



Additionally, the authors concluded that plant-based diets provide health benefits for people at all stages of life—including women during pregnancy, athletes in training, and infants.

According the Academy:

Compared to nonvegetarian diets, vegetarian diets can provide protection against many chronic diseases, such as heart disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and some cancers. Furthermore, a vegetarian diet could make more conservative use of natural resources and cause less environmental degradation.

In other good news, it’s now easier than ever to have a diverse and delicious diet comprised entirely of the plant-based foods that best support our health and the health of the planet. The Academy nods to this, noting that sales of meat-alternatives are on the rise, along with the number of people who are seeking to remove or reduce animal products from their diets. In other good news, it’s now easier than ever to have a diverse and delicious diet comprised entirely of the plant-based foods that best support our health and the health of the planet. The Academy nods to this, noting that sales of meat-alternatives are on the rise, along with the number of people who are seeking to remove or reduce animal products from their diets.





Interest in and appreciation for plant-based diets continue to grow in the United States and other parts of the world as governmental agencies and various health and nutrition organizations promote the regular use of plant foods. Abundant choices on in the marketplace facilitate following a plant-based diet.

The position paper even takes aim at the elephant in the room: protein, tackling the issue succinctly: “Vegetarian, including vegan, diets typically meet or exceed recommended protein intakes, when caloric intakes are adequate.”





Boom.





Have more questions about the health of plant-based diets? Check out these resources recommended by the Academy:

PCRM: The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine promotes preventive medicine through innovative programs and offers free patient educational materials.

NutritionFacts.org: This website provides brief, references video clips and articles on numerous aspects of plant-based nutrition.

Vegetarian Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group: VNDPG’s consumer website provides a blog with evidence-based vegetarian nutrition, plus RDN resources for consumers.



To learn more about The Good Food Institute’s work to support healthy, humane, and sustainable foods, visit our website

In a newly released paper The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics takes a firm position on plant-based eating, stating that diets free from animal products are not only nutritionally adequate, but have far-reaching health and environmental benefits.