Why a plant based diet?

I want to address the reason why I have decided to adopt a mostly whole foods/plant based diet.  I have been wanting to try this for awhile, but haven’t for reasons of convenience and because I didn’t want to have to justify to anyone my reasons for doing the diet (silly, I know).  However, no diet can heal and prevent chronic disease like a plant based one. 

An increasing number of Americans fall victim to chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer. In America, we pay more for our health care than any other country in the world.  Therefore, one would think that our healthcare system would rank above other countries-right?!  Unfortunately, the U.S. is consistently among the worst performers in comparison.  With this diet, I don’t simply want to follow another fad diet.  A plant based diet IS NOT A FAD DIET.  It’s not based on high protein or low carbohydrate, or replacing my meals with a protein shake.  Rather, it’s a diet that  has great benefits for health and well-being that I want to experience. 

 I’m not interested in a plan to lose weight or to “detox.” I simply want to follow a health prescription for maximal health that is simple, easy to follow, and offers incredible benefits (without any odd side effects).  It’s not a menu plan, it doesn’t require daily charts and calorie counting and the supporting evidence is overwhelming.  Throughout my time in school, and by examining different (peer reviewed, valid) studies, I’ve become aware that advanced heart disease, relatively advanced cancers of certain types, diabetes, and a few other degenerative diseases can be relieved and even reversed by diet. I have chosen to start this lifestyle as a method of prevention so that someday I don’t have to deal with these diseases.  My concern is really not the length of my life, but rather the quality of it.  The diet is rich in fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts and spices and so far it has been wonderful!

If anyone is interested in reading some studies pertaining to any of this information, I have a list of over 100 studies from legitimate scientific journals (NOT MENS HEALTH or SHAPE or any other “health” magazine you might see while in line at Wal-Mart) that I would be glad to share.