What Type of Plant-Based Diet is Right For You?
What Type of Plant-Based Diet is Right For You?
The trend towards plant-based eating is only continuing to grow. Whether it’s for health, animal rights, or environmental purposes, people are slowly but surely seeking more ways to eat fewer animal products and more plants.
One of the mistakes people tend to make when starting this transition is thinking they need to go fully vegan when, in reality, there are a variety of plant-based diets to choose from.
People also often mistake veganism and plant-based eating to be the same thing, but they have differences.
For example, you can be a plant-based vegan, but you do not have to be vegan in order to eat plant-based.
Thoroughly confused? Not to worry.
I’m going to expand on eight different types of plant-based diets shortly and hopefully clear things up for you. Then you can decide which plant-based diet is right for you.
Quick Disclaimer
Before moving forward, I would like to clarify that I am using the word “diet” throughout this post with the following definition in mind:
The kinds of food that a person, animal, or community habitually eats.
Example:"a vegetarian diet"
Source: Oxford Languages
This is not to be confused with other definitions of diet relating to restricting foods primarily for weight loss or vanity purposes.
Alright, now that we got that out of the way…
What Differentiates Plant-Based Diets?
The following factors help differentiate different types of plant-based diets:
The foods included in the diet
The foods avoided in the diet
The motivation behind the diet
The personal values associated with the diet
I’m going to dive into all of these factors for each of the following plant-based diet variations:
Plant-Based Diet
Whole Food Plant-Based Diet
Whole Food Oil-Free Plant-Based Diet
Vegan Diet
Whole Food Plant-Based Vegan Diet
“Junk Food” Vegan Diet
Raw Vegan Diet
Vegetarian Diet
Okay, now let’s get into it…
Types of Plant-Based Diets
Generally speaking, a plant-based diet is one that consists mostly or entirely of plant-based foods, and greatly limits or entirely omits animal-based foods.
Now, let’s break down some of the different variations of a plant-based diet:
Disclaimer: These are simplified summaries of each plant-based variety - not a conclusive list or in-depth analysis. There may be cross-over between different variations or specific factors that differ from individual to individual. There may also be other variations not mentioned here.
Plant-Based Diet
A plant-based diet is one that is mostly or entirely made up of plant-based foods and mostly or entirely eliminates animal-based foods.
Foods included: Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, legumes
Foods avoided: Meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy products. Inherently also limits many processed/refined foods.
Primary Motivation: Physical health
Personal Values: May include physical health, quality of life, and personal fitness. May also include environmental and animal rights for some.
Bottom Line: It’s a primarily plant-based diet that is motivated by maintaining good health. It may not be as rigid or restrictive as other plant-based diets, as it does not require the complete elimination of animal foods or products. It inherently weeds out many processed and refined foods due to the nature of sticking to foods that come from plant-based sources.
Need help getting started with your plant-based diet? Check out my ebooks for meal plans and tips to get you started on the right foot.
Whole Food Plant-Based Diet
A whole food plant-based (WFPB) diet is one that prioritizes plant-based foods in their minimally processed forms. For example, eating tomatoes rather than ketchup or corn rather than tortilla chips.
Foods included: Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, legumes
Foods avoided: Meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and dairy products. Intentionally also excludes artificial colors/flavors/sweeteners, additives, added sugars, refined flours, [maybe] oil, and other highly refined/processed foods
Primary Motivation: Physical health and potentially disease prevention/reversal
Personal Values: May include physical health, disease prevention, quality of life, and personal fitness. May also include environmental and animal rights for some.
Bottom Line: A primarily plant-based diet that promotes eating plant-based foods in their whole or minimally processed forms for improved health and disease prevention. More restrictive than a generic plant-based diet due to the focus on whole foods.
Whole Food Oil-Free Plant-Based Diet
Also known as a low-fat whole food plant-based diet. All factors are pretty much the same as a WFPB diet, with the added exclusion of oil products.
This is due to the belief that oil products are not whole foods, they may promote disease (particularly heart disease), and they pack a lot of calories in a little punch.
Foods included: Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, legumes. Fat sources come from whole foods rather than oils (nuts, seeds, olives, avocados, etc.).
Foods avoided: Meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and dairy products. Intentionally also excludes oils, artificial colors/flavors/sweeteners, additives, added sugars, refined flours, and other highly refined/processed foods
Primary Motivation: Physical health and disease prevention/reversal
Personal Values: May include physical health, disease prevention, quality of life, and personal fitness. May also include environmental and animal rights for some.
Bottom Line: A primarily plant-based diet that promotes eating plant-based foods in their whole or minimally processed forms and eliminating oil products for improved health and disease prevention. More restrictive than the previously mentioned plant-based diets due to the added exclusion of oil products.
Vegan Diet/Veganism
A vegan diet is a plant-based diet that entirely eliminates all animal-based foods and animal product consumption of any manner. In other words, vegans do not eat, buy, wear, or condone any kind of use of animal foods or products.
Activism for animal rights and wellbeing is an essential factor of the vegan diet. In fact, many vegans would probably take issue with me calling this a vegan “diet” and would prefer the term “veganism” as it pertains to the movement as a whole and not just the food aspect.
Foods included: Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, legumes. Processed and refined foods are okay as long as they are vegan.
Foods avoided: All animal products and byproducts including meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy products, honey, collagen, gelatin, some wines, and any other food that includes animal products in any manner.
Material Products avoided: Leather, suede, silk, wool, cashmere, some cosmetics/beauty products, some supplements/medications, and any other product that tests on animals, uses animal byproducts, or harms animals in the making of.
Primary Motivation: Animal rights and welfare
Personal Values: May include protecting the wellbeing of animals. May also include environmental issues and physical health for some.
Bottom Line: A plant-based diet that entirely excludes animal products and byproducts and is part of a bigger movement that supports animal rights and welfare. Fairly restrictive in terms of food exclusions but may not be seen as such to those who do not consider animal products as food in the first place.
Whole Food Plant-Based Vegan Diet
The WFPB vegan diet (as it sounds) is a combination of the WFPB diet and a vegan diet.
Foods included: Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, legumes
Foods avoided: All animal products and byproducts including meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy products, honey, collagen, gelatin, some wines, and any other food that includes animal products in any manner. Intentionally also excludes artificial colors/flavors/sweeteners, additives, added sugars, refined flours, [maybe] oil, and other highly refined/processed foods
Material Products avoided: Same as for Vegan Diet
Primary Motivation: Animal rights and welfare as well as physical health
Personal Values: May include protecting the wellbeing and rights of animals as well as physical health and disease prevention. May also include personal fitness and environmental issues for some.
Bottom Line: A plant-based diet that entirely excludes animal products and byproducts and is part of a bigger movement that supports animal rights and welfare. This diet also prioritizes physical health by eliminating processed and refined foods from the diet. It is more restrictive than a baseline vegan diet due to the limiting of processed foods.
“Junk Food” Vegan Diet
A “junk food” vegan is one who follows a vegan diet but may get the majority of their food from highly processed vegan food sources.
This is not necessarily a true subset of plant-based diets, but it is worth pointing out as it helps drive home one significant difference between vegan and plant-based diets - the driving motivation behind them.
In other words, plant-based diets primarily value health and therefore greatly limit or reduce highly processed foods. The main concern for vegans and vegan diets is to avoid animal products due to valuing animal rights and welfare, so the quality of the food is not inherently a concern.
Foods included: Foods that qualify as vegan without concern for quality such as highly processed vegan foods, foods high in refined sugars and oils, refined flours, baked goods, candy, chips, vegan fast food, etc.
Foods avoided: All animal products and byproducts including meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy products, honey, collagen, gelatin, some wines, and any other food that includes animal products in any manner.
Material Products avoided: Same as for Vegan Diet
Primary Motivation: Animal rights and welfare
Personal Values: May include protecting the wellbeing and rights of animals
Bottom Line: A vegan diet that entirely excludes animal products and byproducts but includes a large portion of the diet coming from highly processed vegan foods. It is just as restrictive as a vegan diet.
Raw Vegan Diet
A raw vegan diet is a plant-based diet rooted in the belief that plant-based foods should be consumed raw or heated to a maximum of 104–118°F (40–48°C).
The belief stems from the value of preserving the “life force” of plant foods, which is thought to be destroyed during the cooking process. It is also health-driven, as eating plant foods in their raw or minimally cooked state is thought (in this subset) to preserve the nutrient density and therefore promote better health.
Foods included: Fresh, dehydrated, fermented, and sprouted foods and/or foods cooked below 104–118°F (40–48°C) from plant-based sources. Includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and legumes.
Foods avoided: Cooked foods or foods heated over 104–118°F (40–48°C) as well as all animal products and byproducts.
Material Products avoided: Same as for Vegan Diet
Primary Motivation: Animal rights and physical health
Personal Values: May include protecting the wellbeing and rights of animals as well as physical health and disease prevention. May also include spirituality, personal fitness, and environmental issues for some.
Bottom Line: A plant-based diet that entirely excludes animal products and byproducts as well as foods cooked over 104–118°F (40–48°C). There may be a spiritual element in this subset of vegan diets as it pertains to the value of preserving the “life force” of foods. Physical health and animal rights and welfare may be deemed equally important in this subset. This is arguably the most restrictive diet of the diets covered here.
Vegetarian Diet
I debated including this diet in the list as it is the only one I am covering that does not restrict some animal-based foods. However, I find that many people want to know the difference between vegan and vegetarian diets too, so here we go.
A vegetarian diet is a plant-rich diet that excludes the consumption of animals but includes the consumption of some animal byproducts. The motivations behind choosing a vegetarian diet may vary from individual to individual.
Foods included: Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, legumes, eggs, and dairy products. Processed foods are okay if vegetarian.
Foods avoided: Meat, poultry, and fish.
Products avoided: Varies by person
Primary Motivation: Typically animal rights and/or physical health, depending on the individual
Personal Values: May include animal rights, physical health, personal fitness, and/or environmental issues.
Bottom Line: A plant-rich diet that includes eggs and dairy products, but eliminates other animal-based food products. Personal motivations and other lifestyle choices such as those pertaining to buying/wearing/consuming animal products may vary from individual to individual. This is arguably the least restrictive of the plant-based varieties covered here.
Which Diet Is Right For You?
So which version is right for you? Only you can decide!
You may first want to ask yourself where your values lie. Are you an animal lover or is health more important to you? Or maybe it’s a combination of the two?
Then, you may want to consider the restrictiveness of each diet and think about how well it will fit in with your lifestyle. Do you cook a lot at home or do you mostly eat at restaurants? Do you travel a lot or live somewhere with limited food options? These are just a handful of factors to consider.
My recommendation? Start small.
Start by simply cutting back on your animal products and go from there.
I will cover how to get started with a plant-based diet in a future post.
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