Plant-Based Diets for Weight Loss

When wanting to solve a challenge, we often reach for the quickest solution for best results, because we want to feel great. These quick solutions may offer amazing promises on a short-term basis, but rarely provide you with a long-term maintenance resolution that is healthy and ideal.

Weight loss is an age-old challenge which many men and women have faced in their lives and it is one challenge I wish would be met with a positive, long-term solution-orientated mindset. Why? Because this challenge has the most beautiful lifetime-lasting answer that should be taught in school.

Enzymes, Fibre and a Touch on Biology
You see, nature in all her wisdom, has packaged her very own solution in every single edible whole plant, fruit, leaf and seed. This solution is called enzymes. Enzymes, according to medical definition, are “a substance produced by a living organism which acts as a catalyst to bring about a specific biochemical reaction”. The biochemical reaction that is needed in the body of a human being is the firing up of the digestive system. But it does not stop there; to transport and support the work of enzymes, we need fibre, water, oxygen, oils and other natural elements.
Fibre supports digestive enzymes and allows the body to use nutrients accordingly as they are transported by oxygen, water and other natural elements found in whole foods, contributing towards the elimination process. Once the fibre is done assisting the enzymes and the body is hydrated with natural water, its final job is to sweep the colon clean, like a broom, while allowing bowel movements to be regular and complete.

Processed Food vs Whole Food
When the digestive system slows down, the body becomes sluggish. Old matter in the colon creates a backlog or block, causing constipation. The backlog of undigested foods results in bloating and inflammation, leaving you with irregular bowel movements and often a myriad of issues, one being excess weight.
Processed foods, often disguised as a fibre solution in a box, are often the culprits when it comes to the issue of weight loss. They cause dehydration in the body and colon, because there are no water, oxygen or enzymes present and the wheat or oats or corn is over-processed, stripped of natural essential oils and B Vitamins – along with everything else that should work naturally together for the human body to function optimally. Remember: Enzymes need fibre, fibre needs oxygen along with water and other essential elements as found in whole foods.

Simplicity is Key
While all whole foods contain enzymes, fibre and water, along with all the necessary elements that contribute to a healthy, lean body, I have found the following fruit and vegetables to be the most supporting for weight loss, in their raw form: Papaya, pineapple, kiwi, melon; celery, spinach and herbs.
These specific fruits and vegetables are rich in natural fibre, high in water and are nutrient-dense; the complete package for sustainable, effective weight loss.
Natural fibre, from nutrient-dense foods, plays a dramatic role in maintaining satiety after a meal, due to the high-nutrient, low-calorie count. According to Research Gate: “Foods higher in water and fibre are typically more calorie-dilute. Dry foods, foods with less fibre, and/or foods that are higher in fat content are more calorie-dense.”.
Nutrient-dense food speaks to our craving triggers and help us to break habitual snacking cycles. The more nutrient-dense a food is, the more satisfied your cells are with necessary elements for balance and remineralisation – when essential minerals and vitamins are in abundance, your body is in a natural state of health, not wanting or lacking.

Eat Light and Balanced, to Feel Light and Balanced
While we enjoy flavoursome meal combinations, simplicity is the answer to sustainable weight loss. The affect that a simple, single fruit has on the body is something everyone should experience. That’s not to say you cannot enjoy a hearty vegetable soup or a curry; however, these meals should ideally consist of wholesome plant-based, seasonal, minimally processed ingredients in order to provide you with adequate nutrients, vitamins and minerals and other elements which all support your wellbeing.
And while we are on the note of seasonal ingredients, I always recommend eating seasonally because, not only are local fruit and vegetables easily obtainable and affordable by their growing season, but also Mother Nature knows what our bodies need for each season, for example citrus for winter. Hot summer days require more water-rich foods with cooling effects, such a cucumber. Listen closely and our mother will tell you all about her remedies and secrets that are ready for us to enjoy.
Plant-based diets, rich in raw whole foods, are known for fast, effective and long-term results pertaining to not only weight loss, but also longevity. Everything you could ever ask for, because, when following a balanced meal plan, your health can improve almost immediately. Weight loss results could show instantly with the elimination of water retention through celery or asparagus, clearer skin through blood-cleansing fruits and even improved hair and nails through silica-rich foods. It’s all so exciting when nature shows you how magical she is!
It is advisable to speak to a clinical dietician should you struggle with an eating disorder or if you are confused about food combinations and what is best suited for your personality. We are all so vastly different; even though nature has provided a solution, we need to bear in mind that we have all been brought up differently. Our genes play a huge role in the state of our health due to those who came before us through the ages of life.
Fruit and vegetables are the cleansers, toxin-eliminators, healers and supporters of the human body. When plants are given the opportunity to do exactly what they were designed for, our bodies re-balance, rejuvenate and begin to function optimally – giving you the energy you deserve, while feeling light and balanced and in the best shape for life!