The Benefits of Plant-Based Diets

Plants are chock-full of essential nutrients your body needs. Building your diet around them can improve your overall health and the health of the planet, too.

What’s more, plant-based diets can work for everyone. They’re uniquely flexible, allowing you to capitalize on their health benefits without feeling restricted.

Discover the physical and mental benefits of a plant-based diet and, more importantly, how you can seamlessly implement it into your mealtimes. To lead an even more plant-forward lifestyle, consider adding another plant product to your routine: CBD.

What Is a Plant-Based Diet?

Plant-based diets simply require you to incorporate more whole and plant-based foods into your meals. They also suggest you reduce your intake of animal products and processed foods.

Plant-based meals include fruits and vegetables along with:

Nuts and seeds
Whole grains
Beans and legumes

While these diets emphasize the importance of plant-based nutrition for overall health, they don’t condemn animal product or meat consumption. Many people find that as you add more plant-based foods to your diet, you’ll naturally gravitate towards them.

Types of Plant-Based Diets

Many people confuse plant-based diets for strictly vegan or vegetarian diets. While these do incorporate some of the same essential aspects, plant-based diets encompass other food choices too.

Let’s explore a few distinct plant-based diets and what they have to offer:

Mediterranean – Many studies have examined how the Mediterranean diet yields reduced risk of multiple health complications, from high cholesterol to diabetes. Plant-based foods build the foundation of this diet, but the Mediterranean diet also incorporates whole foods like fish, eggs and dairy products in moderation.
Vegetarian – Vegetarians eat plant-based foods and animal products, excluding meats.
Pescatarian – This diet closely resembles the vegetarian diet with the addition of fish and seafood, a healthy source of proteins and fats.
Vegan – A vegan diet consists only of plant-based foods, excluding both meat consumotion and all animal products such as dairy foods and eggs.

You also have the option to design your own healthy diet using plant-based foods and principles. Change your diet’s meat-to-plant ratio, cut out red meats but keep the poultry or eat vegetarian once a week — it’s all up to you.

Reasons to Switch to a Plant-Based Diet

Plant-based diets benefit your physical health, mental well-being and the world around you.

Here are a few reasons why so many people choose to eat more fruits and veggies (and grains, nuts and legumes):

Improved heart health – A plant-based diet can help you manage blood pressure and other important markers of a healthy heart.
Boosted brain health – Many plants and vegetables contain rich profiles of vitamin A, vitamin C and other essential nutrients that can improve brain function and memory. Brain-boosting super foods include leafy greens such as kale, spinach and broccoli, as well as berries and walnuts.
Weight management– Many people adopt plant-based diets to help with weight loss and reduce the risks of weight-related health complications.
Going green (in more ways than one) – Eating your greens can make the planet a little greener too. According to a study completed by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Health, plant-based diets are linked to a healthier environment. Plant foods require less land, irrigation water and fertilizer to produce. Producing them also emits far fewer greenhouse gasses than red and processed meat production.

Whether you want to feel healthier, sharpen your mind or reduce your carbon footprint, plant-based eating may be the answer.

How to Eat More Plant-Based Foods

Now that you know how a plant-based diet can improve so many aspects of your life, how do you start one?

Adopt any of these plant-based eating strategies into your meal planning to create an attainable and delicious healthy diet that works for you:

Follow the “healthy eating plate” model – This meal visualization method prompts you to fill half your plate with fruits and veggies, with an even ratio of grains and protein foods filling the other half.
Swap processed foods for whole grains – Instead of eating white bread and other highly processed foods, opt for whole-grain alternatives such as oats, brown rice and quinoa.
Eat more healthy fats – Plant-based foods such as olive oil, nuts, seeds and avocados all contain healthy fats that help with gut health and blood sugar regulation. Try adding avocado toast to your morning ritualor swapping your canola oil for olive oil when you cook.
Cook meatless meals once a week – Fully committing to a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle doesn’t work for everyone. Establishing “meatless Mondays” or designating regular meat-free meals can make vegetarianism feel more attainable for current meat eaters.
Snack on fruits and veggies – Instead of turning to sweets and processed foods at snack time, munch on some healthy, energizing snacks like fruits and veggies. Stick to your favorites or find new and exciting kinds to try during your next grocery store trip. This is also a good tip for how to stay healthy while traveling - rather than snacking on your favorite candies and chips on a road trip, pack a fruit medley or some vegetables and hummus.

Transition slowly from your current diet, gradually introducing new plant-based foods and meal plans until you feel comfortable and confident.

Incorporating CBD into Your Plant-Based Diet

Looking for a specific plant that offers holistic wellness benefits? Try hemp.

Hemp is a variant of the Cannabis sativa L. plant. It contains negligible amounts of THC, the main psychoactive component found in cannabis. Instead, hemp holds value for its high cannabidiol or CBD content.

Growers can extract CBD oil from the hemp plant and add it to a variety of CBD products including CBD topicals, gummies, hemp pills and more.

Consuming CBD (or applying it topically) can support many of your body’s most essential functions, including:

Sleep
Heart health
Stress management
Mood
Exercise recovery

While CBD doesn’t provide plant-based nutrition like plant-based meals do, it fuels your mind and body in other important ways. Try pairing CBD with other healthy habits, like meditation and yoga for mental health or other peaceful homeactivities.

Complement Your Plant-Based Diet with Zebra CBD

Plant-based diets help support your overall health and well-being. So can CBD. For premium products you can trust to elevate your healthy living, choose Zebra CBD.

We’re committed to providing you with targeted relief for sleep, stress, mood and tension. Our condition-specific products combine CBD with other well-known dietary supplements such as magnesium, L-theanine and lemon balm to enhance their individual effects and maximize their benefits.

For soothing sleep, try our Sleep Support Gummies. And to melt away worries, choose our Tension and Stress Tablets.

With Zebra CBD, you know exactly what you’re getting. We only source hemp from trusted farms based in the USA, and we’re the only CBD company with a Label Accuracy Guarantee™. Experience the difference for yourself — order your CBD online and experience the health benefits today.

Find out how a whole food, plant-based diet can support your health, with insights from Zebra CBD. See how CBD can de-stress your life from multiple angles, from work stress to tech stress with our comprehensive guides.

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