Category: Health & lifestyle

Is Plant-Based Eating Healthy?

It’s a debate as old as veganism itself: is plant-based eating healthy?

Some argue that vegan diets lack essential nutrients, while others point to the health benefits of cutting out animal products.

So what’s the truth? There’s no simple answer, as veganism is a lifestyle rather than a diet.

In this article, we’ll give you our take on the matter and discuss some crucial points to consider, in case you’re someone who’s considering the vegan approach.

Let’s learn!

What Is Plant-Based Eating?

So what does plant-based eating actually entail? To put it simply, plant-based eating is a diet that focuses on consuming whole, unprocessed plants.

This includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds.

Now, you might be thinking “wait a second, doesn’t that just mean veganism?”

Well, not necessarily.

While veganism is a type of plant-based diet (one that excludes all animal products), there are many other plant-based diets out there that allow for some (though little) animal products.

For example, pescatarians eat fish and seafood in addition to plants, while flexitarians (flexible vegetarians) occasionally include meat and dairy in their otherwise plant-heavy diets.

Certainly, though, the plant-based lifestyle has its pros and cons, so let’s have a look at those.

Pros

There’s been a recent surge of interest in plant-based diets and for good reason.

With all of the delicious options now available, it’s easy to see why more and more people are making the switch.

However, there’s one key advantage that often gets overlooked: the ability to choose whether or not to consume animal products.

For some people, this is simply a matter of preference.

They may prefer the taste of plant-based foods, or they may want to reduce their impact on the environment.

Others may have ethical concerns about consuming animal products.

Whatever the reason, the plant-based diet provides a unique level of flexibility that is the plant-based equivalent of your normal “Flexible dieting” approach.

Dr. Christine Kirlew, a renowned food scientist and nutrition expert, explains plant-based eating quite simply:

“With a plant-based diet, it’s up to you whether or not to consume animal products, and the balance is mostly in favor of foods that come from plant sources”

Cons

It’s no secret that protein is an essential nutrient for human health. It plays a role in everything from muscle growth to immune function, and it can be found in a variety of food groups.

However, not all protein is created equal.

Animal foods, such as meat, milk, and eggs, tend to have the highest quality protein, while plant-based foods generally have lower levels of this important nutrient.

This is one of the biggest disadvantages of plant-based diets.

Not only do they limit the amount of animal protein that people can consume, but they also don’t provide the same quality of protein that animal foods do.

As a result, people who follow a plant-based diet may need to supplement their diet with other sources of protein, such as soy or whey powder.

What Is “Healthy Eating,” Even?

What is healthy eating? Some might say it’s about loading up on kale and quinoa, while others might argue that it’s all about balance.

But the truth is, healthy eating is about providing the body with the essential nutrients that it can’t produce on its own, from quality sources.

This means eating a variety of nutrient-rich foods, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats.

It also means choosing foods that are minimally processed and free from harmful additives.

By following these simple guidelines, you can make sure that your body is getting the nutrients it needs to function at its best.

Is the plant-based diet the most optimal way to do this? Well, likely not. But if in your experience it’s an approach that seems easy and you can stick to it in the long term, then go for it!

And again, if that is the case, make sure to include a variety of different plant foods, because variety is key with this approach to nutrition!

Final Thoughts

So, what do you think? Are plant-based diets healthy?

There’s a lot of information out there and it can be hard to know who or what to believe.

But one thing is for sure – we all need to find the approach we can stick to in the long term.

This is what truly yields good results, both for our fitness, health, and overall quality of life.

What’s your favorite plant-based dish? Comment below!

5 Surprising Facts About Sleep

Sleep: we all do it, and we all love it. But there’s a lot about sleep that we don’t know.

From its effects on our health to the role it plays in our dreams, sleep is a fascinating subject.

Here are five surprising facts about sleep that will leave you wondering why you didn’t learn this stuff in school.

#1 A Third Of Our Lives Goes To Sleep!

Most people are aware that they don’t sleep as much as they should.

What they may not realize, though, is that poor sleep habits can cost them a lot of time, regardless of whether they’re over or undersleeping.

Optimizing your sleeping habits is important for two reasons.

First, it can help you to wake up feeling rested and refreshed, meaning that doing certain things will take you less time.

Oppositely, when you don’t get enough sleep, your body feels fatigued and your mind is foggy.

This can lead to excessive daytime napping, which can eat into your productivity and cost you time.

In the best-case scenario, you’d sleep about 6-8 hours, meaning that 25-30% of your life, you will spend asleep!

#2 Sleep Is Essential For Good Health

When we think of recovery, we often think of massages, good nutrition, and meditation.

However, our bodies recover in many ways and one of the most important is during sleep.

Sleep is essential for good health because that’s the state during which the body is in its deepest recovery.

When we are asleep, our bodies repair damaged cells, replenish energy stores, and release hormones that help to promote growth and development.

In addition, sleep helps to improve mood, memory, and cognitive function.

As you can see, there are many reasons why sleep is essential for good health, and the best part is… We don’t entirely understand sleep, yet!

#3 Sleep Has Different Stages

Getting a good night’s sleep is essential for both physical and mental health, but many people don’t realize that sleep is not a single, continuous state.

In fact, sleep is made up of different stages that cycle throughout the night. The first stage of sleep is called N1, or non-REM sleep.

This stage is light sleep from which a person can be easily awakened.

N2 is the second stage of sleep (also non-rem), and it is characterized by deeper relaxation and occasional bursts of brain activity called sleep spindles.

The third stage of sleep, known as N3 or slow-wave sleep, is thought to be the deepest and most restorative stage of sleep.

During this stage, the brain produces slow Delta waves and is less responsive to external stimuli.

Finally, REM (rapid eye movement) sleep is the dreaming stage of sleep during which our eyes rapidly move back and forth.

This stage is critical for learning and memory consolidation, emotional processing and healthy brain development.

#4 Some People Dream In Black & White

Some people dream in black and white. Most of the time.

Dreams are strange things, anyway – a jumble of images, feelings, and memories that seem to make no sense at all.

But dreaming in black and white is even stranger. It’s like watching an old movie, or looking at a photograph from a long time ago.

Everything is in shades of gray, without any color at all. People who dream in black and white say that it’s just as vivid as dreaming in color.

They can see all the details, and it feels just as real as any other dream. But there’s something about it that feels different, too.

It’s like looking at the world through a different lens. Maybe it’s because black and white dreams are more like memories than regular dreams.

Or maybe it’s because they’re so rare. Either way, dreaming in black and white is a fascinating phenomenon!

#5 You Can Control Your Dreams

Dreams. Everybody has them. Every night, we journey into the land of slumber, and our mind conjures up all sorts of strange and wonderful things.

But what if you could learn to control your dreams? Lucid dreaming is a technique that allows you to do just that.

With practice, you can learn to become aware that you are dreaming, and then take control of the dreamscape.

Want to fly like Superman? No problem. Feel like having a chat with specific people from your past, present, or future? Easy peasy.

Lucid dreaming takes time to learn but it is a skill that can be mastered by anyone with a bit of patience and practice.

So why not give it a try? Who knows what sort of adventures await you in the land of dreams?

Final Thoughts

Sleep is a crucial part of our lives, and yet it remains shrouded in mystery.

We’re still learning new things about sleep all the time, and we hope you found these five facts as fascinating as we did.

What do you think is the most surprising thing about sleep? Let us know in the comments!