A change in diet is one of the main steps for anyone looking to lose weight or to improve their quality of life. There’s always a point in our lives when we look back and wonder how certain circumstances would be if we had done something different ,with questions such as: What if I had stuck to this workout? Or what if I had started dieting at a younger age? All we can do is take matters into our own hands in the present and do something to improve our lifestyle.
When looking for a new diet, we have to make sure that we don’t fall for fad diets, which are diets that have become increasingly popular in a short amount of time. These diets promise quick weight loss results and health improvements with almost zero effort required. However, their unsustainable nature and lack of scientific evidence make them medically unsuitable for most people, especially if they don’t consult a dietitian or doctor first.
There are many diets that, if carried out correctly and are approved by your doctor, can benefit you and help you achieve your weight loss goals. One of them is a plant-based diet, which consists of following a diet plan that contains low amounts of animal products and high amounts of plant products such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds. Many of our patients aim to change their diet, whether it’s out of necessity following any type of bariatric surgery or to try and reverse years of bad eating habits.
At LIMARP®, our medical team counts with licensed nutritionists that can help you achieve your goals. They go over your medical history and talk with you about your expectations to create a nutrition plan that covers all your needs.
Before we begin, we’d like to remind you that it’s important to talk to a nutritionist prior to making any extreme changes to your diet and to be mindful of how your body responds to certain foods. The information presented in this article is general and may not apply to every case, so for more detailed and specific care, schedule an appointment with your doctor.
Plant-Based Diet: What You Need to Know
A plant-based diet “encompasses a wide range of dietary patterns that contain low amounts of animal products and high amounts of plant products such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds”[1]. As you can see, this doesn’t mean that you have to stop eating animal products, but rather focus on plant-based products to make sure you get all your necessary macro and micronutrients.
Now, how can a plant-based diet help a person lose weight?
Well, one study[2] found that this type of diet can help people who are struggling with being overweight or dealing with other illnesses such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and rheumatoid arthritis. This is due thanks to the increased intake of fiber, polyunsaturated fats, and plant proteins.
Plant-Based Diet and Muscle Gain
Many people still believe that you must consume animal protein to gain muscle, but unless your doctor states otherwise, you can increase your muscle mass by only following a plant-based diet. It all comes down to nutrition and learning how many calories your body needs to maintain and gain muscle according to your current weight, height, and physical activity. For optimal muscle growth to occur, protein intake should be rather high at around 0.7–1.0 grams per pound of body weight per day[3]. So if you’re looking to decrease your intake of animal protein, it’s important that you learn which plant protein to consume in order to meet your caloric needs.
To ensure muscle gain success, it’s important to have a well-planned diet plan and to stick to a workout routine that can also help you maintain whatever muscle mass you gained. We recommend that a nutritionist provides you with a plant-based diet plan that’s catered to your specific taste, but if you want to get a general idea of the types of dishes they might recommend, we invite you to read the remainder of the article.
Examples of Plant-Based Dishes
If you’re interested in which plant-based dishes you can slowly incorporate into your daily diet, these are some examples you can try out:
- Creamy pasta with leafy vegetables
- Cauliflower buffalo bites
- Vietnamese spring rolls
- Protein oatmeal pancakes
Contact Us to Learn More
If you’re interested in following a plant based diet to lose weight, schedule an appointment with one of our doctors. We can help determine the right treatment for you. Contact us online anytime or give us a call at (619) 373-0229.
References
- [1] Hemler EC, Hu FB (November 2019). “Plant-Based Diets for Personal, Population, and Planetary Health”. Advances in Nutrition. 10 (Suppl_4): S275–S283. doi:10.1093/advances/nmy117. PMC 6855934. PMID 31728495.
- [2] Tran E, Dale HF, Jensen C, Lied GA. Effects of Plant-Based Diets on Weight Status: A Systematic Review. Diabetes Metab Syndr Obes. 2020 Sep 30;13:3433-3448. doi: 10.2147/DMSO.S272802. PMID: 33061504; PMCID: PMC7533223.
- [3] Iraki J, Fitschen P, Espinar S, Helms E. Nutrition Recommendations for Bodybuilders in the Off-Season: A Narrative Review. Sports (Basel). 2019 Jun 26;7(7):154. doi: 10.3390/sports7070154. PMID: 31247944; PMCID: PMC6680710.