For years now, processed foods have been associated with serious health risks. But did you know that switching to plant-based alternatives can help you offset these health effects?
Experts recommend consuming meals with unprocessed ingredients to lessen the health risks of processed foods. The latest research indicates that switching from animal-based foods to plant-based alternatives is the most efficient way to avoid or significantly minimize health problems.
Environmental and Health Hazards of Processed Foods
Unsplash/Ella Olsson
The World Health Organization defines processed meat as animal products subjected to fermenting, smoking, salting, curing, or different procedures to produce products such as canned meat, sausages, or ham. Processed meat also includes saturated fatty acids, which have the potential to raise the risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. The anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties found in whole grains, legumes, and nuts appear to lessen inflammation.
The current food system, which is primarily dependent on products derived from animals, places a major burden on the environment's resources and contributes to the acceleration of climate change, thereby degrading both the quality and availability of food. The consumption of a diet that is abundant in animal products, particularly red and processed meat, is a significant factor in the development of non-communicable diseases, which are among the leading causes of death in the world.
On the other hand, the environmental degradation and health hazards linked with the production and consumption of food derived from animals have been extensively investigated. A potential option would be to substitute foods derived from animals with alternatives derived from plants.
It has become clear that one of the most effective strategies is to alter dietary habits toward meals derived from plants. The initiative reportedly benefits the general well-being of all humans since it lessens the impact on the environment and reduces the risk of early mortality, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes.
According to previous research, plant-based diets have already been shown to have some positive effects on health. Based on an investigation conducted in May, individuals who followed a plant-based diet had a reduction of 7% in their total cholesterol levels compared to those who consumed both meat and plants.
Similarly, an August 2019 research revealed that consuming greater amounts of plants rather than meat was associated with a longer life and a lower risk of cardiovascular disease.
Furthermore, a recent study found that replacing 50 grams (1.8 ounces) of processed meat per day with 28 grams to 50 grams (1 ounce to 1.8 ounces) of nuts resulted in a 27% reduction in the general rate of heart disease. The investigation found that substituting the meat with the same amount of legumes resulted in a 23% decrease in the risk of heart disease.
Changing from eating 50 grams of processed meat per day to having 10 to 28 grams of nuts per day reportedly resulted in a 22% reduction in the risk of type 2 diabetes. The analysis also concluded that switching butter with olive oil and eggs with nuts was associated with a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Hence, it was further discovered that substituting other dairy products, fish, seafood, or chicken did not significantly link with a lower incidence of heart disease.
