Living with a chronic disease means waking up daily without knowing how your body will feel. Will you have a good day, or will you have to deal with a flare-up? What if you could mitigate some of your chronic disease symptoms to make daily living easier without more medication?
Alleviating symptoms is one of the many benefits of a plant-based diet. Keep reading to see if you can improve your condition by following one.
What Chronic Conditions Can a Plant-Based Diet Affect?
So what chronic disease conditions can this diet help with?
Diabetes
A 16-week study compared healthy but overweight or obese people who ate their regular diet vs. a plant-based one. At the end of the study, there was a reduction in weight, body fat, and insulin resistance in the group that followed the plant-based diet.
Another study comparing the American Diabetes Association’s (ADA) diet and a plant-based one found that 43% of people following the plant-based diet reduced their diabetic medication, compared to only 26% on the ADA’s diet.
Obesity
Another benefit of a plant-based diet? It can serve as a natural weight loss program by cutting out all processed foods from your diet. One study found that people on a plant-based diet tend to have lower BMIs (body mass index) than those following other plans.
Heart Disease
An 18-year study of 48,188 participants showed that a plant-based diet (including vegetarians and vegans) had significantly reduced the risk of a heart attack. The study split the participants into three groups: Meat eaters, fish eaters, and vegetarians/vegans.
At the end of the study, it showed that vegetarians/vegans had a 22% lower rate of heart disease than meat eaters.
Osteoporosis
Many people think they need dairy products to get calcium, but that’s not true. Numerous plant foods contain calcium. A cup of cooked collard greens has around 360 mg of calcium, while a glass of milk only has 300.
A new study also found that older adults, especially women, had a lower risk of osteoporosis when eating more plant-based foods.
Start Feeling Better Today with the Benefits of a Plant-Based Diet!
Whether you want to lose weight, have more energy, or feel healthier longer as you age, a plant-based diet can help. You don’t have to change overnight; start by substituting a few meals for plant-based alternatives, and you’ll be on a plant diet before you know it.
Start feeling better by treating your body better!