I am a 56 years old cardiologist. I have a front row seat to watching the American Diet slowly kill people. Now, I am making a stand.
I have been reading about the many benefits of a plant-based diet for years. I have wanted to move my diet in that direction but the timing never seemed quite right. I felt like changing my diet would take too much time or be too difficult to maintain over the long term. But, as the quality data keeps rolling in on the benefits of this style of eating, I can no longer wait. I also want to be a champion of this style of eating for my patients, so I need to walk the walk.
Our dietary choices have a profound impact on our health, on our weight and on our overall well being.
Longevity and healthy aging are all about eating well and maintaining a healthy weight. The two go hand in hand. How many obese 100 year olds do you see? 90? 80? 75? I love the idea of eating less calories, eating healthier foods, exploring new recipes and taking care of my precious body- all at once by eating healthier.
What is a plant-based diet? Why is it good for my heart health? Will it help me lose weight? Are there other benefits? Great questions- let’s take a look from a cardiologist interested in heart health, maintaining a good weight, healthy aging and longevity.
The time is right, the time is NOW- I am making the change!
What is a Plant-based diet?
Let me start with the basics. First and foremost this does not mean I am going to become a vegetarian or vegan. Let me be very clear about that. I do enjoy a nice steak once in a while and grilled chicken is a mainstay of my current eating style.
Plant-based means just that. Plant- BASED, not plant-ONLY. My eating style will be predominantly based around heart healthy, tasty and nutritious, natural, non-animal types of foods.
A plant-based diet is characterized by a predominance of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds. That’s it. I will repeat it, a plant-based diet is characterized by a predominance of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds. Do not make it any more complicated than that.
Now, all plant-based diets are not created equal. A more healthful plant-based diet favors high quality, nutrient-dense plant based foods such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes. Less healthy plant-based foods included refined grains, potatoes, sugar-sweetened beverages and refined carbohydrates. You still need to be smart about your choices.
Your Cells Crave a Plant-Based Diet
Every cell in your body is working hard to keep your brain, kidneys, liver, gut, eyeballs, heart and every other organ in your body working in top form. Every cell in your body needs adequate fuel to do its job correctly. Failing cells lead to organ failure and mutating cells lead to cancer. The ideal fuel comes from ideal nutrition.
Your body’s fuel comes from the foods you eat. Eating a “crappy” diet (as many of my patients describe their eating pattern) and then trying to make up for it by taking vitamins and supplements simply does not work. You are fooling yourself and wasting your money if you are going down this path.
You need to adopt a plant-based diet for health and longevity of your cells. A major benefit of a plant-based diet is its rich nutritional content. Plant-based foods are rich in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals making your cells happy and efficient. This style of eating decreases your risk of cancer, helps you lose weight and drives better cardiovascular health, metabolic health and gastrointestinal health.
If a plant-based diet’s benefits could be put into a pill form we would think it’s a miracle drug. Well, this miracle is yours for the taking but it will take some effort and education on your part.
Types of Plant-Based Diets
Plant-based diets are common all over the world. I am not sure if the US was the first country to move away from healthy eating styles- but we sure have mastered it.
The plant-based eating style has many different names with cultural influences pushing them in different directions. I really love Fran Hu’s summary in his paper Diet Strategies for Promoting Healthy Aging and Longevity: An Epidemiologic Perspective, in the Journal of Internal Medicine, 2023.
Fran Hu’s Summary of Plant-Based Diet Styles
- Mediterranean
- Nordic
- Traditional Asian
- Traditional Okinawa- I love the concept of Hara Hachi Bu: this is stopping eating when one is 80% full- from Confucius.
- Planetary Health Diet
- Harvard Healthy Eating Plate
- DASH Diet
- Portfolio Diet
Plant-Based Diet Benefits to Your Health
Numerous clinical studies done all across the globe in both men and women consistently show that a plant-based diet has a strongly positive impact on your health. I am going to do a deep dive on the cardiovascular benefits in a future post. Here, I am just providing the big picture summary of the amazing effects of this style of eating.
These benefits come both to what you are now eating and from those foods that you are now avoiding- it’s a win- win.
Weight Management
Most clinical trials looking at plant-based diets are associated with weight loss. This is primarily due to reducing overall calorie intake and the high fiber content plant-based diets provide, leading to the feeling of fullness earlier.
Cardiovascular Health
The list of cardiovascular health benefits from going to a plant based diet is long. You will lower your bad cholesterol, lower your blood pressure, reduced inflammation in your arteries, lower oxidative stress on your arteries and decrease your weight, all of which lead to a lower risk of heart attacks, strokes and death from heart events.
Metabolic Health
Complex carbohydrates and high quality plant-based foods have a low glycemic index and they improve insulin sensitivity both of which help regulate blood sugar levels. Add this to less calories and weight loss and you have the perfect way to lower sugar levels to help prevent diabetes.
Cancer Risk Reduction
Diets containing animal products are linked to at least 11 different types of cancer. A plant based diet is full of antioxidants, phytochemicals and fiber which help to keep your cells happy by neutralizing free radicals among other cancer reducing actions.
Other Positive Effects: THE ENVIRONMENT
Plant-based diets are a powerful choice for environmental sustainability, water conservation, global food security and align with practices that promote the well-being of animals. Personally, I am moving towards a plant-based diet for my health but these sure are incredible added benefits I fully endorse.
Conclusion
I am embracing the plant-based diet and going all in on January 1, 2024. I am happy to take you with me on this journey. I will be sharing how I go about it from the foods I am buying to how my cholesterol numbers are changing.
Moving to a plant-based diet is a holistic lifestyle change that will include regular exercise. The proven benefits to my cardiovascular health and beyond are undeniable. I look forward to sharing my experiences and stewarding my patients to this healthy lifestyle along wiith traditional cardiovascular medications and treatment as needed.
I am leaning towards the Traditional Okinawa diet as the food choices look good to me and I love the concept of Hara Hachi Bu- stopping eating when you are 80% full. Eating too much is one of my major downfalls!!
Hara Hachi Bu – Hara Hachi Bu – Hara Hachi Bu
