Harvard: The right plant-based diet for you

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jimmylegs
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Harvard: The right plant-based diet for you

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The right plant-based diet for you
https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying- ... et-for-you

Plant-based diets can help reduce your risk of heart disease, but they're not all created equal.

It's clear that following a plant-based diet is associated with a lower risk of heart disease. But do all plant-based diets have the same effect? And do you really have to cut out all meat for your heart's sake?

"For heart health protection, your diet needs to focus on the quality of plant foods, and it's possible to benefit by reducing your consumption of animal foods without completely eliminating them from your diet," says Dr. Ambika Satija of the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

...

Making the change
What is the right plant-based diet for you? You don't need to go full vegetarian or vegan (avoiding all animal products, even eggs and dairy) to get the best heart health benefits. The focus should be on eating more of the right plants, avoiding the wrong kind, eliminating unhealthy foods, and moderating your intake of healthier animal products.

A heart-healthy diet doesn't need to be daunting either. "For many men, this may be a matter of switching out their current foods," says Dr. Satija. For instance, replace white rice with brown rice or other whole grains, and white bread with whole-grain bread. Choose oatmeal instead of processed cereal, and water instead of juice drinks.

If embracing a full plant-based diet feels intimidating, then begin small. "A moderate change in your diet, such as lowering your animal food intake by one to two servings per day and replacing it with legumes or nuts as your protein source, can have a lasting positive impact on your health," says Dr. Satija.
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ElliotB
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Re: Harvard: The right plant-based diet for you

Post by ElliotB »

"It's clear that following a plant-based diet is associated with a lower risk of heart disease"

It is clear that the common thought that low fat diets (minimal meat or totally plant based diets) lower the risk of heart disease. It is also clear that if you say something enough times, people believe it to be true whether it is true or not.

BUT, ultimately, there is ample evidence at this time that diets rich in good fats and essential fatty acids are very healthy and associated with a lower risk of disease in general and of course heart disease.

Here is a link to one such article:

https://newsroom.heart.org/news/eating- ... -worldwide

Many good fats necessary for good health cannot be synthesized by the body and must be consumed, typically from animal sources (wild fishes, grass fed animals).

IMHO, the focus should be not be on eliminating unhealthy foods but eating eliminating bad fats. Many foods deemed unhealthy have healthy counterparts. For example, most will not dispute the common thought that in general fish is good for you, yet farm raised fish is quite different nutritionally from their wild caught counterparts, So while farm raised fish in general should be avoided (for numerous reasons), fish should likely not be eliminated from a healthy diet if they are wild caught.
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jimmylegs
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Re: Harvard: The right plant-based diet for you

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there seems to be some reaching for conflict here. i am not going to dignify this 'argument' with point by point response.
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