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A Plant Based Diet: The Importance, and How To Get Started

Eating a plant based diet works beautifully to increase micronutrients and alkaline foods in your diet. 

Micronutrients, are the vitamins and minerals in our food and are the materials used to create the cells of the body and are crucial to hormone production.  (Read more about the importance of micronutrients here). Though all foods contain micronutrients, the foods that are plant based are the ones that are alkaline in nature and fight inflammation.  Some of the most powerful foods rich in micronutrients include vegetables such as spinach and kale, plus tomatoes, onions, carrots and other brightly coloured vegetables.

Did you know that we become more acidic as we age?  In 1931 Otto Warburg won the Nobel Prize for his research finding that cancer cells can’t survive in an alkaline environment.  If you bathe yourself in alkaline-rich foods, you increase oxygenation. Your cells will dance with gratitude and protect your health.

Here are suggestions for adding more plant based, alkaline foods to your diet:

  • Spinach and kale are leafy greens that can be added to salads, smoothies, or sautéed and enjoyed as a side dish.
  • Wheat grass makes a great addition to morning juices.
  • Broccoli  is a wonderful as a side dish to any meal, and is quite delicious when enjoyed raw.
  • Cucumber slices and peppers will make a fantastic salad topper, or snack when paired with a healthy fat like hummous.
  • Fresh watermelon and cantaloupe are an alkalizing, hydrating summer treat.
  • Both sweet potato and pumpkin can be enjoyed roasted, or enjoyed as a soup in the cooler months.

Do you follow a mainly plant based diet? How do you ensure you’re eating and benefiting from a wide variety of micronutrient packed fruits and vegetables? Go for the 80/20 rule and try to make 80% of your diet plant based.  Let me know if you have questions and remember, Health is contagious, pass it on by sharing below.

What Are Micronutrients and Why Are They So Important?

Did you know that what we eat literally becomes the parts of our body that we depend upon? Most people do not. Food is fuel but it is also information.

Our diet in North America has become more focused on the speed in which it is ready to eat than the nutritional content it has.  When Rachel Ray was asked the inspiration behind creating the 30 minute meals she responded that 30 minutes was the amount of time people were will to wait for a pizza to be delivered!

I want to show you why our foods are so important and what to focus on.  There are many diet plans out there that tell you exactly what to eat. I don’t want you to diet.  I want you to have an amazing relationship with food.  I want you to enjoy the food you eat, have it taste great and I want you to know how to prepare it easily.  I want you to feed your cells and your satisfaction by knowing and eating real food.

One of the most important things for you to understand about nutrition is the importance of micronutrients.  The foods we eat are either micronutrients or macronutrients. Micronutrients are essential in small amounts for healthy bodies such as vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytochemicals.  The great news is that food like fruits and vegetables are full of micronutrients!

While micronutrients are the literally the ingredients of every cell in our body that make up our organs and structures, macronutrients provide the energy to do the work of building and living. We need macronutrients for normal growth and development.  The three main parts of macronutrients are proteins, carbs and fats.  Protein is what provides us with the building blocks needed to sustain life.  Carbohydrates are what our body needs for an on demand energy source.  Fats are what supply our bodies with stored energy for use later on.

Micronutrients exist in many foods but I want to bring your attention to plant based micronutrients as the powerhouse of these vital substances.  A whole food plant-based diet is ideal nutrition:

  • Low in saturated fat and cholesterol by minimizing animal product consumption
  • Moderate in whole grains, nuts, and seeds
  • High in vegetables, fruits, and beans