Live A Plant-Based Life

— Aspen Jewkes, Opinion Editor

Healthy living falls under many categories not only with diet but also with physical activity. One change I have made to be healthier was turning to a plant-based diet or one may call it, being a vegetarian. For me, the benefits of not eating meat have outweighed having a hamburger for dinner. While I used to eat meat all of the time, I was having digestive problems and wanted to see if turning to a plant-based diet would help. After watching “The Game Changer” on Netflix and seeing the results of what a plant-based diet can do for people’s health, I decided to make the switch in my diet. The benefits of not eating meat have been incredible. According to ForksOverKnives, not eating meat “reduces inflammation within the body, blood cholesterol levels will plummet, dramatically reduces one’s chances of getting Type 2 Diabetes, you will get the right amount of protein and you will make a huge impact on the health of our planet and its inhabitants.” We have been taught all of our lives that the only way to get the correct amount of protein is to eat a big steak. Athletes from all around the world have thought that a carnivorous diet is the way to go. “Steaks for breakfast, steaks for lunch, steaks for brunch—grass fed, massaged beef, all day long,” UFC fighter Connor McGregor said. While many people, including myself, look up to the athletic performance of Connor McGregor, Nate Diez, who is a vegan, defeated McGregor. By having a plant-based diet, it has been proven that it improves cardiovascular health. During February of my junior year, my 60-year- old grandpa, who is very athletic, had a heart attack and had to have open-heart surgery. For me, this was very scary because my grandpa is one of the best people in my life, but he also lived a very healthy lifestyle. Knowing that heart problems run in my family, I decided to take a step to try and prevent cardiovascular problems in my future by eliminating meat and focusing on getting protein and vitamins from other nutrients within food. A great source of protein is tofu, which has approximately 10g of protein in one serving. Tofu contains all nine of the essential amino acids, and it contains iron, calcium, manganese, phosphorus and vitamin B1, which humans lack in getting without a supplement. Although many people focus their diets around the amount of carbohydrates we take in, by switching to a plant-based diet we get complex, high-fiber carbohydrates compared to the complex, low-fiber carbohydrates. Complex, high-fiber carbohydrates are found in whole grain foods and legumes, which are considered to be the healthiest form of carbohydrates. As the “health nut” I am, I try to eat as many whole grain foods, vegetables and fruits as I can in a day. In order to get my proper protein intake for the day, I make protein shakes, tofu, chickpeas, quinoa, broccoli and other plant-based protein rich foods. By living a plant-based lifestyle, I have seen incredible progress in my strength when it comes to lifting weights, a faster recovery within my muscles, better digestion, and I have seen an overall improvement within the way my body functions day-to-day. Living a plant-based lifestyle does not always mean completely cutting out meat. It could be as easy as only having meat three or four times a week compared to basing every meal around it. It not only increases your quality of life in the long run, but it also focuses on a more sustainable lifestyle.