Most people have heard about the health benefits of adding more fruits and vegetables to their diet, yet many can’t imagine limiting or eliminating meats, fish and dairy. However, there are choices: plant-based, vegetarian and vegan diets are all beneficial. But are the benefits really that dramatic?

Studies say yes. Research shows that changing to a plant-based lifestyle can help people with chronic diseases – especially obesity, diabetes and heart disease – get healthier. Not everyone who eats a plant-based diet cuts out meat completely. The terms plant-based, vegan and vegetarian have slightly different parameters.

• Plant-based diet: Primarily consists of whole plant foods but does not entirely exclude meat.
• Vegetarian diet: Relies on whole, plant-based foods but excludes meat and fish. However, most vegetarians eat dairy products, including cheese and eggs.
• Vegan diet: This diet excludes all animal products, including meat, dairy, eggs and honey. It is often motivated by ethical or religious considerations regarding animal rights and environmental sustainability, but it is also an extremely healthy way to eat.

Making any of these changes can help improve your health, including:

• Cardiovascular health: The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) ranked heart disease as the No. 1 leading cause of death in the United States in 2020. Studies have consistently shown that plant-based diets can lower the risk of heart disease by reducing cholesterol levels, blood pressure and inflammation. The high fiber content of plant foods also supports heart health.
• Weight management: Plant-based diets are generally lower in calories and saturated fats than those rich in animal products. As a result, they can support weight loss. Many studies show switching to a plant-based diet can lower a person’s body mass index.
• Type II diabetes: Plant-based diets can improve insulin sensitivity and significantly impact blood sugar levels and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), key markers in diabetes management. While consuming meat has been associated with a higher likelihood of developing diabetes, consuming more fruits and vegetables has been demonstrated to decrease this risk by up to 50%.
• Hypertension: Studies show that a vegan diet can help lower blood pressure.

Dr. Michael Snyder, who practices at WellMed at Pleasanton in Pleasanton, Texas, knows what he’s talking about when he recommends this lifestyle to his patients. His medical training included time spent at the Weimar Institute, now Weimar University, in Northern California. The university was established by  Seventh-day Adventists, a Protestant Christian denomination that highlights health and education. Weimar also operates the NEWSTART® Lifestyle Program, an 18-day health recovery program.

“Weimar is strictly plant based, no animal products at all,” said Dr. Snyder. “They have spectacular results with diabetes, weight loss, heart disease and nutritional healing.”

But Dr. Snyder’s exposure to plant-based eating started earlier than that.

“When I married, I knew my wife was a vegetarian, and I told her, ‘Well, you can eat whatever you want and you can feed our kids whatever you want as long as I get my meat and potatoes every day,’” Dr. Snyder recalled.

Less than a year into their marriage, his wife admitted she had been feeding him meatless meals for a month, and he’d never noticed. It’s the reason why Dr. Snyder stresses the importance of learning how to cook fulfilling vegan meals.

“If you are thinking salad and broccoli all the time, you will get tired of that,” Dr. Snyder said. “You need to think sauces, gravies and nuts and seeds. They are fulfilling and satisfy the palate.”

A simple way of knowing what to focus on is to stick to whole, minimally processed plant foods and avoiding or reducing any food from animals, such as meat, chicken and fish, along with eggs, cow’s milk and cheese.

For most people, this is a big change. In a society that has been raised eating mostly meat and potatoes, many people are not sure if they can make the switch.

It helps to know that a well-rounded plant-based diet includes a variety of nutrient-dense foods, including:

• Vegetables and fruits: Rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber, vegetables and fruits form the cornerstone of a plant-based diet. They provide essential nutrients while contributing to overall health and well-being.
• Whole grains: Whole grains like quinoa, brown rice, oats, and whole wheat are excellent sources of complex carbohydrates, fiber, and nutrients essential for energy and digestive health.
• Legumes: Beans, lentils, and chickpeas are high in protein, fiber, and iron, making them essential for supporting digestion and regulating blood sugar levels.
• Nuts and seeds: These are packed with healthy fats, protein, fiber, and many vitamins and minerals.
• Lean protein: These include tofu, tempeh, edamame, quinoa, sorghum, lentils, chickpeas and most beans and legumes. Other proteins derived from peas, hemp, or soy can serve as meat alternatives.

Though starting the switch to a plant-based, vegetarian or vegan diet can be approached gradually, Dr. Snyder finds that people who go all in have the best results.

“I’ve done seminars on plant-based eating for 30 years, and the people with the most success are those who go home, throw everything out of the kitchen that doesn’t belong there and replace it with good plant-based, nutritional foods,” he said. “They tend to have the best health results; they stick with it and do quite well.”

For those who find the idea of not eating meat overwhelming, eating more fruits, vegetables and whole grains in each meal is a good way to start. Learning to cook a variety of tasty meatless meals will go a long way to ease the transition. Dr. Snyder recommends taking classes and investing in good cookbooks.

“It’s a different type of cooking that requires some education,” he said. “The Weimar Institute’s ‘NEWSTART Lifestyle Cookbook’ and the ‘Seven Secrets Cookbook’ both have good tips on what you need to do to get started.”

References:

Clem, MD, J., & Barthel, MD, B. (May-June 2021). A look at Plant-Based diets. Missouri Medicine, v. 118((3)), 233–238.

How does Plant-Forward (Plant-Based) Eating Benefit Your Health? (2023, December 20). www.heart.org.

McMacken, M., & Shah, S. (2017). A plant-based diet for the prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes. PubMed, 14(5), 342–354.

1. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies. (2023, September 19). The China Study – T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies. Center for Nutrition Studies.

Gibbs, J., & Cappuccio, F. P. (2022). Plant-Based Dietary Patterns for human and planetary health. Nutrients, 14(8), 1614.

Plant-based protein infographic. (n.d.). www.heart.org.