The 6 Real Benefits of a Plant-Based Diet (and How to Go Plant-Based)

You’ve seen the documentaries that seem too good to be true: Plant-based diets restore people’s mobility. They cure cancer. These claims are, of course, far too bold to hold up to deep scrutiny, so you may be wondering: What are the benefits of a plant-based diet? There are at least six real and reasonable answers to this question, as we detail below before showing you how to eat more plant-based meals.

The different types of plant-based diets

Within the world of eating more plants than animal products, you’ll encounter plant-based, vegan, and vegetarian diets. Here’s how they differ.

• Plant-based: Eating plant-based means eating only foods that contain no animal products, dairy, or eggs. Moreover, you don’t need to go all-or-nothing to try plant-based eating. Even eating mostly plant-based meals, with animal products occasionally in the mix, empowers you to experience the benefits of a plant-based diet.
• Vegan: This term is sometimes used interchangeably with “plant-based,” but there’s a key difference: “vegan” may sometimes suggest a commitment to avoiding animal products outside just one’s diet. For example, some vegans won’t wear leather or buy leather furniture since it’s an animal product.
• Vegetarian: A diet free from meat but that still contains other animal products, such as dairy or eggs, is vegetarian. It’s a more plant-based diet than your standard omnivorous diet, but it’s not entirely plant-based. You may also hear the word “pescatarian,” which is simply a vegetarian diet with seafood added in.

Health benefits of plant-based diets: What the science says

Eating plant-based is known to do wonders for your heart health, weight, blood sugar levels, and gut health while lessening inflammation. High fiber content is a leading reason for many of these outcomes.

1. Improved cardiovascular health

According to a 2023 review article published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, plant-based diets are correlated with “improvements in cardiovascular mortality when compared to a standard diet.” This science-speak means that eating plant-based may significantly lessen the likelihood of cardiovascular diseases. In particular, eating vegetarian is correlated with a lower chance of ischemic heart disease.

2. Less inflammation

The primary heart disease risk of meat-heavy diets may be that they cause systemic inflammation. In fact, the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health review article above establishes that plant-based eating is far less linked to this inflammation.

Without this inflammation, plaque formation (which hardens the arteries and thus increases susceptibility to a stroke or heart attack) and coronary artery disease are less likely. Having at least one plant-based meal per day may thus lessen your personal risk for not just unpleasant and painful inflammation, but cardiovascular disease across the board.

3. Easier weight management

As per a 2020 review article published in the scientific journal Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity, in 22 publications across 19 studies, eating a plant-based diet was correlated with weight reductions. This observation shouldn’t be taken as encouragement to restrict your eating or feel that you should be a certain weight. Instead, it shows that, if you’re currently striving toward certain goals, eating plant-based may support them.

4. Superior blood sugar management for diabetes

In a 2017 article published in the Journal of Geriatric Cardiology, the authors conclude that the argument for “using a plant-based diet to reduce the burden of diabetes” is clear and robust. They also state that the major food groups of a plant-based diet — vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds, with minimal refined or processed foods — support the prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes.

In particular, according to UCLA Health, plant-based diets make it much easier for people living with type 2 diabetes to control blood sugar levels. Whereas the simple carbs and added sugars in processed foods may promote insulin resistance and counter healthy blood glucose control, the fiber abundant in plant-based foods may have the opposite effects.

5. More fiber in your diet

Higher fiber intake is associated with improved digestion and intestinal health, from minimizing potential constipation to lessening the risk of colorectal cancer. Since foods rich in fiber often feel more filling, they may support weight management as well. And the reason why fiber is linked to diabetes prevention and management is that it lessens the rate at which the body breaks down and absorbs glucose, resulting in an improved insulin response.

Fiber intake is especially important if you’re starting out only partially plant-based as you transition away from an omnivorous diet. This superstar micronutrient may discourage your body from absorbing cholesterol.

6. Greater gut microbiome health

Another benefit of all the fiber in a plant-based diet is that some fiber is a food source for the healthy bacteria that live in your gut. That’s another way of saying that fiber supports gut microbiome health, which is far more than a buzzy phrase you can’t stop hearing about. The healthier your gut microbiome, the more readily your body can break down and absorb vital nutrients. All those vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats from your diet’s fruits, vegetables, and nuts are for naught without this microbiome, which fiber is key in supporting.

Economic benefits of plant-based diets

Eating plant-based supports your wallet, too. That’s for two main reasons:

• Plant-based foods are less expensive. A 14-ounce brick of extra-firm tofu, which costs around $2, often contains 40 grams of protein. A pound (16 ounces) of chicken starts at $2.50 per pound in even the most budget-friendly grocery stores. In general, vegan diets may reduce one’s grocery bill by 16% — that’s over $500 a year!
• Lower healthcare costs. Since plant-based diets are associated with decreasing your likelihood of heart disease and diabetes, going plant-based may save you money on healthcare today, tomorrow, and in the long run.

Environmental benefits of plant-based diets

Plant-based eating is better for the world, and you don’t have to be an environmental activist to do it. If any of the following moves you, consider eating plant-based more often.

• Animal farming directly releases greenhouse gases. Factory farming has led to populations of cows and sheep that exceed what the global ecosystem would naturally yield. That’s a problem when, as adorable as cows and sheep are, they emit the greenhouse gas methane as part of their digestive process. Methane traps roughly 100 times more heat than carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas.
• Animal food production far outweighs plant-based food in climate impact. To produce one pound of beef requires the emission of 15 times more carbon dioxide than to produce one pound of rice. It also requires 60 times more carbon dioxide than for a pound of wheat or peas, both of which can be processed into sources so high in protein that they easily compete with beef.
• Manure decomposition is tied to greenhouse gases. Although the decomposition of livestock manure is the smallest contributor to greenhouse gases of all livestock-related factors, plants don’t generate manure at all.

What to know when transitioning to a plant-based diet

As you go more plant-based, prioritize whole foods, ignore the “not enough protein” messaging, gradually eat more fiber, embrace soy milk, and read ingredient labels. Going point by point:

• Whole foods are better than processed ones. When you first start eating more plant-based, it can be tempting to skip all the greens and healthy plant proteins. Maybe you don’t yet know how to cook with them, or maybe you want to avoid the time saved by choosing processed foods. However, whole foods including fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains, and natural plant proteins deliver a far more complete nutritional profile, and they’re easy to season and flavor.
• It’s a myth that you won’t get enough protein. Legumes are full of protein and fiber. Nuts and seeds deliver healthy fats alongside protein. Unprocessed plant-based meat substitutes such as tofu, tempeh, and seitan are so rich in protein that they rival actual meat. If you’re hesitant to make the switch on a purely protein basis, ditch that fear — it’s unfounded.
• Slowly increase your fiber intake. It’s mostly great for your health that plant-based diets are so fiber-heavy. The one caution is that quickly going from relatively low fiber intake to high fiber intake can temporarily throw your digestive system out of whack and lead to painful bloating. To avoid this outcome, add a small but increasing amount of fiber-heavy food, such as legumes or broccoli, to every meal before making these foods staples.
• Soy milk is just as reliable as cow’s milk. As you ditch cow’s milk (or other animal milks), you might worry that you won’t get enough protein or calcium. This would be true if you subbed in only almond milk or oat milk. It’s not at all true if you replace cow’s milk with soy milk, which is just as rich in both protein and calcium.
• Read ingredient lists to avoid animal products. A package of trail mix that looks fully vegan may well have milk in it. Some non-dairy cheeses have the protein casein in them for emulsification purposes, and casein is often derived from animal milk. You may face a learning curve as you first start reading ingredient labels to spot animal products, but it’ll become natural with time.

5 tips for eating more plants

Go into your journey with a list of new meals to try and vegan swaps to reply on. At the same time, prioritize high-energy foods, seitan, and tofu.

• Make a list of tasty-sounding plant-based meals. Instead of grocery shopping without any guideposts, keep a list of delicious plant-based meals in your back pocket. In particular, recipes for high-protein plant based meals will keep you as satiated as your omnivore diet. Better yet, explore Purple Carrot’s grocery for delicious plant-based foods delivered straight to your door.
• Set yourself up for continued energy. As your body transitions from one type of eating to another, you may experience shifts in how you feel, including in your energy. Keep some pep in your step with tasty energy-boosting plant-based staples such as sweet potatoes and oranges. From robust meals to plant-based snacks, shopping smart when you first go plant-based can sustain you all day.
• Don’t skimp on seitan. It’s well worth learning how to cook and eat seitan since a two-ounce serving of this plant-based staple may contain around 18 grams of protein and 90 calories. By comparison, two ounces of chicken contains a bit more than 15 grams of protein, as well as 135 calories. (If you’re gluten-free, however, explore tofu as a high-protein option instead.)
• Get to know the five main types of tofu. Instead of the one-size-fits-all food you might think it is, tofu comprises five types that you can incorporate into your diet in various ways. From bulking up your morning smoothies to subbing for meat in main dishes, tofu can easily be among your foundations for going plant-based. (Pro tip: Our General Tso’s Tofu recipe is a fan favorite.)
• Know your vegan swaps. A tofu scramble is a great replacement for your morning eggs. Plant-based milks are delightful coffee creamers. A quick blend of firm tofu and nutritional yeast gets you a nice ricotta cheese substitute. On that note, using nutritional yeast in place of cheese in general is among the most reliable vegan swaps. Or, save yourself the effort and let Purple Carrot do the vegan swapping for you.

Kick off (and stay on) your plant-based diet with Purple Carrot

Instead of assembling grocery lists and navigating the aisles trying to find not-yet-familiar plant-based foods, save the time and effort with Purple Carrot. From our Sesame-Orange Tofu to our Spiced Pepper Seitan, our beginner-friendly recipes pack in all the requisite nutrients and flavor notes, and our meal kits include all the required ingredients. Sign up for Purple Carrot for $100 off your first month of deliveries!