Vegans may benefit from a 15% lower risk of developing or dying from cancer ( 20). Vegan diets are linked to an array of other health benefits, including benefits for: Vegan diets seem very effective at helping people naturally reduce the number of calories they eat, resulting in weight loss. The natural tendency to eat fewer calories on a vegan diet may be caused by a higher dietary fiber intake, which can make you feel fuller. Researchers also generally report that participants on vegan diets lose more weight than those following calorie-restricted diets, even when they’re allowed to eat until they feel full ( 4, 8). These include diets recommended by the American Dietetics Association (ADA), the American Heart Association (AHA), and the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) ( 4, 5, 6, 7). Interestingly, the weight loss advantage persists even when whole food diets are used as control diets. However, several randomized controlled studies, which control for these external factors, report that vegan diets are more effective for weight loss than the diets they are compared to ( 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13). These may include healthier lifestyle choices, such as physical activity, and other health-related behaviors. Part of the weight-related benefits vegans experience may be explained by factors other than diet. This might explain why an increasing number of people turn to vegan diets as a way to lose weight. Vegans tend to be thinner and have a lower body mass index (BMI) than non-vegans ( 2, 3). There are several ways to follow a vegan diet, but scientific research rarely differentiates between the different types. As a result, the information in this article relates to vegan diets as a whole. This is a vegan diet lacking in whole plant foods that relies heavily on mock meats and cheeses, fries, vegan desserts, and other heavily processed vegan foods.Īlthough several variations of the vegan diet exist, most scientific research rarely differentiates between different types of vegan diets. Followers eat plant-based, whole foods that are raw or minimally cooked at low temperatures. The thrive diet is a raw food vegan diet. Raw foods are consumed until 4 p.m., with the option of a cooked plant-based meal for dinner. This low fat vegan diet is inspired by the 80/10/10 diet and starch solution. This is a low fat, high carb vegan diet similar to the 80/10/10 diet, but it focuses on cooked starches like potatoes, rice, and corn instead of fruit. It is also referred to as the low fat, raw food vegan diet or fruitarian diet. The 80/10/10 diet is a raw food vegan diet that limits fat-rich plants such as nuts and avocados and relies mainly on raw fruits and soft greens instead. This diet is based on raw fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, or plant foods cooked at temperatures below 118☏ (48☌) ( 1). This diet is based on a wide variety of whole plant foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds. There are different varieties of the vegan diet.

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