Switching up your diet can make a massive difference to your overall health. According to the American Heart Association, a more plant-focused diet can decrease the risk of heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and various cancers. Meats and dairy products can be filled with unnecessary saturated fats, especially cheeses and processed or deli meats. Consuming these foods regularly puts your health at risk.
Studies also show that those who typically eat animal products have a harder time getting back into the gym following a workout. This is largely because most animal products cause the body to become inflamed, while most whole foods and plants do not. Conversely, individuals who eat a plant-based diet can recover from workouts at a quicker rate.
This information may be unsettling since many Americans adhere to the traditional western meat diet at nearly every meal. After all, where would you get the nutrients you need, such as protein, without meat and other animal products? What if we told you that meat has protein because the animals eat protein-packed plants? There are plenty of delicious, healthy, satisfying forms of plant-based protein sources, such as chickpeas, lentils, tofu, nuts, quinoa, tempeh, black beans, and many more! Why not get the protein firsthand from plants instead of secondhand from animals?
We strongly recommend adopting a whole-food, plant-based diet as a holistic approach to cancer treatment. We completely understand that drastically switching up your diet can be overwhelming, so we suggest starting small. For example, start by making one plant-based meal and go from there. Don’t feel obligated to make the switch overnight. While you might miss eating meat and cheese, don’t focus on what you “can’t” have. Focus on all the delicious fruits, vegetables, legumes, and grains you can have. The way we see it, food is medicine.
Are you interested in adopting this diet? The Get Well Center staff would love to help! Call our office at (419) 524-2676 to learn how eating plants can promote holistic healing.