I’ll preface this article by saying that this is a combination of scientific truths alongside anecdotal personal experience. And even though those personal experiences have been witnessed by many, I’ll call them anecdotal.
Where will I get my protein? I will waste away. These were my very first thoughts when confronted with the idea to switch to a plant-based diet
But August 2017 brought probably the most profound personal life-shift to date when finding out about how a plant-based diet can really optimise health and wellness at every level - and I’ve been doing it ever since.
So with that being said, here are 7 reasons that could convince you to give a plant-based diet a try.
1. You will sleep better than ever
I’ve discussed this with so many people who have switched to a plant-based diet — your sleep will go to an entirely different level. What’s more, you will wake up with energy, and not feel sluggish (like I did after years on a diet rich in animal protein from meat and dairy).
Plant foods — particularly leafy greens — are rich in melatonin which is your potent sleep-inducing hormone. Other food such as rice and sweet potato also help to increase tryptophan and melatonin production in the body, and regularly incorporating these foods could help put you on course to have a great night’s sleep.
2. You will think a lot clearer
You really can clear your mind with plant-foods. After 3 weeks of no animal products, I felt a real sense of clarity. That’s not to say that I had brain fog or anything, but my thinking was just…clear.
The anti-inflammatory nature of a plant-based diet — particularly one rich in Omega 3 healthy fats from walnuts, chia seeds, algae and flax seeds — contribute to a reduction in inflammation. These fatty acids improve blood circulation in the brain, and an improvement in healthy brain arteries will contribute to that state of clarity.
3. You will enter a state of consciousness
This one feels personal to me (but may also be experienced by others), but beginning to find out where my food actually came from, and being mindful of what foods were going into my body was a true game-changer.
I became more open and aware, and — dare I say it — eating only plants elevated me to a higher state of consciousness. I became meticulously aware of what I was eating and how it made me feel, and that in turn made me conscious of the value of what people I had around me, what daily habits I was adopting, and what media I was consuming — among others.
It was a phenomenon that spilled into multiple areas of my life.
4. Your appreciation of food and flavours will sky-rocket
Once you make a conscious change to incorporate mostly or exclusively plants into your daily regime, your tastebuds will of course have to play a very brief period of catch-up— but this will encourage an appreciation of food like you’ve never witnessed before.
Of course I have enjoyed the taste of animal foods in the past, of that there is no doubt. But when you know that your food choices are now fully your own (and not tied to tradition and/or culture), making certain meals provides you with a real satisfaction, and one that will be fully appreciated by your burgeoning taste buds.
Your appreciation of herbs, spices and other flavours will really take your appreciation of food - and cooking - to higher states.
5. You’ll have sustained energy
An overload of animal flesh can be taxing on the digestive system for some people. Of course, there’s no humans are omnivores (meaning we have evolved to eat both meat and plants), and my personal experience of eating very meat-heavy dishes growing up — while tasty — was also pretty exhausting.
Christmas dinner and the itis, anyone? Why should food make us crash? It’s supposed to give us sustained energy right?
That’s where plants come in, and the fact that you’re eating foods that are rich in nutrients, anti-inflammatory and easy to digest and assimilate means that you’ll get a sustained source of energy throughout your day, whilst also feeling lighter in the process.
6. You can positively impact those around you
By being a shining beacon of light for a healthier lifestyle, you can have an impact on the people around you. I strongly believe that when we are taking our last breath, we will above all be remembered for the impact we have on others.
If by adopting a plant-based diet you encourage someone close to you to eat more plants and increase their chances of a long, healthy and fruitful life — then its a win-win. A personal win for me was being able to inspire my parents - the most stubborn people on the planet - to eat more plant-based food and less while they were out in Ghana simply by just living my life. Probably one of the highlights of a crazy year last year!
7. You will encourage compassion
I didn’t move to a plant-based diet to save the animals or anything like that, but my awareness of that side of things grew — leading me to believe that by choosing plants, you are making a choice which is in line with the innate compassion of human beings.
Hopefully you’ve managed to get to the end of this article and are maybe giving a plant-based diet some consideration. You can experience these benefits plus a whole lot more — and true radical transformation of our health and our lives simply by adjusting what you put on the end of your fork.