To offer inspiration as we head into 2024, we’ve rounded up the 10 most-shared success stories of the past year. Read on for inspiring testimonials written by people who have lost weight, reversed diabetes and heart disease, and experienced other remarkable health transformations after adopting a whole-food, plant-based diet.

On a High-Carb Diet, I Reversed Type 2 Diabetes and High Cholesterol

In 2019, Kim Jarchow adopted a low-carb, high-protein diet in an effort to lose weight and manage Type 2 diabetes. But she ended up driving up her cholesterol instead. “My doctor wanted to put me on a statin for cholesterol and metformin for diabetes. I knew there had to be a better way,” writes Jarchow. She discovered the WFPB lifestyle and decided to give it a try. “Within just five weeks, my total cholesterol dropped 60 points. … Within six months it dropped to 184, and my A1C dropped from 7.1 to 5.9, all without medication.” Read more.

Oil-Free and Thriving: Restored to Health on a Whole-Food, Plant-Based Diet

Mary McCoy was a vegan who thought she was in fairly good health. But after an annual physical in 2021 revealed that she had high cholesterol and prediabetes, she was forced to rethink things. “After that, I cut out all oils, and started learning more about whole-food, plant-based cooking,” writes McCoy. “By that summer, I’d lost 30 pounds!” Read more.

It’s Never Too Late: How I Improved My Health at Age 80 with a WFPB Diet

Never a fan of veggies, Ardis Coffman wasn’t thrilled in 2018 when her daughter began preparing whole-food, plant-based dinners for them. But after Coffman, who had suffered from Type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure for decades, started seeing improvements to her blood sugar within two months of the WFPB dinner routine, she started incorporating WFPB breakfasts and lunches, too—and reaping major benefits. “Now I’m 85 and in better health than I was at 45,” writes Coffman. Read more.

I Beat Heart Disease and Lost 44 Pounds in 9 Months Without Portion Control

Wendy Swiger’s doctor was ready to prescribe medications to manage her cholesterol and prediabetes, but Swiger, already on blood-pressure medications, hoped to find another way. That’s when she dived in to a WFPB diet. “A month after starting this way of eating, I had my annual checkup,” writes Swiger. “My doctor was shocked, saying I’d had the largest drop in LDL cholesterol she had ever seen in her career that wasn’t due to medication.” Within that first month, her blood pressure had normalize, and she was no longer prediabetic. And that was just the beginning. Read more.

How I Transformed My Health in My 60s on a Plant-Based Diet

In 2017, an angiogram revealed a 100% blockage in Armando Alvarez’s right coronary artery. Not a candidate for bypass surgery or stents, he decided to try switching up his diet, first going vegetarian, then vegan and, eventually, whole-food, plant-based. “Soon afterward, the angina that I dealt with for 10 months finally stopped,” writes Alvarez. Read more.

I Switched to a Plant-Based Diet and Resolved My Chronic Pain, MS Symptoms, and Kidney Disease

When a 39-year-old Kimberly Eallonardo was diagnosed with kidney disease and told she’d need a transplant in six months, she was determined to do anything she could to restore her kidneys to health. That’s when a neighbor tipped her off to the benefits of a whole-food, plant-based diet. She was immediately ready to try it. “For me, it was a matter of life and death,” she writes. “Within six weeks of going WFPB, I experienced what my nephrologist called a spontaneous remission. Some would call it a miraculous recovery.” Read more.

From Sick and Tired to Happy and Healthy: My Whole-Food, Plant-Based Journey

Julie Tomlinson struggled with obesity for most of her adult life. She and her husband thought they’d tried every diet to lose weight, but then they came across the Forks Over Knives documentary and decided to go vegan. “After a year without animal products, we’d each lost 100 pounds,” writes Tomlinson. She and her husband then transitioned to a WFPB diet and experienced even more benefits. Read more.

Breaking the Cycle of Deprivation: I Lost Weight and Resolved Several Health Issues on a WFPB Diet

Years of yo-yo dieting left Shauné Hayes desperate for lasting change and struggling with a variety of health conditions, including high blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar; arthritis; and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). In 2017, she started working with a health coach, who advised her to adopt a WFPB diet. Over the next three years, she lost 100 pounds; brought her cholesterol, blood sugar, and blood pressure down to healthy levels; and eliminated all PCOS symptoms. “Following a WFPB diet has significantly improved my quality of life overall,” she writes. Read more.

On an Oil-Free Plant-Based Diet, I’ve Normalized My Cholesterol and Improved My Eyesight

Prior to discovering the WFPB way of eating, Yolanda and Jim Breidenbaugh both suffered from heart disease. Jim had undergone quadruple bypass surgery, and Yolanda had very high cholesterol. After watching Forks Over Knives and reading The Starch Solution, they became convinced that going WFPB was the right move for their heart health. “We found ourselves reaping some health benefits within months,” writes Yolanda. “We both had more energy, and my cholesterol dropped to 147.” Read more.

After a Prostate Cancer Diagnosis Spurred Me to Go Plant-Based, I Feel Like the Energizer Bunny

Upon learning he had prostate cancer, Michael Andrus struggled with feelings of anxiety and hopelessness. “Things felt out of my control, which was a hard reality to face,” writes Andrus. Then his cousin recommended he read How Not to Die by Michael Greger, M.D. “It was the beginning of a dramatic change in my life.” Read more.

To learn more about a whole-food, plant-based diet, visit our Plant-Based Primer. For meal-planning support, check out Forks Meal Planner, FOK’s easy weekly meal-planning tool to keep you on a healthy plant-based path.

The post Our Most-Shared Success Stories of 2023 appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

With the help of identical twins, a team of researchers at Stanford Medicine have uncovered some of the most compelling evidence yet that a vegan diet can significantly improve heart health in as little as two months.

How It Worked

For the randomized controlled trial, the team recruited 22 pairs of healthy adult identical twins via the Stanford Twin Registry, a database of twins who have signed up to participate in research. At the outset of the study, the researchers drew participants’ blood and recorded their weight. Then they assigned one twin from each pair to follow a vegan diet for eight weeks, and the other to an omnivorous diet.

The researchers ensured that both diets were as healthful as possible, with both the vegan and omnivore diets containing ample vegetables, beans, fruits, and whole grains and minimal sugar and refined starches. The omnivorous diet additionally included chicken, fish, eggs, cheese, and dairy. For the first four weeks, breakfasts, lunches, and dinners were provided via a meal-delivery service seven days a week for all participants. For the final eight weeks of the study, they prepared their own meals.

What They Discovered

At four weeks and eight weeks, the researchers again drew blood samples and weighed the participants again. They found that, at the halfway point, the twins eating vegan had already seen significant improvements in their cardiometabolic health, with lower LDL cholesterol, insulin, and body weight. By the completion of the study, the vegan group had reduced their LDL by around 14% and their fasting insulin levels by 20%. They’d also lost, on average, 4.2 pounds more than the omnivorous group.

The results were published November 30 in JAMA Network Open. “The findings from this trial suggest that a healthy plant-based diet offers a significant protective cardiometabolic advantage compared with a healthy omnivorous diet,” the authors concluded.

Why This Study Is Groundbreaking

Over the past few decades, there’s been no shortage of research supporting the health benefits of plant-based diets, with dozens of studies linking them to lower rates of Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. But the vast majority of these studies are observational, which can make it hard to pinpoint cause and effect: Are these people healthier because they’re eating a more plant-based diet, or do people who are already healthier for other reasons tend to follow a more plant-based diet?

Randomized clinical trials (RCTs), a gold standard in scientific research, allow scientists to control for extensive variables so that they can more confidently identify cause and effect. Other interventional studies on vegan or plant-based diets conducted to date have found similarly promising results. A July 2023 meta-analysis of 20 RCTs found reductions in LDL cholesterol and body weight for participants assigned to vegetarian, vegan, and plant-based diets.

RCTs involving identical twins afford researchers the additional advantage of subjects with virtually identical genes and similar upbringings. Christopher Gardner, PhD, senior author of the Stanford Medicine study and a professor of medicine at the university, commented afterward that the study provided “a groundbreaking way to assert that a vegan diet is healthier than the conventional omnivore diet.”

“Based on these results and thinking about longevity, most of us would benefit from going to a more plant-based diet,” Gardner said.

To learn more about a whole-food, plant-based diet, visit our Plant-Based Primer. For meal-planning support, check out Forks Meal Planner, FOK’s easy weekly meal-planning tool to keep you on a healthy plant-based path.

The post What Happens When 1 Twin Goes Vegan and the Other Keeps Eating Meat? New Stanford Medicine Study Investigates appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

This article was originally published on Dec. 17, 2020, and has been updated. 

The post 19 Winter Baking Recipes with In-Season Fruit appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

The meta-analysis, led by Germany-based diabetes researchers and published in the November 2023 issue of BMC Medicine, analyzed data from 37 studies that included, collectively, more than 500,000 participants over an average of 19 years. The goal was to identify links between diet and cardiometabolic health outcomes.

After adjusting for calorie intake, alcohol use, smoking, and other factors, the researchers found that replacing one daily portion of processed meat with whole grains correlated with a 36% lower risk of cardiovascular disease. Swapping in nuts for the processed meat was associated with a 27% reduction in CVD risk, while legumes were associated with a 23% reduction.

While the biggest gains were seen when swapping out processed meat, the researchers found that eating whole plant foods in lieu of red meat, dairy, and eggs also appeared to confer benefits. For instance, replacing a single serving of eggs with whole grains was associated with a 21% reduction in Type 2 diabetes risk. Replacing that same serving of eggs with nuts, meanwhile, translated to a 17% reduction in CVD, an 18% reduction in Type 2 diabetes, and a 15% reduction in all-cause mortality.

“Our findings suggest that a shift in diet from a high consumption of animal-based foods, especially red and processed meat, to plant-based foods (e.g., nuts, legumes, and whole grains) is associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality, CVD, and T2D,” the authors concluded.

Every Portion Counts

The analysis adds to the growing body of evidence that even relatively modest shifts toward a healthy plant-based diet can pay dividends. A 2020 study found that eating just one additional daily serving of fruits and vegetables was associated with a 25% lower risk of Type 2 diabetes. Two 2021 studies found dose-response relationships between healthy plant-based dietary patterns and a reduction in CVD risk. Other studies have found the inverse to be true, as well, linking added servings of red and processed meat with incremental upticks in CVD and T2D risk.

To learn more about a whole-food, plant-based diet, visit our Plant-Based Primer. For meal-planning support, check out Forks Meal Planner, FOK’s easy weekly meal-planning tool to keep you on a healthy plant-based path.

The post Every Bit Counts: New Study Shows Big Benefits for Swapping Out Even 1 Daily Serving of Meat, Eggs appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

• Baking
• Breads and Tortillas
• Crackers
• Hummus and Dips
• Instant Grains
• Nondairy Milks
• Sauces, Condiments, and Broth
• Seasonings

Editor’s Note: Companies frequently change their ingredients and recipes. If you see something on this list that is no longer compliant with a whole-food, plant-based diet, please let us know.

Baking

Steer clear of excess sodium, fat, and sugar with these healthier takes on baking staples.

• Crofter’s Just Fruit Spread
• Ener-G Foods Baking Powder
• Hain Pure Foods Featherweight Baking Powder
• Kirkland Signature Creamy Almond Butter
• Laura Scudder’s Natural Peanut Butter
• MaraNatha Natural California Almond Butter
• New England Cranberry Fruit-Sweetened Dried Cranberries
• Smuckers Natural Creamy Peanut Butter No Salt Added
• St. Dalfour Fruit Spreads
• Trader Joe’s Creamy Salted Peanut Butter

Breads and Tortillas

Breads are often loaded with sodium and refined sugar, and some contain whey, a milk derivative. Fortunately, you can find wholesome alternatives at most supermarkets (sometimes in the freezer aisles).

• Alvarado Street Bakery (Sprouted Wheat Flaxseed Bread, Sprouted Wheat Rye Seed Bread, Sprouted Wheat Everything Bagels, Sprouted Wheat Sesame Seed Bagels)
• Dave’s Killer Bread Power Seed, 21 Whole Grains and Seeds, Good Seed
• Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Grain Burger Buns
• Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Whole Grain Hot Dog Buns
• Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Whole Grain Bread
• Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Grain Low Sodium English Muffins 
• Ezekiel Sprouted Whole Grain Tortillas
• Ezekiel 4:9 Whole Grain Pocket Bread (pita)
• Food for Life Sprouted Corn Tortillas
• Guerrero Yellow Corn Tortillas and White Corn Tortillas
• Mission Yellow Corn Tortillas and White Corn Tortillas

Crackers

Most store-bought crackers are long on calories and short on fiber and other health-promoting nutrients. Snack smarter with these brands.

• 365 Gluten-Free Oat & Seed Crispbread
• Edward & Sons Brown Rice Snaps (Unsalted Plain Brown Rice Snaps, Unsalted Sesame Baked Brown Rice Snaps)
• Finn Crisps (Thin Multigrain)
• La Reina Unsalted Baked Organic Corn Tortilla Chips
• Mary’s Gone Crackers (all varieties)
• Ryvita Original, Sesame, and Pumpkin Seed & Oats
• Streits Whole Wheat Matzos
• Wasa Whole Grain Crispbread

Hummus and Dips

Dips are often loaded with oil and sodium, and sometimes they contain dairy. These dips are all low in sodium, free of animal products, and free of oil!

• Cedar’s Fat & Oil-Free Hummus
• Oasis Zero Fat Black Bean Dip
• Oasis Zero Fat Lentil Dip
• Oasis Zero Fat Original Hommus
• Roots Oil-Free Original Hummus

Instant Grains

Many manufacturers add oil, salt, and animal-derived ingredients (such as chicken fat) to pre- or par-cooked grains. These products keep it simple.

• 365 Yellow Polenta
• Annie Chun’s Sprouted Brown Rice
• Minsley Organic Cooked Brown Rice with Quinoa Cup
• O Organics Brown Rice Cup
• O Organics Frozen Brown Rice
• Success Boil-in-Bag Whole Grain Brown Rice

Nondairy Milks

When it comes to plant milks, the fewer ingredients, the better, so shop accordingly. These are some of our favorites, organized by type.

Soymilk

• Pacific Foods Organic Soy Plant-Based Beverage Original Unsweetened
• Unsweetened Edensoy Organic Soymilk
• Westsoy Organic Unsweetened Plain Soymilk
• Hodo Organic Soymilk

Oat Milk

• Elmhurst Milked Oats Unsweetened
• Thrive Market Organic Oat Beverage

Nut Milks

• Elmhurst Milked Almonds Unsweetened
• Elmhurst Milked Cashews
• Elmhurst Milked Walnuts
• Elmhurst Milked Hazelnuts
• Three Trees Organic Almond Milk

Tofu Products

It’s a good idea to choose organic when buying tofu because you’ll avoid exposure to glyphosate, a concerning pesticide that is heavily used in conventional and  GMO soy farming. Below are a few tofu brands we like. To learn more about different varieties of tofu and how to use them, check out our Ingredient IQ: Tofu guide.

• 365 by Whole Foods Organic Tofu (Silken, Firm, and Extra Firm)
• Hodo Organic Extra Firm Tofu
• Wildwood Organic Tofu (Silken, Extra Firm, and Firm)

Sauces, Condiments, and Broth

While some of the sauces on this list are less pure than homemade, they are all vegan, oil-free, and substantially lower in sodium than competing products. And the Worcestershire sauce is vegan.

• 365 Organic Fat-Free Marinara
• DeLallo Fat-Free Marinara Sauce
• PLANTSTRONG Organic Vegetable Stock (formerly branded as Engine 2)
• Frank’s RedHot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce
• Great Value Less-Sodium Soy Sauce
• Kitchen Basics Unsalted Vegetable Stock
• Miso Master Organic White Miso
• Primal Kitchen Organic Unsweetened Ketchup
• Robbie’s Natural Products Worcestershire
• San-J Tamari Light
• Simple Truth Tomato Ketchup
• Simple Truth Organic Yellow Mustard
• Tabasco
• Whole Foods Red Enchilada Sauce

Seasonings

Keep these salt-free seasoning blends on your spice rack to add flavor without adding sodium.

• Bensons Table Tasty
• Bensons Supreme Garlic and Herb Seasoning
• DAK Everything but the Salt Seasoning
• Kirkland Signature Organic No-Salt 21 Spice Blend Seasoning
• Mrs. Dash Seasoning Blends
• Parma! Vegan Parmesan Original

To learn more about a whole-food, plant-based diet, visit our Plant-Based Primer. For meal-planning support, check out Forks Meal Planner, FOK’s easy weekly meal-planning tool to keep you on a healthy plant-based path.

This article was originally published on March 3, 2016, and has been updated.

The post Your Whole-Food Vegan Grocery List: Oil-Free Breads, Sauces, and Other Go-To Products appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

What Are Highly Processed Foods (aka Ultra-Processed Foods)?

Also known as ultra-processed foods, highly processed foods consist primarily of extracted or synthesized ingredients. Hallmarks of ultra-processed foods include a lack of fiber; high amounts of added sugar (even in foods that don’t taste sweet), salt, and fat; and long ingredient lists, often full of hard-to-pronounce substances. 

These industrially formulated products first gained popularity in the U.S. in the mid-20th century, as manufacturers began leveraging technological advances to cheaply produce convenient, highly palatable foods with long shelf lives. By the 21st century, they’d become a fixture of the American diet, making up more than half all calories consumed. 

Examples of Highly Processed Foods

The average supermarket today is stocked with thousands of ultra-processed foods. Some of the most common include:

• White pasta
• White bread
• Potato chips
• Pretzels
• Sweetened juice products
• Soft drinks
• Sweetened breakfast cereals
• Margarine
• Reconstituted meat products (e.g., hot dogs)
• Candy
• Cookies and cakes

The NOVA System

While the Food and Drug Administration doesn’t have an official classification for highly processed foods, nutrition researchers at the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil developed the NOVA system, which categorizes foods into four groups based on the type and extent of processing that they undergo:

• Group 1: Unprocessed or minimally processed foods, such as fresh fruits and vegetables; single-ingredient canned fruits, vegetables, and beans; dried beans; intact whole grains; unprocessed meat; and dairy milk.
• Group 2: Processed culinary ingredients, such as oil, sugar, and salt, which have been extracted from foods and are commonly used in home kitchens. 
• Group 3: Processed foods are derived directly from whole foods and typically only contain a main ingredient plus one or two others, usually from Group 2. These include foods such as tofu, brined olives, salted nuts, and whole grain pastas. 
• Group 4: Ultra-processed foods are industrial formulations made entirely or mostly from substances extracted from foods. They often contain no whole foods; instead, they are reconstituted from extracted substances and substances synthesized in labs. They typically contain five or more ingredients. (See the list above for examples.) 

What Are the Health Risks of Highly Processed Foods?

Mounting scientific evidence suggests that highly processed foods are a key culprit behind some of the most common chronic diseases and health conditions. 

Diabetes

Diets high in ultra-processed foods have been linked to higher rates of diabetes. This could be partly because highly processed foods promote obesity, which is a primary risk factor for type 2 diabetes. But research suggests that there is more to the connection than obesity alone. 

In one study, researchers followed 100,000 diabetes-free people over several years, surveying them about their eating habits along the way. They found that even after adjusting for body mass index, physical activity, and other variables, participants who ate more ultra-processed foods were significantly more likely to develop diabetes during the course of the study. 

The researchers suggested a few potential contributing factors. For one, because ultra-processed foods are typically high in refined sugars and low in fiber, they are quickly digested, causing sudden increases in blood sugar, which, over time, can cause insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. 

By contrast, whole plant foods (including most fruit) tend not to cause spikes, because they contain fiber that helps slow digestion. A 2013 study published in BMJ found that greater consumption of whole fruits was strongly associated with a decreased risk of type 2 diabetes, while greater consumption of fruit juice increased the risk.  

Notably, sugar-laden processed foods like ice cream and Twinkies are also often loaded with saturated fats, which can contribute to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, as saturated fatty acids in the bloodstream can prevent insulin from working efficiently. 

Obesity

A number of observational studies have found a significant association between ultra-processed foods and risk of being overweight or obese. 

One of the most likely driving factors is that ultra-processed foods make it easy to overeat. Because these foods have been stripped of their natural fiber and water content during processing, they are inherently more calorie-dense (and less satiating) than whole foods. Added sugars and fats drive up the calorie count. And added salt and other flavor enhancers make ultra-processed foods highly palatable and hard to resist.

In 2019, researchers at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases investigated the obesity angle with a randomized controlled trial. They had 20 adults stay at an in-patient facility for 28 days. For the first two weeks, participants were assigned either an ultra-processed diet or unprocessed diet. They then switched to the alternate diet. 

During the study, participants were provided breakfast, lunch, dinner, and unlimited snacks. Researchers tried to match the overall nutrient profiles of both the unprocessed and ultra-processed diets. To make up for the lack of fiber in ultra-processed foods, they gave participants beverages that contained added fiber. ”I thought that if we matched the two diets for components like sugars, fat, carbohydrates, protein, and sodium, there wouldn’t be anything magical about the ultra-processed food that would cause people to eat more,” said lead author Kevin Hall, a laboratory section chief with the NIH, in a news release. 

But to Hall’s surprise, participants on the ultra-processed diet still consumed significantly more calories—about 500 more per day—and gained an average of 2 pounds during the two weeks. By contrast, participants lost 2 pounds while on the unprocessed diet.

Hall and his team suggested a few possible explanations: It could be that the fiber-supplemented beverages did not contribute to satiety in the way that naturally fiber-rich whole foods would have. Another potential factor is that people tend to eat ultra-processed foods more quickly than unprocessed foods. “If you’re eating very quickly, perhaps you’re not giving your gastrointestinal tract enough time to signal to your brain that you’re full. When this happens, you might easily overeat,” Hall said.

Cardiovascular Disease

Consumption of ultra-processed foods is significantly associated with cardiovascular disease. A 2021 study found that each daily serving of ultra-processed food was associated with a 9% increase in coronary death and a 9% increase in death from cardiovascular disease. The results were in line with that of a 2019 study, which found that for every 10% of a person’s diet that consisted of highly processed foods, there was a 12% increase in cardiovascular disease. 

The link isn’t surprising, given the sodium content of these foods: Eating too much salt causes the body to retain excess water to help flush out the salt. The extra water increases blood volume and blood pressure, which damages the lining of the arteries over time and is a major cause of stroke and heart attack.

Notably, though, one large observational study in 2019 found that even after adjusting for sodium intake, consumption of ultra-processed foods significantly increased the risk of cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease, and cerebrovascular disease (such as stroke). More research is needed to understand why. 

Cancer

A 2018 French study of 100,000 people found that for every 10% increase in the proportion of ultra-processed foods in the diet, there was a more than 10% increase in risk of breast cancer and cancer overall. A 2023 study found that for every 10% increase in ultra-processed foods in the diet, there was a 19% increase in the risk of developing ovarian cancer, and a 30% increase in the risk of dying from it. A 2021 study found a similar connection when looking at colorectal cancers.  

This could be due to ultra-processed foods’ propensity for promoting weight gain: Being overweight is a known risk factor for at least 13 cancers. Insulin may be a mediating factor connecting obesity and cancer. 

Acne

Diets high in ultra-processed foods may contribute to acne. In a randomized controlled trial in 2007, researchers divided 43 males who had acne into two groups: One group ate as they normally would; the other group substituted whole grains for refined carbohydrates. After 12 weeks, the whole grain group had a greater reduction in acne lesions. 

Researchers have posited that the apparent link between diet and acne might be related to blood sugar: Because refined carbohydrates, such as white bread, are stripped of fiber, they are digested more quickly, causing sudden increases in blood sugar. These spikes increase the level of insulin and insulin-like growth factor-1 in the body, triggering the production of androgen and sebum (oil).  

IBD and IBS

Ultra-processed foods may wreak havoc in the gut, observational studies suggest. 

A 2018 study reviewed data from more than 30,000 participants and found that consumption of ultra-processed foods was associated with a higher risk for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), even after adjusting for confounding factors. More recently, a large-scale observational study found that regularly consuming these foods may significantly heighten the risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), a serious condition that takes the form of Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis. Researchers speculate that this may be due to the myriad additives found in ultra-processed foods, and/or the lack of fiber.  

Artificial sweeteners have been associated with an increased risk of both IBD and IBS.  

Are All Processed Foods Bad?

Ultra-processed foods should be avoided entirely, but you don’t need to eat only raw whole foods to have an incredibly healthful diet. 

Processed vs. Highly Processed

Foods that have undergone some processing but contain very little or no added sugars and salt are considered “minimally processed” or simply “processed.” These include whole grain pasta, whole grain flours, tofu, and tempeh. While such foods are more calorie-dense than their unprocessed counterparts, they are still far more nutritious than highly processed foods and can be part of a healthful diet.

Compare tofu with some of the popular imitation-meat products available today: Both are made with soybeans, but imitation meats often have long ingredient lists and are high in sodium, whereas tofu contains a handful of ingredients and 0 milligrams of sodium. 

Similarly, both polenta and Doritos are made with corn. But a small, 1-ounce bag of Doritos contains 150 calories, 8 grams of fat, and 210 milligrams of sodium. An ounce of tube-style polenta contains just 20 calories, 0 grams of fat, and 88 milligrams of sodium.

Nutritionist Brenda Davis, RD, explains, “Generally, the more heavily processed the grain, the lower the nutritional value.” Davis illustrates this concept with her “Whole Grain Hierarchy” chart.  

Are Frozen Foods Highly Processed?

Many of the pre-made meals that you’ll find in the frozen aisles are highly processed, loaded with added sugar, sodium, and fat. However, frozen foods are not inherently highly processed or unhealthy. Lightly processed frozen foods that have short ingredient lists and moderate sodium content (i.e., no more than 1 milligram of sodium per calorie) are healthful options. 

Additionally, additive-free frozen fruits and vegetables are just as nutritious as their fresh counterparts.

Canned Goods

While canned goods are often very high in sodium, there are low-sodium and no-salt-added options available. To find the most healthful options, check out our tips for reading a nutrition label. 

How To Cut Back On Highly Processed Foods

One of the smartest ways to improve your health is to avoid all highly processed foods and adopt a whole-food, plant-based diet, rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes, with some lightly processed ingredients such as whole grain pasta and tofu. 

If you’re not ready to commit to a lifestyle transformation, simply opting for more whole plant foods and fewer of the ultra-processed foods can make a real impact on your health. 

“Start simple. Begin by adding something ‘whole’ to each meal,” Davis says. “For example, add a piece of fresh fruit to your breakfast meal, a few raw veggies to your lunch, and some steamed greens or other fresh veggies to your dinner.”

“Next, begin swapping out highly processed for lightly or even moderately processed foods,” Davis suggests. “Instead of a sweet ready-to-eat breakfast cereal, select something like muesli or shredded wheat. Gradually, start making your own muesli or cooked grains for breakfast. Instead of white bread or white rice, select whole grain bread and brown, red, or black rice.” 

Davis also recommends picking at least one whole-food, plant-based vegan recipe to try each week, whether a soup, salad, baked good, or entree. 

Real-Life Success Stories

Ditching highly processed foods can be challenging at first, but the benefits are well worth the effort, as these inspirational success stories illustrate. 

• Conquering Addiction to Processed Foods on a Plant-Based Diet
• From Junk-Food Vegan to Whole-Food, Plant-Based
• How I Lost 100 Pounds by Ditching Processed Foods
• What Giving Up Meat, Dairy, Processed Foods Did for My Health
• Plant-Based Power Couple: How We Lost 195 Pounds

Ready to get started? Check out Forks Meal Planner, FOK’s easy weekly meal-planning tool to keep you on a healthy plant-based path. To learn more about a whole-food, plant-based diet, visit our Plant-Based Primer.

The post What Are Highly Processed Foods? appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

• Why are more young people being diagnosed with colon cancer?
• When should people get screening colonoscopies?
• Which foods are linked to colon cancer?
• What’s the connection between inflammation and cancer?
• How does exercise impact inflammation?
• What’s the No. 1 way to reduce your risk of colon cancer?

I want to start off by asking you about the rising rates of colon cancer in younger people. Is this just a matter of better screening?

Shilpa Ravella: This has been on my mind quite frequently lately, as I’m seeing more and more patients being diagnosed with not just colorectal cancer but other cancers, and patients in their 20s and 30s with no apparent risk factors being diagnosed with early-onset colon cancer, which is colon cancer that develops when one is less than 50. We’ve seen an increase in the incidence of early-onset cancer over the last few decades. It’s an emerging global epidemic. While there are genetic factors that affect cancer incidence, some of the recent research argues that early-onset cancer is largely related to diet, exercise, and other lifestyle factors, including environmental exposures like pollutants, etc.

I came across a 2022 study by researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston that was published in Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology. The study stated that cancer cases among those under 50—including colon, breast, esophagus, kidney, liver, and pancreatic cancer—have risen worldwide since around 1990, likely due to the increasingly sedentary lifestyles and Western diets that are filled with processed foods, sugary beverages, and alcohol use. These researchers point out that enhanced screening alone doesn’t account for the noted increase in cancer incidence. So I do think that a large part of this is driven by our environment [and lifestyle].

Given the rising rates, should people start getting colonoscopies at a younger age than previously recommended?

SR: Currently, the guidelines support getting a screening colonoscopy at the age of 45. But I do recommend being vigilant about your body and trying to stay aware of any symptoms or signs that may be concerning. There was a new study published just a couple of months ago, in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. The researchers looked at over 5,000 early onset colon cancer cases to identify red flags that occurred before diagnosis.

They found that between three months and two years before the diagnosis date, there were four red flags that stood out—signs and symptoms that were tied to an increased risk of early onset colon cancer. One is rectal bleeding. Anytime you have blood in the stool, or rectal bleeding, you should definitely see a physician. The others are diarrhea, iron-deficiency anemia, and abdominal pain. Of course, some of those are a little vague—many of us have abdominal pain at times—but it’s a reminder to keep an eye on your body. Don’t dismiss any of these gastrointestinal symptoms, because they could point to something more insidious. The early recognition of red flags can potentially help with early detection and a timely diagnosis of early onset colon cancer.

If younger patients are concerned about their colorectal health—say, because they’re experiencing one of those red flags—how would you recommend they talk to their health care provider?

SR: I think it’s important to establish what your baseline is. Know your own body, so that when something is off from your baseline, you can advocate for yourself as a patient and say, “Hey, I really feel like something’s off,” and push to have your symptoms taken seriously. If your symptoms are concerning, you should obtain a referral to see a gastroenterologist.

Which foods and dietary patterns have been linked to colorectal cancers?

SR: One of the big ones is red and processed meats, which have been tied to increased colorectal cancer risk in epidemiologic studies. Those should definitely be minimized or entirely avoided. And cooking any sort of meat at high temperatures can create chemicals that raise your cancer risk.

Also, diets that are low in fruits and vegetables and fiber. We are a fiber-deficient nation: 95% of Americans don’t meet the RDAs of fiber in this country. That’s stunning, because we need to go beyond the RDAs, and yet most of us are not even meeting RDAs. Fiber has been tied to so many different positive health outcomes, [including] decreased risk of colorectal cancer and other cancers. Fiber is also one of the most important nutrients that helps to manipulate our immune system. It calms inflammation in the body. It can do this directly, or it can do this through the germs in our gut. So inflammation is one potential mechanistic pathway by which a high-fiber diet can actually influence chronic disease.

Food is so much more than fuel. There is a language being spoken at the intestinal border and also throughout the body that relates to your immune system. Your immune cells are conversing with your [gut] microbes at all hours of the day. Eating the right types of foods helps to fuel those conversations that are essential for your health.

What is the connection between inflammation and cancer?

SR: Normally, our immune system tries to get rid of cancer as it would germs. But inflammation—whether it’s low-level, hidden inflammation or overt inflammation—can actually fuel cancer. It can affect all of its life stages, from the initial genetic or epigenetic influences that transform normal cells into malignant ones, to the continued growth and spread of cancer throughout the body. For example, my patients with inflammatory bowel disease who have chronic, uncontrolled inflammation also carry a higher risk of developing cancer.

Of course, it’s important to keep in mind that not all areas of the body with an increase in inflammation have a marked increase in cancer risk. For example, increased inflammation in joints or the brain carries little increased cancer risk. But generally, being inflamed … is tied to a higher risk of various cancers.

Inflammation is an important component of the tumor microenvironment, as well. Whether [inflammation] shows up before or after the cancer, it can affect all its life stages, from helping to initiate cancer in the body to fueling the cancer’s continued growth and spread.

How does exercise impact inflammation?

SR: We have dozens of clinical trials across age groups that show that exercise can help to dampen chronic, hidden inflammation. It does this in a variety of ways. One of the most important and obvious ways is to melt belly fat, which is a marker for visceral fat—the highly inflammatory fat that surrounds our inner abdominal organs. But even in the absence of weight loss, exercise can decrease the number of immune cells that infiltrate fat tissue. So it’s not just about losing weight. When you exercise, you initiate beneficial physiological processes that decrease inflammation and decrease the risk of chronic disease. Exercise is very important.

What’s the No. 1 step young people can take to reduce their risk of colon cancer?

SR: Increase the quantity and the diversity of plant foods in the diet. In addition to fiber, plants contain many other nutrients that can help to manage inflammation. … You want to be eating whole and minimally processed plant foods. Whole and intact grains tend to be much better for the gut microbes than heavily processed flours. … There are studies that show that simply altering the diversity of plants in your diet without changes in quantity can actually help to decrease inflammation. … We really need to push ourselves to explore the supermarket and to fill our plates with a variety of plant foods.

Ravella’s debut book, A Silent Fire: The Story of Inflammation, Diet and Disease, is available here.

To learn more about a whole-food, plant-based diet, visit our Plant-Based Primer. For meal-planning support, check out Forks Meal Planner, FOK’s easy weekly meal-planning tool to keep you on a healthy plant-based path.

The post Why Are More Young People Getting Colon Cancer? Gastroenterologist Shilpa Ravella Explains appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

By Courtney Davison | Last Updated: Jul 28, 2023

How a Plant-Based Diet Can Boost Your Health

What Is A Whole-food, Plant-based Diet (wfpb)?

A whole-food, plant-based diet is based on the following principles:

”Whole foods”: Natural foods that are not heavily processed. That means whole, unrefined, or minimally refined ingredients.

“Plant-based”: Food that comes from plants and is
free of animal ingredients such as meat, milk, eggs, or honey.

There is overlap between whole-food, plant-based (WFPB) and vegan diets, but there are also some key differences. A vegan diet can include highly processed imitation meats and cheeses; a WFPB diet eschews these products in favor of whole or minimally processed, close-to-nature foods that make it easy to meet your nutritional needs.

The Five Food Groups

Below is a quick overview of the major food categories you’ll enjoy on a plant-based diet, with examples. For a more detailed breakdown of what to eat on a WFPB diet, check out The Forks Over Knives Diet Explained.

• Fruits: Any type of fruit including apple, bananas, grapes, strawberries, citrus fruits, etc.
• Vegetables: Plenty of veggies including peppers, corn, lettuce, spinach, kale, peas, collards, etc.
• Tubers: Starchy root vegetables like potatoes, sweet potatoes, yams, and cassava (aka yuca).
• Whole grains: Grains, cereals, and other starches in whole form, such as quinoa, brown rice, whole wheat, oats, popcorn, etc.
• Legumes: Beans of any kind, plus lentils, pulses, etc.

There are plenty of other foods you can also enjoy, including nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, tempeh, whole-grain flours and breads, and plant-based milks. However, we recommend eating these foods in moderation, because they are more calorie-dense and can contribute to weight gain.

The post The Beginner’s Guide to a Whole-Food, Plant-Based Diet appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

But the real beauty of hummus resides in its versatility: Apart from being an excellent dip, its smooth consistency and light flavor make it great for incorporating into all kinds of savory dishes. Whether you’re a hummus novice or a die-hard aficionado, you’ll love these 10 tasty ideas for using hummus in your everyday cooking!

Table of contents:

• Hummus Base Recipe
• Pasta Primavera
• Tangy Tomato Tart with Hummus
• Sriracha Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
• Easy Stuffed Zucchini Boats
• Picnic Potato Salad
• Za’atar Pitzas
• Roasted Veggie Wraps with Roasted Red Pepper Hummus Spread
• Summer Vegetable Gratin
• Green Goddess Sauce
• Vegetable Fritters

Hummus Base Recipe

30 minutes | Makes 1½ cups

First, here’s our foolproof recipe for a basic oil-free hummus that’s rich in nutrients and low in calories. For the lightest, creamiest results with no added oil, boil canned chickpeas with a pinch of baking soda to soften them before blending. (Looking for more varieties? Find our full archive of hummus recipes here!)

Ingredients

1 15-oz. can chickpeas, rinsed and drained (1½ cups)

Pinch baking soda

¼ cup lemon juice

1 tablespoon tahini paste

2 cloves garlic, minced

Sea salt, to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. In a medium saucepan combine chickpeas, baking soda, and 2 cups water. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, 20 minutes or until chickpeas can be easily mashed with a fork. Drain.

2. Transfer hot chickpeas to a food processor. Add lemon juice, tahini, garlic, and 2 tablespoons water. Process 2 to 3 minutes or until smooth and creamy, adding 1 to 2 tablespoons water if needed to reach desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper.

10 Tasty Recipes that Use Hummus

Using our base recipe or any oil-free hummus, try whipping up one of these delicious recipes.

Pasta Primavera

Makes 4 cups

Cook 2 cups whole grain pasta according to package directions, adding 2 cups chopped mixed vegetables the last 5 minutes of cooking. Drain, reserving ½ cup of the cooking water. Return drained pasta and veggies to pot. Toss with the reserved cooking water and ¼ cup hummus.

Tangy Tomato Tart with Hummus

Makes one 10-inch tart

Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium bowl combine ½ cup whole wheat flour, ½ cup hummus, ½ teaspoon baking powder, and 2 tablespoons water; stir to combine. Roll out dough into a 10-inch disk. Transfer disk to prepared baking sheet; turn up edges to make a pizza-like crust. In a separate bowl stir together 2 tablespoons hummus and 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard; spread mixture over dough. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons chopped scallions, then top with 2 tomatoes, thinly sliced. Bake 20 to 25 minutes. Garnish with fresh basil.

Sriracha Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Makes 2 stuffed sweet potato halves

Preheat oven to 425°F. Prick a sweet potato a few times with a fork and place on a baking sheet. Bake 45 minutes. Let cool slightly, then halve lengthwise. Scoop out potato flesh and place in a bowl, leaving a ¼-inch-thick shell. Mash potato flesh with 2 tablespoons hummus and ½ teaspoon sriracha sauce or other hot sauce. Fill potato skins with mashed sweet potato and place on baking sheet; broil 4 inches from heat 3 to 5 minutes or until beginning to brown on top.

Easy Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Makes 4 boats

Preheat oven to 400°F. Halve 2 medium zucchini lengthwise. Scoop out and discard seeds, then scoop out enough zucchini flesh from center to make room for filling. Finely chop the scooped- out zucchini flesh and transfer it to a bowl; add ½ cup cooked quinoa, ½ cup prepared salsa, and 3 tablespoons hummus. Fill zucchini boats with quinoa mixture. Place in a baking dish with 1 cup water and cover with foil. Bake 30 minutes; uncover. Bake 30 minutes more or until zucchini is tender.

Picnic Potato Salad

Makes 4 cups

In a large pot of boiling water cook 3 cups 1-inch potato chunks just until tender; drain. In a large bowl whisk together ⅓ cup hummus, 1 tablespoon yellow mustard, and ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar. Add the hot potatoes, ½ cup chopped celery, and ½ cup finely chopped red onion; toss to coat vegetables. Let cool before serving.

Za’atar Pitzas

Makes 2 pitzas

Preheat oven to 450°F. Split a whole wheat pita pocket through the center to make two thin rounds; place on a baking sheet. Spread each round with 2 tablespoons hummus. Sprinkle each with 1 tablespoon za’atar spice blend and ¼ cup cooked or canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained. Bake 5 minutes or until crusts are crisp.

Roasted Veggie Wraps with Roasted Red Pepper Hummus Spread

Makes 2 wraps

Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange ½ cup each sliced zucchini, eggplant, and onion on baking sheet. Roast 25 minutes, turning once. In a blender combine ½ cup jarred roasted red peppers, ⅓ cup hummus, and 2 teaspoons paprika; cover and blend until smooth. Spread hummus mixture over two 8-inch whole grain tortillas; top with roasted vegetables and, if desired, chopped lettuce. Roll up.

Summer Vegetable Gratin

Makes one 8-inch square gratin

Preheat oven to 350°F. Slice 3 small tomatoes, 1 small eggplant, 1 medium zucchini, and 1 large yellow bell pepper into ¼-inch-thick slices; chop 1 small onion. Sprinkle onion over the bottom of an 8-inch square baking dish; top with remaining vegetables, alternating slices. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons dried herbes de Provence, pour ½ cup water over vegetables, and cover dish with foil. Bake 30 minutes; uncover, dollop with ½ cup hummus, and bake 15 to 20 minutes more or until vegetables are tender.

Green Goddess Sauce

Makes 1 cup

In a small blender or food processor combine ½ cup each lightly packed fresh parsley and arugula, ¼ cup hummus, 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon, 1 small clove garlic, and ½ teaspoon miso paste (optional); cover and blend until combined. Add ½ cup water or vegetable broth; cover and blend until smooth. Serve with grain bowls or Vegetable Fritters (recipe below), or use as a salad dressing.

Vegetable Fritters

Makes 6 fritters

Preheat oven to 350°F. Mash together ⅓ cup cooked or canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained; ¼ cup hummus; ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley; 1 clove garlic, minced; and 1 teaspoon ground cumin. Stir in 1 cup grated carrots, beets, parsnips, and/or cabbage. Shape mixture into six ¼-cup patties. Arrange on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until browned. Serve with Green Goddess Sauce (recipe above).

Megan Edwards contributed to this article.

The post 10 Easy Recipes That Start with Hummus (Plus a Delicious Hummus Base Recipe) appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

Apple Pie Bites

“These have been our favorite movie snack lately. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Dice 4 unpeeled apples, spread them on a baking sheet, and bake 15 minutes. Leave oven on. Place cooked apples in a large bowl, and gently mash to release a bit of liquid. Stir in 1 cup rolled oats; 1 cup unsweetened applesauce; 2 teaspoons lemon juice; 2 teaspoons cinnamon; ½ teaspoon vanilla bean powder; and ¼ teaspoon each ground nutmeg, ginger, and cardamom. Pour batter into a 12-cup silicone muffin pan. Bake 20 minutes. Let cool completely before removing from the pan.”—Brittany Jaroudi, founder of The Jaroudi Family

Pickle Popcorn

“Our go-to savory snack is pickle popcorn. It sounds odd at first, but if you like pickles and you like popcorn, prepare to be amazed. Put some pickle juice in a spray bottle and lightly spray air-popped or microwaved oil-free popcorn, then dust it with nutritional yeast.”—Rachael J. Brown, author of For Fork’s Sake: A Quick Guide to Healing Yourself and the Planet Through a Plant-Based Diet

White Bean Queso

“I love making a ‘queso’ to pair with salsa and baked chips. In a high-speed blender combine one 15-oz. can white beans (drained); 2 tablespoons each tahini, nutritional yeast, and lemon juice; 1 tablespoon miso paste; 1 teaspoon each cumin, paprika, and garlic powder; a pinch of black pepper; and a little hot sauce, sliced jalapeño, or red pepper flakes, to taste. Blend until creamy. I use the ‘soup’ function with my Vitamix, which warms up the dip, but you can also heat it in the microwave.”—Cleodia Martinez, author of Ay Sus! Whole Food Plant-Based Global Filipino Cuisine

Banana Tahini Toasts

“I like whole grain toast or whole grain crisp bread with slices of banana and a drizzle of tahini, cut into triangles to share.”—Sharon Palmer, MSFS, RDN, founder of The Plant-Powered Dietitian

Chocolate Cherry Nice Cream

“This is my latest obsession. Place a cup of frozen banana chunks, ½ cup almond milk, and 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract in a blender. Puree until smooth, adding more milk, if needed. Add 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder. Puree again. Add ¼ cup frozen cherries. Pulse just to break up the cherries. Serve topped with more cherries.”—Katie Simmons, Chicago-based personal chef and founder of Plants-Rule

Classic Crudités

“My favorite movie snack is a veggie platter with baby carrots, sliced yellow peppers, broccoli florets, and cherry tomatoes, with homemade hummus for dipping. Sometimes I have a few pita chips and Kalamata olives on the side.”—Judy Brangman, MD, DipABLM, CEO of The Plant-Based MD

Frozen Grapes

“I absolutely love grapes as a movie snack. They taste fantastic straight out of the refrigerator, but you can also freeze them to make them even more delicious!”—Sheil Shukla, DO, internal medicine physician and author of Plant-Based India: Nourishing Recipes Rooted in Tradition

Peanut Butter Stuffed Dates

“Kids love getting messy making these treats. Using a teaspoon, fill 24 plump pitted dates with 1½ teaspoons peanut butter each. Place the filled dates on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and freeze for 15 minutes. Enjoy right away, or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.”—Del Sroufe, author of The China Study Family Cookbook and Forks Over Knives: The Cookbook

For more healthy vegan meal and snack ideas, check out Forks Meal Planner, FOK’s easy weekly meal-planning tool to keep you on a healthy plant-based path. To learn more about a whole-food, plant-based diet, visit our Plant-Based Primer.

The post Plant-Based Pros Reveal Their Fave Healthy Movie-Night Snacks appeared first on Forks Over Knives.