Health News Update: Plant-Based vs. Animal Based Diet & Cardiovascular Health
Hello again to all:
Thanks for reading my blogs, I appreciate your interest and hope you are doing well. Here is some important news to help you improve your health and the planet as well:
“A prospective cohort study of adults in India has found that those following a predominantly plant-based diet had lower risk of cardiovascular events than those eating an animal-based or mixed diet. Researchers followed nearly 10,000 participants and found that the plant-based group also had lower blood pressure, LDL cholesterol, and body weight.”
Conclusions: Adherence to a plant-based diet was associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular events and more favorable changes in cardiovascular risk factors compared to mixed or animal-based diets. These findings suggest that promoting plant-based dietary patterns could be an effective strategy for cardiovascular disease prevention.
Bottom Line:
This topic is not without controversy, as there are studies that do not reveal much of any difference between plant-based or animal-based diets and their effects on different markers of health or disease. However, as the research slowly improves and more big data is available, there is a consensus emerging as to what type of food plan is best for mankind and the planet. The preponderance of evidence that I have seen coming out recently consistently favors going plant-based, and that is what I am doing. I strongly recommend the ‘Nutritarian’ approach that is most eloquently articulated by Joel Fuhrman, MD in his many books. Perhaps the best one is a summary of his work: “Eat for Life”.
I also invest in cookbooks and Smither-ize the recipes but stay plant based. If I could briefly summarize the best health promoting strategies into a short list, it would be this:
· Flexitarian, mostly vegan food plan: whole unprocessed foods, chew slowly, & savor.
· Exercise consistently: at a minimum, walks and body weight exercises (yoga) 4 days/wk
· Do not sacrifice rest and sleep: consistent time to bed
· Meditation and prayer daily routine. Find a way to be of service that you like.
· eTRF: early time restricted feeding: all of my daily calories within a 12-to-14-hour window with 80% of total calories by 2 PM, and dinner as early as possible and the lightest meal of the day (only 20% of daily calories). Stop eating at least 4 hours before bed whenever possible.
· Read widely and keep your brain active: avoid sitting as much as you can.
· Have a hobby or two…have some fun!
· Get outside into nature every day…a short walk after every meal is especially smart.
· If your life is feeling unbalanced, step back and see what moves to make to restore balance.
