For most people, eating a balanced plant-based diet is overwhelmingly beneficial—and anti-nutrients are rarely a cause for concern! A plant-based diet has long been associated with numerous health benefits, including a reduced risk of chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers.
READ MORE: 10 Health benefits of a plant-based diet
But there's been a growing conversation around something called “anti-nutrients”—often mentioned in a way that makes plant-based foods sound a little less nourishing than they really are.
It can leave you wondering whether everyday staples like beans, lentils, grains, and greens are somehow working against you. But as with many things in nutrition, the full picture is a little more nuanced.
When you step back and look at how these foods are traditionally prepared and commonly eaten, anti-nutrients begin to feel less like something to fear and more like a small part of a much bigger, well-balanced story.
