Mastering a Healthy Plant-Based Eating Plan

By Nate Widom

This article has been reviewed by Jeannie Versagli, RD, LDN. Jeannie is a Registered Dietitian with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, a national professional organization, and is licensed in nutrition with the State of Delaware.

Plant-based diets have surged in popularity, with many touting ethical and nutritional benefits. And while such a diet can have many benefits, limiting or removing an entire food group can create new problems, too. Registered Dietitian Jeannie Versagli stresses the importance of conscious eating, saying, “I don’t want people to assume that if you go on a plant-based diet, it’s always healthy. It’s not if you’re not careful.” I sat down with Jeannie to explore the common pitfalls of plant-based eating and her expert advice on how to turn this lifestyle into a well-rounded, nutrient-rich choice.

What is a Plant-Based Diet?

To begin, plant-based diets prioritize plant-based foods while lessening or eliminating animal products. In other words, whole foods like fruits, veggies, nuts, and whole grains are encouraged while meat, seafood, and dairy are reduced. There are several types of plant-based diets, and they all follow the same philosophy to varying degrees. Reasoning often comes down to ethical, religious, and health purposes.

Jeannie notes that plant-based diets are often flush with fiber, something most Americans don’t get enough of. They’re also full of antioxidants and probiotics and have been found to lower the rates of high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and cardiac disease.¹ “I find that plant-based diets are somewhat lower in calories overall,” Jeannie adds, making them a great weight-loss option.

Then there are the positive environmental aspects. The World Wildlife Fund reports that plant-based diets adopted on a mass scale would likely reduce greenhouse gas emissions, wildlife loss, agricultural land use, and water use.²

The Most Popular Plant-Based Diets¹

The Drawbacks

A diverse, plant-based diet will contain sufficient amounts of the most necessary vitamins and minerals. That said, certain nutrients are found most abundantly in animal products, so the less meat and dairy you eat, the more likely you are to become deficient in those nutrients. While such deficiencies are more likely when following stricter plant-based diets, like the vegan diet, Jeannie still expresses concern for all plant-based eaters. At the end of the day, not eating enough animal products may put you at risk for these nutrient deficiencies:^3,4

• Vitamin B12 is critical for brain and nerve health and for developing red blood cells. Significant amounts are found only in animal-based foods or fortified products like bread, cereal, and soy. If you’re deficient, you may experience things like fatigue, constipation, neurological disorders, impaired brain function, and anemia.
• Iron is vital for brain health and blood cells carrying oxygen. As far as plants go, “iron is in a lot of your dark green vegetables; however, you still can’t get enough of it to meet what the body needs,” Jeannie explains. “You’re only looking at fortified foods, like your grains. And a lot of them aren’t necessarily that fortified.” An iron deficiency may lead to anemia, stomach issues, poor memory, tiredness, and weakness.
• Vitamin D helps protect your bones, among other things, and vitamin D deficiency is widespread even among meat-eaters. There are two types of vitamin D: D2 (from plant sources) and D3 (from animal sources). Vitamin D3 is more effective.
• Calcium is found in beans and leafy greens but most commonly in dairy. It’s vital for muscle function and bone health; deficiencies can contribute to osteoporosis or fractures.
• Zinc obtained from animal products is absorbed more effectively than zinc from plants. It’s essential for the immune system, thyroid, and wound healing. A zinc deficiency can result in unhealthy skin, hair loss, eye issues, infections, and diarrhea.⁵
• Amino acids are the building blocks of protein. “You have to be educated to know how to obtain your essential amino acids,” says Jeannie. Protein sources fall into two categories: complete (those containing all nine essential amino acids) and incomplete (containing one or some of the essential amino acids). Consuming all nine essential amino acids facilitates muscle, skin, hair, and nail repair. There are several complete plant-based proteins. However, meat and eggs offer higher protein levels overall and are more likely to be complete.

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While these vitamins and minerals are found in many plant-based foods, you would have to eat a lot to consume the recommended amount of these nutrients without eating meat. “Vitamin D is in a lot of seafood like salmon,” Jeannie concedes. “All your dairy products have vitamin D.” However, getting your daily fill of vitamin D on dairy alone just isn’t doable for many vegetarians without supplements.

While severe protein deficiency is uncommon in the U.S., Jeannie still stresses its importance.⁶ In her experience, many plant-based eaters could use more of it and have trouble incorporating it into their diets. Some benefits of protein include filling you up, building your muscles and tissues, and boosting your immune system.

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5 Tips for a Nutritious Plant-Based Diet

Conscientious meal planning and supplementation can avoid all those deficiencies while eating green. But in Jeannie’s experience, many, especially those new to these diets, don’t know how. So, what are Jeannie’s tips for plant-based dieters to fill those gaps? Let’s dive in!

1. Utilize the Plant-Based Complete Proteins

As discussed, protein is important, and complete proteins have the nine essential amino acids. Complete plant proteins include quinoa, tofu, tempeh, edamame, Ezekiel bread, spirulina, nutritional yeast, amaranth, buckwheat, hemp seeds, and chia seeds.⁴ If you want to go plant-based, it’s recommended to incorporate these into your diet as much as you can.

However, there is an important caveat. Even complete plant-based proteins generally have much fewer grams of protein compared to animal ones.

Plant-Based Complete Proteins*

Food	Tempeh (5 oz.)	Edamame (5 oz.)	Tofu (5 oz.)	Nutritional Yeast (5 oz.)	Spirulina (2 tbsp.)	Quinoa (5 oz.)	Hemp Seeds (2 tbsp.)	Ezekiel Bread (2 slices)	Chia Seeds (2 tbsp.)
Calories	275	172	118	56	41	170	111	154	117
Protein	28g	17g	14g	8g	8g	6g	6g	5g	4g

Animal-Based Proteins*

Food	Grilled Chicken (5 oz.)	Beef (5 oz.)	Pork (5 oz.)	Salmon (5 oz.)	Shrimp (5 oz.)	2 Eggs
Calories	210	367	337	292	168	126
Protein	42g	38g	37g	32g	32g	11g

*Nutrition data from nutritionix.com

2. Vary Your Protein Sources

Since plant-based proteins have fewer grams of protein than animal sources, you should aim to add some plant protein into every meal. Furthermore, when complete sources of plant protein aren’t available, the best strategy is to combine various kinds of protein-rich plant-based foods together into a single meal. This results in a combination of different amino acids, usually resulting in the essential nine. Chickpeas, nuts, beans, and lentils are all great options. Add peas to your pasta, seeds to your oatmeal, nuts to your salads, etc. Variety is key! Doing this will also provide you with various other nutrients.

3. Look at Ingredients

“You can’t just assume that if it says vegan on it, it’s healthy,” Jeannie says. Some plant-based products, especially snack foods and imitation meats, are ultra-processed and include many unhealthy additives. As an example, let’s look at burgers. “You can get some products made with just beans, and that’s a relatively healthy bean burger. But sometimes you look at others and the list of ingredients goes on and on,” Jeannie says.

“I shake my head, saying, ‘Do you think this is healthier?” Jeannie continues. “With all this refined stuff in it, food dyes, and everything else?” Suffice it to say that, when buying pre-made or pre-packaged plant-based foods, it’s best to check out the nutrition label for ingredient information. “Educate yourself on what’s in it. Less is more.”

For example, look at the ingredients of two popular plant-based burgers below. While the first burger still has plenty of ingredients, notice how they are almost all recognizable! The second burger is soy-based and fortified with vitamins, but has a few additives. The first burger would be the better choice.

Burger 1: A black-bean burger	Burger 2: A burger imitating meat
Black Bean, Carrot, Parsnip, Oat, Yellow Onion, Red Pepper, Red Onion, Chickpea Flour, Ovata Seed (Psyllium), Oat Flour, Lemon, Purple Carrot, Spice Blend (Kosher Salt, Garlic Powder, Chili Powder, Paprika, Cumin, Onion Powder, Black Pepper).	Water, soy protein concentrate, sunflower oil, coconut oil, 2% or less of: natural flavors, methylcellulose, cultured dextrose, food starch modified, yeast extract, dextrose, soy leghemoglobin, salt, vitamin e (tocopherols), l-tryptophan, soy protein isolate vitamins & minerals: zinc, vitamins (b3, b1, b6, b2, and b12)

4. Avoid Junk Foods

This tip may be obvious, but it’s critical nonetheless. Plenty of junk foods are plant-based. They can be ultra-processed and high in calories, fats, sugars, sodium—you name it. Potatoes aren’t bad, but potato chips contain tons of extra stuff that doesn’t benefit your health. The same can be said for many sodas, packaged cakes, cookies, sauces, and cereals. Don’t fall into the trap – just because it’s meat-free doesn’t mean it’s good for you.

5. Look into Supplements

To Jeannie, the best way to fill those gaps in nutrition is with wholesome, nutritious food. Still, some folks may require additional support to overcome certain nutrient deficiencies. In these cases, supplements can play an important role. To ensure you are choosing the right supplements, it’s best to consult with a registered dietitian who can provide personalized guidance and recommendations.

In Conclusion

Overall, Jeannie continues to overwhelmingly endorse the Mediterranean diet, which already incorporates a limited intake of animal products alongside an abundance of plant-based foods. However, she also sees great benefits to going vegetarian or vegan. Successfully pursuing a plant-based diet is easy once you know what to prioritize. By incorporating a wide variety of natural fruits, veggies, nuts, and grains and avoiding highly processed foods, a healthy, plant-based lifestyle can be adapted to work for almost anyone.

References

1. heartfoundation.org.nz/wellbeing/healthy-eating/nutrition-facts/plant-based-vegetarian-vegan-diets
2. planetbaseddiets.panda.org/
3. medicalnewstoday.com/articles/vegan-defiencies
4. healthline.com/nutrition/complete-protein-for-vegans
5. healthdirect.gov.au/zinc-deficiency
6. pcrm.org/good-nutrition/nutrition-information/protein