ABSTRACT
This chapter provides health practitioners a knowledge of the vegan diet composition, current research evaluating the diet, typical weight loss results, the pros and cons of the diet as well as which patients would most benefit from each diet plan. The hallmark of vegan diets is the absence of animal products including meat, poultry, milk, and fish. There are three broadly different subtypes of vegan diets: vegan (general), raw food vegan, and whole food vegan, which differ from other common dietary patterns that exclude meat. The likely beneficial effects of vegan dietary patterns on risk of cardiometabolic diseases and cancers are counterbalanced by the potential of such diets to be deficient in several important micronutrients. Intervention studies have been conducted to test a variety of potential health benefits related to vegan eating patterns. Vegan dietary patterns can be healthy if followed very carefully with regard for potential nutritional deficiencies.
