Plant-Based Diets: What’s the Buzz About?
By Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN, LD
Eating “plant-based” has become increasingly popular in recent years. While the concept of limiting animal products isn’t exactly new, there’s been a surge in vegan and vegetarian food products and menu items.
Just as there are differences in why people choose to follow a plant-based diet, such as health, environmental, ethical, or religious reasons, there are several different styles of eating that promote a high intake of plant foods.
But how exactly do vegetarian diets differ from vegan ones? And what does flexitarian mean? These are common questions that many people have, especially as the popularity of these diets grows.
Read on to learn about the different types of plant-based eating, and the benefits of eating more plants in general.
Plant-Based Diets Defined
Some may argue that the term plant-based refers only to diets and foods that completely restrict animal products. But others believe it’s more of an overarching term that encompasses several different eating patterns.
In general, plant-based refers to a style of eating that focuses predominantly on healthy plant foods, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and seeds, and may include varying amounts of animal products.
Here are the four most common types of plant-based diets:
Vegan: restricts all animal products, including all meats, eggs, cheese, fish, dairy, and possibly honey
Vegetarian: restricts meats (animal flesh) but may include eggs, cheese, and other dairy products
Pescatarian: restricts meats, but includes fish, eggs, cheese, and other dairy products
Flexitarian (semi-vegetarian): eats mostly vegetarian or pescatarian meals, with meat in moderation; some Flexitarians may limit red meat in particular or only have meat 1-2 times per week
Do you need to eat a fully vegan diet to reap the benefits?
Plant-based eating has been associated with several health benefits, including lower blood pressure, a decreased risk of heart disease, and healthy weight management. This is likely because whole plant foods are rich in vitamins and minerals, naturally low in calories, and high in fiber and other health-promoting compounds (1, 2, 3).
Thus, it’s clear that eating more plants can translate to better health, but you don’t need to follow a vegan diet or completely cut out animal foods to reap the benefits of plant-based foods. (Of course, there are many people who wish to follow a vegan or vegetarian diet for reasons other than possible health benefits and therefore avoid certain foods.)
In fact, studies suggest that pescatarian and flexitarian or semi-vegetarian eating habits are still associated with benefits, including a lower risk of type 2 diabetes and some cancers (4, 5).
That’s reason enough to eat more plant-based foods, right? To get started, aim to make at least half of your plate vegetables and swap out plant proteins for animal ones a few times a week. And if you need some consider a plant-based meal prep service like Healthy For Life Meals!
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