There's no question that Plant based Diets are on the rise: Between 2000 and 2017, dairy consumption fell 24%. And market research firm Mintel reports that plant “milk” sales (such as almond, coconut, and oat milks) rose more than 60% between 2012 and 2017. Thirty-six percent of consumers and 60% of millennials buy plant-based “meats.” And two-thirds of Americans surveyed say they have reduced their meat consumption in at least one category over the previous three years—mostly red and processed meat.
There are many reasons for a shift toward plant-based eating. Whole-food, plant-based diets are associated with lower body weight and a reduced risk of several chronic conditions, including heart disease the nation’s top killer of both men and women, as well as cancer, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and cognitive decline.
Some people also have concerns about the treatment of animals for food production, and the impact on the environment. A recent Harvard report, The EAT-Lancet Commission on Food, Planet, Health, states, “Food is the single strongest lever to optimize human health and environmental sustainability,” and calls for a primarily plant-based diet.
There is no one definition of a plant-based diet, but most experts agree that it means primarily eating plants, although small or occasional amounts of any type of animal protein many be included. However, two specific versions of a plant-based diet are well defined: vegetarianism and veganism. So what's the differe