Chronic diseases plague far too many people today. Whether it’s high blood pressure, heart disease, cancer, diabetes or being on the verge of developing any of these, on average things have gotten out of hand. In truth, and this should be eye opening, ALL of these life threatening diseases are preventable through good lifestyle habits.

Now, this gets into the whole mindset of being Consequently Fit. YOU are responsible for your actions, your decisions, and ultimately what put you on the path to poor health. Stop blaming genetics this that and the other.

Natural undesirable health consequences result from a lifetime of bad lifestyle habits. With that being said, this article’s topic brings light to nature’s cure. Simply incorporating more and more whole plant foods in place of man’s messed up version of altered food sources will soon help you reroute to a path of good health.

First, let’s be clear what whole plant foods entails:

(1) Unprocessed, not altered by man.
Food direct from mother nature.

(2) In general, all vegetables, fruits, grains, nuts, legumes, tubers, seeds and while not a plant, let’s include fungi as well (for example, mushrooms).

Reasons to Include:

Simply put, plant foods work inside you offering abundant positive health benefits. The list below identifies key health benefits for you to consider. Hopefully you will be inspired to embrace the action of adding whole plant foods into your new healthy lifestyle path to a better healthier you.

• Plant foods satisfy. Plant foods curb hunger with a wonderful feeling of actual and appropriate fullness. This feeling of actual fullness differs from stuffing yourself until you really can’t eat anymore. Because plant foods contain a vast amount of good nutrients, the fullness comes from your body feeling satisfied and appropriately fed. When eating nutrient poor foods, hunger cues stay on. Your body’s tissues crave nutrient rich foods. Think about it – do you find yourself more likely to over stuff your face eating junk foods or nutrient rich foods?
  
  Worried about the carb content of fruits and starchy vegetables? No need to worry.. count.. or turn gray stressing over how many carbs you consumed while eating a plate full of veggies or fruit. Food eaten as God intended them to be consumed, contain complex carbs and fiber. When man messes around with food, fiber and nutrients get processed out. This is why plant foods satisfy you and keep hunger at bay much longer than a man-made food substance containing stripped down simple carbs. The more whole plant foods you put on your plate crowding out other food sources, the more satisfied you will feel post mealtime.

• Nutritionally packed. Are you the type of person that likes to obtain the most value for your dollar? Apply that same principal to your food choices. Stop choosing foods that provide little nutritional value. Often referred to as “empty calorie foods” – processed, sugary, high fat foods offer minimal value to your body’s hard working tissues. Foods you put in your mouth ought to contain loads of good value for your body. Just as depositing rolls of pennies into your bank account would provide little satisfaction and limit your overall lifestyle, empty calorie food choices do little to fuel your body’s tissues eventually damaging your overall health ultimately limiting quality of life.
  
  The richness of whole plant foods equates to providing your body loads of vitamins and minerals plus other nutrients only found in plants. No man-made supplement will satisfy you like whole intact foods. In fact, all essential nutrients except vitamins B-12 & D are provided by whole plant foods… including protein. To balance out your new diet that now contains these wonderfully rich foods, include animal products like fish, white poultry meat, and dairy. Ha! Bet you thought this article was against those foods. Nope. However, food from animal sources should never make up the majority of your meal. When filling your plate, only about 1/4 should be filled with animal food sources.
  
  Note: Vitamin B-12 & vitamin D will need to be supplemented if you are vegan (avoiding all animal products). Pay attention to whether foods you eat are fortified with these vitamins as there are alternatives to meat that account for this. And, don’t forget sunshine. Your body does make its own vitamin D if you spend sometime outside soaking in some rays. For more on this, read https://consequentlyfit.com/2019/02/20/soaking-in-sun-rays/

• Disease prevention. The “other” nutrients provided by whole plant foods are antioxidants and phytochemicals. Antioxidants prevent oxidation which basically damages cells in your body and over time may lead to certain types cancer and heart disease. While man has the ability to manufacture antioxidants and package up in neat little pills known as supplements, these pills will never rival the full spectrum of benefits produced by nature. Phtyochemicals literally means plant chemicals. Phytochemicals provide no actually nutrition, but work bioactively in the body to fend off offenders that may lead to many of the diseases mentioned at the opening of this article. Simply put, antioxidant and phytochemical rich foods work inside you as defenders for good health. These often overlooked compounds prevent many of the ailments that plague industrialized communities.

• Heals body from inside out. Whole plant foods possess the ability to heal your body’s damaged tissues. If you have not been the best about incorporating plants into your diet on a regular basis, your body no doubt has internally suffered the consequences. BUT… there is hope. Especially if you are not already diagnosed with a preventable health disease. And, if you are living with health problems, you will be better off eating foods that heal rather those that do nothing to help you internally.
  
  Forget about poor dietary habits from your past. Make positive health changes today that will impact your future. Of special note – Your body heals itself. You witness this externally with scraps, cuts, and bruises. Your body heals even more efficiently when provided proper nutrition. You have the power to properly full your body. Changing how you eat today will aid in recovering from years of mistreatment. As you stick to eating more and more whole plant foods, you will start feeling more healthy and vibrant. Don’t put this empowering action aside. Start today with a trip to the grocery store or local farmer’s market.

MINDFUL AXN:

Identify whole plant foods you enjoy and start finding creative ways to include in every meal including snacks.

Summary

Eating more whole plant foods will help limit processed foods leading you down the path to living a healthier longer more vibrant life.