PlantNutrition

Whole plant foods provide essential nutrients such as fiber, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and complex carbohydrates. Key nutrients to focus on include protein, iron, calcium, vitamin B12, omega-3 fatty acids, and vitamin D.

Although industrial pollutants like dioxins and PCBs have declined overall, fish remain a major source of exposure, often pushing intake beyond the EPA’s safe daily limits. Farmed salmon, in particular, consistently show much higher levels of toxic contaminants—including PCBs, dioxins, pesticides, antibiotics, flame retardants, and endocrine disruptors—than wild-caught salmon, making frequent consumption unsafe in many cities worldwide. Pollutants enter farmed fish mainly through contaminated fish oil in their feed, and similar risks extend to other farmed species, with varying levels of mercury and arsenic across wild and farmed fish. While omega-3 fatty acids in fish offer health benefits, these may be outweighed by chemical risks, leading many dietary guidelines to recommend no more than one serving per week. Compounding the problem, seafood mislabeling is widespread, with farmed fish often sold as wild-caught, leaving consumers unable to reliably avoid higher-risk products.

Coconut oil is one of the rare plant sources of saturated fat (normally only found in animals), which tends to increase LDL, or bad cholesterol.

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Nutritional yeast is a deactivated yeast with a cheesy, nutty flavor, making it a staple in vegan cooking. It's rich in B vitamins, protein, and minerals, adding both nutrition and umami depth to dishes. Often used as a cheese substitute, it can be sprinkled on popcorn, pasta, and roasted veggies, blended into sauces, or added to soups and scrambles for extra flavor. Its versatility and nutrient boost make it a go-to ingredient for plant-based diets.

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For decades, research has shown that women who eat meat have higher levels of estrogen in their blood compared to vegetarians, who have been found to have 45 percent lower levels of the most potent human estrogen, which may help explain their lower incidence of breast cancer. Even semi-vegetarians appear to have significantly lower estrogen levels, likely because vegetarians excrete two to three times more estrogens in their feces due to their higher fiber intake and greater fecal output, which helps pull excess estrogen from the body. Another concern is the hormones naturally present in animal products, especially dairy: modern milk, produced by pregnant cows manipulated to lactate throughout pregnancy, contains elevated levels of estrogen and progesterone, and has been linked to higher estrogen levels, a greater risk of hormone-dependent cancers, and even a fivefold increase in twin births among milk-drinkers compared to vegans. Experimental studies show that when men or prepubescent children drink a quart of cow’s milk, estrogen levels rise sharply within an hour, while testosterone and progesterone levels in men drop significantly, and in children, estrogen levels more than triple. Cow’s milk also contains sex steroid precursors like 5alpha-pregnenedione, which can promote acne and prostate cancer. Unlike our own hormones, which are regulated by natural feedback loops, dairy hormones bypass these protective systems, essentially “sneaking” into the human endocrine system, which did not evolve to handle constant exposure to animal-derived hormones and growth factors. Taken together, evidence suggests that dairy-sourced hormones, unregulated by our natural feedback mechanisms, may contribute to acne, prostate cancer, and other hormone-related conditions, offering a strong unifying theory for the diverse health problems linked to dairy consumption.

While major health organizations have recommended cow's milk for toddlers (often with concerning dairy industry funding ties), the evidence suggests plant-based alternatives especially fortified soy milk may actually be preferable. After weaning, no milk is nutritionally required if children eat healthy food and drink water. Cow's milk carries risks including potential links to type 1 diabetes, anemia, allergies, and colic, while plant-based milks are only problematic when used inappropriately as a sole food source. Soy milk and pea milk match cow's milk in protein and calcium while offering significant benefits: lower saturated fat, no cholesterol, reduced breast and prostate cancer risk, improved gut health, lower inflammation, better blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and no lactose which is crucial since about 75% of the world's population, including most Asians, African Americans, Hispanics, and American Indians, cannot properly digest cow's milk after childhood. Canada has already responded by removing dairy as a separate food group from their dietary guidelines and emphasizing plant-based foods instead, after excluding industry-funded studies from consideration.

Consuming fish for omega-3s comes with significant contamination risks that may outweigh the benefits. Research shows that farmed salmon contains persistent organic pollutants (POPs) like dioxins and PCBs that cause metabolic problems. Studies found rats fed farmed salmon fat developed more weight gain, visceral fat, insulin resistance, and elevated cholesterol compared to those fed plant fats or decontaminated salmon. The concerning part is that even "safe" EPA-approved exposure levels can be harmful when multiple pollutants are consumed together chronically, as they naturally occur in seafood. Since fish, along with other animal products, are major sources of these industrial toxins, the document suggests getting omega-3s from plant sources like walnuts and flaxseeds instead, which your body can convert to the long-chain omega-3s found in fish. For those who need direct EPA and DHA, particularly pregnant women, nursing mothers, diabetics, older adults, and infants, algae-derived supplements offer a cleaner alternative without the pollutant burden.

A whole food, plant-based diet can reverse type 2 diabetes by achieving remission, meaning normal blood sugar levels on a regular diet without medications. While remission may be more difficult for those who've had diabetes for over eight years due to depleted insulin-producing cells, most patients can still improve blood sugar control and reduce their medications. Research demonstrates that over half of patients on a plant-based diet with exercise reduced their diabetes medications, compared to only one-fifth receiving standard care, with improvements occurring even without weight loss. Plant-based diets also lower cardiovascular risks by reducing LDL cholesterol and waist circumference, while significantly improving emotional wellbeing, depression, and quality of life. This approach can prevent diabetes, change the disease's course, and control blood sugar naturally with no known negative side effects, making it a powerful treatment option that clinicians should recommend to all patients with or at risk for type 2 diabetes.

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The original glycemic index paper ranks among the most cited in nutrition science, but one of the top five is the landmark study on prebiotics—food components like fiber and resistant starch that nourish our gut bacteria. Once thought of only as roughage for digestion, fiber is now recognized as a key driver of health: when gut microbes ferment it, they produce short-chain fatty acids that reduce inflammation and protect against disease. Research shows that higher fiber intake lowers the risk of cancer, heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes, with benefits increasing the more you eat. Yet while we evolved to consume up to 100 grams daily, the average American gets only 16. To restore this vital symbiosis with our gut microbiota, the simplest solution is more whole food, plant-based nutrition.

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Dr. Joel Kahn is an American cardiologist, integrative medicine practitioner and promoter of plant-based nutrition.

Not all wine is vegan. Some wines are clarified using animal-derived fining agents such as egg whites, gelatin, casein (milk protein), or isinglass (fish bladder). These substances are used to remove impurities but don’t remain in the final product. Vegan wines use plant-based or synthetic alternatives instead and are usually labeled as vegan.

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Honey is generally not considered vegan because it is produced by bees for their own food, and harvesting it involves human exploitation of bees. Many vegans avoid honey due to concerns about animal welfare and the ethical treatment of bees. However, some people who follow plant-based diets may still choose to consume honey depending on their personal beliefs.

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ome types of sugar are not considered vegan because of the refining process. In particular, white and brown sugar may be processed using bone char, a substance made from animal bones. This method is commonly used in the United States to achieve the sugar’s white color and high level of purity.

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A ketogenic (keto) diet is a very low-carbohydrate, high-fat eating pattern that shifts the body into ketosis, where fat is used as the primary energy source instead of carbohydrates. Although keto diets have been used medically for decades, such as in treating certain cases of pediatric epilepsy, they raise concerns when followed long term by the general population. Strict keto diets can lead to deficiencies in many essential vitamins and minerals, lack fiber and prebiotics needed for gut health, and reduce the diversity of beneficial gut bacteria, often causing constipation and inflammation. The high intake of saturated fat, especially from animal sources, has been linked to impaired artery function, limited improvement in LDL cholesterol despite weight loss, and higher risks of cardiovascular disease and overall mortality. While supplements may help correct some nutrient gaps, they cannot replace the protective effects of fiber-rich, plant-based foods, making long-term adherence to ketogenic diets potentially unsafe.

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Research shows that well-planned plant-based diets are safe for children if key nutrients like DHA, vitamin B12, vitamin D, iodine, riboflavin, calcium, and iron are provided through fortified foods or supplements. Studies, such as the German VeChi study, find vegan, vegetarian, and omnivorous children generally grow at similar rates, with vegan toddlers sometimes slightly smaller but still healthy. Deficiencies tend to result from poor planning or lack of supplementation. Vegan children often have lower LDL cholesterol and may gain long-term heart health benefits, and plant-based diets can help prevent obesity and chronic disease into adulthood.

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You eat whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and seeds on a whole-food, plant-based diet while avoiding oils, processed foods, meat, egg, and dairy.

What does research show about the safety, nutritional needs, and potential health benefits of a plant-based or vegan diet for children?

Research shows that well-planned plant-based diets are safe for children if key nutrients like DHA, vitamin B12, vitamin D, iodine, riboflavin, calcium, and iron are provided through fortified foods or supplements. Studies, such as the German VeChi study, find vegan, vegetarian, and omnivorous children generally grow at similar rates, with vegan toddlers sometimes slightly smaller but still healthy. Deficiencies tend to result from poor planning or lack of supplementation. Vegan children often have lower LDL cholesterol and may gain long-term heart health benefits, and plant-based diets can help prevent obesity and chronic disease into adulthood.

You eat whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts and seeds, and oils on a plant-based diet while avoiding meat, egg, and dairy.

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A vegan person does not eat or use anything derived from animals. Being vegan is a moral decision that incorporates everything in a person's life.

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