Are you feeling tired, sluggish, stressed, in pain, unmotivated, irritable, anxious, depressed or bloated? How about feeling like a combination of all of the above? Are you frustrated because you feel as though you’ve tried and done everything to address these problems but they’re still there, and perhaps they’re getting worse? Despite what you see on social media, you may be surprised to know that you’re not alone in feeling this way. Many other people feel this way too and struggle with these symptoms in silence each and every day. So what’s causing so many people, especially Americans living in the United States, to feel so sick? The answer is both simple and complicated; they’re SAD, as in people are eating the standard American diet on a regular if not daily basis.
Rich in saturated fats from animal products, trans fat from deep fried foods, and a variety of food like products such as American cheese which is rich in toxic preservatives, the standard American diet is full of everything it shouldn’t be full of lacking almost everything that’s nutritious and beneficial for the body, such as fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants. Many people may not realize it, but the foods they’re eating have a direct and major impact on the ways in which they feel, both physically, emotionally, and mentally. Suffice to say, it shouldn’t really be a surprise then that a poor diet leads to poor physical healthy a poor state of mind.
Eating the standard American diet is a surefire way to decrease the quality of your life in nearly every aspect. The best way to improve your health is through diet. After all, food is medicine! That doesn’t mean that food has to taste bad or that eating healthy is a pain. Nope, not at all. In fact, this way of thinking is actually quite outdated. It’s important to realize that changing one’s perspective of food is the key, not yo yo or fad dieting. In fact, completely forget the word dieting. Rather, think of food and your relationship to it as a lifestyle.
More and more people, including celebrities and professional athletes, are switching to plant based diets and lifestyles for both health and moral reasons. A typical plant based diet is void of most if not all animal products, which includes meat, fish, dairy, and even honey. Here are just a few out of many reasons to transition into a more plant based diet.
You’ll feel a lot better…duh
Though there may be underlying medical conditions that are contributing to the symptoms mentioned earlier, you’d be surprised by how much food can contribute to these feelings. Eating an organic, plant based diet void of unhealthy fats, high levels of sodium, toxic pesticide residue, genetically modified ingredients, and harmful preservatives does wonders in terms of your overall health and well being. You’ll begin to have more energy, more drive, and you’ll even look younger too! Not to mention plant based diets significantly reduce if not completely eliminate the risk of developing chronic disease such as heart disease, high blood pressure, or diabetes.
Never get bored with food
Diets can be and feel highly restrictive. But just think about all the new and amazing foods you can eat if you’re living a plant based lifestyle. From true leaves microgreens, to all types of edible flowers, to different kinds of exotic fruit and more. True leaves can be prepared in a number of ways to bring out their flavor, but many people eat true leaves and other greens raw in order to absorb the maximum amount of vitamins and minerals.
You won’t feel gross after you eat
Everyone knows the heavy, sleepy feeling after eating a big, fatty meal. Imagine being able to eat a large plate of food such of true leaves, vegetable protein, and healthy grains without the gross or tired feeling afterwards? That’s because true leaves, greens, and other plant based foods are low in fat and easy to digest compared to fatty foods and meat based meals. Eating a plant based diet makes going to the bathroom a lot easier too!