Before the 1800s, plant-based diet was known as the Pythagorean Diet. It was named after the Greek philosopher Pythagoras who extolled the health benefits of vegetarian diet, as well as taught that it is immoral to slaughter animals. He and his followers adhered to a simple diet of bread, vegetables and honey.
Today, the plant-based way of eating has become even more popular not only because of ethical or religious reasons—even its health benefits are not simply limited to preventing diseases and promoting overall health. Plant-based diet has been proven by science to reverse medical conditions such as diabetes, clogged arteries and heart disease, cancer, auto-immune disease, and even chronic kidney disease.
Plant-based diet may come in various forms. Vegan is a diet that consists of plant sources and excludes all animal sources of food including honey. This diet may be practiced due to environmental, ethical, spiritual, and health reasons.
Vegetarian is also known as lacto-vegetarian, ovo-vegetarian, or ovo-lactovegetarian. Lacto means milk and ovo stands for egg. This type of diet includes the consumption of animal milk, dairy products like cheese and eggs in addition to plant food sources.
Pescatarian includes the consumption of fish and other seafood in addition to plant food sources.
The flexitarian diet is predominantly a vegetarian or plant-based way of eating that occasionally allows the consumption of seafood, dairy, and meat intake.
Lastly, the whole-foods, plant-based way of eating is very much similar to vegan but with lower fat intake sans the ethical reasons but focusing more on the health aspect especially in terms of preventing, managing and reversing medical conditions.
Unfortunately, many who claim to be plant-based eaters fail to understand the principles of this type of diet. I like to call them the pseudo plant-based eaters. Pseudo pertaining to not being genuine. A lot of factors can contribute to this. One is getting false information and another is ignorance of the truth.
You don’t eat meat but you load up on french fries or potato chips. Potato is a plant. Does that count? You don’t eat steak but you eat plant-based burger. Is that a healthy alternative?
When asked this question, registered nutritionist dietitian and plantrician Consuelo Domingo replied: “Healthy compared to what? In comparison to meat, I would say meat substitutes, analogs, and plant-based alternatives are healthy. Under the lens of a whole foods plant-based lifestyle, however, it is not.”
Domingo, who is a plant-based advocate and a member of the US Plantrician Project (an organization of clinicians who are empowered by the scientific evidence of the benefits of whole food, plant-based nutrition who use this knowledge as a cornerstone in their respective practices to improve patient health) sheds light on plant-based diet.
“A veggie burger made from wholesome beans, mushrooms, celery, carrots, brown rice using chia seeds or flaxseeds as binder wins in terms of nutritional value over a plant-based burger made from isolated protein and other nutrients,” she says.
Domingo further explains that plant protein isolates can be used as a tool to support a successful transition from your usual diet to a plant-based way of eating. This can be a treat when you dine out. Having it occasionally instead of making it a staple in your everyday food intake.
“I am for educating people on how to transition to a plant predominant diet to promote health and longevity. It is important to know that ultra-processed isolates will never be able to deliver the same health benefits as eating wholesome plant food,” adds Domingo.
Domingo shares that meat substitutes are usually ultra-processed products. Chemicals are added to be able to extract or to isolate a specific nutrient from the plant source. This process compromises the nutritional value of the food.
“Let us take for example the soy isolate. During the isolation process, soy from soybeans is stripped off of its natural nutrients that are needed by our body. These include vitamins, minerals, fiber, isoflavones which are the anti-cancer molecules.”
Domingo recommends a crucial step when grocery shopping. That is to read the nutrition label of products. “Most fake meats contain oil, flavor enhancers, texturizers, preservatives, fillers, sweeteners, binders to preserve the shelf life, as well as mimic the texture and flavor of meat. On the other hand, wholesome plant foods contain carbohydrates, protein, fat plus vitamins, minerals, fiber, phytochemicals, antioxidants, and polysaccharides. All of these nutrients are beneficial to one’s health but absent in ultra-processed foods.”
Being a pseudo plant-based eater isn’t just about meat substitutes. If you are consuming highly processed foods that may come from plant sources, you are not reaping the health benefits of a wholesome, plant-based diet. For instance, most breads and even crackers are made from wheat flour. Wheat is a plant—however, it is no longer considered a wholesome food due to the processing resulting to loss of nutrients and addition of substances like salt, sugar, butter and the like. That is why there is a need for some vitamins and minerals to be added back. Unfortunately, it isn’t the same as those that have been retained naturally with minimal processing. White bread is not considered a wholesome food compared to its homemade counterpart using whole grains and with minimal processing. When choosing your carb sources, bear in mind that highly processed pasta is incomparable to whole grains like oats, quinoa, or even brown rice in terms of nutrient value and health benefits.
Are you a pretentious plant-based eater? It is good to reflect on you food choices and choose wholesome, plant sources most of the time if not all the time.