My Thoughts: Plant-Based Eating

About two years ago, I discovered the concept of "plant-based" eating. I was first introduced to this while watching Forks Over Knives, an incredible documentary focusing on The China Study (the most comprehensive nutrition study that's ever been done) and the life-changing benefits of a plant-based diet. When I heard about this concept of eating a plant-based diet, a lightbulb went off in my head. While exploring the world of vegetarianism, I quickly discovered how easy it was to be an unhealthy vegetarian. Lots of foods are vegetarian, as well as vegan, but eating cheese, milk, baked goods, fried foods, etc. which are all vegetarian but aren't necessarily healthy. One of the main reasons I first thought about going vegan was to take a step up from being vegetarian, I wanted something different and while exploring the vegan community, I found the plant-based diet concept. Although eating plant-based and vegan go hand in hand, I prefer the idea of eating "plant-based" instead of just vegan. Like vegetarianism, you can definitely be an unhealthy vegan. Especially now, that veganism is becoming more trendy lots of bakeries and restaurants are making gourmet vegan food. While consuming no animal products has been shown to be the most beneficial to our health, you may not get the full benefits of being vegan but still consuming a high fat, high salt, high processed diet.



So what is plant-based?
Eating a plant-based diet basically means that you eat foods that come from the earth. All fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, and legumes would all fit in a plant-based diet. These foods are a great base to so many recipes, and dishes. There are so many variations with spices, flavors, combinations, etc. to make a plant-based diet work for your palate and your lifestyle. There is really no way that you can get bored or tired of eating this way because there are hundreds of different types of foods that are grown on this wonderful earth.


The word "vegan" intimidates a lot of people, it definitely has a stigma and I've definitely experienced that personally. Beginning a plant-based lifestyle is more simple, and easier for people to understand. All you have to do it eat plants, things that grow from the earth. The more you focus your diet around plant-based recipes and foods, the easier it becomes to adopt a healthier lifestyle. Cutting out all meat, dairy, and eggs is very overwhelming and can seem too difficult so often times people don't even try. But incorporating more plants will help to slowly eliminate these foods, and it will seem easier and not as overwhelming. Even if you make your diet 80% plant-based, that is an awesome start, and it will be easier over time to change that to 100%.

The first time I met Dr. Campbell
when he spoke at Appalachian 

Second time meeting Dr. Campbell
and his wife after the PlantPure Nation
screening

Now onto the real reason I wanted to talk about all this...Dr. T. Colin Campbell, who I talk about way too much, and am completely obsessed with. His work, has changed my life along with hundreds of other people. He was the one that through scientific research discovered the benefits of eating a plant-based diet. He documented his findings in his book The China Study and it was also addressed in the documentary Forks Over Knives. Anyone that is wanting to adopt a healthier lifestyle should definitely either read the book, or watch the documentary which both show the science behind plant-based eating.

Meeting Nelson Campbell
after the PlantPure Nation
screening

After seeing the lack of implementing the amazing discoveries of plant-based eating Nelson Campbell (Dr. Campbell's son) wanted to take this concept to law and try to use plant-based eating to improve the health status of Kentucky. In their new documentary PlantPure Nation it shows their journey of taking this to concept to court, and trying to spread the message of the power of plants. After getting denied by the state of Kentucky, Nelson Campbell and Dr. Campbell decided that they would prove its effectiveness by assigning a 10-day plant based diet on a group of people from a small town in North Carolina. They gave them a lesson on plant-based eating, and also prepared their food for them to eat. In just TEN DAYS of eating plant-based, the blood work of the people in the group came back almost completely normal. Cholesterol levels, LDL levels, triglyceride levels all were extremely high to begin with, and in just ten days were lowered through eating plants. Wow, the power of plants is almost unbelievable! Why is this not more well known, and used throughout the health care field? Well this documentary explains why the government doesn't want to use this way of healing, and dare I say curing people. A lot of it has to do with big food companies, and mostly money/politics. Hopefully this documentary will create some waves in the health and food industry, it's about time some changes be made!

PlantPure Nation is coming to theaters on July 4th, and will without a doubt change your way of thinking about eating healthily, and putting your own health in your hands. I was able to go to a screening of this film last month. The Campbell family is touring all over America promoting this film and the concept of plant-based eating. Their first screening was in Chapel Hill, NC and I was thankfully able to go see it and also meet the Campbells. It was so amazing getting to not only watch the film, but hear Nelson and Dr. Campbell personally talk about the making of the movie and their drive for getting the plant-based message out to America. I can't wait to go see this film again in July!

For more information on eating plant-based, it's benefits, or the PlantPure Nation documentary check out these links:
http://plantpurenation.com
http://www.plantbasedcooking.com
Buy The China Study
PlantPure Nation Cookbook
http://www.forksoverknives.com
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8V95CCw-TPA&spfreload=10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAkEYcmCCCk&list=LLUbOjQ7pGveWCCfSAN7Rc_Q&index=15

Why I Don't Care About Calories

In high school, when I first began to discover my passion for health and nutrition, I held onto the "calories in, calories out" motto that we hear from lots of health professionals. When someone is trying to lose weight, everyone tells them to monitor calories, reduce calories, count calories, it's all about calories, calories, calories. It becomes something that can easily be obsessed over, and cause people to lose sight of true nutrition. This is exactly what happened to me when I started to become interested in nutrition and healthy eating in general. I used to count my calories like many people do, using an app on my phone. I didn't really think much about nutrients, vitamins, or even macronutrients (carbohydrates, protein, fat). All I cared about was the calories I consumed each day. This can become really dangerous if you're trying to eat a well-balanced diet, or even a healthier diet in general. Many people (including my former self) think that eating fewer calories, regardless of the type of food is the way to weight loss, weight maintenance and a general healthier body. Eating fewer calories may cause initial weight loss, but definitely not a good long term approach to weight loss/maintenance. If calories are the main priority, actual nutrition can be forgotten about and "healthy eating" can just turn into calorie restriction.

When you restrict calories, specifically below 1200 calories/day, your body goes into starvation mode. If your body goes into starvation mode, it can hold onto everything you eat and lead to weight gain. Also, this type of "dieting" can really mess up your metabolism. Any diet that is less than 1600 calories is just a bad idea in my opinion. Calorie restriction can lead to binge eating (consuming a lot of food at one time) and just an unhappy mood. Trust me, I've been there, done that and it's not fun at all. I see so many "diets" that promote eating less than 1500 calories per day, and it makes me so sad to see people try them and ultimately fail because of the calorie/nutrient deprivation. These types of "diets" cause the yo-yo effect that many people experience when trying to get healthy and eat better.

I have two really big problems with calorie restricting, and calorie counting in general:

Just an orange and banana for lunch?!?!

One is the fact that low-calorie diets are almost impossible to maintain long term. When we are on low-calorie diets, or restricting calories our bodies crave calories and ultimately crave not very healthy foods. This can lead to the return of an unhealthy lifestyle/diet and completely throwing away the mindset of eating healthy. When people think healthy eating, some think starving, and being hungry all the time, but the thing I love about eating a plant-based vegan diet is the ability to eat as much food as I care for, and not worry about calories. When eating plant-based, specifically a low fat high carbohydrate, calories are all coming from good sources so there is no need to worry about calories. Many people ask me about cravings, and if I ever crave animal products or unhealthy food in general. The answer is no! I no longer have cravings for unhealthy food (cheese, eggs, meat, fried foods, etc.) because I eat an abundance of plant-based calories and nutrients, so I never feel deprived or hungry for unhealthy foods that I used to love.

My other big problem with calorie restricting and counting calories is the loss of hunger cues. One thing that really gets lost when people start eating low-calorie is the ability to identify hunger and satiation. If calories are the only thing you're concerned about, true hunger and satisfaction gets pushed to the side. Another thing I've learned from letting go of the "calories in, calories out" mindset is to listen to my body. When I'm hungry, I eat and when I'm full, I stop. This type of eating can really get lost when following a low-calorie diet because meals tend to be planned, measured, and portioned throughout the day. This is a very unnatural way of eating and can make your mind stop listening to your body's natural hunger cues.

Eat like Freelee the Banana Girl
(look her up on Youtube!)

Getting rid of the obsession with calories was one of the best things that's ever happened to me in my health/food journey. Eating should emphasize abundance and happiness, not restriction and the feeling of deprivation. When researching a plant-based vegan diet/lifestyle I saw the amount of food that people living this way were eating. Increasing calories were emphasized, and promoted in a way that I had never seen before and it opened my eyes to the fact that our bodies need lots of calories. 
When I began eating a plant-based diet, calories became completely irrelevant. It took me a few months to really begin to let go of the "calories in, calories out" mentality and ever since I was able to let that go, I haven't looked back once. It is so freeing to know that whatever I'm putting into my body is doing my body well, and calories really don't even matter. The reason why a plant-based lifestyle works is the increased intake of not just calories, but food in general. Eating is encouraged, calorie counting is only necessary to make sure you're getting enough calories, not to see how few calories you've eaten each day. The more plant-based calories, the more nutrients/energy you're getting. Most plant-based vegans eat close to 2800 calories a day, and are thriving.

FullyRaw Kristina's lunch

Nutrients are more important to me, not calories, the ingredients in a food item are more important to me than calories, and eating as much food as my body asks for is more important than staying below a caloric limit everyday. After several years of calorie restriction, my body's metabolism is still healing. I wish that I hadn't spent so long caring about calories because in the end when you're eating good foods, they don't matter. That's why encourage people to eat a plant-based vegan diet, because you can essentially eat as much as you care for. Calories are the last thing you have to worry about. Putting good food in your body, and listening to what your body is telling you is more important than calories, and that's why calories just don't matter.