The Case for Switching to a Plant-Based Diet
Our interest in plant-based diets goes way back. Buddhism’s beginnings in the 5th Century BCE extolled the benefits of a vegetarian diet. In Ancient Greece, the philosopher Pythagoras advocated for a plant-based diet, proselytizing about the immorality of slaughtering animals and its health benefits.
In modern America, veganism, while still small, has grown 600 percent in the last 10 years. Grocery stores, restaurants and even fast-food chains have embraced plant-based meat alternatives. And Americans who described their diets as plant-rich doubled between 2012 and 2022 to 25.8 percent.
Not everyone is embracing the change. In the same survey, people who reported eating more red meat rose from 13 percent to 19 percent and fewer Americans reported that health was a consideration when they bought food.
Making a major diet change is hard. Most people fail after just a few weeks, but there are proven health benefits to reducing meat consumption and increasing your intake of vegetables and fruits. And you don’t have to give up meat completely to get the benefits.
Let’s talk about what’s in a plant-based diet and how you can start tweaking your diet to benefit today.
Defining a plant-based diet
Following a plant-based diet means you focus on eating foods that are primarily from plants. Your diet is full of fruits and vegetables, tofu, seeds, nuts, whole grains like brown rice and quinoa, legumes, beans and oils. You are embracing plant-based foods instead of animal-based foods, which can include fats, dairy and meats.
But it doesn’t mean you never eat cheese or yogurt or even meat. Instead, you’re proportionately eating more plant foods than animal foods. That’s why plant-based diets aren’t necessarily vegan diets (though vegan diets are plant-based).
Benefits of a plant-based diet
The health benefits of plant-based diets are bountiful. Multiple clinical analysis studies show that without changing physical activity levels, switching to a plant-based diet and eating plant-based protein typically results in weight loss, a lower BMI, improved insulin resistance, reduced visceral fat, improved cardiac function and reduced risk of cardiovascular disease.
A 2023 meta-analysis found that people who ate a diet made up solely of whole food from plants had a 24 percent lower rate of all-cause mortality, including ischemic heart disease. Another study found that 34 percent more patients following a plant-based diet had reduced incidences of atherosclerosis (some even reduced their heart disease risk more than those adhering to the American Heart Association Diet).
Other studies show that plant-based diets can help improve glycemic control and weight loss for patients with type 2 diabetes, decreasing fasting blood glucose, insulin resistance, triglycerides and total cholesterol. In some cases, the changes were so great that medications were no longer required to manage the chronic condition.
Plant-based diets can also help reduce high levels of cholesterol in the bloodstream that contribute to atherosclerosis and increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases, studies show. Plant-based diets may also reduce the risk of different cancers, though research is still early.
Plant-based diets also help our gut health, providing fiber for the beneficial bacteria in our gut to munch on.
Best of all, there are few negative trade-offs. Depending on the ratio of plants to animal sources of food, you may need supplements for certain nutrients.
Take Vitamin B12, for example, an essential micronutrient critical for DNA synthesis. It doesn't occur naturally in plant foods and predominantly is consumed via meat products. Some studies have shown that deficiency can lead to anemia and acute neurological dysfunction in participants following a strict plant-based diet. B12 can be added with supplements or B12-fortified foods, such as cereal and nondairy milk products.
Strict vegans may also have micronutrient deficiencies like omega-3 fatty acids, calcium, zinc, niacin and selenium.
Switching to a plant-based diets doesn’t alleviate other health risks. Vegetarians may have a higher risk for stroke, even if their overall cardiovascular disease risk goes down.
Also, processed foods that are labeled plant-based, vegetarian or vegan aren’t necessarily healthy. Plant-based junk foods from imitation milk, cheese and eggs to cinnamon rolls and donuts to vegan meat may be higher in calories and fat.
The bottom line? While a comprehensive 2020 review of plant-based diets concluded they mitigated or significantly reduced the risk of many chronic health issues, there are important reasons to discuss with your doctor if a plant-based diet is right for you.