This spring will be perfect for you—if you’re a bird or a bee.

If you’re a human who suffers from allergies, it has the potential to be a nightmare.

After we suffer through the tree pollens in March and April, grass pollens hit most of the country in May and June.

But, Mother Nature has a way of balancing things out. Even as she challenges your sinuses, she offers remedies to ease your pain.

Allergy-Fighting Foods

Try some of these foods known to naturally help with hay fever, congestion, and other allergic reactions when spring is in the air.

• Broccoli

  ​Bring on the broccoli when your sinuses are blocked.

  This member of the crucifer family is high in vitamin C: one cup of raw broccoli contains about 80 milligrams (mg).

  Research has shown 500 mg of Vitamin C daily can ease allergy symptoms.

• Citrus fruits

  Thanks to their mega-doses of vitamin C, citrus fruits such as oranges, lemons, and grapefruits are good weapons in the quest to breathe freely when pollen and other irritants are in the air.

• Collard greens

  Collard greens offer allergy-fighting carotenoids.

  To help your body absorb their nutrients more readily, eat collard greens with a fat. Try sautéing them in extra-virgin olive oil.

• Elderberries

  Elderberries contain flavonoids that reduce inflammation.

  Ease your suffering by imbibing some elderberry wine, enjoying a glass of juice, or spreading some jam on toast or crackers.

• Garlic & Onions

  The quercetin in onions and garlic (apples too) acts like an antihistamine so it minimizes allergic reactions.

  Try roasted garlic or carmelized onions on a slice of pizza or with bruschetta.

• Miso soup

  Miso (and other broths) are known to help mitigate the mucus that builds up in the nasal passages during allergy season.

  Other mucus-clearing foods include spicy foods, such as horseradish, cayenne, or chili powder.

• Beets, purple/red grapes

  The anthocyanins that give certain foods, such as beets, purple or red grapes, berries, and cherries, their dark violet-like color have anti-inflammatory properties that can reduce swollen membranes that make breathing difficult.

Tea for Allergy Relief

A wide variety of herbal teas can ease seasonal allergy symptoms. Here are a few to try.

• Rooibos Tea

  Rooibos has components that naturally block the release of histamines.

  Rooibos is even thought to help allergy-sensitive systems to metabolize the irritants.

• Ginger Tea

  Ginger tea is a natural antihistamine that helps reduce nasal inflammation.

• Peppermint Tea

  Peppermint tea is a natural decongestant that can slow the production of histamines and the symptoms that go with them.

• Green Tea

  Green tea is rich in antioxidants and helps block the body’s reaction to allergens like pollen, dust, and animal dander.

Crohn’s disease and colitis are serious, complex, and potentially debilitating inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) that affect more than one million Americans.

Symptoms of IBD

They are characterized by physical damage and inflammation in the intestinal lining and both systemic and gastrointestinal symptoms

• diarrhea
• cramps
• digestive upset
• fatigue
• malnutrition
• unhealthy weight loss

Even though IBD can be life threatening and often requires medical treatment, it also tends to be responsive to diet changes, supplements, and herbs.

Our holistic goals are multifaceted:

• address nutrient deficiencies
• decrease inflammation
• decrease immune dysfunction
• heal the gut

...and, overall, to encourage healthy digestion and elimination.

How to Maintain Gut Health with IBD

• Avoid Problematic Foods

  Most holistic practitioners and patients find avoiding problematic foods is the most dramatic and effective way to get IBD under control.

  People with IBD often have underlying food allergies, intolerances, and sensitivities, which cause digestive discomfort and may also increase inflammation and the body’s autoimmune response.

  Common problematic foods include coffee, gluten/wheat, dairy, and eggs, but people vary widely. You need to avoid only foods that actually bother you; no one diet works for everyone.

  Elimination-Rechallenge Dieting

  Consider an elimination-rechallenge diet and/or immunoglobulin G (IgG) food allergy and celiac disease testing to sleuth it out. Start by avoiding anything that irritates.

  After you heal your gut and are symptom-free for several months, you may find you can reintroduce some foods without issue.

• Address Nutrient Deficiencies

  Nutrient deficiencies and malnutrition are common in IBD, especially Crohn’s. Food moves too quickly through the digestive tract, and poor intestinal lining impairs the ability to absorb nutrients. Eating nutrient-dense yet easily digestible foods, plus taking targeted supplements, can help improve energy levels, immune function, gut repair, and vitality.

  Common nutrient deficiencies in IBD include:

  • vitamin B12
  • vitamin D
  • folate
  • calcium
  • magnesium
  • zinc
  • iron

  Start with a good-quality multivitamin/mineral designed for easy absorption. You may find you need additional specific supplements.

  Before taking iron or megadoses of other nutrients, have your levels tested.

• Boost Good Bacteria

  Probiotics are gut-healing allies. Beneficial bacteria help maintain good gut health and function, decrease inflammation, improve nutrient absorption, and encourage healthy immune function. Increasing research suggests that supplementing the diet with probiotics gradually shifts gut ecology for the better.

  • Consider a high-potency product that delivers both Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium.
  • Eat more fermented vegetables:
    • kimchi and live sauerkraut
    • miso (fermented soybean paste) soup
    • yogurt and kefir (if you’re not dairy sensitive)
  • Ginger root encourages beneficial bacteria while fighting pathogens.
  • Fiber from food or supplements promotes good bacteria and helps normalize bowel movements and decreases IBD and colon cancer risk.

• Deal with Pathogens

  IBD and dysbiosis, an overabundance of pathogenic gut bacteria and yeasts, go hand in hand, worsening each other.

  Herbs for Pathogens and Dysbiosis

  If you have signs of pathogens and dysbiosis, the following herbs are used specifically and temporarily to deal with them:

  • high-berberine plants
    • goldenseal
    • Oregon grape root
    • coptis
    • barberry
  • oregano-like plants
    • bee balm
    • thyme
  • pau d’arco
  • clove
  • ginger
  • cinnamon
  • garlic
  • tannin-rich plants
    • various Rumex species
    • oak
    • alder

  Unlike antibiotic medications, these natural remedies are less likely to compromise good bacteria. You may want a practitioner’s guidance for pathogen identification and treatment options.

• Heal the Gut

  Promoting gut repair is an important aspect of managing IBD that conventional medicine ignores.

  • Slimy Herbs

    Slimy herbs are gut-healing stars because they soothe inflamed gut lining and promote tissue healing: licorice, slippery elm, marshmallow root, and aloe inner gel.

    (Aloe latex is a laxative and a gut irritant—counterproductive for IBD. Avoid whole-leaf preparations.)

    The slimy demulcent and mucilaginous properties of these plants are best extracted in water:

    • steep teas overnight
    • add them to drink mixes
    • try chewable tablets

  • Licorice

    Licorice heals the gut in multiple ways, but it can also cause hypertension and kidney issues when taken in high doses or long term. The offending compound is removed from DGL tablets, offering most of the healing properties without the safety concerns.

  • Supplements

    On the supplement front, the amino acid glutamine encourages gut repair, as do butyrate, silica/horsetail, gelatin, collagen, and bone broth.

  It takes time to heal the gut. You may notice immediate improvement, but these remedies should be taken long term, until you’ve been symptom-free for several months.

Taking the time to brew a hot cup of tea can help ease anxiety and stress.

Researchers have found that simply holding a warm mug gives you a more generous, kind demeanor and improves your perception of others.

Of course, the herbs themselves offer many other health benefits, aside from mental health management.

Here’s what you need to know if you’re in need of a stress-free tea time.

Different Types of Tea

The tea world can be divided in half: camellia and herbal.

• Herbal Teas

  Herbal teas contain no Camellia sinensis. Instead they are flavorful infusions of botanical roots, bark, leaves, seeds, and other plant parts.

  Technically, an herbal tea is known as a tisane. Rooibos, or red tea, constitutes its own province in this realm.

• Camellia Teas

  Camellia sinensis leaves are used for a variety of types of tea: black, oolong, green, and white.

  The differences between each involve various degrees of oxidation and how the tea leaves are processed.

  All these teas are rich in flavonols (plant-based antioxidants) like quercetin, kaempferol, and myricitin.

  • Black Teas

    Black tea leaves are oxidized up to four hours. Oolong oxidizes for two to three hours.

    During oxidation, camellia leaves evolve chemically, resulting in characteristic color and flavor changes.

    Due to oxidation, black tea has a stronger, more bitter taste than green or other teas.

    Benefits of Black Tea

    • Heart Health

      Several studies suggest drinking between three to five cups of this tea daily may support heart health.

      One study shows that those who drink more than 16 fluid ounces of black tea daily have a 50% lower prevalence of cardiovascular disease than those who don’t drink tea.

      Another study indicates that people who consume more than three cups of black tea a day can reduce their risk of having a heart attack by 43%, compared to those who don’t drink tea.

      Drinking black tea may also boost heart health by improving cholesterol levels. A U.S. Department of Agriculture trial found that those who drink five cups of black tea daily, while consuming a diet moderately low in fats and cholesterol, had a decrease in LDL cholesterol of 11% in only three weeks.

    • Bone Strength

      In addition, black tea seems to improve skeletal mass in older women.

      One study assessed bone mineral density (BMD) in tea drinkers and non-tea drinkers to find that tea drinkers had an average of 5% greater BMD than non-tea drinkers.

      Study authors suggest that tea’s flavonoids may influence BMD.

    • Stress Recovery

      Black tea may even assist the body in recovery from stress.

      Men who drank tea four times a day for six weeks had lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol in their blood after a stressful event, compared to the control group that did not drink tea.

  • Green and White Teas

    Green and white teas, by contrast, are not oxidized at all but are steamed, rolled, and dried.

    Green tea comes from mature leaves. White tea results from immature leaves harvested prior to their opening fully, when the buds feature a fine, white, hair-like substance.

    Green and white teas are the least processed forms of true tea, giving them slightly less caffeine, more antioxidants, and greater health benefits.

    Benefits of Green Tea

    Perhaps the most notable tea for health is green. Many reports cite it for overall good health, possible cancer prevention, and other benefits.

    Green tea boasts more scientific research than any other tea, though it’s fair to assume white tea is at least as good. Matcha is a Japanese green tea that has ten times the nutritional value of regular green tea in terms of antioxidants and vitamins. 

    Green tea’s health-promoting properties are ascribed to the superior level of active catechins due to the leaves’ unfermented state.

    One active green tea substance, epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), seems to prevent changes in cells that can lead to chronic disease.

    Drinking green tea regularly is linked to:

    • improved cognition
    • weight loss
    • immune function
    • improved mood
    • decreased inflammation
    • lower cancer risk
    • increased metabolism

Specific Stress-Free Teas to Try

• De-Stress with Tulsi

  This tea, also known as holy basil or sacred basil, is well-known in its native India and has recently become popular in the United States. It is planted in temples around India.

  The leaves and flowers have adaptogenic properties, which means they help the body adapt to stress, decreasing its effects.

  In addition to its calming and energizing properties, tulsi:

  • decreases inflammation
  • improves cognition and mood
  • lowers blood sugar
  • boosts immune function
  • balances cortisol (a stress and blood sugar hormone)

  Tulsi blends well with green tea. Steep the herb for five minutes or as long as you like.

• Savor Cinnamon Bark Tea

  Cinnamon bark makes a deliciously sweet tea that’s free of sugar and caffeine.

  It has anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties, and it lowers blood sugar by making cells more sensitive to insulin.

  Cinnamon is an astringent herb that tightens and tones the digestive tract in cases of diarrhea and leaky gut.

  If you’re making tea with plain cinnamon, seek the whole sticks or chips because the powder transforms into a mucus-like consistency.

  You can simmer cinnamon for 20 minutes or let it steep for an hour or longer.

• Revel in Hibiscus

  If you’ve tasted any red or fruity tea blend, you’ve probably sipped hibiscus.

  Also known as roselle and “rosa de Jamaica,” hibiscus comes from Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central America.

  Sipped cold and sweetened, it helps keep you cool on a hot day. Unsweetened, it tastes more like tart cranberry juice.

  Hibiscus is made with the flower calyx of the plant, but it provides more fruit flavor and color than almost any dried fruit. It contains anthocyanin and bioflavonoid compounds similar to berries.

  Recent research has uncovered health benefits:

  • Hibiscus performs as well as several hypertension medications.
  • It also helps lower cholesterol and blood sugar.
  • Like cranberry juice, it may help prevent urinary tract infections.
  • Sipped with honey, it soothes sore throats.

Seek Good Vibes

The source of your tea matters. Organic teas will contain fewer pesticides and other synthetic farming agents while having a better impact on the environment.

Several popular tea brands have been under scrutiny for potentially containing illegal levels of pesticides.

For tea coming from far away, seek fair-trade options, which ensure that the people who grew your tea (often in developing countries) are treated and paid well.

Many herbal teas are available from farms that use organic methods and put good vibes into your tea. 

Good Vibes Matter

In one study, tea drinkers who drank tea “treated” with good intentions from Buddhist monks had greater mood benefits than those who drank tea made from the same ingredients but without the “treatment.”

Choose the Best Tea for You

While tea provides all sorts of benefits, some may be better for your lifestyle than others.

For example, tea has a small amount of caffeine. If this interferes with sleep, makes your heart go pitter-patter, or frays your nerves, consider naturally decaffeinated green tea or very lightly brewed white tea.

Be sure to research the ingredients in your brew, as well as the side effects they could cause, in order to embrace the best tea-drinking habit for you.

If you or someone in your family is experiencing constipation, you’re not alone.

Most of us will have trouble with this common affliction at some point in our lives.

Thankfully, there are natural ways to get things moving.

What Is Constipation?

Constipation is usually defined as a change in the frequency of bowel movements—the “normal” range is three times a day to three times a week.

Constipation can be acute or chronic, and is characterized by a host of uncomfortable symptoms:

• passing hard stools
• feeling bloated or full
• nausea
• abdominal pain
• strained bowel movements

What Causes Constipation?

These can all lead to bathroom trouble:

• dehydration
• lack of exercise
• illness or chronic disease
• high stress levels
• lack of dietary fiber

The Importance of Fiber

The most common cause of constipation is a low-fiber diet.

Fiber adds bulk to stool, making it easier to move along the digestive tract.

Americans typically fall short of the recommended daily fiber intake (25 g for women, and 38 g for men).

Consuming more high-fiber foods can relieve and even prevent constipation.

What Can You Do about Constipation?

It’s easy to boost your fiber intake by incorporating more vegetables, fruit (especially dried fruit), whole grains, beans, nuts, and seeds into your diet.

You can meet your daily fiber needs with 2 cups of fruit and 2 ¹⁄₂ cups of vegetables per day.

Small changes can make a big difference. Easy ways to boost fiber intake for the whole family include:

• adding oats to baked goods
• adding fruit to cereal
• using veggies in stews or casseroles

Tips for Kids with Constipation

Constipation can be painful and stressful for children, but it is surprisingly common, affecting up to 30 percent of kids. Here are some ways to keep things running smoothly:

• Keep kids hydrated. Water is best, and it helps to soften stools.
• Boost fiber intake with whole grains, vegetables, and fruit.
• Warm foods at breakfast can stimulate digestion.
• Make movement a priority—kids should engage in at least 30 minutes of physical activity per day to encourage healthy digestion.

Collagen is a key component of the skin’s structure, responsible for keeping it firm and elastic. As we age, our bodies begin to slow the production of collagen, resulting in fine lines and wrinkles, and decreased moisture.

Eating a healthy diet, staying hydrated, using sunscreen, and exercising regularly can help slow the process of collagen loss and dryness. Read on to learn how collagen supplements can play a part in maintaining healthy, youthful skin.

How Collagen Can Help Protect Skin

• Counteract Dryness with Collagen

  Research indicates that collagen supplements can help counteract the natural signs of aging. A group of healthy women with visible signs of aging were given a daily collagen supplement for 12 weeks.

  At the end of the study, their skin had improved dramatically, with fewer visible lines and wrinkles, and a significant decrease in dryness and scaling.

  Researchers concluded that collagen supplements helped to increase collagen production.

• Battle Fine Lines and Wrinkles

  To reduce skin wrinkles, Alexis Parcells, MD, recommends 2.5 daily grams of hydrolyzed collagen type I or a mixture of types I and II for demonstrated benefits after eight to 12 weeks. 

  In a large, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, women who took a daily dose of 2.5 grams of hydrolyzed collagen experienced a 20 percent reduction in crow’s feet after eight weeks.

  Another outcome of the supplementation was that the women’s own production of procollagen—the precursor to collagen—increased by 65 percent.

• Collagen Boosts Nail Growth

  A recent study revealed that daily oral supplementation with collagen peptides improved symptoms of brittle nail syndrome (nails that are rough, ragged, and peeling).

  Participants saw their nail growth rate boosted by 12 percent, and a 42 percent decrease in the frequency of broken nails after supplementation.

  A whopping 88 percent continued to see improvements four weeks after the end of the treatment period.

• Collagen Can Improve Elasticity

  A 2017 pilot study determined that oral intake of a collagen supplement derived from eggshells can improve skin elasticity by 12 percent after five weeks of supplementation.

  All study participants reported satisfaction with facial skin softness—and a majority were satisfied with facial skin hydration, body skin hydration, and effects on hair—at the end of 50 days of treatment.

• Peptides: Skin Deep

  Several studies have shown that oral supplementation with collagen boosts collagen peptide levels in the blood, and now a new study confirms that those peptides show up in the skin, as well.

  Using a mouse model, researchers were able to observe collagen peptides in blood plasma and skin and determined that, “. . . functional peptides can be transferred to the skin by dietary supplements of collagen.”

“What if you put 250 people in a room and told them they would each pay $1,000 a year for a drug they would have to take every day, that many would get diarrhea and muscle pain, and that 249 would have no benefit? And that they could do just as well by exercising? How many would take that?” asked Jerome Hoffman, MD, professor of emergency medicine at UCLA.

He was referring to statins, which are prescribed for lowering cholesterol and are the best-selling drugs in the history of medicine. Dr. Hoffman’s query is not simply rhetorical.

Even the pharmaceutical giant Pfizer—which produces Lipitor, by far the most profitable statin—agrees that the drug prevents at best one heart attack per 100 patients who already have “multiple risk factors for heart disease.”

And statins often cause liver irritation, muscle cramps and pain, and memory problems.

How Do Statins Work?

Statins work by blocking an enzyme that produces cholesterol in the liver. They are effective at lowering LDL (bad) cholesterol, elevating HDL (good) cholesterol, and reducing triglycerides, a type of fat in the blood. For most people, eating a healthy diet, getting adequate exercise, and following other positive lifestyle practices will produce the same results.

About a quarter of the population is genetically predisposed to high cholesterol, and medication is sometimes a necessary option. But everyone benefits from lifestyle changes too.

“When I prescribe medication, I always tell my patients that I am giving them only 50 percent of what they need,” writes Stephen R. Devries, MD, author of What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Cholesterol. “The other half comes from their diet and exercise plans.”

How to Help Keep Cholesterol in Check

We do need cholesterol, and plenty of it. The waxy substance is essential for thousands of bodily functions and is a key component of cell membranes. But too much of the wrong kind causes problems, as does too much cholesterol in the blood.

Foods that help regulate cholesterol levels include nuts (especially almonds, walnuts, and cashews), soy protein, garlic, green tea, ground flaxseed, oat bran, and many fruits and vegetables. Consumption of extra-virgin olive oil has been shown in human studies to reduce cholesterol.

You’ll also keep levels in check by limiting refined carbohydrates from cookies, chips, soda, and other snacks, and by avoiding trans fats (watch labels for partially hydrogenated oil). Functional medicine authority Mark Hyman, MD, says the most harmful type of cholesterol occurs as small, dense, hard particles, which “act like BB pellets, easily penetrating your arteries.” He says that the largest source of these abnormal particles is sugar.

“The sugar you consume converts to fat in your body. And the worst culprit of all is high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).” Dr. Hyman adds that HFCS “is the primary nutritional cause of most of the cholesterol issues we doctors see in our patients.”

Supplements to Support Cholesterol Levels

Nutritional supplements geared toward maintaining optimal cholesterol levels can pay dividends for almost everyone. Consider these:

• Artichoke Extract

  Artichoke extract appears to increase the production of bile in the liver, which enables excretion of cholesterol.

• Fish Oil

  Fish oil—high in omega-3 fatty acids—lowers triglycerides, reduces inflammation, and raises HDL.

• Garlic Extract

  Garlic extract is proven to lower cholesterol levels and triglycerides. In one eight-week study, reductions in LDL cholesterol and total cholesterol were seen in adults who received a supplement containing extracts of garlic and onions. They also saw improvements in blood pressure and oxidative and inflammatory markers after taking the supplement.

• Niacin

  Niacin, a B vitamin, helps remove LDL from the blood and return it to the liver.

• Policosanol

  Policosanol, a mix of specialized fats from various plants, shows promise in regulating cholesterol.

• Psyllium

  Psyllium, high in soluble fiber, reduces cholesterol absorption in the intestines.

• Soy Protein Isolate

  Soy protein isolate may reduce LDL and triglycerides.

Modern life moves at a fast pace, and we’re often juggling multiple priorities—family, work, health concerns, and our finances can all cause stress. Sometimes we struggle to deal with all of the ups and downs.

Constant stress can leave us feeling as if our energy has been zapped. Thankfully, there are lots of natural ways to help our bodies fight fatigue and reduce stress so we are better equipped to take on whatever life throws at us.

Supplements for Energy

Adaptogens for Energy

• Adaptogens to Relieve Fatigue

  Chronic stress can affect everything from hormones to cardiovascular function, and many of us are perpetually imbalanced. Reducing stress through diet, exercise, and relaxation techniques is a good start.

  Supplements can also help. Adaptogenic herbs support the endocrine and immune systems and boost the body’s ability to fight stress. Here are a few to try:

  • Ginseng

    Ginseng (Panax spp.) is a staple of traditional Chinese medicine and a first line of defense against sluggishness. Both Asian ginseng (P. ginseng) and American ginseng (P. cinquefolius) help boost energy levels, regulate blood sugar, and improve libido.

    Due to high demand, wild stands of both types of ginseng have been greatly reduced—look for brands that have been sustainably harvested.

  • Eleuthero

    Eleuthero (Eleutherococcus senticosus), a “cousin” of ginseng, has been shown to boost energy levels. It appears to be especially helpful for those who work long shifts or odd hours.

    It may also boost endurance and stamina in athletes.

  • Codonopsis

    Another option to consider is codonopsis (Codonopsis spp.), also known as “poor man’s ginseng,” which is less well known. Research suggests that it may be an effective energy booster.

  • Rhodiola

    If you need a quick pick-me-up, consider fast-acting rhodiola (Rhodiola rosea). Research indicates that rhodiola can boost energy in the short term, and it also provides long-term physical and mental energy.

    Rhodiola may reduce symptoms of depression including insomnia and mood swings.

• Adaptogens to Give Your Brain a Boost

  If you find that you can’t focus or that your thinking has become cloudier than usual, you may want to try one of these brain-helping supplements.

  • Ginkgo

    Commonly praised as a brain-boosting herb, Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba) is a staple of traditional Chinese medicine.

    Contemporary research tends to focus on Ginkgo biloba extract (GBE), which appears to improve cognition, especially in young and middle-aged healthy people.

    Some studies indicate that GBE may improve memory in people with dementia.

  • Schisandra

    Schisandra (Schisandra chinensis) acts as a mild stimulant for the nervous system, supporting concentration, boosting mental activity, and improving work performance.

    It also helps to relieve anxiety and stress, allowing for greater mental clarity.

  • Gotu kola

    Gotu kola (Centella asiatica) works more slowly than some other natural remedies, but studies show that it has positive effects on mental function, including giving a boost to working memory.

  • Green Tea Extract

    Green tea extract has been shown to enhance cognitive function and working memory. One study found that participants performed significantly better on working memory tests after supplementation with green tea extract.

    EGCG (epigallocatechin-3-gallate), a component of green tea extract, may also improve memory impairment and other cognitive defects triggered by a typical Western diet high in fat and sugar.

Other Nutrients to Boost Energy Levels

Other nutrients that may help boost energy levels include:

• Vitamin B12 which may boost concentration, memory, and mood.
• Magnesium, which converts glucose into energy.
• Omega-3 fatty acids, especially alpha linolenic acid (ALA), that assist with energy generation and may help ease fatigue associated with depression.
• Vitamin D, which shows promise in reducing daytime sleepiness.

You are what you eat, from your head down to your feet. And your feet might be standing near a plant that could end up on your plate.

Plant protein, the hot dietary option, has consumers rushing to buy legumes, quinoa, and soy products in a quest to be healthy and possibly live longer. Nearly 30 percent of Americans are, according to market research, trying to eat more plant protein because they believe it’s an affordable and sustainable food choice.

Reduce Disease Risks with Plant-Based Protein

Harvard Medical School researchers found that substituting 3 percent of calories from animal protein with plant protein was linked to a 12 percent reduced risk of dying from heart disease and a 10 percent reduced risk of dying from any cause during a 32-year study period.

“A well-planned plant-based diet... when you do it in a balanced way, it lowers your risk for heart disease and obesity,” said Andy De Santis, a registered dietitian in Toronto. “Switching to a plant-based diet is better in the long term.”  

By “balanced,” De Santis and other health experts mean eating a wide array of plant-based foods—fruit and vegetables, nuts and seeds, and milk alternatives such as soy—rather than relying mostly on animal-based foods for protein.

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics states that “appropriately planned vegetarian, including vegan, diets are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits for the prevention and treatment of certain diseases” including Type 2 diabetes, certain cancers, and hypertension.

Vegetarianism and veganism, while healthy, aren’t for everyone, De Santis said, so people who won’t forsake animal-based foods should consider the halfway point found in the Mediterranean diet. This emphasizes plant foods with sprinklings of dairy, meat, seafood, and poultry.

Plant Proteins & Amino Acids

Plant proteins alone can provide enough essential and nonessential amino acids for the human diet. But, as the American Heart Association suggests, those who rely solely on plant protein need to vary plant sources and ensure the caloric intake from those foods meets energy needs.

“Even foods we don’t traditionally think of as high protein—whole grains... and some vegetables—they’ll have good amounts of amino acids,” said Cara Harbstreet, a registered dietitian in Kansas City.  

Soy protein has been shown to be equal to proteins of animal origin, and can be a sole protein source if you choose. “Soy is always a good fallback,” Harbstreet said. “It’s now at a level where it’s real reachable to consumers, with soy milk, yogurt, and tofu.”  

Other Plant Protein Sources

The plant protein movement is expanding, with consumers looking beyond old favorites such as soy, nuts, and seeds to try new sources of protein. Vegan protein powder products are flying off the shelves. As a base for smoothie drinks, they offer busy professionals a chance to hit their daily protein targets without having to stop for meals. Pea protein powder offers as many as 15 grams of protein per scoop.

Thomas Jefferson, who grew hemp at his Monticello plantation, primarily for clothes, would be intrigued by the health benefits of the plant. Hemp protein powder contains healthy omega 3s, although the downside is it also has a higher fat content than other vegan powder offerings.

Not only is chia protein powder ideal for smoothies, but it is tasty as a baking flavor.

“There is the convenience factor with vegan protein powders,” Harbstreet said. “I would caution with foods from hemp and chia powders that they have a fatty acid component so they might need refrigeration or they’ll have shorter shelf lives.”  

Plant-Based Pasta

One more offshoot of the plant protein movement is pasta made from beans and lentils. Harbstreet said these pastas taste similar to traditional pasta, but their texture is different. “They can be a little gummier, like the texture of al dente,” she said.  

A plant-based protein diet isn’t as exotic or as expensive as some might think. “It’s cheaper to buy lentil and tofu than it is cuts of meat,” De Santis said. “It’s affordable, ethical, and it produces better health outcomes. Plant protein is not going to go away.”