Q&A with an Internist and Nutrition Specialist 

You are what you eat, as the saying goes. Healthy eating, which promotes weight management and good nutrition, includes a variety of food groups that are chock full of vitamins, fiber, and minerals.

Some people choose to take healthy eating one step further and eliminate animal proteins, dairy products, processed foods and limit oils in their daily meal plan. This way of eating is called a whole food plant-based diet. 

David Herzog, MD, an internist at Summit Health North, follows a whole food plant-based diet and specializes in teaching patients who are interested in the nutritional benefits of this diet how to make changes in their current diet to reap the health benefits of those changes

Q: What is a whole food plant-based diet? 

Dr. Herzog: A whole food plant-based diet is a diet based upon eliminating foods that come from animals and instead consume plant foods found directly in nature with little or no processing. It is centered around eating green leafy vegetables, beans, legumes, whole grains, fruits, nuts, and seeds.  

For comparison, a vegan diet also eliminates animal products but allows processed foods. Selections like cookies or vegan cheese would be allowed on a vegan diet. These foods, however, would not be found in a whole food plant-based diet because they are processed and may contain ingredients such as palm oil or coconut oil which are very high in saturated fat.

Q: How can a whole food plant-based diet benefit your health? 

Dr. Herzog: More and more physicians are coming to the realization that animal products are the root cause of most diseases including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and obesity. By eliminating animal products and processed foods from the diet, many patients can decrease their need for medication, lose weight, and improve their immune system function. In addition, patients often find that they have more energy.

Q: What does a plant-based meal day look like? What do you have for breakfast, lunch, and dinner? 

Dr. Herzog: A typical meal day might include the following:

• Breakfast: blueberry pancakes (egg free recipe), oatmeal with cinnamon and raisins, half a cantaloupe, and/or rye toast with jam
• Lunch: chunky vegetable chili or a garden salad with sesame dressing or balsamic vinegar
• Snack: fruit such as banana, apple, or grapes; baby carrots with hummus
• Dinner: lentil soup with crackers, linguine with artichoke hearts and mushrooms, steamed vegetables and beans with rice and tomato sauce, or green bean past with cashew pesto. 

Q: Will your protein needs be met with plant-based eating? 

Dr. Herzog: It’s a fact that all the protein in the world originates from the plant world.  The cows that you get your steak from eat only grass or grains that the farmer feeds them. There is more than enough protein in leafy greens, beans, legumes, nuts, and seeds to meet or exceed our daily protein requirements. 

Q: How many fruits and vegetables should you eat on this diet?

Dr. Herzog: The wonderful thing about the plant-based diet is that there is no limit to the number of fruits and vegetables you can eat because they are so low in fat content. If you are still hungry, you can just eat more of them. But one should get several servings of fruits and vegetables (especially cruciferous vegetables) every day.

Q: Does eating only plant-based foods result in weight loss?

Dr. Herzog: The whole food plant-based diet is ideal for people who want to lose 10 to 20 pounds. This way of eating is low in fat and high in fiber which satiates the appetite.  As long as you make plant-based eating a permanent lifestyle change, the weight will come off and stay off allowing you to achieve an ideal body weight. If you start a plant based diet at an ideal body weight, then you will remain at the same weight. 

Q: Is it necessary to take supplements with this diet? 

Dr. Herzog: If a patient is following a whole food plant-based diet, they will receive all of the vitamins and minerals needed with the possible exception of Vitamin B12.  For that reason, I advise nearly all of these patients to take Vitamin B12.

Q: Will I eat too many carbohydrates if I follow a whole food plant-based diet?

Dr. Herzog: Followers of a whole food plant-based diet do not have to worry about consuming too many carbohydrates. The fiber in most plant-based diets helps satisfy the appetite and reduces the tendency to overeat. In addition, carbohydrates have only 4 calories per gram whereas the fat that we consume from animal products (or any other source including oils) has 9 calories per gram. 

Q: What is the best source of healthy fats? 

Dr. Herzog: The best source of healthy fats are plants such as avocado and nuts. Since nuts have a lot of calories, patients should only consume a small amount each day, especially if trying to lose weight. For example, a daily serving of seven walnuts can satisfy your requirement for healthy fats as it is particularly high in Omega-3 fatty acids. 

Q: What are the challenges of starting a plant-based diet? 

Dr. Herzog: The main challenge of starting a plant-based diet is getting used to the new way of eating. Some of the new foods that one will consume may not taste similar to those in our usual diet.  When you make a change to a new food item, it may take up to two weeks for the taste buds to get used to the new taste but you will eventually learn to really enjoy the new taste. This happened to me when I switched from 1% cow’s milk to soy milk. 

The other strategy I recommend is starting slowly — try incorporating a plant-based breakfast first. Once you are comfortable with that, work on adding a plant-based lunch, and finally begin consuming a plant-based dinner.

Q: Which patients are most appropriate for switching to a plant-based diet?

Dr. Herzog: The first requirement is the patient must be amenable to making a dietary change to improve their health. For those that are willing to do that, a plant based diet (when followed optimally) can slow down progression or even reverse coronary artery disease, lower cholesterol levels, improve control or even eliminate type 2 diabetes, improve control of blood pressure, decrease the risk of acquiring cancer or decrease the risk of recurrence for those that are in remission, control autoimmune diseases such as lupus or rheumatoid arthritis and help with weight loss to name a few.

How Summit Health can help you get started

If you are interested in learning more about whole food plant-based eating, Dr. Herzog offers one-hour appointments at our Purchase and Rye locations. Together, you’ll review your history, and he can provide recommendations and resources on how to create a plant-based lifestyle for you. Call us today at (914) 848-8590 to make an appointment with him!