Running head: HOW NOT TO SWITCH TO A PLANT-BASED DIET 1

How Not to Switch to a Plant-Based Diet

Anthony Martinez

Arizona State University

Switching to a Plant-Based Diet

Switching to a plant-based diet comes with numerous benefits. However, those on a

plant-based diet are not exempt from bad food choices. For example, many teenagers end up

subsisting on fast food that is free of

meat—and of most nutrients, says

Carol Coughlin of Leicester,

Massachusetts, a registered dietitian

with the American Dietetic

Association's Vegetarian Practice

Group (Chase, 1999). Poor food choices, such as these, present a problem in the maintenance of

one’s physical well-being while on a plant-based diet. There are multiple ways to approach this

problem, but the best way to maintain physical well-being on a plant-based diet is to adopt a

whole foods plant-based diet.

One alternative solution to maintaining one’s physical health while consuming a plant-

based diet is the exclusion of processed foods, this includes packaged foods and fast food. Even

though boxes of premade foods can be found with the words organic and vegan plastered all

over them it does not mean that these foods are rich in nutrients. In most of these types of foods,

certain elements are extracted from the plant’s whole form and then used in the food’s recipe.

For example, cornstarch is extracted from corn to use as a thickening agent in foods. This

extraction can leave behind a lot of the plant’s nutritional value leaving the final product lacking

in vitamins and minerals. Some companies will reintroduce vitamins and minerals back into the

final product, but this is not the same since most vitamins and minerals are bound to other

substances in nature. One study suggests that the physiologic systems affected by vitamins and
HOW NOT TO SWITCH TO A PLANT-BASED DIET 3

other antioxidant supplements are so complex that the effects of supplementing with only 1 or 2

components is generally ineffective or actually does harm (Guallar, 2013). Dropping these foods

seems like an obvious choice, but some may have issues in doing so. Forgoing these refined

products may cast a burden on the busy schedule of the average American as most of these foods

are ready to consume within minutes. However, with just a little planning and time in the kitchen

a lot of healthy alternatives can be made for quick convenient food, when it is needed. Cooked

grains and legumes keep well when refrigerated and can be used to increase the nutritional value

in a soup or salad. In addition, there are plenty of nutrient dense whole foods that need little to no

preparation such as: apples, dates, almonds, sunflower seeds, and bananas. There are a lot more

options. These are just a few.

Another alternative solution would be to stay away from saturated fats. This type of fat is

known to raise bad cholesterol and the chances of developing heart disease—America’s number

one killer (Christensen, 2016). Plant-based sources of these fats include, but are not limited to:

palm oil, palm kernel oil, and coconut oil. These oils can be found in numerous processed foods

so read nutrition labels carefully. Then there are deep fried foods. These types of foods are very

common at fast food establishments and are quick and inexpensive options, but with convenience

comes a price. Deep fried foods are loaded with saturated fats. For example, a large order of

French fries from Carl’s Jr. contains 4 grams of saturated fat (Carl’s Jr., 2018). This would be

about 31% of your recommended daily intake for saturated fat according to the American Heart

Association (2018). The risk is not worth the convenience, if health is a priority. While it is ideal
HOW NOT TO SWITCH TO A PLANT-BASED DIET 4

to stop eating these foods, moving away from them has the potential to cause a caloric deficit in

one’s diet. This is primarily due to the caloric density of prepackaged and fast food. After years

of eating these types of foods, a person will come to expect something like 460 calories from the

order of french-fries mentioned earlier (Carl’s Jr., 2018). Compare this calorie count to that of a

baked potato—about 278 (Self Nutrition Data, 2018)—and there is a 182-calorie deficit for

around the same volume of food. To fill this gap, one must eat a greater volume of food or

replace the saturated fats with healthier ones, such as olive oil and avocado oil. These types of

fats are calorically dense and are lower in saturated fats. Drizzling these types of oils over a

salad, incorporating them into salsa or hummus are effective ways to increase the calories.

Whole food sources of fat are also a great option. These would include foods like almonds,

avocados, and hemp seeds. There are plenty of other healthy options.

Consuming a whole foods plant-based diet is the best way to maintain one’s physical

well-being while on a plant-based diet. The expression whole food refers to foods in their whole

form, thus there is minimal processing, if any. Therefore, they are not void of any nutrients that

are common to a given plant. If there is no processing done then there are no refined oils.

Therefore, by its very nature this approach would naturally include the benefits of dropping both

processed foods and saturated fats while delivering even more benefits on top of that.

Proper fiber intake is an important benefit of the whole foods approach. The average

American is deficient in fiber. According to UCSF Medical Center, men and women are

supposed to get between 25 and 30 grams of fiber per day (2018). USDA reports that the average

fiber intake ranges from 15 to 18 grams per day, this is nearly half of what is recommended

(Hoy, 2014). If the human body does not get enough fiber the digestive system tends to suffer.

Constipation is the most common issue and usually will cause discomfort. Since all of the fiber
HOW NOT TO SWITCH TO A PLANT-BASED DIET 5

in a plant is consumed when eating it in its whole form, one would obtain greater amounts of

fiber versus a processed version of that food. Think of fiber as lubrication for the digestive

system. It keeps things moving.

Ideal body mass index (BMI) is another byproduct of a whole-food approach. The BMI is

a measure of body fat based on height and weight that applies to adult men and women (National

Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, 2018). According to a diabetes study, an American on a vegan

diet weighs about 40 pounds less than a person who consumes meat. In terms of BMI this

translates to a BMI of 23.6 ± 4.4 for vegans and a BMI of 28.8 ± 6.3 for people who consume

meat (Butler, 2009). The BMI range for a healthy individual over 20 years of age is 18.5 to 24.9.

If an individual’s BMI is over 25 one would be overweight (WebMD, 2018). Simply put, a

person is less likely to be overweight with the whole food approach.

Then we have the biggest reward of all,

improved cardiovascular health. The better the blood

flows, the better the body functions, and the less

susceptible the human body is to diseases such as

heart disease and erectile disfunction just to name a

couple. Eating a plant-based diet is so good for one’s

cardiovascular health that it has been used to

successfully treat heart disease. In a study, Doctor

Caldwell Esselystyn used a whole food plant-based

diet to treat patients with established cardiovascular

disease. In this study there were 198 patients of which

177 adhered to the diet. In this group of 177, 144

experienced an improvement in their condition and 39 of them had completely reversed their

condition (Esselstyn, 2014). Esselstyn completely eradicated America’s number one killer in 39

of his patients using only plants. In the angiogram above you can see the nearly collapsed artery

of a patient on the left followed by the same artery on the right fully functioning after 32 months

of intervention. Clearly this approach goes beyond just maintaining a person’s health.

Common oppositions to the plant-based approach are lack of protein and the notion that it

is expensive. Protein does not exist in animal-based products only. It is also in all plants. All

necessary proteins can be obtained through a plant-based diet. The table below is just one

example of a meal plan that is exclusively plant-based and high in protein. As far as cost goes, a

plant-based diet does not cost any more than a conventional diet. In some cases, it can even cost
HOW NOT TO SWITCH TO A PLANT-BASED DIET 7

less. A study done on economical healthy diets found that on average a vegetarian diet will cost

about $750 less per year than a conventional diet and given that a plant-based diet does not

include eggs or dairy—vegetarian diets do—there is even more potential to save money on

groceries (Flynn, 2012). Legumes, grains, and rice are among some of the most inexpensive

items at a grocery store and have a long shelf life. Purchasing produce according to season is also

a potential money saver. Being able to buy something like strawberries all year long comes at a

premium price and a lot of times when you are at a grocery store and see unusually high prices,

chances are that produce is out of season. Money and protein are not valid excuses to avoid a

whole food plant-based diet.

There are multiple options to maintaining a person’s physical well-being while eating a

plant-based diet, but a whole food plant-based diet is the best approach. It can take some time to

get used to, but more research comes out every day that shows the transition is worth it in the

long-run. Processed foods can be given up, intake of saturated fats can be decreased. However,

just making one of those choices does not compare to a whole foods plant-based diet. From

maintaining a healthy weight to curing heart disease, a whole foods approach is the way to go

when transitioning over to a plant-based diet.

References

American Heart Association. Obtained from: https://healthyforgood.heart.org/eat-

smart/articles/saturated-fats

Butler, T., Fraser, G., Tonstad, S., & Yan, R. (2009). Type of Vegetarian Diet, Body Weight, and

Prevalence of Type 2 Diabetes. Diabetes Care 32(5).

Carl’s Jr. Nutritional information. Obtained from: https://www.carlsjr.com/nutrition

Chase, M. (1999). Nutrition Is Tricky When Growing Kids Become Vegetarians. Wall Street

Journal, Eastern Edition.

Christensen , J. (2016). What’s the No. 1 killer of Americans? Obtained from:

https://www.cnn.com/2016/06/30/health/leading-causes-of-death/index.html

Davis, B., & Melina, V. (2014). Increasing protein content of meals [table]. Becoming Vegan

Comprehensive Edition. Summertown, TN. Book Publishing Company.

Esselstyn, C., Gendy, G., Doyle, J., Golubic, M., & Roizen, M. (2014). A way to reverse CAD?

The Journal of Family Practice, 63(7).

Flynn, M., & Schiff, A. (2012). Economical Healthy Diets (2012): Including Lean Animal

Protein Costs More Than Using Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Journal of Hunger &

Environmental Nutrition, 10().

Guallar E, Stranges S, Mulrow C, Appel LJ, Miller ER. (2013). Enough Is Enough: Stop

Wasting Money on Vitamin and Mineral Supplements. Ann Intern Med. 2013;159:850–

851. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-159-12-201312170-00011

Hoy, K., & Goldman, J. (2014). Fiber intake of the U.S. population. USDA Dietary Data Brief

No. 12.

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Obtained from:

https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/lose_wt/BMI/bmicalc.htm

SELF Nutrition Data. Obtained from: http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-

vegetable-products/2770/2

UCSF Medical Center health care specialists. Obtained from:

https://www.ucsfhealth.org/education/increasing_fiber_intake/

WebMD. Obtained from: https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/body-mass-index-bmi-for-

adults