What is a Plant Predominant Diet?

Michael Pollen said it best: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”

Eating more whole plants foods – whole grains, legumes, vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds – and fewer processed foods and meat is linked to a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, hypertension, high cholesterol, cancer and obesity (1)(2)(3).

The benefits of substituting even a single serving of processed meat with beans or whole grains is substantial, reducing cardiovascular risks like stroke, heart attack and heart disease by around 30% (1). And that’s just from one serving.

That is why Lifestyle Medicine Maine promotes a Plant Predominant dietary pattern. We’re not saying no meat, dairy or sweets. We recommend moderation, and increased whole plant foods in the diet, to reduce overall risk and, in some cases, reverse chronic illnesses like type 2 diabetes, pre-diabetes, and hypertension.

We tailor our diet and lifestyle recommendations to your individualized goals. For some people, simply reducing processed foods and increasing vegetables may be enough. It all depends on where our starting point is and how much benefit we are looking to achieve. There’s no one-size fits all approach. You’re ultimately in control.

Plant predominant dietary patterns are versatile, ranging from moderate macronutrient combinations to high carbohydrate or high fat. Based on available evidence, the benefit appears to come from a combination of increased dietary fiber and phytonutrients along with reduced consumption of artery clogging saturated fat, low-nutrient processed grains, excessive sodium and added sugars.

I recently finished the Stanford Nutrition Course taught by Professor Christopher Gardner, co-author of the SWAP-MEAT trial (4).

SWAP-MEAT (The Study With Appetizing Plantfood—Meat Eating Alternatives Trial) was a single-site, randomized crossover trial with no washout period. Participants received Plant and Animal products, dietary counseling, lab assessments, microbiome assessments, and anthropometric measurements. Participants were instructed to consume ≥2 servings/d of Plant compared with Animal for 8 wk each, while keeping all other foods and beverages as similar as possible between the 2 phases.

The trial showed that substituting as few as 2.5 servings of processed plant-based meat substitutes can improve LDL-cholesterol, weight and TMAO levels (4). So, even processed plant foods are linked to an overall benefit.

While many of us understand the inherent benefit of eating more whole plant foods, we often struggle to implement dietary changes because our current systems need to adapt. Dietary changes take practice if we want them to stick for the long-term. Here at Lifestyle Medicine Maine, it's not about will power. It's about sustainability and small actionable steps that snowball into successful goal attainment.

If you’re looking for professional guidance, structure, and biomarker monitoring then you’ve come to the right place. Schedule your new patient visit today to get started towards better health. There’s no better time then now.

References

1. Substitution of animal-based with plant-based foods on cardiometabolic health and all-cause mortality: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies. Neuenschwander et al. BMC Medicine (2023).

2. Type 2 Diabetes Remission and Lifestyle Medicine: A Position Statement From the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. Kelly et al. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine (2020).

3. American Cancer Society Guideline for Diet and Physical Activity for Cancer Prevention. Rock et al. Cancer Journal for Clinicians (2020).

4. A randomized crossover trial on the effect of plant-based compared with animal-based meat on trimethylamine-N-oxide and cardiovascular disease risk factors in generally healthy adults: Study With Appetizing Plantfood—Meat Eating Alternative Trial (SWAP-MEAT). Crimarco et al. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2020).

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