Plant Forward Eating: What It Is All About, Its Pros And Cons?

What is Plant Forward Eating?

This is a systematic way of encouraging more greens in our daily eating habits, but not necessarily a vegetarian diet. It doesn’t completely cut off meat from the diet, but finds healthier plant based replacements like vegetable, fruits, nuts, whole grains, pulses and legumes, soy, etc.

Pros of Plant Forward Eating

• Plant based diet is associated with consumption of vitamin C, E, fiber, folic acid, magnesium which reduces build-up of toxins and oxidative stress that is often linked to increased life span.

• Plant foods are cholesterol-free and comparatively high in fibre and resistant starches which is good for overall physical fitness and heart.
• Soluble and insoluble fibers help to bind with toxins for its effective elimination from body.
• Plant foods also contain fibers which help in maintaining gut micro-flora improving our gut health by acting as prebiotic.

• It is also free from antibodies and growth hormones which are injected in animals and is the safest way to maintain a healthy body mass index.
• Plant sources also contain various phytonutrients which help in prevention of various lifestyle related diseases.
• Plant Forward Eating improves our gut health by aiding better digestion and supply of proteins, vitamins, minerals, fibre which are missing from an animal diet.
• Vegetarian diet is healthy, tasty and good for our overall health, weight, heart health and immunity.

Cons of Plant Forward Eating

• Plant based diet lacks the quality and variety of protein lacking in one or more essential amino acids. It needs to be consumed more in quantity and on a larger scale due to its low absorption in the body.
• Consumption of red meat is also significantly related to increase in prevalence in colon cancers.
• Meat and dairy products contain Vitamin B12 & Iron, calcium which is missing in plant based foods. Plant forward eating can lead to deficiency of these nutrients. Vitamin B12 deficiency can cause tingling numbness paralysis, neurological problems, anemia and can also result in death.
• Proteins and fibers from plants hamper digestion and affect absorption of nutrients in the body.

Plant based and animal based diets both have their pros and cons. A healthy and wholesome diet should be adapted in our lifestyle as per our needs and preference, be it vegetarian, non vegetarian or a mix of both.