There is constant debate what type of diet is the healthiest or best for health. The only common ground between all diet types is that consumption of fresh, unprocessed foods are essential for overall health. Plant based diets primarily focuses on that model of fresh, unprocessed foods the main source of this diet consists of green leafy plants.

 Plant-Based Basics

• Foods consists of fresh, whole unprocessed food
• Limited or completely eliminate animal products
• Main sources of food include: vegatables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds
• Avoid added sugars, white flour, and processed oils

Benefits of Plant-Based Diets

• Helps you lose weight
• Reduces cardiac risk
• Reduces risk of cancer
• Helps reduce or prevent cognitive decline
• Helps manage or reduce your risk of developing diabetes
• Adopting a plant-based diet can help the enviroment. People tend to have a smaller environmental footprint.  

Foods to Eat on a Plant-Based Diet

• Fruits: Bananas, pineapple, berries, citrus fruits, peaches, pears, etc
• Vegetables: Spinach, kale, broccoli, califlower, peppers, asparagus, tomatoes, etc
• Whole grains: Brown rice, oats, brown rice pasta, barley, quinoa
• Starchy Vegatables: Potatoes, sweet potatoes, squash
• Good Fats: Avacado, coconut oil, olive oil
• Nuts and seeds: Almonds, cashews, macadamia nuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds
• Legumes: Peas, chickpeas, lentils, black beans

Foods to Avoid

• Fast foods: French fries, cheeseburgers, hot dogs
• Added sugars: Table sugar, juices, soda, candy, cookies
• Refined grains: White rice, white pasta, bagels, white bread
• Other: Chips, cereal bars, frozen dinners, pop tarts, pastries

Things to Ponder

If one thing can be deducted from all this research, it would be that a plant-based is in fact adequate and beneficial for all. So the naysayers are nothing more than just naysayers. Parents need to make informed decisions before ruling out plant-based diets for their children. With most of the healthcare community (doctors, nurses, nutritionists) supporting plant-based diets for children, it is time for the rest of the world to tag along. Especially with all the research there is to support plant-based diets it is almost foolish not to.

References

Baroni, L., Goggi, S., & Battino, M. (2019). Planning Well-Balanced Vegetarian Diets in    Infants, Children, and Adolescents: The Veg-Plate Junior. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 119(7), 1067-1074. doi:10.1016/j.jand.2018.06.008

Benelam, B., Gibson, M. H., & Stanner, S. (2015). Healthy eating for 1-3 year-olds: A food-based guide. Nutrition Bulletin, 40(2), 107–11

Campbell T. (2017). A plant-based diet and stroke. Journal of geriatric cardiology : JGC, 14(5), 321–326. doi:10.11909/j.issn.1671-5411.2017.05.010

Cofnas, N. (2018). Is vegetarianism healthy for children? Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 59(13), 2052-2060. doi:10.1080/10408398.2018.1437024

Evans, J., Magee, A., Dickman, K., Sutter, R. & Sutter, C. (2017). A Plant-Based Nutrition Program. AJN, American Journal of Nursing, 117(3), 56–61. doi: 10.1097/01.NAJ.0000513289.14377.0f.

Grant, J. D. (2017). Time for change: Benefits of a plant-based diet. Canadian Family       Physician, 63(10), 744–746

Movassagh, E. Z., Baxter-Jones, A. D. G., Kontulainen, S., Whiting, S., Szafron, M., &    Vatanparast, H. (2018). Vegetarian-style dietary pattern during adolescence     has long-term positive impact on bone from adolescence to young adulthood: a longitudinal study. Nutrition Journal, 17, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12937-018-0324-3

Schürmann, S., Kersting, M., & Alexy, U. (2017). Vegetarian diets in children: a     systematic review. European Journal of Nutrition, 56(5), 1797–1817. https://doi.org/10.1000/s00394-017-1416-0