The World of Plant Based Diets Can be Bewildering. Learn How to Keep It Simple.

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Eating clean means eating plant based foods. However there are many different plant based diets. Choosing the best one for you takes some understanding of each of them. I started with the flexitarian one and now follow the pescatarian one.

From Types of Plant Based Diets:

1. Vegetarians covers all types of vegetable based diets.
2. Vegans eat No animal products, such as meat, eggs, or dairy products.
3. Lacto-vegetarian: No meat or eggs, but dairy products are OK.
4. Lacto-ovo-vegetarian: No meat, but dairy products and eggs are OK.
5. Flexitarians are flexible and can eat milk, eggs, meat, poultry, pork, or fish when they want, but generally stick to a vegetarian based diet. (Such as vegan at home but anything when visiting.)
6. Semi-vegetarians regularly eat mostly vegetables with a little milk, eggs, meat, poultry, pork, or fish. (Such as broccoli and cheese or a chicken salad.)
7. Pescatarian eat a plant-based diet plus fish.

From

A plant-based diet consists of exclusively plant foods, including fruit, vegetables, grains, and legumes, and avoids meat, dairy, and eggs. Plant-based foods are full of fiber, rich in vitamins and minerals, free of cholesterol, and low in calories and saturated fat. Eating a variety of these foods provides all the protein, calcium, and other essential nutrients your body needs. It’s important to include a reliable source of vitamin B12 in your diet. You can easily meet your vitamin B12 needs with a daily supplement or fortified foods, such as vitamin B12-fortified breakfast cereals, plant milks, and nutritional yeast.

Those who eat a plant-based diet lower their risk for heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and other health conditions. Research also shows that a plant-based diet can be less expensive that an omnivorous diet.

From The difference between Plant based diet and Vegan diet:

People usually get wrong about whole foods plant based diet and they identify it with veganism. But they are absolutely wrong. And we’re going to explain what is the difference between whole foods plant based diet and vegan diet.

Vegan diet

Vegans abstain from eating any animal products. According to The Vegan Peace, “Veganism is a way of living which seeks to exclude, as far as possible and practical, all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing, or any other purpose. In dietary terms, it refers to the practice of dispensing with all animal products, including meat, fish, poultry, eggs, animal milk, honey, and their derivatives.

The word “vegan” specifically implies moral concern for animals. Therefore the word vegan extends to more than just diet. Vegans don’t wear fur, wool, leather, or silk and are against zoos, circuses, rodeos. They are also against animal testing and any other industry that exploits or abuses animals.

But it doesn’t necessarily mean that vegans eat lots of whole foods plant-based meals. Vegans could get through life eating processed vegetables and fruits. For example, potato chips, (vegan-friendly) gummy candy, and even cookies are vegan.

Plant based diet

On the other hand, a whole foods plant-based diet focus on eating whole fruits and vegetables, consuming lots of whole grains for health reasons. That means that vegan desserts with refined sugar, bleached flour is not plant-based although it is prepared by plants ingredients. A plant-based diet does not restrict their purchase of leather goods.

So, plant based diet doesn’t include refined foods such as all-purpose flour, sugar, oil, and junk foods like pretzels and chips. These foods aren’t “plant-based foods” even though they technically come from plants and do not contain animal products.

Plant-based foods are fruits, vegetables, tubers (e.g. potatoes), leafy greens, nuts (e.g. cashews, almonds), seeds (e.g. flax seeds), sea vegetables (e.g. seaweed), legumes (e.g. beans, peanuts), and grains. Mushrooms and yeast are also plant-based foods.

A plant based diet doesn’t mean eating only raw vegetables, fruits, and plants. This diet includes minimally processed plant foods. For example, guacamole is plant food that is minimally processed or prepared. Hummus, applesauce, salsa, peanut butter, oatmeal, and vegetable broth are other examples.

Condiments such as mustard, hot sauce, vinegar, and soy sauce are also generally accepted as within the scope of “minimally processed”.

Corn tortillas, whole-grain bread (e.g. whole-wheat bread), and pasta (e.g. whole-wheat spaghetti or brown rice noodles) are slightly more processed than guacamole, hummus, etc., but they are still generally accepted within the definition of “plant foods” and are included by most people following a “plant based diet.”

So, there are no strict guidelines or definitions for what constitutes a whole foods plant based diet other than emphasizing on eating lots of fresh produce and minimally processed foods.