If you look up “benefits of a plant-based diet” you’ll find tons of scientific evidence, not-so-scientific evidence and everything in-between explaining why a plant-based diet can dramatically change your health.
I’ll leave the fact research up to you. Instead I would love to share my personal experience with how my health and happiness dramatically improved after I adopted a whole food, plant-based diet.
The following is list of the changes that I personally experienced when I adopted a plant-based diet:
- My energy level drastically increased
- By the time I was a freshman in college, I needed 2-3 cups of coffee to get me through the day. I started following a plant-based diet during my junior year and over time I realized I needed less and less coffee to feel energized. Nowadays I don’t have to rely on caffeine for energy-the food I eat fuels me through the day.
- I naturally shed a few extra pounds
- When I started eating real, whole food (as opposed to the processed junk and tons of dairy I used to eat) I naturally shed 5-10 pounds of extra weight. I’ve never counted calories, restricted myself or “dieted” but instead, I listen to my body and eat food that makes me feel good.
- My skin got seriously clear
- Before adopting a plant-based diet I didn’t have “bad” skin but I definitely got pimples and blemishes from time to time. These days friends always ask me what my skin care routine is because I really never have blemishes (except for 1-2 stress pimples a year). When you put good things in your body it shows on your skin!
- Goodbye stomaches!
- I used to get stomach aches after just about every single meal…and I had no idea that wasn’t normal! When I started eating plant-based food it totally blew my mind that I could eat a meal without feeling sick and actually feel great from eating.
- Goodbye allergies!
- I spent the first 20 years of my life sneezing, wheezing, sniffling and coughing. I had asthma, was diagnosed as allergic to trees, grass, dust, dogs and pollen (to name a few) and took tons of prescription allergy medications and shots. After a month of cutting out dairy from my diet my allergies practically disappeared. I was able to go completely off all my medications (goodbye drowsiness!) and actually enjoy being outside without having an allergy attack.
- I fell in love with cooking
- This was the most unexpected side affect of adopting a plant-based diet! When I initially cut meat, dairy and processed food from my diet I thought to myself…what’s left?! Going to the farmers market and shopping for seasonal fruits and vegetables was truly inspiring and I began to fall in love with getting creative in the kitchen. These days nothing makes me happier than cooking up a feast for friends!
*If you’re interested in adopting a plant-based diet but have no idea where to start, Color Your Kitchen is designed to walk you through every step of the way! It’s the guide I wish I had decided I wanted to eat real, whole (and of course, delicious) food.
