With warmer weather and longer days, we may find we have more energy – and no excuses – to get outside and move our bodies. While exercise is a great way to shed pounds, half of the effort we put into losing weight is about what we choose to put into our mouths.
TOPS Club, Inc. (Take Off Pounds SensiblySM), the nonprofit weight-loss support organization, does not encourage dieting, as following specific diets can put a strain on a person’s mental health and lead to an unhealthy obsession with food. Instead, the organization motivates those trying to lose weight to adopt healthy eating habits.
One of these habits might be incorporating plant-based eating. While this idea originated over 2,000 years ago, it has become a modern trend as health and wellness have become popular topics in today’s society.
What is plant-based eating?
Plant-based eating focuses on putting plants like vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds on your plate. At the same time, this eating plan limits or outright avoids animal products, specifically meat and dairy.
When many people sit down for a meal, it’s typical for proteins like chicken, steak, or eggs to be the main part of the meal, with items like vegetables or fruits on the side. Plant-based eating flips the script, with vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and legumes as the focus of the plate.
While some treat plant-based eating almost like a vegan diet (no animal products), others enjoy meat, fish, and dairy in moderation.
How does plant-based eating promote weight loss?
Foods like kale, broccoli, berries, beans, and whole grain rice are high in fiber. High-fiber foods make you feel full faster, limiting the amount of calories you consume.
Plant-based foods are also low in fat, as they have fewer calories to start with. This helps you avoid deprivation – you can eat until you’re full without consuming an excess number of calories.
These foods are also known to increase post-meal energy expenditure. You’ll burn extra calories even after you’re done eating.
How can I start to incorporate plant-base eating into my daily habits?
Just like with any new routine, it’s okay – and even recommended – to start slow. If you find you can’t eat all plants all the time, try adding more fruits and vegetables to your plate over time. You could also try eating a certain number of plant-based meals per week, such as one a day at first.
Some doctors suggest aiming for 40 grams of fiber per day. That might seem overwhelming, but when fruits and vegetables take up half of each plate you consume, you’ll hit 40 grams in no time. Legumes like peas or beans can also help you reach that magic number – experts say that a half-cup of legumes per day will positively impact your weight loss efforts.
As any person trying to shed weight knows, it is best to avoid fast foods, sugars, and sweets like soda and cookies, refined grains like white rice, processed foods like lunch meat and bacon, and artificial sweeteners like Equal and Splenda.
As long as your eating habits are well-balanced and focused on whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and legumes, a plant-based diet can provide health benefits like lower cholesterol levels, as well as a reduced risk of diabetes and heart disease — all good news when it comes to losing weight.
TOPS Club, Inc. (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) is the original weight-loss support and wellness education organization. Founded in 1948, TOPS is the only nonprofit, noncommercial weight-loss organization of its kind. TOPS promotes successful weight management with a “Real People. Real Weight Loss.®” philosophy that combines support from others at weekly chapter meetings, healthy eating, regular exercise, and wellness information. Visit www.tops.org or call 800-932-8677 to learn more about TOPS and to find a local chapter.
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