September 12, 2026

Introduction to Vegetarianism AKA Whole Food Plant Based Diet

John Dang M.D.

Whether through observing religious practices or out of environmental and/or health concerns, vegetarianism as a whole has gained popularity over the past few decades. 

There are considerable health benefits to be had with adopting a vegetarian diet. The Adventist Health Study noted a 30% reduction in cardiovascular disease (particularly in men) and 60-70% reduction in hypertension as compared to non-vegetarians. 

As noted in the Adventist health Study, there is also an overall mortality benefit of a vegetarian based diet, most notably pesco-vegetarian (fish and vegetarian based diet) (at the expense of significant dairy intake). Death from heart disease-vegetarians across 5 major studies studying vegetarian diets have a 24% reduction in heart disease related deaths as compared to meat eaters.

Vegetarianism does not guarantee health: while broadly speaking adopting a vegetarian diet is beneficial to overall health, increased dairy, simple sugar, processed foods, and sodium intake and poor portion control can still lead to health complications.

Deficiencies in a vegetarian diet: from a macronutrient perspective, protein intake may naturally drop when adopting a vegetarian diet. It should also be noted that certain amino acids (building blocks of proteins) are deficient in plant based proteins as compared to animal products. Certain micronutrients, most notable Vitamin B12 and Vitamin D, are harder to obtain with a vegetarian diet.

There are many variations of vegetarianism to consider. There is no one right answer to the specific form of vegetarianism to try; data on this is rather limited. You can also try eating a vegetarian diet a few days out of the week, thereby allowing you to eat meat on a regular basis while improving overall health.

The whole food plant based diet is useful in the study of improving cardiovascular outcomes for patients. It should not be construed as a whole new diet or set of eating practices, but rather, a refinement of a more broad based vegetarian diet. Think of this as a “healthy” guide to vegetarian diet. A relatively small study from New Zealand in 2017 (the BROAD study) notes considerable improvement in cardiovascular disease, overall life satisfaction, weight loss, and glycemic control when adopting a WFPBD. 
‍
Similar to the Mediterranean Diet, which is the other major diet studied for cardiovascular benefits, the WFPBD advocates avoiding simple sugars, highly processed foods, and butter and cheese while increasing fresh vegetables and fruits intake, along with whole grain and legumes. In contrast to the Mediterranean Diet, the WFPBD advocates the following: 

• Avoidance of animal products, including meats and dairy products.
• Advise a low fat plant based diet (7-15% total energy from fat).
  7%=15g of fat based on 2000 cal diet
  15%=33g of fat based on 2000 cal diet
• Minimizing nuts and avocado and other oil rich plants

In summary, the WFPBD can be seen as a more restrictive form of the Mediterranean diet, stripping away meats and dairy, and limiting plant oils as well.