Written by Connie Rogers Certified Health Coach, Brain Health Coach, & Published Author
What is the meaning of plant based? An organic plant-based lifestyle assures the user of safety practices in foods and products that we ingest or use on our skin. A plant-based clean-living lifestyle improves health and longevity without toxic exposures in our home, clothing, and medicinal choices!
As humans, we are connected to the plant world in several ways. We tend to adapt to season and environments, we both can't live without sun exposure, and plants have electrical impulses while humans are electrical beings. It's when we suffer a breakdown in our electrical signaling that illness appears. Without electricity, our brain and heart would cease to function.
Statistics in 2019 show, the leading cause of death in Australia is heart disease.
"In 1983, the heart was reclassified as part of the hormonal system when a knew hormone produced and secreted by the atria of the heart was discovered. Nicknamed the balance hormone, it plays an important role in fluid and electrolyte balance, kidneys, adrenal glands, and centers of the brain." (5)
The good news is, you can prevent and reverse heart disease with a plant-based diet and help balance hormones!(6)
Plants have a signature resembling parts of the human anatomy.
Examples include:
- Carrots resemble our eyes.
- Avocado resembles a women's womb.
- Pomegranates resemble a human jawline and teeth.
The human body has the innate ability to heal itself by using plants.
Roots such as dandelion root, turmeric, and ginger root can promote gut health and decrease inflammation.
Studies show dandelion root is a non-toxic and effective alternative to conventional modes of chemotherapy available today. (2)
Peppermint is used for IBS, Shingles, and prostate cancer. (3) Organic peppermint essential oil can be beneficial for headaches and to help improve digestion.
Lemons are loaded with more vitamin C than oranges. I drink the juice of a fresh lemon in water twice a day. They help boost immunity and release toxins.
A Resin essential oil such as myrrh contains medicinal healing qualities from the Commiphora myrrh tree. Myrrh can be used in a healing salve for the face, hands, and fingernails during the winter months. (4)
According to Dr. Mark Stengler, sulphur rich foods can be used to alleviate pain in Osteoarthritis.
Debunking 2 Myths surrounding a plant-based lifestyle.
Myth 1 - we will be protein deficient if we eat plants. The truth is, a plant-based diet does not put us at risk for protein deficiency!
1- One ounce of organic raw pumpkin seeds contains 9.35 grams of protein.
2- Two cups of cooked spinach has about 10.70 grams of protein.
3- Hemp seeds and chia seeds are complete proteins.
4- Lentils contain 28 grams of protein and are rich in soluble and insoluble fiber. However, it's important to make sure your choice of lentils are organic. Lentils and chickpeas can be heavily sprayed with Glyphosate. The lentils I choose for my family are organic and sprouted. (7) In fact, I love to make lentils and kale soup in the winter months to boost immunity. Both are considered to be superfoods. (8)
Myth 2 - we will suffer from iron deficiency eating a plant-based diet.
The truth is plant-based foods are rich in iron. Some examples include kidney beans, black beans, spinach, raisins, cashews, oatmeal, cabbage, and more.
Corporations may want to sell you on the idea you need iron-fortified foods, BUT cereals, bread, and pasta, advertised as iron-fortified, are far from healthy. You can't denature foods, force synthetic vitamins in them, and then call them healthy. The type of iron added to these 'wheaty fortified options' isn't a nutrient at all, as it's considered a metallic iron.
Secondly, you may want to consider ditching wheat altogether.
Even though wheat is a plant, it's no longer considered the staff of life and indeed not a healthy source of fiber. Before and after storage, wheat may be sprayed with weed killers, chemicals, and Cycocel, a synthetic hormone. Going gluten-free and eating greens (prebiotics) can improve our gut and brain health.
Plant-Based Household Cleaners are gaining notoriety.
Plant-based, non-toxic all-purpose cleaners and plant-based glass cleaners are changing the housekeeping industry. These prove to be less of a skin irritant, less irritating to our sinuses and the environment and less toxic to our brain and lungs.
You may want to check your cleaning products stored under your sink right now. See if you have cleaning products that contain ammonia. I would highly suggest discarding these toxic products. Ammonia is a neurotoxin factor in Alzheimer's disease. (9)
One thing I know for sure is, there's always one company that tries to sneak in under the radar with false claims of being natural and non-toxic when they are clearly not. Recently, I found there is a class action lawsuit against ‘Method’ Plant-Based Products because of their false claims of being non-toxic. (10)
Plants have changed the skincare industry as well!
With my sensitive skin, I use and recommend plant-based organic skincare products from ilike. (11)
Still, there are other 'name brands' in skincare demanding high prices that have jumped into the market but contain questionable ingredients.
Products listing Dimethicone, and sodium benzoate, can cause hypersensitivity responses. (12-14) You may also see polyisobutene, and cetyl alcohol ingredients, which may cause irritation to the skins barrier or cause contact dermatitis. (15)
Alcohol Denat is a pro-aging ingredient that dries and disrupts the skins microbiome, and Butylene Glycol is a toxic chemical found in antifreeze. (16) The above is just a handful of ingredients in skincare products designed to fool us into making poor choices. (17)
8 Benefits When Consuming Plants First
Plants Improved energy levels. The number one complaint I hear from adults is a lack of energy. The history of low energy has everything to do with what we consume, expose ourselves to, and how we neglect our bodies. Metabolism is all about energy, the energy of our cells, and the energy of our foods. Plant-based foods can give a body more sustainable energy. This in turn, will improve our ability to exercise.
Plants Improve vision. Leafy greens, sweet potatoes, and carrots improve eye health. Frequent intake of red meat and chicken was positively associated with early AMD" (18)
Researchers from Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, claim diet is related to macular degeneration, and those who ate worse-than-normal diets, with low levels of nutrients, actually had a 20 percent increased risk of MD.
Plants Improved prostate health, by consuming more nutrient-rich healthy foods and skipping the junk. A healthy lifestyle reduces habits that are linked to cancer. Hundreds of processed foods contain a variety of unhealthy dyes, artificial ingredients, whey, MSG, maltodextrin, vegetable oils, sugars, refined salts, and acrylamide. (19)
Plants Reduce Inflammation. Anthocyanins, found in red cabbage and fermented sauerkraut, can reduce symptoms of low-grade chronic inflammation.
Turmeric and ginger root uses are described as anti-inflammatory, anti-carcinogenic, antioxidant as well as antiviral. Studies show curcumin has the potential to heal pulmonary edema. (20) You can add these root vegetables to warmed coconut milk and a dash of cinnamon. Delicious!
Plants Improve body weight, and help balance blood pressure levels. In addition, plant-based diets may offer performance advantages. (21) Not all calories are created equal. The biggest mistake when choosing health is counting calories instead of eating real foods. You can't compare a piece of broccoli or a colorful organic salad to processed meats.
A healthier choice to store-bought bottled and canned juice is making your own. Try juicing organic plants, such as carrots, celery, red beets, ginger root, and lemons at home, which provides you the highest frequency and nutritional value of the plant.
Diet and lifestyle, particularly plant-based diets, are effective tools for the prevention and management of diabetes. In the elderly, diabetes increases our risk of institutionalization.
Scientists recommend eating patterns that emphasize legumes, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds and discourage most or all animal products. (22) Additionally, plant diets reduce our risk of blood sugar imbalances, neuropathy, and balance of cholesterol levels.
"A plant-based lifestyle improves gut microbiome, immunity, energy, blood–brain barrier integrity, and regulation of critical functions of the intestine." A vegan lifestyle is effective in promoting beneficial bacteria to support our gut and brain health. (23)
Lastly, plants help prevent premature aging by feeding our skin from within, keeping us younger, longer!
footnotes
- 2- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22363452/
- 3- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19308266/
- 4- https://realitysandwich.com/the-signatures-of-plants-learning-natures-alphabet/
- 5- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3987289/
- 6- https://www.pcrm.org/health-topics/heart-disease
- 7- https://drclydewilson.typepad.com/drclydewilson/2011/02/paleo-diet-is-incompetent-legumes-are-not-anti-nutrients.html?
- 8- https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/7/11/5471/htm
- 9- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4976099/
- 10- https://topclassactions.com/lawsuit-settlements/lawsuit-news/consumer-products/cleaning-products/method-class-action-says-cleaning-products-are-toxic/
- 11- https://ilikeorganics.ca
- 12- 14 https://www.the-dermatologist.com/content/update-benzoates see also https://www.the-dermatologist.com/content/update-benzoates see also Dimethicone, https://www.ewg.org/skindeep/search/?utf8=✓&search=Dimethicone
- 15- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9034687/
- 16- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1621360/
- 17- https://www.naturescomplement.com/2016/08/27/personal-care-product-preservatives-and-the-truth-part-ii/
- 18- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19234096/
- 19- https://thetruthaboutcancer.com/doritos-ingredients-cancer/
- 20- https://www.news-medical.net/news/20210416/Curcumin-nanosystems-could-be-powerful-COVID-19-therapeutics.aspx
- 21- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6356661/
- 22- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5466941/
- 23- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6478664/
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