Benefits of Eating a Plant-Based Diet

Vegan diets are a hot trend, but what makes them different from other fads is that there’s science to back them up.

Plant-based foods—including fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, oils, and grains—all play an important role in our health. Vegetarian-style diets have been linked to reduced risks of chronic illnesses, including coronary heart disease, diabetes, and certain types of cancer. These benefits are reliant on a few things—most importantly that you need to eat plant-based foods regularly. Eating only french fries or a small portion of beans once a month in your vegan diet won’t expose you to the nutrients that have been found to help promote health. Eating a wide variety of plant-based foods is often the key to success.

Some of the Most Impressive Healthy Attributes of Plant-Based Foods

• Plants offer fiber, which helps promote healthy digestion and keeps you feeling fuller longer.
• Oils, nuts, and seeds are full of healthy fats that actually contribute to lower cholesterol and better heart health.
• Plant foods contain no cholesterol, but some still contain unhealthy saturated fats, which negatively impact heart health, so watch for these.
• Plant-based proteins like soy, quinoa, hemp, and chia seeds contain a full panel of amino acids— protein building blocks—the same as meat and other animal-based foods.

Vegan Swaps

Craving the texture of meat, the binding properties of eggs, or that one-of-a-kind cheesy flavor? Try these tried-and-true vegan alternatives.

Vegan Boosts

Looking to add nutrients to your vegan recipes? Try these.