Simon Hill is a nutrition expert, podcast host, and winner of the Nourish Vegan Awards Change Maker of the Year 2021. Here, he distils his eight proven principles of a healthy plant-based diet.
There are eight main principles that create the foundation for a successful wholefood, plant-based diet (WFPBD). Together, they make up my Food Pyramid, shared below. Decades of research has shown that a WFPBD is one of a few diets that fits the theme of optimal eating for Homo sapiens, and these principles are a distillation of that evidence. I am confident that no matter what nutrient or diet is in the headlines at a given moment, these principles will stand the test of time.
They are:
1. FOCUS ON FOOD GROUPS, NOT MACRONUTRIENTS
When we focus on food groups, given there is enough diversity in our diet, the macronutrients (carbohydrates, protein and fat) take care of themselves. These food groups include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds in their whole or minimally processed forms.
2. BE FIBRE-OBSESSED (AND PROTEIN-AWARE)
Aim for at least 28g per day of fibre if you’re a woman or 38g per day if you’re a man.
3. DIVERSITY IS KEY FOR GUT HEALTH
Aim for over forty unique plants per week with plenty of different colours. In doing so, you will feed your healthy gut microbes and help them grow stronger.
4. CONSIDER NUTRIENTS OF FOCUS
Paying attention to specific micronutrients will allow you to experience the full benefit of a WFPBD. The nutrients of focus are omega-3s, vitamin B12, vitamin D, calcium, iodine, iron, selenium and zinc.
5. WHEN WE EAT MATTERS (NOT JUST WHAT WE EAT)
Optimising meal timing based on our bodies’ natural clock, or circadian rhythm, may help renew our energy levels, promote a healthy body weight and improve our mood while also decreasing our risk of chronic disease and possibly even adding years to our lives.
6. DRINK WATER FOR THIRST
And minimise alcohol consumption.
7. CUSTOMISATION IS KEY
Adapt to a way of plant-based eating that works for you.
8. DON’T LET PERFECTION BE THE ENEMY OF GOOD
Keep in mind that this is a lifestyle, and therefore it needs to come with a degree of flexibility. What’s most important is incorporating as much of this information as possible into your lifestyle in a sustainable and enjoyable manner. Consistency over time matters far more than what you eat in one particular day.
The Plant Proof Food Pyramid
Pyramid graphic as seen in The Proof is in the Plants and at theproof.com/guides.
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This article is an edited extract from The Proof is in the Plants by Simon Hill. Published by Penguin Life. |
