When we hear of people making the switch to a whole food plant-based diet, we are always interested to hear their reasons why. What we hear back tends to run along some common threads so we thought it might be useful to outline the five main reasons people make the shift to a plant-based diet. Whatever your initial reason for making the switch may be, learning about all of the other good reasons to live a plant-based lifestyle can serve as motivation to make your switch permanent. You will find a great selection of recipes in our our new book Plant Based Cooking Made Easy.
1: Your Health
For many people, the first time they consider a plant-based diet is because their doctor has just returned with a diagnosis of a major chronic health issue (or issues) like high blood pressure, type II diabetes, obesity, high cholesterol, or heart disease. All of the latest nutrition research is pointing to this same undeniable truth: human beings are built to thrive on a whole food plant-based diet.
2: Your Family
We have seen time and again that one person in a family successfully making the switch to a plant-based diet, even when initially met with skepticism and outright resistance, can have a huge impact on the family’s health long term. First and foremost, make the switch for yourself, but know for certain that your transformation will not go unnoticed by the people in your life.
3: Your Wallet
Take a moment right now and tally up the total cost of your monthly prescriptions for preventable chronic illnesses like hypertension, type II diabetes, heart disease, and autoimmune diseases, as well as related co-pays, coinsurance, and deductibles for doctor visits and procedures. Now add that total to your weekly grocery bill. It is a safe bet that any negligible difference in grocery costs from buying fresh food and ditching the cheap pre-processed food will be easily offset in medical costs savings long term.
4: Your Environment
Climate scientists the world over have come to the undeniable consensus view that the single largest contributor to climate change in modern society is the animal agricultural industry.
5: Your Heart & Soul
The simple act of changing our diet and removing all animal products lets us each individually choose to end our participation in the concerning ethics of raising animals exclusively for human consumption, a practice which oftentimes exposes animals to inhumane conditions. By choosing to go plant-based, you take a step towards a world filled with health and well-being, not only for ourselves but for all living creatures on Earth.
Conclusion
Every time we produce a new recipe on our show, we bake in all of the collective wisdom of these five reasons. We know that each person that watches our video and tries the recipe is another person, eating one more meal, that is filled with the conscious intention to live in harmony with the natural world and take our rightful place in the fabric of life. We invite you to make 2021 the year you permanently make the switch to a whole food plant-based diet and join the growing multitudes that experience all of the wondrous benefits this lifestyle has to offer.
Jill Dalton & Jeffrey Dalton are the visionaries behind The Whole Food Plant Based Cooking Show, a YouTube channel and media platform. The couple knew, after making the switch to a whole food plant based diet and experiencing profound changes in their own health, they needed to share the power of a plant based diet with the world. Together over the past 5 years they have been creating the popular cooking show from their home kitchen in Cary, NC. Jill hosts the show and shares her mastery for creating tasty and easy to prepare recipes that incorporate all of the leading research on plant based nutrition. Jeffrey works behind the scenes writing, designing, filming, producing, and supporting the technical aspects of the show. Find out more about them on their website.
