Why is a diet full of plant foods important

For years, Researchers were studying Regions around the world with the largest centenarians.

After all, if you want to reveal the secrets of a long and healthy life, why not ask someone who has already crossed the century mark?

They found a common food thread amongst people who lived the longest: a whole diet that was plant-focused and filled with legumes such as beans, blackbeans, and soybeans, as well as lentils.

It’s a simple way to support healthy aging, yet a Western diet usually includes a lot of processed foods and almost not enough plants, says Darren Olin, co-founder. Shakeology He co-hosted the Netflix documentary series “Down to Earth with Zac Efron”, which visited some of these areas.

Over time, this diet pattern can contribute to weight gain It affects our general health and our immunity.

This is one reason why Olin, a superfood hunter, has traveled the world in search of the most nutrient-dense foods: to help fill the nutritional gaps in our diet.

Benefits of eating whole foods

When life gets hectic, it can be hard to resist the convenience of microwave dinners and fast food.

But these highly processed foods are often loaded with added sugars, salt, fats, and preservatives.

On the other hand, whole foods are processed as little as possible, so they are as close as possible to their natural state.

Olin says it’s the way nature intended us to eat. This is important because Mother Nature knows more about nutrition than we do.

When you follow a whole food-based diet full of whole vegetables and fruits, you’ll get rich fiber with a variety of important vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients to help support overall health and Benefits heart health.

The power of phytonutrients

In particular, whole foods provide a variety of phytonutrients – plant compounds that play an important role in helping keep us healthy.

Many of these bioactive compounds are believed to have it Antioxidant properties That supplement the benefits of vitamins and minerals.⁴

When you eat whole foods rich in nutrients, you reap the benefits.Nutritional synergy“ – the idea that these bioactive compounds could do that It works with other nutrients To help increase the nutritional effect.

For example, camu camu – a super fruit found in the Amazon rainforest – contains more vitamin C than nearly any other food on the planet, says Olien.

But in its natural and fresh state, it also provides minerals, amino acids, fatty acids, and antioxidant properties that together offer more health benefits than vitamin C on its own.

Goji berries, which have been used since ancient times throughout Asia for wellness, are another source of vitamin C – but these berries are also packed with phytonutrients with antioxidant properties that you wouldn’t get from a simple vitamin C supplement.

While scholars have identified Thousands of different phytonutrientsEach of them has its own unique benefits, Olin explains, that they likely won’t recognize all of them, making it impossible to replicate their benefits.

Kale – touted as a popular superfood – also contains powerful phytonutrients and antioxidant properties not found outside of cruciferous vegetables.

Maca, a cruciferous plant that is considered a staple food in Peru, contains secondary metabolites Just It is found in maca.

When it comes to giving your body the nutrients it needs, focus on eating a variety of whole foods to help ensure that you are getting the most potential benefits from the phytonutrients.

And if your kitchen isn’t filled with Amazonian super fruits, Shakeology offers a unique blend of ingredients based on whole food – “some of the best that Mother Nature has to offer, in a powerful formula where all of these ingredients work together synergistically to help benefit your health,” Olin says.

Check out our video with Darren Olin above to learn more about the importance of a diet based on whole foods and super foods packed with favorite phytonutrients he found on his travels.