Spirit Science 33_6 ~ Plant Based Food

In this Spirit Science episode, we continue our food saga and explore what makes up a plant-based diet. We also describe some basic plant biology, and the different plant-based diets out there. Generally, on a plant, there are several main parts: the roots, the stem, the leaves, the fruits, the seeds, and the flowers.

Roots and leaves are used to draw in energy from either the sun or from the Earth. The stem is then responsible for moving those nutrients to where they need to go. The flowers produce fruits and vegetables, which contain the seeds, and the DNA required to create another plant.

There are many different types of plant foods, broken up into a few categories. First, there are seeds and nuts. These are things like hemp seeds, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds.

Nuts are essentially seeds that come in a hard shell, like Brazil nuts, peanuts, cashews, walnuts, almonds, and pine nuts.

Generally, nuts and seeds are very nutrient-dense – especially when raw, often carrying a generous amount of calories, fats, complex carbs.

The next category of plant food are the roots, which are the bottom half of the plant body, and are rich with starches. In this category, you’ll find things like potatoes, carrots, beets, cassava, radishes, and parsnips.

We also have a category called legumes, which encompasses anything that’s in a seed pod, such as beans and peas. Most commonly here you might find lentils, peas, peanuts, and all kinds of beans like black beans, kidney beans, and garbanzo beans.

There is also the fruit and vegetable category, which we explore further in the video. Patchman then goes on to explain the different kinds of plant diets.

A fully plant-based diet is called vegan, which is a diet that consists of vegetables, legumes, fruit, grains, nuts, and seeds – omitting any and all animal products.

We also have raw veganism, which is the practice of eating no animal products, and also where the food is never cooked, though sometimes dehydrated or warmed at a very low temperature.

Then there’s a vegetarian. This includes all the plant-based foods, but also allows the consumption of eggs and dairy, with no meat products.

Ultimately, it is important to listen to your body. Try out different diets and see how your body responds, it may thank you for it!

Sources:

Nutrition of Nuts and Seeds
https://navs-online.org/articles/nuts-seeds/

Whole Grains & Refined Grains
http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/hpcd/chp/cdrr/nutrition/facts/wholegrains.html

Metallic Iron in Food
https://www.peakenergy.com/health_ebytes/issue_4.php

Metallic Iron in Food 2
https://academic.oup.com/femsre/article-lookup/doi/10.1111/1574-6976.12086

About Gluten
https://authoritynutrition.com/what-is-gluten/

Roots and Tubers
http://www.berkeleywellness.com/healthy-eating/food/article/roots-and-tubers-natures-buried-treasures

What are Legumes
https://ultimatepaleoguide.com/what-are-legumes-paleo/

Fruits Vs. Vegetables
https://www.livescience.com/33991-difference-fruits-vegetables.html