Plant-Based Diet: Health Effects and Nutritional Perspectives

Dear Colleagues,

We invite you to submit manuscripts for publication in our Foods Special Issue, which aims to cover papers contributing to uncovering the sensible link between food and health, environment and risk exposure, sustainability marketing and lifestyle changes, functional foods, methods for food analysis, and tools for screening diet-related diseases. 

The scientific community is intensively exploring health protection and chronic disease prevention through diet. Plant-based diets have received increased attention recently due to research into their protective role in non-communicable diseases and other medical conditions and highlighting their low environmental impact. In addition to their macronutrient content, the main effects of consuming foods with vegetable origins on the human body are their increased content of vitamins, minerals, dietary fibers, and phytochemicals. The last two compounds contribute to gut microbiota modulation, have anti-inflammatory effects, and prevent cellular oxidative stress, with important implications in preventing neurological, cardiovascular, and metabolic disturbances, cancers, and other diet-related diseases.

In the context that requires action to mitigate the effects of climate change on the environment, it is imperative to understand the mechanisms of action and biological effects of all plant food constituents. Determining the most nutritionally favorable combinations of plant foods is essential so that a plant-based diet can be beneficial for maintaining an active and healthy life, help prevent chronic diseases, be enjoyable to eat, and can be quickly adopted regardless of geographical region.

In this Special Issue, “Plant-Based Diet: Health Effects and Nutritional Perspectives”, we welcome the submission of original articles or reviews including, but not limited to, the following research topics:

• Research exploring the definition and description of nutritional characteristics and the biological effects of plant-based diets;
• Advantages and disadvantages regarding the health effects of plant-based diets;
• Plant foods, processing technologies, and sensory characteristics;
• Phytochemical analysis and their mechanisms of action;
• Perspectives for sustainability and environmental protection, including consumer perception studies on plant-based diets.

We encourage authors to combine interesting information and research results for multidisciplinary team development. We hope to find new methods, results, and connections between experts from different fields, all connected to food, nutrition, and human health.

Dr. Maria Niţescu
Dr. Dan Cristian Vodnar
Prof. Dr. Monica Tarcea
Dr. Mirela Nedelescu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Foods is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.