So you’re looking for the perfect diet to lose those extra pounds? Or maybe you’ve had enough of feeling bloated and fatigued and want to partake in a healthy diet? If you’re in this boat, you should definitely consider a plant-based diet low in saturated fats.
The Choose Real blog discusses the benefits of becoming a vegetarian. You don’t necessarily need to cut out all meat from your diet. Start by having meat one day a week. One study stemming from the Stanford School of Medicine found that a plant-based diet devoid of meat over a four week period lowered cholesterol more than a typical low-fat, low-cholesterol diet.
If you are concerned that switching to a diet of fruits and vegetables will limit your animal protein, you should know that there are excellent meat alternatives. Nuts, such as walnuts, peanuts, and almonds are high in protein and fiber. 
Quinoa and legumes, like black beans, are also loaded with plenty of protein.
Speaking of antioxidants, a plant-based diet will fill your body with these great health-promoting molecules. Antioxidants may help slow and stop oxidative damage to your body produced by free radicals.
If you are looking to increase the amount of vitamins you consume, you may want to start with broccoli, carrots, butternut squash, and kale, which are full of vitamin A. However, if you’re looking for a boost in vitamin C, make sure to have plenty of oranges, strawberries, green, leafy vegetables and green peppers.
Another well-known antioxidant is selenium. If you haven’t completely switched over to vegetarianism, you can get your fill of selenium through fish, chicken, shellfish, eggs, garlic, and grains. When searching for the perfect diet, remember to get plenty of fruits, vegetables, and antioxidants!