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Should I really be eating meat? Should I start eating a vegetarian diet? Should I adopt a full-blown vegan diet and do away with animal products altogether?
If you have asked yourself any variety of these or similar questions, this article is for you. These days it seems rare to find someone who doesn’t eat to extremes. Whether that be a carnivore diet, a ketogenic diet, a vegan diet.. The list goes on.
The truth is, you can find supporting and opposing evidence for each and every diet out there. So, how should YOU eat? I’m not here to tell you exactly what to eat, I’m here to give you guidance on how to formulate a way of eating that is based on principles that we can likely all agree will benefit our health.
Fundamentals for healthy eating:
- Emphasize eating whole foods
- These are foods that are unprocessed and unrefined (vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts, seeds, and eggs, pasture-raised meat, or wild-caught fish- If you choose to include animal products in your diet)
- Get enough quality protein
- Incorporate lots of vegetables
- Prioritize high nutrient density
- These are foods that are rich in vitamins, minerals, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fats
- Eat slowly until satisfied- don’t eat until uncomfortably full
- Minimize processed foods
Whether you choose to eat vegetarian, vegan, omnivore, keto, paleo, etc.; keep these basics in mind. Diets typically give you guidance on what to exclude from your diet, but they don’t ensure that the things you are eating are healthy. Plant-based eaters are often healthier not because they exclude meat, but because they eat more minimally-processed foods. Omnivores in America often follow a standard American diet which is rich in processed foods and refined carbohydrates (rice, bread, pasta, chips, cereal, baked goods, etc.). It is not necessarily the animal products that are detrimental to their health, but the excess intake of processed foods. To the contrary, you can find vegetarians who are are grossly unhealthy and/or overweight because their diet consists not of vegetables and whole foods, but processed and easily accessible foods which are technically “vegetarian.” Likewise, meat eaters whose diets include minimal processed foods and are rich in vegetables and other whole foods can be perfectly healthy.
The bottom line is: however you choose to eat, make sure you are eating quality ingredients and minimizing processed foods. Additionally, if you do choose to eat animal products, steer away from processed meats (lunch meat, canned meat, and jerky) and include grass-fed, pasture-raised animal products. If you enjoy eating to one extreme or another, feel free to do so. If you choose a happy medium between extremes, I encourage you to focus on quality foods.
“Consistent small actions, repeated over time, add up to big results.” What small changes can you make to your diet to start your progress towards a healthier you?
Disclaimer: You should consult your physician before starting a new nutrition program; especially if you have any medical conditions such as heart disease, hypertension (high blood pressure), lung disease, diabetes, or cancer.
References:
https://www.precisionnutrition.com/vegan-vs-meat-eater
About the Author:
Grace Majchrowicz received her undergraduate degree in Exercise Science from Grove City College and her Master’s Degree in Exercise Science with a concentration in strength and conditioning from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. She has both designed and helped conduct research studies related to supplementation and performance, exercise and mood, and rest periods as they relate to gains in strength and power. Grace presented two of these research studies at the 2016 and 2017 Mid-Atlantic Regional Chapter meetings of the American College of Sports Medicine and is a published co-author in the Journal of Exercise and Nutrition. As a graduate assistant at Indiana University of Pennsylvania she assisted in teaching exercise physiology lab, provided personal training to local volunteer firefighters, and performed fitness-based exercise testing for Pennsylvania Police Academy candidates. In her free time she enjoys hiking and spending time with her family.
