Leo Babauta and his plant-based diet

I think that we should listen to our body and eat what at the moment it needs, be it cabbage, meat, fish or dairy products. Plus, I personally believe that a daily steak or hard veganism, fruitarianism and raw food diet will not lead to anything good, as well as any extremes. Who said that if you can't just cut your meat intake to a minimum and increase your plant-based diet? Those who feel sorry for the cow can refuse meat, but it is not a crime to continue to eat dairy, cultured milk products and cheeses. The accusation of weak willpower is all the machinations of fanatics, and you should not undermine your health by trying to swallow a spoonful of another "soup" that was cooked at a temperature of 40-45 degrees Celsius, proving to another fanatic that you are not a weakling. There are much nicer roads to a healthy lifestyle. Not very short and simple, but still nice.

And now let's move on to the most important and interesting thing - to the plan for switching from a standard diet to a diet based mainly on plants, which was compiled for himself by Leo Babauta, the author of the Zenhabits blog and already quite an impressive number of small books on minimalism, productivity and a healthy lifestyle.

Benefits of a plant-based diet

Losing excess weight. When people eat a lot of meat, processed foods, processed flour and refined sugar, they get better. When people eat mostly plant-based foods, and the use of these foods is minimized, they finally begin to lose weight and feel much better.

Prevention of cardiovascular diseases. If you do not eat animal products or have reduced them to a minimum, it means that your body has begun to receive less harmful fats, which settle on the walls of blood vessels and thus cause cardiovascular disease.

Prevention of diabetes mellitus. If you have given up on sweets based on refined sugar, then you are reducing your chances of getting type 2 diabetes to almost zero. And from this it will be better not only for our pancreas, but also for the waist, since this sugar is included in the composition of cakes, candy cakes and other sweets. It is better to replace all this with what nature gives us with such generosity - honey, sweet dried fruits (dates, figs, dried apricots, prunes, etc.).

Most centenarians follow a mostly plant-based diet: Okinawa is a plant-based diet based on sweet potatoes, soybeans, lots of vegetables and a small amount of fish, and sometimes pork; Sardinia - Lots of vegetables and legumes, cheese and meat only once a week.

Conservation of the environment. It sounds a little strange and unusual, but have you ever wondered how much waste the animal industry gives us? Ladybugs, goats, lambs and other artiodactyls, birds and pigs eat a lot and, as a result, leave behind a large amount of waste that emit into the air not only unpleasant odors (whoever drove near the poultry farm at least once will understand what I mean I say), but also the notorious CO2. According to the UN, in 2006, the share of greenhouse gas emissions into the Earth's atmosphere, formed as a result of animal husbandry, was 18%, while the share of emissions from transport of all types combined was 13.5%. That is, what we eat literally kills us in an indirect way. I'm not even talking about how much additional resources are spent on raising animals on the farm. One hamburger uses 4,000 to 18,000 liters per day.

I will not talk about the feeling of compassion. There are religious movements that believe that even plants and stones have a soul. So we will all have to go on a diet based solely on prana and solar energy. They say that there are such people. But I haven’t met such people yet. And you?

Transition plan

If you are accustomed to eating meat every day, going straight to a plant-based diet will be difficult and fraught with health risks. Therefore, you need to do this gradually and it is advisable to consult a doctor before doing this, especially if you have health problems. That is, you need to switch to normal nutrition unambiguously, but carefully!

Step # 1. Reducing meat consumption. If you are an avid meat eater, but understand that it will be better for your health, if you at least reduce your meat consumption, start doing it gradually. If you are used to eating meat every day, introduce one fast day per week. As you get used to this, you can gradually either keep your meat consumption to a minimum (leave one meat day in a week or even a month) or skip it altogether. Start by cutting out red meat, then moving on to poultry, then fish and seafood. And in parallel with giving up meat, try new plant-based foods, experimenting with different foods.

Step # 2. Refusal of eggs. This step is optional, but not particularly difficult. Just try it.

Step # 3. Reduce your intake of dairy products. Leo suggests trying to phase out dairy products gradually, but if you can't imagine completely eliminating cottage cheese or cheese, you can keep these foods in your diet by simply reducing the amount.

Step # 4. Switch to whole, unprocessed foods. This is much more difficult to do than it seems at first glance. If only because the shelves of our stores are littered with processed foods and semi-finished products, while the choice of the same whole grain bread is quite limited. Instead of salted peanuts or pistachios, try raw almonds, walnuts, or cashews. More vegetables and herbs, less flour, sweet and salty snacks.

What can replace the products we are used to without harming the body? There are quite a few options.

Substitutes

Legumes and other proteins. These are not only beans, peas, black and red beans, various types of lentils and peas (I love chickpeas - they have a nutty taste!), But also soy tofu cheese, soy and almond milk, soy yogurt and much more. The main thing is that they are made from genetically unmodified soybeans.

Nuts and seeds. It seems to me that now in stores and markets you can buy almost any kind of nuts. With seeds, the situation is a little more complicated, but sesame, pumpkin and sunflower seeds and seeds can brighten up a surprisingly large number of dishes. I think we can add sprouted wheat and soybeans here.

Good fats. Fats are needed by our body. It's just that vegetable fats are better absorbed by our body and without consequences. Vegetable oils, avocados, nuts, and seeds are all good sources of fat.

Greens. It is one of the most important components of a plant-based diet, especially greens with a dark green color - they are rich in vitamins, calcium and iron. These include spinach, collard greens, broccoli, and cabbage. Another plus is almost zero calories and a lot of fiber!

Useful starch. It is found in sweet potatoes, red potatoes, sprouted wheat grains, pumpkin, and brown rice.

Berries. Any berries in any form are always incredibly tasty and healthy! Just do not forget about them, and if there is an opportunity to freeze, then do not miss the chance! It's great to have a soy milk and frozen blueberry smoothie in winter, or add a couple of raspberries to your oatmeal.

Beverages. Despite an almost entirely plant-based diet, Leo does not completely abandon coffee and wine. In the morning - coffee without sugar, in the afternoon - green tea, and in the evening for dinner, some red wine for a pleasant end to the evening.

As I said, you shouldn't completely abandon the pleasant little things. If you like coffee, try drinking it without sugar and in smaller quantities. At first it may be a little unusual and I immediately warn you that you will have to switch to very high-quality and not very cheap coffee, since sugar and milk can easily mask the taste of a not very high-quality drink. But if you drink it without sugar, and one flaw will not hide from your taste buds. You know, there is such a coffee, from which even after one sip it cranks? Better more expensive, tastier and less frequent than often and tasteless!

Experiment, look for new interesting recipes, play sports, read good books, travel and enjoy life. Because to live is healthy, but healthy to live is even better;)