Plant-based eating is becoming quite popular, and for good reason. Plenty of studies have shown the health benefits of eating plant-based. Recently, a study found that plant-based eating is the best way to eat for cholesterol levels. In the past, studies have also alluded to the fact that plant-based eating improves diabetes markers.

A study published in 2018 found that “a plant-based diet improves insulin sensitivity and beta-cell function in overweight adults.” Another review found that “plant-based diet can reduce risk factors of diabetic patients by promoting weight-loss, reducing cholesterol, and enhancing glycemic control.” Now a new study has been published that proves that adhering greatly to a healthy plant-based diet can prevent type 2 diabetes. This study specifically went into what kinds of plant-based foods should be eaten and how committed one should be to the diet.

This study identified nine studies and included health data from 307,099 participants with 23,544 cases of type 2 diabetes. Basically, what they found is that those who adhere greatly to a predominantly plant-based diet have a 23% lower risk of type 2 diabetes. Those who didn’t adhere much to the diet, have a higher risk.

The risk is even lower when the plant-based diet is a healthful one rather than one that includes ‘unhealthy’ plant-based foods. Healthy plant-based foods include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and legumes. The less healthy plant-based foods include potatoes, white flour, and sugar.

Qi Sun, associate professor of Nutrition at Harvard summarizes the study by advising: “Overall, these data highlighted the importance of adhering to plant-based diets to achieve or maintain good health, and people should choose fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, tofu, and other healthy plant foods as the cornerstone of such diets.”

Basically, if you want to prevent type 2 diabetes or lower your risk, you should eat healthy plant-based foods and not just occasionally, but with great adherence!

For more information, read All About Insulin and its Relationship to a Plant-Based Diet and How a Whole Food Plant-Based Diet Can Lower Blood Sugar.

If you’re inspired to begin eating plant-based or simply want more plant-based recipes, we highly recommend downloading our Food Monster App, which is available for iPhone, and can also be found on Instagram and Facebook. The app has more than 15,000 plant-based, allergy-friendly recipes, and subscribers gain access to new recipes every day. Check it out!

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