"I could never give up meat."
"Where do you get your protein?"
"You must be hungry all the time."
These questions, and plenty more, are painfully familiar to any advocate of a plant-based, nutrient dense diet. For nine years I have spent countless hours with family, friends, acquaintances and strangers debating the benefits/supposed drawbacks of choosing to remove meat from one's diet. However, not all vegetarians are healthy! I've known plenty of 'junk-food vegetarians', often ethical herbivores, that are not educated on the benefits of whole foods any more than their meat-eating counterparts. The bottom line is no matter what your diet, it is nutrient dense whole foods that lend toward a healthy lifestyle.
So, what is meant by 'whole-foods'? What exactly is 'nutrient density'? 'Whole foods' refer to foods that are complete with naturally occurring nutrients and do not contain artificial ingredients. Billions of dollars have been spent to plant pervasive sentiments in our culture that bigger is better, easier is better, dead is better. Several common misconceptions about plant foods are that they are inaccessible, strange and unfamiliar, or expensive. In reality, it is quite the contrary. Each and every fruit and vegetable at your local farmers market should be familiar to you and your children, inexpensive, and accessible. Local farmers often offer good food box programs, which cut the costs of obtaining whole foods a great deal. They also build sustainable community relationships, and support local food. (Please check out Community Supported Agriculture if you are in Ontario - it is a great program: http://csafarms.ca/index.html)
The big-ticket item that we all chase each day of our lives is energy. Everyone needs it, it is a sign of life, and required by every action in our bodies- including digestion. Nutrient density is very important to the health and wellness of each of us. A simple ratio, nutrient density can be calculated by dividing the average micro-nutrient content in any given food by the amount of calories it contains. It is important to distinguish here, the difference between micro-nutrients and macro-nutrients. We are all bombarded by a mass of macro-nutrient rich foods in our daily lives. Protein, carbs, and fat together make up 100% of the calorie content in all foods. (starch, fiber, and sugar are examples of carbohydrates - remember this if you have diabetes!) Micro-nutrients on the other hand, contain vitamins, minerals, trace minerals, phytochemicals, antioxidants, and carotenoids. The World Health Organization has referred to micro-nutrients as the "magic wands" that allow our bodies to produce enzymes, hormones and other materials necessary for healthy growth and development. (More in detail on this in Whole Foods to Thrive by Brendan Brazier if you're interested-I certainly recommend it)
I'm sure we've all heard the phrase "empty calories". The easiest way to ensure weight gain is to eat a diet of macro-nutrients, that is protein, carbohydrates, and fats, or "empty calories". Micro-nutrient rich foods often contain NO calories. This is why nutrient dense foods are sometimes referred to as 'high net gain foods'.
Common health issues in North America that derive from improper eating habits include obesity and disease. A lack of micro-nutrients and overabundance of macro-nutrients lead to hunger signals remaining active, influencing overeating and causing weight gain. Additionally, low levels of nutrients in one's body increases the likelihood of disease. For example, low body pH can lead to kidney stones, reduction of growth hormone, muscle tissue loss, inflammation, loss of cellular energy production, and much more. To avoid this we require alkaline-forming foods, foods that are high in minerals. Chlorophyll rich foods for example, (dark leafy greens) are especially alkaline-forming.
Lastly, I'll leave you all with a brief list of some whole foods to choose for optimal health:
- Alkaline Forming: all green vegetables, seaweed, algae (spirulina is great in shakes)
- Antioxidants: berries, fruits that are dark-coloured, colourful vegetables, green tea
- Calcium: dark leafy greens (spinach, kale, collard greens), sesame seeds
- Electrolytes: coconut water, molasses, seaweed, bananas, tomatoes, celery
- Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs): seeds are best for vegans here, (sacha inchi, hemp, flax, chia)
- Iron: (as an aside, iron is drawn into plant plasma from SOIL, animal products contain iron because of the plant foods THEY eat) pumpkin seeds, leafy greens (particularly kale), legumes (lentils, chick peas)
- Phytonutrients: colourful vegetables
For all of the above stated reasons, a plant-based, whole foods diet is the best and only way to obtain optimal health.
"Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances of survival for life on earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet."
Albert Einstein
"Non-violence leads to the highest ethics, which is the goal of all evolution. Until we stop harming all other living beings, we are still savages."
Thomas Edison
