Learn what eating a plant-based diet entails, along with the pros and cons of this on-trend diet.
Check out our sample meal plan to help you get started, too.
So you’re thinking about starting a plant-based diet.
Perhaps you’ve heard about the health benefits or are concerned about the environment.
Or maybe you just want to eat a little less meat.
Whatever your reasons, you’re not alone.
If you’d like to join the ranks, read on.
What Is a Plant-Based Diet?
So, what exactly is a plant-based diet?
Is it a vegan diet?
To some, it means eating a 100% vegan diet.
Many packaged vegan food products are highly processed.
A 2021Journal of Nutritionstudy found that the more people avoided meat, the more ultra-processed foods they ate.
1-Day Plant-Based Diet Sample Menu
Here’s what a day of eating plant-based might look like.
kindly note that this is not a vegan plan, as we do include some dairy.
A 2025 study inNature Microbiologyexamined the gut environments of vegans, vegetarians and omnivores.
The microbiomes of the plant-based eating patterns tended to have more beneficial bacteria compared to the omnivores.
Helps Maintain Healthy Weight
Eating more plants may also affect your waistline.
A 2024 review inPLOS Onefound that plant-based diets may help reduce cardiometabolic risk factorsincluding obesity.
But these results come with caution.
There’s no calorie tracking or specific meal plans to follow.
You do what works for you.
These words of wisdom apply here.
Depending on where you fall on the plant-based spectrum, you may be at risk of certain nutritional deficiencies.
It’s important to note that vegans are at a greater risk because their diets are the most restrictive.
Other nutrients to take into consideration are vitamin D andomega-3 fatty acids.
The Bottom Line
Eating more plant-based has many benefits for your health, including reducedchronic inflammationand disease.
A plant-based diet is flexiblego totally vegan, vegetarian or simply increase the amount of plants you’re eating.
