What is Whole food plant based diet?
- Tímea Sarina
- Nov 21, 2018
- 3 min read
Updated: Nov 27, 2018
A whole-food, plant-based diet is centered on whole, unrefined, or minimally refined plants. It’s a diet based on fruits, vegetables, tubers, whole grains, and legumes; and it excludes or minimizes meat (including chicken and fish), dairy products, and eggs, as well as highly refined foods like bleached flour, refined sugar, and oil.¹
EAT whole plants such as grains, nuts, and fruit
Studies have shown that populations with mostly plant-based diets have longer lifespans.
AVOID animal products such as meat, fish, and dairy
Populations that eat mostly animal products have higher rates of chronic disease.
AVOID processed, artificial foods
These foods can be high in sugar, sodium, trans fats, and preservatives, and are stripped of original nutrients.
AVOID added fats and sugars
Rich, fatty food and sweets offer no nutrients and create addiction-like cravings.²
The idea of eating a particular food for one nutrient is pervasive in our culture. We have been led to believe we should eat meat for protein, dairy for calcium, fish for omega-3 fatty acids, among many others. This sort of thinking is misguided and has caused grave harm to human health. The quest for protein, for example, has steered us toward meat consumption. In this quest, we not only consume protein in excess of our needs, but also many harmful substances like dietary cholesterol that are only present in animal foods.
No food is a single nutrient, and we should never think of foods in that way. Any given food has countless nutrients. What matters most is the overall nutrient profile, i.e., the whole package. Whole, plant-based foods contain all the essential nutrients (with the exception of vitamin B12), and in proportions that are more consistent with human needs than animal-based or processed foods. So our question is really this: Why waste any of what we eat on inferior packages? As long as—over time—we choose a variety of whole, plant-based foods, we will easily meet our nutritional needs.
Even on this diet, people sometimes tend to worry about eating a certain type of green vegetable for calcium, beans for protein, nuts for fat, and so on. We ask you to let go of that kind of thinking. The most important thing in this lifestyle is to choose the whole, plant-based food you enjoy most!¹ This is not a calorie restricted diet: you can enjoy generous portions of a variety of low calorie density foods.
Research shows that plant-based diets are cost-effective, low-risk interventions that may lower body mass index, blood pressure, sugar, and cholesterol levels. They may also reduce the number of medications needed to treat chronic diseases and lower ischemic heart disease mortality rates. Physicians should consider recommending a plant-based diet to all their patients, especially those with high blood pressure, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or obesity.³
We share the views and follow the research of WFPB experts such as Dr Caldwell Esselstyn, Dr John McDougall, Dr Neal Barnard, Prof. T Colin Campbell and dietitian Jeff Novick. We use the term WFPB rather than vegan because a vegan diet can include processed foods and those choosing to eat a WFPB diet do not necessarily embrace the full vegan lifestyle. The focus of WFPB is on the health supporting effects of whole plant foods.
The environmental impact of world livestock production makes it imperative that we urgently downsize this industry. Adopting a WFPB diet is the most significant contribution individuals can make towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions. We also do not support animal violence and suffering. WFPB diet is a sustainable, ethical and healthy choice for ourselves, animals and the planet.⁴
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