Abstract
Public interest in popular diets is increasing, in particular whole-food plant-based (WFPB) and vegan diets. Whether these diets, as theoretically implemented, meet current food-based and nutrient-based recommendations has not been evaluated in detail. Self-identified WFPB and vegan diet followers in the Adhering to Dietary Approaches for Personal Taste (ADAPT) Feasibility Survey reported their most frequently used sources of information on nutrition and cooking. Thirty representative days of meal plans were created for each diet. Weighted mean food group and nutrient levels were calculated using the Nutrition Data System for Research (NDSR) and data were compared to DRIs and/or USDA Dietary Guidelines/MyPlate meal plan recommendations. The calculated HEI-2015 scores were 88 out of 100 for both WFPB and vegan meal plans. Because of similar nutrient composition, only WFPB results are presented. In comparison to MyPlate, WFPB meal plans provide more total vegetables (180%), green leafy vegetables (238%), legumes (460%), whole fruit (100%), whole grains (132%), and less refined grains (−74%). Fiber level exceeds the adequate intakes (AI) across all age groups. WFPB meal plans failed to meet the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA)s for vitamin B12 and D without supplementation, as well as the RDA for calcium for women aged 51–70. Individuals who adhere to WFBP meal plans would have higher overall dietary quality as defined by the HEI-2015 score as compared to typical US intakes with the exceptions of calcium for older women and vitamins B12 and D without supplementation. Future research should compare actual self-reported dietary intakes to theoretical targets.
Highlights
Apparent interest in plant-based diets continues to grow, as evidenced by the variety of cookbooks, blogs, and related websites [1,2,3,4,5,6] that have emerged in recent years
A vegan diet, a Whole food plant-based (WFPB) diet places a greater emphasis on minimizing or excluding all processed foods made with refined grains and added sugar, refined
Many recipes and cookbooks written for vegans do emphasize fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes, they tend to be less rigid with respect to avoiding refined foods or ingredients [10]
Summary
Apparent interest in plant-based diets continues to grow, as evidenced by the variety of cookbooks, blogs, and related websites [1,2,3,4,5,6] that have emerged in recent years. While only a small segment (~
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