What's a Plant-Based Diet?

A plant-based diet is a way of eating where the focus is on filling up your plate with plant foods.

Some examples of plant foods include:

• Vegetables
• Fruit
• Legumes (like lentils and chickpeas)
• Whole grains
• Nuts
• Seeds.

The closer these foods resemble how they’re found in nature (i.e. the less processing) and the more of them on your plate – the better for your body.

This way of eating isn’t about being restrictive. People who eat a mainly plant-based diet may still choose to eat small amounts of meat, poultry, fish, seafood and dairy (also known as semi-vegetarian, flexitarian or pescatarian). The beauty is that there is no ‘one-size fits all’ approach.

What’s the difference between a vegan and vegetarian diet?

Some people eating a plant-based diet may choose not to eat meat and animal products for various reasons. A vegan diet excludes all meat and animal products (meat, poultry, fish, seafood, dairy and eggs), whereas a vegetarian diet excludes meat, poultry, fish and seafood. However, there are a few variations of a vegetarian diet that depend on whether you eat or exclude eggs, dairy and fish (see table below).

Different styles of plant-based eating