What Happens When You Eat A Whole Food Plant Based Diet?
Did you know that eating a whole-food plant-based diet during the menopause years can have an incredibly positive impact on your health?
Ditching processed foods (sugar, packaged foods, MSG, alcohol, caffeine) and animal products (meat, dairy, poultry, fish and eggs) and replacing these with whole plant foods (fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, legumes and whole grains) can help you eliminate so many of the "symptoms" that many women assume are just a part of aging or menopause.
Imagine being able to feel amazing and be in the driver's seat of your own health. It can be done and it starts with what you eat every.single.day!
Here are a few things that will happen to your body when you start to eat a whole-food plant-based diet:
Your Digestion Improves
Processed foods and animal products do not contain the natural fiber found in whole plant foods. Our body requires this fiber to have a healthy digestion system. Fiber is said to bulk up stool and helps it travel through the intestines, preventing constipation. Natural fiber also acts as food for the ‘good’ bacteria, which contributes to improved overall digestive health.
So eating whole plant foods instead of processed foods can help improve your overall digestion including constipation, bloating, acid reflux etc.
You Feel More Energized and Focused
Our bodies react quickly to anything we eat, therefore, the benefits associated with cutting out processed food and eating whole plant foods can be experienced immediately. Eating healthy makes us feel energized, improves our mood, and your body feels refreshed. Also, you stay focused during the day, which motivates you to continue making healthy food choices every day.
You Will Lose Weight
Processed foods pack a lot of ‘empty’ calories that contribute to weight gain. Eliminating processed food in your diet can lead to weight loss. Processed food and animal products also lack fiber and nutrients that help to fill you up, which makes you eat more. One study found that cutting out processed foods, sugar, and refined grains can lead to a significant amount of weight loss. Eat more vegetables and whole foods, plus you don’t have to limit calories or portion sizes. Additionally, whole plant foods nourish and fuel your body efficiently.
Your Sleep Improves
Processed foods (especially alcohol) have been found to disrupt the sleep cycle. These foods cause a negative impact on your blood sugar levels. Keep your blood sugar steady by avoiding processed and refined foods like cereals, chips, sugar and soda. The National Sleep Foundation reported that eating more sugar during the day makes you wake up in the middle of the night. What’s more, heavily processed foods are higher in fat, and consuming them near bedtime could contribute to indigestion or heartburn and the two are a major sleep disruptor.
Your Hot Flashes Can Improve
For many of the reasons mentioned above, many women report that they experience significant improvement in their hot flashes. Many have even reported that they get rid of them completely by eating a whole-food plant-based diet.
Improves Concentration
As I mentioned earlier, heavily processed foods contain high amounts of sugar or high fructose corn syrup. Artificially added sugar can throw your brain off balance affecting your concentration. Although our bodies do require some sugar for the brain to function properly, eating processed food will not provide you with that sugar. We obtain natural sugar from fruits and vegetables (whole plant foods). Having a low blood sugar, which is common after a sugar crash, results in anxiety, heart palpitations, and fatigue leading to low concentration. Avoiding refined or processed foods can keep your mind clear.
Balances Your Hormones
From birth control to anti-aging meds, there are a lot of things messing up our hormones. Ditching processed foods and eating whole plant foods will help bring balance to your body. We all know that saturated and trans fats should be avoided, but regular inclusion of healthy monounsaturated fats (nuts, seeds, avocados, olives) can help balance hormones, specifically the appetite-suppressing hormone leptin. A publication on the British Journal of Nutrition said that consuming processed foods disrupts the proper functioning of the hormones leptin and ghrelin, which affects the body’s ability to lose weight.
Reduces Your Cravings
Plant based foods are rich in fiber and therefore keep you feeling fuller for longer. When you are full you will experience less cravings, especially for sugar. A diet rich in whole plant foods supplies a gradual and adequate release of glucose into the blood, versus the ups and downs created when eating processed foods and processed sugars.
Your Skin Improves
The answer to better skin complexion comes from what we eat. A lot of studies have been done on skin health and all agree that eating processed or refined foods lead to a breakout. The ingredients and preservatives found in these foods get in the way of clear skin. Forgoing these foods can benefit your skin tremendously.
You Will Feel Less Aches and Pains
Processed foods and animal products can be extremely inflammatory and cause us to experience joint and muscle pains. Many women I know are able to eliminate their daily pain when they change their diet to a whole-food plant-based diet. In fact I was able to completely reverse my debilitating Rheumatoid Arthritis, over 15 years ago, by changing my diet to a whole-food plant-based diet. You can read more about my health journey by CLICKING HERE.
If you are not used to eating a whole-food plant-based diet then it can seem overwhelming when you want to make changes. I encourage all of my clients to make small changes consistently and not try and make too many changes at once. We call these micro habit changes and it makes the transition to healthy eating easier.
Here are a few ways to get started today:
1. Come join us over in our private Weight Loss & Wellness for Women Over 45 Facebook Group. You will find tons of information, encouragement, inspiration and even delicious recipes all to get you started on your journey. CLICK HERE TO JOIN
2. Download our FREE 3-Day Thrive Reset and get everything you need (including recipes) to jump in and eat a whole-food plant-based diet for 3 days. In just 3 days you will start to feel so much better and may even lose a few pounds. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD **This is only available a few times per year. If you are in our VIP Monthly Membership then you have access to this all year long in your Learning Library.**
3. Try our 10-Day Smoothie Challenge. It is FREE and available to all. You can do this at anytime and also join our community challenge that I host a few times per year. It is a great challenge to help give you a jumpstart on making healthier choices. CLICK HERE FOR SMOOTHIE CHALLENGE.
4. If you are sick and tired of feeling sick and tired and you are ready to make bigger changes in your life and you want to learn how to be in the driver's seat of your own health then I encourage you to get on our waitlist for our next Thrive45 Weight Loss & Wellness Course. It is a 5-week online course and is the ultimate menopause weight loss program! CLICK HERE TO GET ON THE WAITLIST
When I coach my clients I always give them "marching orders" at the end of our sessions. This is the action step I want them to take so they can move closer to their health goals. So, your marching orders are to choose one of the above options and get started TODAY!!
Be sure to let me know how you are doing.
-Kelly
XO
