There are several physiological benefits to adopting a plant-based diet once a week in addition to the many positive environmental effects. We talked to nutrition expert T.C. Hale, who explains how giving your system a break from animal protein can actually help restore and repair the body’s digestive system and help boost the natural detox process.
Improved Digestion
Fully breaking down animal proteins takes more of the body’s resources than many other foods. Those whose digestion is not working optimally may benefit from taking an occasional break from meat to consume foods that are easier to digest and assimilate. This gives the body more resources that can later be used to better process those needed animal proteins.
Increased Energy
Breaking down animal protein requires a ton of energy in your body, and if it’s not broken down properly you can feel sluggish and weighed down. Many people don’t have the ability to fully break down proteins and they don’t even know it. By removing animal protein once a week, you essentially free up the digestive system to fully break down what’s put in, giving you a sense of lightness and vitality.
Detox Boost
When the digestive system is given a break from having to digest tough animal protein, it can shift into high detox gear, pushing out what it doesn’t need and sending vital nutrients where they are needed the most.
Increased Nutrient Absorption
If you can’t fully break down proteins, not only are you not pulling the needed nutrients out of those foods, those foods have to break down by the process of rotting and fermenting, creating more of a burden for the body. A plant-based day of eating can allow the body to absorb vital nutrients it’s been going without.
The best option is always to improve digestive function, but taking a day off from protein can be an easy step in the right direction for those who have a harder time breaking down protein.
Good for You, Good for the Planet
Adopting a plant-based diet even one day a week adds up. It takes an enormous amount of resources to produce one pound of meat, from fuel for transport, water for the crops and the animals, not to mention the heavy methane gas produced by industrialized farming. By joining the Meatless Monday movement, you can help fight pollution while promoting animal welfare.
