Updated December 12, 2021
A PLANT SLANT DIET – For ‘a healthier you’
I made the decision to adapt a ‘plant slant’ diet for a number of reasons. There are many health benefits to be gained by making the transition, as well as other benefits for the planet. I feel strongly about doing everything that I can to stay healthy until the end of my life, not being a burden on my family and the healthcare system; and doing my part in leaving the planet in a healthy state for my children and grandchildren.
How do I explain my ‘plant slant’ diet choices? Summarizing and interpreting the data (found in the research links below) to clients in an easy concise format is what I do ongoing. One of my grandchildren asked me at the dinner table at her home one day, why I didn’t eat meat. I replied briefly about my choice to follow the diet of the people from the Blue Zones who live to 100 in a healthy way. Her next question, “how long do you want to live anyways gramma?”, although not shocking, prompted my most passionate reason response, for my plant slant diet choices. “People in the Blue Zones of the world don’t experience heart disease, diabetes and cancer in their last chapters like people who eat an North American, meat based diet.” I have seen so much suffering throughout the years and premature deaths, mostly from cancer. I decided to use myself as an experiment and see if making the change to a ‘plant slant’ diet could provide me with healthy life chapters as I age, in the mean time, it gave me an opportunity for me to do my part in protecting the planet and our climate. Below you will find the background research information that helped me to formulate my decision and answers.
- Watching the National Geographic Blue Zones video How to Live to 100 (https://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/news/dan-buettner-live-to-100-vin) was an eye opener.
- Many of my family members and other loved ones suffered with various diseases in the years before they passed away. Understanding that people who live in the Blue Zones are exempt from many of these diseases made it a ’no brainer’ for me to make the shift to and promote a plant slant diet.
- Watching the video FORKS OVER KNIVES: A healthy lifestyle choice that can reverse and prevent disease https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZb-35oV_7E further reinforced my decision.
- Research Shows That a Healthy Diet Will Slow or Stop Most Cancers – https://www.forksoverknives.com/science-says-about-diet-and-cancer/#gs.r=wOu88.
- Ten Diet-Induced Changes That Slow and Reverse Cancer – https://www.forksoverknives.com/science-says-about-diet-and-cancer/#gs.r=wOu88.
- Understanding that we can get adequate nutrition, including protein from a plant based diet and that our planet cannot continue to support the large ‘meat eating’ population also impacted my decision. The Protein-Combining Myth
- Do Vegetarians Get Enough Protein by Dr. Michael Gregor’s – https://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-vegetarians-get-enough-protein/.
- What I Wish Someone Had Told Me In Medical School About Nutrition by Dr. Michael Klaper https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=44&v=IvlaQJImt9w
- Comfortably Unaware by Dr. Richard Oppenlander https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_irghaBmwX0 further opened up my mind about foods that I need, and what I should and should not eat.
- Medicinal Plants to Strengthen Immunity During a Pandemic. “It is believed that the only sustainable way to survive in the current situation is to boost the immune system. Many foods and herbs have antiviral and immunomodulatory properties. A balanced diet and dietary intake of nutrients affect the immune system through gene expression, cell activation and modification of signaling molecules. In addition, various food ingredients are determinants of the gut microbial composition and subsequently form immune responses in the body. A diet combined with medicinal plants and immunomodulatory, anti-viral, and anti-inflammatory effects can significantly enhance this protection. Diet plays a huge role in disease prevention . . . Recent research has shown that dietary supplements can have beneficial effects, potentially decreasing the viral load of SARS-CoV-2 and reducing the recovery periods of patients with Covid-19.” Table 2 of the review https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8247/13/10/313/pdf lists a summary of the medicinal plants studied and their immune protecting and strengthening properties.
- Plant-Based Diet and COVID-19 | Dr. Neal Barnard – Two research studies on a plant based diet and covid risk. https://youtu.be/n4KpXENS4cA
Understanding the possible health risks of eating meats also influenced my decision:
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Research in the journal of Cell Metabolism: “Meat and dairy-rich diets may quadruple cancer death risk 05-Mar-2014 By Caroline SCOTT-THOMASA diet high in animal protein during middle age may lead to a four-fold increase in risk of dying from cancer, suggests a new study.
Analysis of Burger Market Finds Unwanted Ingredients: Rat and Human DNA – http://fortune.com/2016/05/10/burger-market-analysis-rat-human-dna/
Animal Protein Compared to Cigarette Smoking – https://nutritionfacts.org/video/animal-protein-compared-cigarette-smoking/
How Not to Die From Cancer – https://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-not-to-die-from-cancer/
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- A plant slant diet is a common denominator in documented cases of Radical Remission of Stage IV and other cancers.
- Can You Eat Your Way to Better Health? Your brain needs the right mix of nutrients to stay healthy and function well. According to East Berkshire Primary Care Out of Hours article the wrong foods can affect your mental health.
- MIND over Mediterranean: Australian study suggests MIND diet reduces the risk of dementia.
- Power Foods for the Brain: Science has shown that your diet can play a major role not just in health, but in brain function and prevention of common cognition disorders.
- NUTRIENT POWER: Heal Your Biochemistry and Heal Your Brain by William J. Walsh illuminates new scientific developments that can aid those with schizophrenia, anxiety, and more.
- WHAT’S GOOD FOR THE PLANET IS GOOD FOR YOU – http://www.scientistswarning.org/critical-stress/diet/
- Kiss the Ground, a groundbreaking documentary available on Netflix, explores the key ingredient that could be a game-changer in our fight to heal the planet – soil. The film reveals that we can stabilize Earth’s climate and restore entire ecosystems by regenerating the world’s soils. Changing how land is farmed and what is planted can protect the earth’s climate. https://kisstheground.com/
- Climate Change is a serious reality and changing your diet to ensure that our climate is protected is a important consideration in adapting a plant slant diet. One study, published in October in the journal Nature, found that as a result of population growth and the continued consumption of Western diets high in red meats and processed foods, the environmental pressures of the food system could increase by up to 90% by 2050, “exceeding key planetary boundaries that define a safe operating space for humanity beyond which Earth’s vital ecosystems could become unstable,” according to study author Marco Springmann of the Oxford Martin Programme on the Future of Food at the University of Oxford.
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Making the transition to a ‘plant slant’ diet can be daunting. Many people worry about getting enough protein if they go ‘plant slant’. This is not true.
If you are shopping and cooking for one, like I am for most meals; efficiency and cost savings are key while maintaining a healthy diet in the midst of a busy lifestyle. Where possible I use fresh and organic ingredients. Next best category is pesticide free.
I using muscle response testing for health protection while shopping to ensure that products are safe for me. On a recent shopping trip to a well known health food store, of three different organic sweet potatoes, only one was actually safe for me. I teach my clients how to use muscle response/body balance testing for health protection while shopping for food. If you are affected by different foods, either through allergic reaction or digestive distress, muscle response/body balance testing for health protection can provide your with safety, confidence and relief.
GET STARTED with your ‘plant slant’ grocery shopping today! A well stocked pantry of healthy plant protein alternatives will make meal preparation easy.
To ensure that I always have nutritious meal options available I make large batches of soups, stews and other meals as ‘planned overs’, and freeze them in 250 ml canning jars or mini class casseroles dishes. These are easy meals that thaw quickly and very nutritious poured hot over or serves with shredded greens or quinoa . I like to top my soups with a spoonful of organic garlic for a punch of flavour.. Adding some pureed kimchi also adds a zip and more health benefit.
Red lentils are a staple for me. I use them in vegetable soups, cabbage rolls, veggie burgers and curry. Red lentil pasta is an excellent protein packed alternative to wheat past.
Quinoa is another staple that I use as a protein substitute for rice. My desire for comfort food prompted me to make my first batch of lentil and quinoa cabbage rolls. Delicious with garlic and herb mashed potatoes. I made the sauce with sun dried tomatoes, diced tomatoes, onions and garlic. I googled a recipe and then did a combination of two recipes plus my own slant. Enjoy experimenting!
Legumes, black beans, great northern white beans and chick peas are staples I use in veggie burgers, soups, curry and other main course meals.
Necessary Supplements
If you adapt a plant slant diet you may need to add B12 supplements. Vitamin B12 is Necessary for Arterial Health – https://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-b12-necessary-for-arterial-health/. Spirulina and blue green algae – interfere with B12. Eat sea vegetables on days you do not take B12 supplements.
Ideally we should get our protein from the whole plant products not a protein powder. Check to make sure your ‘greens’ or protein mixes do not contain sea vegetables if you are taking B12 supplements on the same day. If you have autoimmune conditions be cautious of protein powders and hemp proteins – https://draxe.com/hemp-protein-powder/. Also be cautious of stevia added to products.
Let me guide you in your transition to a healthy ‘plant slant’ diet. Your body and brain will be healthier and happier, allowing you to get on with your life and the pursuit of meaningful goals. Interested in hosting a ‘plant slant’ make and taste event?
Every day provides you with many opportunities for a ‘healthier you’. Experience the medicinal benefits of whole body detoxification today!
Elisabeth Hines, C.N.C., C.B.P., Holistic Wellness Practitioner, www.mybodycanhealitself.ca, elisabethlhines@gmail.com
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