can be extremely cheap to buy, often reducing food bills. you can buy a lot of them in bulk and store for when you need them. The phrase ‘eat like a peasant’ has sometimes been used to describe a healthy diet, meaning one may consume relatively simple foods grown from the land rather than processed and resource intensive animal product or processed foods.
More information:
Find out more on the Whole Food Plant-Based – New Zealand Information & Marketplace website.
