Humans can be creatures of habit…and convenience.
Making your favorite recipes from childhood, or grabbing fast food after a stressful day is what many of us do without putting too much thought into it.
But these seemingly innocuous traditions can be killing us, and we can show you how to transform your diet to give you a longer life with the ones you love.
The Mediterranean diet has been hailed as the best diet for health and longevity by many medical experts, nutritionists, and fitness gurus.
But what makes this diet stay in the lead over other fad diets that have come and gone?
Is it the ample amount of olives you get to eat or the signature grape leaf appetizers?
Not exactly.
While those are great additions to any diet, it is the focus on plants that gives this method its edge.
An informative study published in BMJ in July of 2020 by researchers at Harvard and Tehran University found that increasing your intake of plant protein could have life-saving results.
This finding was no small feat as researchers examined 32 different studies that included more than 715,000 people.
What they discovered was getting just “3% more of total calories in the form of plant protein (like beans, nuts, and whole grains) lowered people’s risk for premature death by 5%,” according to Harvard Health.
Amazingly, there is even more empirical evidence to support tremendous health benefits by swapping your bacon for a tofu scramble.
A study published in JAMA Internal Medicine has even more promising results.
A group of 416,000 participants reported their lifestyle information 16 years prior to being re-examined in 2020.
Harvard Health reports on what they found:
“In this study, shifting just 3% of calorie intake from animal protein (meat, poultry, fish, or dairy products) to plant protein corresponded with a 10% decrease in death from any cause over that period, for both men and women. In particular, replacing eggs and red meat with plant proteins appeared to reduce death risk by as much as 24% in men and 21% in women — especially in people with high intake of eggs and red meat.”
Plant-based proteins include tofu, beans, legumes, nuts, seeds, and much more.
Even though we know shifting to a more plant-based diet can reduce the risk of obesity, hypertension, and diabetes, as Mommy Underground has previously reported, it can still be hard to say no to those tantalizing meats.
The studies discussed showed that even a small change toward plant-based proteins made a significant difference so start small and see where it takes you.
Try a veggie tofu scramble instead of an omelette, or a bean-based chili instead of ground beef.
You may be surprised at how much you enjoy both options.
And if living long with reduced risk of disease isn’t motivation enough to step outside of your comfort zone in the grocery store, maybe the additional benefits like beating depression and balancing your gut flora will encourage you to scour the produce aisles with vigor.
Just try to have fun with it, and happy plant-based shopping!
(h/t Mommy Underground)