Plant-Based Diets in Prevention of Chronic Illnesses
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Plant-Based Diets in Prevention of Chronic Illnesses
In the recent past, there has been an increasing concern over the rising cost of health care globally. Consequently, physicians and caregivers are becoming more involved in helping their patients adopt healthier lifestyles to curb the spread of chronic illnesses. People may be enjoying longer lives due to advancements in medicine, but due to poor diets, they suffer chronic illnesses (Whole food, plant-based diet can reverse the effects of chronic diseases). A plant-based diet is, therefore, a more appropriate and cost-efficient diet in curbing chronic illnesses.
There is sufficient evidence that animal-based foods lead to inflammation, which is the primary cause of most chronic illnesses (Tuso, Ismail & Bartolotto, 2013). Plant-based diet refers to the embracement of vegetarian diets as well as the intake of whole foods. This means maximizing the nutrient intake by switching to natural sources of diets to replace animal products and processed foods. Diets rich in fruits, broccoli, vegetables, and nuts have a high preventative potential as well as healing powers. These contain vitamins A, C, and E, which improve the body’s resistance to chronic illnesses by boosting immunity. Countries that embrace plant-based cultures registers lower rates of chronic diseases (Tuso, Ismail & Bartolotto, 2013).
Plant-based foods usually have a high content of antioxidants, which clears the radicals, which damage cells leading to chronic illnesses. Plant-based diets also prevent the formation of blood vessels that feed malignant tumors, thus delaying or even preventing cancer. A plant-based diet also ensures smooth aging, thus reducing vulnerability to chronic illnesses at old age (Whole food, plant-based diet can reverse the effects of chronic diseases). However, vegetarian diets are usually associated with a deficiency in vitamin B12, zinc as well as iron. They are also deficient in omega-three fatty acids and vitamin D, which is gotten from sunshine. There are a few cases of toxicity in plant-based diets. However, excess intake of a vegetarian diet leads to a deficiency of significant nutrients that are exclusively found in animal products and equally important in proper human development.
References
Tuso, P. J., Ismail, M. H., Ha, B. P., & Bartolotto, C. (2013). Nutritional update for physicians: plant-based diets. The Permanente Journal, 17(2), 61.
Whole food, plant-based diet can reverse the effects of chronic diseases. Vital Record. (2018). Retrieved 1 May 2020, from https://vitalrecord.tamhsc.edu/reversing-effects-of-chronic-disease-through-a-whole-food-plant-based-diet/.