7 BENEFITS OF A WFPB DIET

Try it for 4 weeks and feel the difference!

WFPB stands for Whole Foods Plant-Based diet. Although some people might worry that eating plant-based is restrictive, this diet is not about counting calories or restricting any particular macronutrient.

This is a lifestyle that isn't defined by what it excludes, but rather by what it does include — and that's an abundance of the many varieties of whole, unprocessed plant foods!

Leaving the animal products off your plate doesn't have to mean you’re living on side salads. It's all about expanding your diet to include more fruits, vegetable, beans, peas, lentils, whole grains, nuts, and seeds - and there are many benefits to experience by doing so.

Here are the top 7!

While vegan snacks, meats and cheeses do tend to be a little expensive, sticking to the vegan whole foods is actually more economical than relying on even the cheapest meat and dairy products.

By using nutrient-dense staples like whole grains, legumes, and local fresh produce, as well as preparing the majority of our meals at home, we can save a lot of money because these are some of the most affordable foods of the planet.

From a long-term perspective, eating a WFPB diet will also protect us from the expense of treating preventable lifestyle diseases. But for now, here are 15 WFPB lunches and dinners that won't break the bank!

The WFPB diet is not only incredibly rich in Antioxidants and Phytochemicals but also gives your digestive system the necessary fibre

Antioxidants and Phytochemicals work together in our bodies to boost protective enzymes, preventing and healing cell damage that can lead to disease.

The WFPB diet is not only incredibly rich in Antioxidants and Phytochemicals but also gives your digestive system the necessary fibre required for optimum bowel and digestive health.

It's no wonder that eating a WFPB diet is associated with reduced rates of cancer, and has been proven to lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol, improve blood sugar levels in diabetics, and even reverse the signs of heart disease.

Cutting out dairy, along with factory-farmed meat and eggs, is also associated with the alleviation of allergy symptoms, with many whole foods vegans reporting much fewer runny noses and congestion problems.

The WFPB diet is also high in essential vitamins and minerals that we need to stay healthy, such as:

- Vitamin C, which boosts our immune system.

- Vitamin E, which is great for our heart, skin, eyes, and brain, and is believed to aid in the prevention of Alzheimer's Disease.

- Potassium, which balances water and acidity in the body, and stimulates the kidneys to eliminate toxins.

- Folate, which helps with cellular repair and regeneration, as well as the metabolism of amino acids.

- Magnesium, which aids in the absorption of calcium.

Although a lot of people still believe we need animal protein to be healthy, fit and strong, many athletes are making the switch to a WFPB diet because of the positive impact on body composition, endurance, recovery and health.

A wholefoods diet is not only a case of giving your body the protein and nutrients necessary for muscle recovery and repair, but it also ensures you are staying away from processed or adulterated foods that cause inflammation in the body including refined sugars, processed and factory-farmed animal-based products and vegetable-based oils.

By doing this your recovery and future performance will be boosted!

Did you know that our gut health is linked with our mental health? In addition to helping prevent many serious lifestyle diseases, the WFPB diet has a very positive impact on digestion, our emotional states, daily functioning and sense of well-being.

Ensuring you stick to wholefoods that are going to give you a source of both soluble and insoluble fibre, along with prebiotics from plants, are all effective strategies in feeding your gut microbiome.

Better yet, enjoying fermented vegetables on a regular basis will provide a fast track route to optimal gut health! Here's an article on how to easily make fermented veges at home!

Want to know more about your gut microbiome? Find out here.

WFPB foods are high in fibre, nutrients and generally have a high water content - meaning it takes far fewer calories for us to feel full, nourished and totally satisfied. Eating foods in their whole, unprocessed state also makes it much easier for our bodies to stay in touch with satiation signals.

When we remove chemical additives and flavourings from our diet, it actually becomes quite challenging to overeat - which means it's much easier to maintain a healthy body composition while enjoying delicious food without restriction. 

After switching to a WFPB diet, many women are amazed to find that their once terrible PMS symptoms are much less intense

Did you know that it's standard practice in the meat industry to give animals hormones to speed their growth? Eating these animals and their by-products means you also consume those added hormones - not to mention the high levels of cortisol found in factory farmed meat.

Consuming factory-farmed meat, eggs and dairy can potentially disrupt the natural balance of your hormones and even potentially contribute to the growth of tumours.

After switching to a WFPB diet, many women are amazed to find that their once terrible PMS symptoms are much less intense, or have completely disappeared. Naked Food Magazine has some great WFPB diet tips for happy hormones.

"The real war against climate is being fought on our plates, multiple times a day with every food choice we make." - Nil Zacharias, co-founder and editor-in-chief of One Green Planet

Factory Farmed animal agriculture is one of the world's most significant sources of greenhouse gasses and a leading cause of climate change.

Growing plants uses far fewer resources than growing animals, so even if you didn't become 100% plant-based, cutting back on animal products could make a real difference to the environment.

Eating a WFPB diet helps us take environmental sustainability one step further than eating vegan, because sticking to whole foods means that we can buy in bulk, reducing our use of single-serve plastic packaging that comes with refined-food consumer products.

Now that you know the facts about eating a whole food plant-based diet, it's time to start salivating over some recipes ideas! Think this way of eating sounds boring and bland? Think again - these 15 recipes are easy, satisfying and incredibly delicious!