Can A Plant-Based Diet Prevent Chronic Illness?

Check out this piece I wrote for The Chalkboard about plant-based diets and how they can help with chronic illness and overall health:

Maybe all of your friends are vegan or vegetarian — I know many of mine are. We’ve all heard of the health benefits associated with eating this way and yes, they are true. But what if you are not ready to transition to all plants all the time or simply don’t want to follow a plant-only diet you may ask yourself, Where does that leave me?

I’m here to tell you there are many options and ‘plant-forward eating’ is one of them. A plant-based diet has been described as a pattern of eating where the focus is on consuming foods from plants — specifically, vegetables (both starchy and non-starchy), fruits, whole grains, pulses, nuts and seeds. Animal products become the accompaniment, not the main. It’s a reframing of the standard Western plate that is often planned around animal protein with small helpings of non-starchy vegetables. Plant-forward eating allows you to reap nutritional benefits, including a decreased risk of diet-related chronic illnesses. Eating this way fuels the majority of your body’s energy from nutrient-rich sources.