{"id":10472,"date":"2024-08-21T22:03:05","date_gmt":"2024-08-21T15:03:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=10472"},"modified":"2024-08-21T22:03:05","modified_gmt":"2024-08-21T15:03:05","slug":"is-all-vegan-food-healthy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=10472","title":{"rendered":"Is All Vegan Food Healthy?\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>How do healthier plant-based diets compare to unhealthy plant foods and animal foods when it comes to diabetes risk?\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In my video on flexitarians, I discuss how the benefits of eating a plant-based diet <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/24871477\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">are<\/a> not all-or-nothing. \u201cSimple advice to increase the consumption of plant-derived foods with compensatory [parallel] reductions in the consumption of foods from animal sources confers a survival advantage\u201d\u2014 a live-longer advantage. The researchers call it a \u201cpro-vegetarian\u201d eating pattern, one that\u2019s moving in the direction of vegetarianism, \u201ca more gradual and gentle approach.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re dealing with a serious disease, though, like diabetes, completely \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/20185610\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">avoiding<\/a> some problem foods is easier than attempting to moderate their intake. Clinicians would never tell an alcoholic to try to simply cut down on alcohol. Avoiding alcohol entirely is more effective and, in fact, easier for a problem drinker\u2026Paradoxically, asking patients to make a large change may be more effective than making a slow transition. Diet studies show that recommending more significant changes increases the chances that patients can accomplish [them]. It may help to replace the common advice, \u2018all things in moderation\u2019 with \u2018big changes beget big results.\u2019 Success breeds success. After a few days or weeks of major dietary changes, patients are likely to see improvements in weight and blood glucose [sugar] levels\u2014improvements that reinforce the dietary changes that elicited them. Furthermore, they may enjoy other health benefits of a plant-based diet\u201d that may give them further motivation.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>As you can see below and at 1:43 in my video <a href=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/video\/friday-favorites-is-vegan-food-always-healthy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Friday Favorites: Is Vegan Food Always Healthy?<\/strong><\/a>, those who choose to eat plant-based for their health <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/28689610\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">say<\/a> it\u2019s mostly for \u201cgeneral wellness or general disease prevention\u201d or to improve their energy levels or immune function, for example.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-107898 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/1-43-e1716556589363.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"892\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/1-43-e1716556589363.png 1920w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/1-43-e1716556589363-960x446.png 960w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/1-43-e1716556589363-1024x476.png 1024w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/1-43-e1716556589363-768x357.png 768w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/1-43-e1716556589363-1536x714.png 1536w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/1-43-e1716556589363-1200x558.png 1200w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/1-43-e1716556589363-720x335.png 720w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/1-43-e1716556589363-540x251.png 540w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>They felt it gives them a sense of control over their health, helps them feel better emotionally, improves their overall health, makes them feel better, and more, as <a href=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/video\/is-vegan-food-always-healthy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">shown<\/a> below and at 1:48. Most <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/28689610\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">felt<\/a> it was very important for maintaining their health and well-being.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-107900 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/1-48-e1716556559821.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"811\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/1-48-e1716556559821.png 1920w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/1-48-e1716556559821-960x406.png 960w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/1-48-e1716556559821-1024x433.png 1024w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/1-48-e1716556559821-768x324.png 768w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/1-48-e1716556559821-1536x649.png 1536w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/1-48-e1716556559821-1200x507.png 1200w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/1-48-e1716556559821-720x304.png 720w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/1-48-e1716556559821-540x228.png 540w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>For the minority who used it for a specific health problem, mostly high cholesterol or weight loss, followed by high blood pressure and diabetes, most reported they felt it helped a great deal, as you can <a href=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/video\/is-vegan-food-always-healthy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">see<\/a> below and at 2:14.\u00a0 <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-107902\" src=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/2-14.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/2-14.png 1920w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/2-14-960x540.png 960w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/2-14-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/2-14-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/2-14-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/2-14-480x270.png 480w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/2-14-1200x675.png 1200w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/2-14-720x405.png 720w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/2-14-540x304.png 540w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Some <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/25725486\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">choose<\/a> plant-based diets for other reasons, such as animal welfare or global warming, and it looks like \u201cethical vegans\u201d are more likely to eat sugary and fatty foods, like vegan donuts, <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/23583444\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">compared<\/a> to those eating plant-based because of religious or health concerns, as you can see below and at 2:26 in my <a href=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/video\/friday-favorites-is-vegan-food-always-healthy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>video<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-107905\" src=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/2-26.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/2-26.png 1920w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/2-26-960x540.png 960w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/2-26-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/2-26-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/2-26-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/2-26-480x270.png 480w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/2-26-1200x675.png 1200w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/2-26-720x405.png 720w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/2-26-540x304.png 540w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>The veganest vegan could make an egg- and dairy-free cake, covered with frosting, marshmallow fluff, and chocolate syrup, topped with Oreos, and served with a side of Doritos. Or, they may want fruit for dessert, but in the form of Pop-Tarts and Krispy Kreme pies. Vegan, yes. Healthy, no.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPlant-based diets have been <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/27299701\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">recommended<\/a> to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D). However, not all plant foods are necessarily beneficial.\u201d In the pro-vegetarian scoring system I mentioned above, you <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/24871477\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">get<\/a> points for eating potato chips and French fries because they are technically plant-based, as you can see below and at 3:07 in my <a href=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/video\/friday-favorites-is-vegan-food-always-healthy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>video<\/strong><\/a>, but Harvard researchers wanted to <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/27299701\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">examine<\/a> the association of not only an overall plant-based diet, but healthy and unhealthy versions. So, they created the same kind of pro-vegetarian scoring system, but it was weighted towards any sort of plant-based foods and against animal foods; then, they created a healthful plant-based diet index, where at least some whole plant foods took precedence and Coca-Cola and other sweetened beverages were no longer considered plants. Lastly, they created an unhealthful plant-based diet index by assigning positive scores to processed plant-based junk and negative scores for healthier plant foods and animal foods.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-107907 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/3-07-e1716556800833.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"686\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/3-07-e1716556800833.png 1920w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/3-07-e1716556800833-960x343.png 960w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/3-07-e1716556800833-1024x366.png 1024w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/3-07-e1716556800833-768x274.png 768w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/3-07-e1716556800833-1536x549.png 1536w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/3-07-e1716556800833-1200x429.png 1200w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/3-07-e1716556800833-720x257.png 720w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/3-07-e1716556800833-540x193.png 540w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Their findings? As you can see below and at 3:51 in my <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/video\/friday-favorites-is-vegan-food-always-healthy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">video<\/a><\/strong>, a more plant-based diet, in general, <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/27299701\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">was<\/a> good for reducing diabetes risk, but eating especially healthy plant-based foods did better, nearly cutting risk in half, while those eating more unhealthy plant foods did worse, as <a href=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/video\/is-vegan-food-always-healthy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">shown<\/a> in the graph below and at 4:03.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-107910\" src=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/3-51.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/3-51.png 1920w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/3-51-960x540.png 960w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/3-51-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/3-51-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/3-51-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/3-51-480x270.png 480w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/3-51-1200x675.png 1200w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/3-51-720x405.png 720w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/3-51-540x304.png 540w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\"\/><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-107912\" src=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/4-03.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/4-03.png 1920w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/4-03-960x540.png 960w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/4-03-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/4-03-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/4-03-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/4-03-480x270.png 480w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/4-03-1200x675.png 1200w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/4-03-720x405.png 720w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/4-03-540x304.png 540w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Now, is that because they were also eating more animal foods? People often eat burgers with their fries, so the researchers <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/27299701\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">separated<\/a> the effects of healthy plant foods, less healthy plant foods, and animal foods on diabetes risk. And, they found that healthy plant foods were protectively associated, animal foods were detrimentally associated, and less healthy plant foods were more neutral when it came to diabetes risk. Below and at 4:32 in my <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/video\/friday-favorites-is-vegan-food-always-healthy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">video<\/a><\/strong>, you can see the graph that <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/27299701\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">shows<\/a> higher diabetes risk with more and more animal foods, no protection whatsoever with junky plant foods, and lower and lower diabetes risk associated with more and more healthy whole plant foods in the diet. So, they concluded that, yes, \u201cplant-based diets\u2026are associated with substantially lower risk of developing T2D.\u201d However, it may not be enough to just lower the intake of animal foods; consumption of less healthy plant foods may need to decrease, too.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-107914\" src=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/4-32.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/4-32.png 1920w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/4-32-960x540.png 960w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/4-32-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/4-32-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/4-32-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/4-32-480x270.png 480w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/4-32-1200x675.png 1200w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/4-32-720x405.png 720w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/4-32-540x304.png 540w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\"\/>As a physician, labels like <em>vegetarian<\/em> and <em>vegan<\/em> just tell me what you don\u2019t eat, but there are a lot of unhealthy vegetarian fare like French fries, potato chips, and soda pop. That\u2019s why I prefer the term <em>whole food and plant-based nutrition<\/em>. That tells me what you do eat\u2014a diet centered around the healthiest foods out there.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The video I mentioned is <a href=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/video\/do-flexitarians-live-longer\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Do Flexitarians Live Longer?<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>You may also be interested in some of my past popular videos and blogs on plant-based diets. Check related posts below.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"et_social_bottom_trigger\"\/>  <\/div>\n<p><script>\n            !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)\n            {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\n                n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};\n            if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';\n            n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\n            t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\n            s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window, document,'script',\n                'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n            fbq('init', '1582627921973608');\n            fbq('track', 'PageView');\n        <\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1675549\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How do healthier plant-based diets compare to unhealthy plant foods and animal foods when it comes to diabetes risk?\u00a0 In my video on flexitarians, I discuss how the benefits of eating a plant-based diet are not all-or-nothing. \u201cSimple advice to increase the consumption of plant-derived foods with compensatory [parallel] reductions in the consumption of foods &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":10473,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10472","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10472","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10472"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10472\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/10473"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10472"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10472"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10472"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}