Whole food plant based eating has a lot of hype around it. It is marketed as a weight loss technique and a cure all for chronic lifestyle illness, such as high blood pressure or diabetes. Does WFPB pass muster?
Eating plants does have benefits to your health, namely high fiber, low calorie, and nutrient density. And it seems that for most people, when they cut oil and other refined foods from their diet, they can easily lose weight without cutting portions.
But some caveats. Eating fruits and vegetables for the bulk of your diet has an impact on satiety. You have to work in whole grains, legumes, and starchy vegetables in order to feel full. This is a skill and takes time to master. Being hungry all day sucks, it sucks your energy, and it is a pretty quick way to revert to your old eating habits.
Some chronic illnesses, such as hypothyroidism, will not be impacted by a WFPB diet. I basically stand no chance of losing weight when the thing that runs my metabolism is broken. Being mindful of how certain foods affect chronic illness is still a concern with WFPB. Grapefruit is a key example of a food that has interactions with numerous medications. Far from a cure all for chronic illness, Whole Food Plant Based eating may have little or no impact on your chronic illness, depending on what it is.
Is there still a health benefit to eating mostly plants? Absolutely. And there is a growing amount of scientific literature on the topic. Search “vegan” or “plant based” on the National Institute of Health for current scientific research.
So what about Crohn’s disease? That is my point of inquiry. For me personally, it was easy to switch to WFPB. I had been vegan and vegetarian for years. I grew up eating a variety of fruits, vegetables, grains and legumes. I have not been lacking in inspiration for how to chomp down these plants.
It has been a year and a half since I stopped getting Remicade infusions. I was in remission when I stopped Remicade. I stayed in remission for over a year, then had a mild flare in July and August of 2020. (This was probably precipitated by stress eating freezer pizza and vegan ice cream because …2020.) My guts recovered in September. In January I started having signs of an increasingly healthy bowel.
So it appears, in this early course of my journey with Crohn’s, that eating a Whole Food Plant Based diet has helped me manage my disease, and achieve and remain in remission following an 8 week steroid course during my flare.
I’m not drinking the kool aid, however, and I am, as always, skeptical of diets and health fads. I would not be terribly surprised if my colon sought it’s revenge in unknown ways. But, let’s be real, when the advice is EAT PLANTS…that’s a pretty basic, no nonsense, common sense approach to a more healthy life.
So, eat more plants.
