Quick Introduction to the Forks Over Knives Diet
Folks Over Knives was a feature-length documentary. It has since become the Forks Over Knives Diet, and there is a cookbook that uses the principles of this approach to come up with many different dishes.
The Forks Over Knives Diet is vegan and plant-based. The diet uses, as its starting point, the film. The documentary looked at the impact on the human body of the traditional Western diet eaten in the United States. Additionally, the positive results of transitioning to a diet with a huge focus on plants was assessed.
The film makes the point that deadly diseases and conditions are on the rise, including cancer, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes (while the first will impact almost 50% of people, more people are suffering from the latter two health problems than ever before).
Simply by cutting out meat and dairy, people hope to see a positive health impact. However, a person can definitely eat a vegan diet that has poor nutrition (since chocolate and potato chips can be vegan). Sustainability eating site Eat Drink Better has positive things to say about this diet, noting that Forks Over Knives is essentially a way to go about the vegan diet in a smart way that sustains your health.
● Key dietary elements & sample foods
● Why base your diet on plants?
● Expert help for proper nutrition
Key dietary elements & sample foods
The creators of this diet are Alona Pulde, MD, and Matthew Lederman, MD. The doctors explain some more of the basic characteristics of food choices within the Forks Over Knives Diet , along with some samples foods that are key to the diet.
The doctors note that the diet is not just plant-based but is also centered on whole, unrefined foods that are minimally processed. Whole grains, legumes, and fresh produce are the highest priority. You should have little or no meat, dairy, or eggs (since the diet is vegan, after all). Other foods that are eliminated or substantially reduced are refined items such as oil, refined sugar, and refined flour.
Here are the primary categories that are important to the diet, along with several example foods for each:
● Fruit – bananas, blueberries, cherries, grapes, oranges, mangoes, and strawberries;
● Veggies – broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, collard greens, kale, and lettuce;
● Tubers & high-starch vegetables – corn, green peas, potatoes, winter squash,
yams, and yucca;
● Whole grains – barley, millet, oats, quinoa, rice, and whole wheat; and
● Legumes – black beans, cannellini beans, chickpeas, kidney beans, lentils, and
lima beans.
The doctors say that transitioning to this diet is not as much of a strain as it first may sound – because those foods we just listed can allow you to put together modified versions of many of your favorite dishes, such as mashed potatoes, pizza, burritos, and lasagna.
Why base your diet on plants?
Drs. Pulde and Lederman explain that what is important about this diet, really, is that it shifts focus from the notion of using meat as the center of a plate to instead loading it with starchy foods and fruit. With the Forks Over Knives Diet, the starchy comfort foods at the side of the plate will become the main attraction. Your preparation will change since you won't be using dairy and oil. However, you should be familiar with these foods.
Well, of course Dr. Pulde and Dr. Lederman think this diet is great; they are the ones who thought it up. Let's look to additional perspectives and evidence to get a sense of why this diet is so effective.
Marisa Moore, a registered dietician nutritionist (RDN) and spokeswoman for the American Academy of Dietetics and Nutrition, notes that she can back up the results reported by the Forks and Knives originators. Typically, people will experience improvement in their health within 90 days on a plant-based diet, according to Moore. “Some might find they notice an increase in energy way before that, within a week, after cutting out foods higher in saturated fat that may be weighing them down,” she adds .
Research also agrees with this approach, as indicated by a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine in 2014. The study was a systematic review of 32 previous studies, including 7 clinical trials. The report's authors found that eating a diet free of meat helped with lowering blood pressure. Studies have shown that you can reduce your risk of death and cut down your heart disease susceptibility by as much as one-third by switching to a plant-based diet. Plus, research by scientists at the University of South Carolina determined that vegan beat out omnivorous, pesco-vegetarian, semi-vegetarian, and vegetarian diets by having the best results for weight loss.
Expert help for proper nutrition
Are you considering adopting a plant-based diet such as Forks Over Knives? At Lafferty Family Care, Dr. Scott Lafferty can teach you about your current diet and what you might need to change, in addition to giving you advice about dietary supplements. Learn more.
