Healthy Living in Connecticut Blog
The Benefits of Plant Based Eating
I lost weight and a lot of people know about it. But what is more significant in my eyes is my transition to 100 percent plant based eating. I could have done my yo-yo dieting that I did in the past but that would have been only a temporary fix. What I wanted was something that would improve my blood pressure without needing medication and avoid diabetes. After a lot of research, I realized that plant based eating was the way to go.
So what did being plant based do for me? Take a look at some of these significant items:
1. I lost 150 pounds. Although the weight loss is a nice side note to all the benefits, that was the most obvious difference when people saw me.
2. I successfully reversed my hypertension. My readings were like 140 over 100 or more at the doctors back in 2012. Some of my most recent readings average 110/60 or 70. This is important to me because I did nt want to take medication, and I avoided it by switching to a whole food plant based diet.
3. I probably was pre-diabetic. Although I was never formally diagnosed with it, I know I had a lot of the symptoms. I remember especially the neuropathy in my feet. It would be so painful when I drove. Even just sitting at the desk would trigger it. Once I got healthy, the neuropathy went away!
4. My energy level increased so much that now I'm able to run. When I was heavy, I could barely make it up the stairs. Who'd ever think someone like that could now be doing races? I never would have thought I could do it 7 years ago!
5. I also became a vegan in the process. What was for health has also become a passion to help the animals. Now I won't use any animal products, at least to my knowledge. I feel good knowing that I'm not part of the problem when people talk about the environment. I love helping others transition to being vegan and plant based now.
these are just a handful of benefits to switching to plant based eating. Yes, it's scary at first giving up the foods you like but the cravings go away. I truly love the foods I eat now and would never want to go back to my old way of eating.
About the author
Richard Hubbard was once over 350 pounds. After a doctor's physical and finding out he was pre-hypertensive, he decided to make changes and avoid medication. Over the course of a year, Rich lost the first 120 pounds of his incredible 150 pound weight loss. He ate healthy foods based on Dr. Joel Fuhrman's book "Eat To Live". He was mostly plant based, but switched to completely plant based in September of 2016. He also became a vegan in the process as his compassion for animals increased. He credits bodybuilder Robert Cheeke for influencing his decision of going vegan. Rich aspires to be a vegan bodybuilder and is planning his first half marathon this year.