Plant-Based Diet

A plant-based diet is a diet consisting mostly or entirely of foods derived from plants, including vegetables, grains, nuts, seeds, legumes and fruits, and with few or no animal products (such as “honey” or “eggs”). Historically, it was explained that “a plant-based diet is not necessarily a vegetarian diet”, as “many people on plant-based diets continue to use meat products and/or fish but in smaller quantities”. The use of the phrase plant-based has changed over time, and examples can be found of the phrase “plant-based diet” being used to refer to vegan diets, which contain no food from animal sources, to vegetarian diets which include eggs and dairy but no meat, and to diets with varying amounts of animal-based foods, such as semi-vegetarian diets which contain small amounts of meat. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics issued a position statement proposing that well-planned plant diets support health and are appropriate throughout life, including pregnancy, lactation, childhood, adulthood, and for athletes. A 2017 review of clinical research on the dietary patterns of people with type 2 diabetes stated that the kinds of carbohydrates (unrefined versus refined), fats (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated versus saturated and trans), and protein (plant versus animal) in a plant-based diet have significant roles in lowering the risk and managing diabetes and other diseases, such as cardiovascular disorders, obesity, and cancer.