Research
Micronutrients & recovery
Traditional plant-based diets (flexitarian and vegetarian) that substitute animal products with whole plant foods (legumes, nuts, seeds) can meet all daily micronutrient requirements and improve health markers compared to a standard omnivore diet.
You can maintain excellent health on a flexitarian or vegetarian diet by focusing on whole plant foods like beans, nuts, and seeds. This approach can improve your intake of essential nutrients and reduce your consumption of saturated fat and sodium compared to a typical omnivore diet.
ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
With the exception of the traditional vegan diet, all diets with traditional plant-based substitutes met daily requirements for calcium, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, iron and Vitamin B12 and were lower in saturated fat, sodium and sugar than the reference diet.
Why this rating
Based on dietary modeling, not long-term clinical outcomes.
Source
Unintended Consequences: Nutritional Impact and Potential Pitfalls of Switching from Animal- to Plant-Based Foods
Rachel Tso et al. · Nutrients · 2021
narrative_reviewCited 225×
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