The Best Diet for Weight Loss.. have you been lied to??

Plant based diets are the number one way to eat for preventing chronic disease and promoting longevity. I also believe it is the most sustainable way to eat- for health above all else. But what about weight loss?

YES! Plant foods are nutrient dense and calorie poor. Processed foods and animal based foods are quite the opposite, rather calorie dense and nutrient poor. Take a bag of chips for example, you can eat hundreds of calories in one sitting and still not be full because it’s not nourishing your body with any nutrients, only empty calories, so you keep eating and eating trying to fill that hunger signal, and you just keep piling on the calories. Now take leafy greens for example, you can fill up on a bowl of spinach salad way faster than you can on a bowl Cheetos, and you’re getting so many nutrients while eating a low amount of calories.

Did you know, that green vegetables like broccoli contain more protein per calorie than steak, and spinach is about equal to chicken and fish. Of course you would need to eat a lot more broccoli than steak to get the same amount of calories, but that's a little food for thought for ya.

The key to weight loss is to eat foods that are high in nutrients, vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals (anti-disease compounds), but low in calories. These are plant based foods! So many people these days are actually fat, sick, and obese, but are severely malnourished. By eating abundantly unprocessed, whole, plant-based food, closest to their most natural state, giving your body what it was biological designed to eat, your waist will begin to shrink, and your body will begin to function optimally.

People are always concerned about eating more carbs and gaining wait. If you think eating carbs makes you fat, you have been brainwashed. Carbs are easy to binge on vs meat and animal products. Not all carbs are equal and a lot of times it’s the behaviors around bad carbs that cause weight gain, binging and overeating. Think about the foods you binge and over eat on, bags of chips, candy, sweets, pizza, etc. Whole-food complex carbs like whole grains, oats, quinoa, brown rice, sweet potatoes, etc. are carbs that are actually health promoting, and can help you lose weight. Carbs don’t make you fat. And protein doesn’t make you skinny. The idea that you need sooo much protein in your diet to lose weight is false, and while yes it may lose weight help short term, it wreaks havoc in your body, causing widespread inflammation and damages your arteries-which is a major cause of our common chronic diseases. You can get plenty of protein on a plant- based diet, after all, animals get their protein from plants, so why not eat more plants!

Anytime you focus on calorie intake or cutting out a major food group, your going to lose weight. (Initially!) It’s whether or not the weight loss is sustained. I don’t believe diets work. Whats works for me is adopting a way of eating that is predominantly whole-food, plant-based, that is also enjoyable and sustainable. Research has shown people who consume plant based diets have lower BMI, cholesterol, obesity rates, heart disease, and diabetes. One of the reasons why: they are eating more fiber! Fiber is directly associated with a reduction in all of these. And those who eat more fiber lose more weight. Fiber provides satiety after meals and keeps you feeling fuller longer.

When the good bacteria in your gut break down fiber, they produce short chain fatty acids, which influence our hormones and messengers that tell us we are full, and decrease insulin resistance (which leads to type 2 diabetes). Insulin is directly relation to our hormone leptin- which is what tells our bodies we are full. Insulin blocks leptin and tells us to keep eating- high sugar foods and processed foods that cause insulin to spike in the first place! A whole-foods, plant based diet can prevent, improve, and potentially reverse type 2 diabetes and heart disease. It helps lower cholesterol, balance blood sugar, and makes your insulin more sensitive instead of resistant, improves body weight, all without counting calories or caloric restriction. (Although studies do show that a calorie restricted diet is better than a over consumptive diet and is health promoting).

A balanced plant based meal would include a good source of plant protein and a source of a high fiber carb, and a little healthy fat. Plant based diets work, they are full of fiber and nutrients your body needs, but for it to work it must be balanced, enjoyable, and sustainable. No need to count calories when eating a whole-food, plant based diet. Plant foods can be eaten in large amounts and your body can still lose weight!

If you're interested in making the switch to a more whole-foods, plant-based diet head over to my contact page @ www.nursetaywholefoodie.com or shoot me an email to nutrition@nursetaywholefoodie.com. I look forward to helping you lose weight and helping you reduce your risk of chronic disease.