How was your summer? Did you go to the beach a lot? Maybe you went on a nice vacation with your family? Did you go to any barbecues or cookouts? Did you have a few cheeseburgers and hot dogs? If you're like me then you probably had more than a few burgers and dogs this summer. But if you're also like me you're getting tired of eating meat all the time and want to switch to a healthier, more plant-based diet. Well, I found plenty of great reasons for switching to a plant-based diet of whole food that you can help boost your health and get you past that summertime sluggishness.

A Plant-Based Diet Helps Lower Blood Pressure

If you're eating a lot of meat, then most likely you're increasing your blood pressure. Certain meats like steak, burgers, and other red meats are high in saturated fats, sodium, and cholesterol, and can affect your health negatively.

If you are eating a plant-based diet, you automatically have lower blood pressure due to a higher intake of potassium-rich foods. Potassium can help lower blood pressure that leads to less chance of heart, brain, and kidney diseases. You can find potassium in whole grains, seeds, legumes, nuts and all fruits and vegetables. Meat and most animal products contain little to no potassium and actually can raise your blood pressure and cholesterol. If you struggle with high blood pressure, cut out those meats and find some potassium-rich plant-based foods.

Lose Weight Adopting a Plant-Based Diet

If you're looking to lose some of those extra pounds you might've gained this summer, switching to a plant-based diet is a huge help in that regard. A plant-based diet can help to promote weight loss and help to achieve and maintain your goal weight. Weight loss commonly occurs because the diet consists of foods that are full of fiber and have a high water content, which promotes the feeling of fullness. Most vegetables and other plant-based foods are high in fiber and contain high water content. Legumes are also a great place to start if you want to ease into plant-based eating.

You’ll not only pack plenty of protein into your diet but also ward off cravings by staying fuller for longer. Regular consumption of legumes such as peas, beans, and peanuts can help fill you up the healthy way. 

You'll Reduce the Risk of Diabetes

Eating red meat can increase the risk for diabetes. Why would meat cause type 2 diabetes? Some of the ingredients in red meat such as animal fat, animal-based iron, and nitrate preservatives have been found to damage pancreatic cells, worsen inflammation, and impair the way our insulin functions. You can lessen your chances of getting type 2 diabetes by leaving animal products off of your plate and eating a diet based in plant-based foods. This is especially true if you eat whole grains, which are highly protective against type 2 diabetes. Also, a plant-based diet can improve or even reverse your diabetes if you’ve already been diagnosed. If you want to keep diabetes at bay, make sure you're following the right diet.

Eat More Veggies to Reduce Risk of Cancer

A low fat, whole foods plant-based diet is the number one way to improve your chances at avoiding cancer risks (while also avoiding smoking and alcohol, of course). Animal foods have been linked to cancer, especially colon and breast cancer. The American Cancer Society has even published their recommendations that cancer survivors should follow “prudent diets,” which are plant-based diets that are high in fruits, vegetables and unrefined grains. At the same time they should avoid red and processed meats, refined grains, and sugars.

Most of the diets we eat in America are not natural and contain lots of fats and processed sugars. By switching to a plant-based diet, you are avoiding artificial sweeteners and preservatives that have been linked to cancer-causing agents. When you eat plant-based you are eating only natural ingredients made from the earth with nothing artificial added in. You don't need artificial ingredients, only natural ones.

You'll Feel More Energized and Alert

Feeling more energized and alert is another benefit of following a plant-based diet. The standard American diet is filled with processed foods, sugar, and white flour, which de-energize your system and make you fatigued. These foods cause spikes and rapid declines in sugar levels, which can result in spurts of energy followed by extreme tiredness.

The same thing happens when you eat lots of different meats that are high in fats, salts, and sugars. Animal foods are more difficult to digest because they don't contain as many important fibers. When the digestive system becomes overwhelmed, it sucks all the energy right out of you. Eating a plant-based diet is a great way to enhance your energy since digestion is much easier thanks to those fibers and certain plant-based foods contain energizing properties.  If you really want to give your energy levels a boost, stay away from the meats and head towards the greens.

Plant-Based Diets Reduce Inflammation

When you eat highly processed, artificial foods, you are increasing the levels of inflammation in your body. Chronic inflammation has been linked to the development of many different heart diseases, as well as, other health issues. Plant-based diets, however, are anti-inflammatory because they are high in fiber, antioxidants, and much lower in things like saturated fat and toxins. Studies have shown that people who adopt plant-based diets can dramatically lower their level of C-reactive protein (CRP), an indicator of inflammation in the body. If you want cut back on inflammation in your body, try switching to a plant-based diet and you'll see the results.

So, Where to Start?

If you really want to improve your overall health, try switching to a plant-based diet and you'll see a plethora of positive changes. A plant-based diet is a natural way to keep yourself nourished but also keeping yourself healthier for longer, combine it with vitamin IV therapy and you'll get the right nutrients your body needs to be stronger.

We all enjoy eating meats and animal products but a lot of them are not good for us and can cause active damage to our bodies. We only get one body to use, so why not treat it right with the right nutrition? Your body will thank you for it.