Power to the plants

Since adopting a plant-based diet over 25 years ago, I haven’t suffered from a protein or calcium deficiency, I haven’t struggled to consume iron rich foods outside of animal foods nor have I withered away, lost my marbles or gone broke. Actually quite the opposite.

During this time I have reaped the health benefits of eating in-season, eating local produce and eating foods with little to no processing. My plate is filled with the good stuff; life giving foods not life taking.

Health wise I feel better at 41 than I did at 21. I’m more energetic, I have a higher sense of wellbeing and I owe this all to the mindful diet in which I follow. I owe most of it to the consumption of plants. The health benefits of consuming a 100% plant-based diet are vast:

• Lower blood pressure
• Lower cholesterol
• Better blood sugar
• Lower risk of Type 2 diabetes
• Lower risk of cancer
• Lower risk of heart disease
• Greater weight loss

As well as removing animal products and food from my diet, I am conscious not to consume:

• Refined sugar, which has strong links to obesity, diabetes and heart disease
• Refined grains, which lead to a rapid spike in blood sugar and weight gain
• Vegetable oils, which are high in inflammatory and cause oxidative damage
• Trans fats, which are linked to serious diseases such as heart disease

My diet is made up of fresh organic plant-based foods, not processed vegan foods which can be as damaging as their replacement counterparts; think facon, tofurky, and the gluten rich mock meats & faux fish products. I eat the colours of the rainbow, I thrive off leafy greens and I eat a combination of cooked, raw and fermented foods.

A mindful plant-based vegan diet is richer in nutrients; fibre, antioxidants, potassium, magnesium, folate and vitamins A, C and E. Not to mention essential fatty acids, Vitamin B12, iron, calcium, iodine, zinc and protein.

In answer to those questions, “Where do you get your…..?”

Vitamin B12

• Plant milks
• Yoghurts
• Breakfast cereals
• Spreads
• Yeast extracts including savoury (nutritional) yeast
• Supplements

Calcium

• Fortified foods such as plant milks and other dairy alternatives
• Tofu
• Fortified bread
• Green leafy vegetables; spring onions, cabbage, rocket, watercress, kale, broccoli and parsley
• Oranges
• Kidney beans and black eyed beans
• Mixed nuts and seeds
• Chickpeas
• Tahini
• Almonds

Iodine

• Iodized salt
• Sea vegetables
• Supplements

Iron

• Dried fruit
• Wholegrains
• Nuts
• Green leafy vegetables
• Potatoes
• Seeds
• Pulses
• Soy
• Parsley
• Watercress
• Dark chocolate
• Black molasses
• Edible seaweeds

Omega 3 & 6

• Oil of nuts and seeds; flax, mustard, hemp, rapeseed and walnuts
• Green leafy vegetables
• Soy
• Grains
• Pumpkin, sunflower and sesame seeds

Protein

• Pulses: pea, beans (adzuki, black-eye beans, chickpea, kidney beans, black beans)
• Lentils
• Soy: tofu, tempeh, milk
• Nuts: cashews, almonds, peanuts, pistachios, Brazil nuts, walnuts, pinenuts, hazelnuts
• Seeds: pumpkin, sunflower, sesame
• Grains: wheat, oats, buckwheat, millet, quinoa, amaranth, pasta, bread

Selenium

• Brazil nuts
• Wholegrains
• Beans
• White rice

Zinc

• Tofu
• Tempeh
• Legumes
• Grains
• Nuts
• Seeds
• Fortified cereals and meat substitutes

Find the power

Our bodies can only benefit from an increase in nutrient-rich, whole plant-based foods. Are you ready to embrace the power of plants?