If you are solely vegan for your health it can become confusing trying to understand how a plant based diet stacks up against the Mediterranean and Keto diets, the latter getting a lot of attention lately! So I thought I'd share 2 recent studies that compare both head to head with a vegan diet. Let's start with the diet that most doctor's recommend because they think it's easier for patients to follow 🤦♀️:
A recent Physicians Committee clinical research study comparing a Mediterranean diet with a low fat vegan diet was conducted to see which was more effective for weight loss and heart health. Half the participants were assigned to a Mediterranean diet and the others to a vegan diet. After 16 weeks, they would switch to the opposite diet - giving all participants a chance to test both diets and allowing the research to compare them head-to-head.
The vegan diet used in the study eliminated animal products and focused on fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes, while minimizing the use of added oils. The Mediterranean diet followed the protocol used in the classic Mediterranean diet study, PREDIMED, which focuses on fruits, vegetables, legumes, fish, diary products, and extra-virgin olive oil, and includes limited amounts of red meat and eggs.
Neither group had a calorie limit, and participants did not change exercise or medication routines, unless directed by their personal doctors. Participants followed each diet for separate 16-week periods.
The results were dramatic. Participants lost an average of 13 pounds on the vegan diet, compared with no significant weight loss on the Mediterranean diet. The vegan diet also decreased total cholesterol by nearly 19 points, compared with only 3 points on the Mediterranean diet. These findings were published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition.
BONUS READ * VEGAN DIET BEATS KETO DIET FOR WEIGHT LOSS*
A recent study in Nature Medicine found that a vegan diet is also better than a ketogenic diet for weight loss. This study was presented at this year's International Conference on Nutrition in Medicine.
Participants were randomly assigned to either a low-fat vegan diet or a low-carbohydrate diet for a two-week period, carefully tracking their calorie intake, body weight, blood sugar, and other biomarkers. Participants then switched to the other diet for an additional two weeks for comparison.
Results showed that participants consumed up to 700 fewer daily calories during the low-fat, plant-based diet, when compared with the low-carbohydrate diet. But there were no differences in satiety, meaning the vegan diet allowed people to eat less food without hunger. While both groups lost weight, only the low-fat diet resulted in significant reductions in body fat.
A wonderful resource is Forks Over Knives | Plant-Based Living | Official Website
You will learn how to MEAL PREP, have access to an abundance of low-fat plant based recipes and if you're up for it take The Forks Over Knives online cooking course which helps you master core culinary skills, transforming you into a confident plant-based home chef. I took this course and highly recommend it!
I thought I would share these studies to illustrate that eating vegan can be HEALTHY and results in weight loss and improved heart health. The data is in - eating vegan is better for you than eating Mediterranean or Keto!!! And has the added benefits of saving countless animals from a horrific life and course correcting our environment. The Mediterranean and Keto diets CAN'T DO THAT!
{Shari}
