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Nutrients
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Plant-Based Diet: Benefits and Concerns
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Plant-Based Diet: Benefits and Concerns

A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Phytochemicals and Human Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 5 August 2024 | Viewed by 2280

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Winston Craig

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Public Health, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA, USA
Interests: plant-based diets and chronic diseases; health-promoting properties of phytochemicals; healthy sustainable diets; non-dairy alternatives
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Consumer interest in plant-based diets has markedly increased over the past few years. Segments of the population desire food products that improve human and planetary health and protect against major chronic diseases. As non-dairy and non-meat alternatives become mainstream, the following questions have emerged concerning the sustainability of these plant-based diets: What impact do they have on food security? Do these plant-based meat and dairy alternatives help lessen environmental degradation? Are these products nutritious and healthy? Do plant-based diets put populations at risk for any vitamin or mineral deficiencies? Do plant-based diets help diminish malnutrition and overnutrition (leading to obesity)? We invite research papers that discuss such issues and provide some answers to these important questions.

Prof. Dr. Winston Craig
Guest Editor

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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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. Nutrients 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.

Keywords

  • vitamin B12
  • vitamin D
  • calcium
  • iron
  • iodine
  • planetary health
  • chronic disease
  • meat alternatives
  • dairy alternatives
  • intestinal microbiota

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 579 KiB  
Article
Assessing the Protein Quality, In Vitro Intestinal Iron Absorption and Human Faecal Microbiota Impacts of Plant-Based Mince
by Damien P. Belobrajdic, Simone Osborne, Michael Conlon, Henri Brook, Rama Addepalli and Beverly S. Muhlhausler
Nutrients 2024, 16(14), 2339; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16142339 - 19 Jul 2024
Viewed by 536
Abstract
The nutritional quality of plant-based meat analogues compared to traditional meat products has been questioned in recent commentary, particularly in relation to protein quality and micronutrient bioavailability. However, the attributes of specific products within this category are unclear. We therefore undertook a comprehensive [...] Read more.
The nutritional quality of plant-based meat analogues compared to traditional meat products has been questioned in recent commentary, particularly in relation to protein quality and micronutrient bioavailability. However, the attributes of specific products within this category are unclear. We therefore undertook a comprehensive assessment of the compositional and functional attributes of v2food® (Sydney, Australia) plant-based mince, including an assessment of the effects of reformulation, including the addition of amino acids, ascorbic acid, and different forms of elemental iron. The protein digestibility and protein quality of v2food® plant-based mince were comparable to beef mince in the standardized INFOGEST system, and favourable effects on microbiota composition and short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production were demonstrated in an in vitro digestion system. The use of ferrous sulphate as an iron source improved in vitro intestinal iron absorption by ~50% in comparison to other forms of iron (p < 0.05), although levels were ~3-fold lower than beef mince, even in the presence of ascorbic acid. In conclusion, the current study identified some favourable nutritional attributes of plant-based v2food® mince, specifically microbiota and SCFA changes, as well as other areas where further reformulation could be considered to further enhance the bioavailability of key nutrients. Further studies to assess the effect of plant-based meat analogues on health measures in vivo will be important to improve knowledge in this area. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant-Based Diet: Benefits and Concerns)
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20 pages, 704 KiB  
Article
Development of the VEGANScreener, a Tool for a Quick Diet Quality Assessment among Vegans in Europe
by Selma Kronsteiner-Gicevic, Leonie H. Bogl, Maria Wakolbinger, Sandra Müller, Joelina Dietrich, Willem De Keyzer, Vanessa Bullón-Vela, Eliska Selinger, Vanessa Keller, Ainara Martínez Tabar, Tooba Asif, Leone Craig, Janet Kyle, Sabrina Schlesinger, Christian Köder, Anna Ouradova, Marina Henikova, Wendy Van Lippevelde, Monika Cahova, Miguel Angel Martínez González, Walter Willett, Maira Bes-Rastrollo, Jan Gojda, Stefaan De Henauw, Markus Keller, Marek Kuzma and Eva Schernhammeradd Show full author list remove Hide full author list
Nutrients 2024, 16(9), 1344; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16091344 - 29 Apr 2024
Viewed by 1478
Abstract
Background: Plant-based diets are not inherently healthy. Similar to omnivorous diets, they may contain excessive amounts of sugar, sodium, and saturated fats, or lack diversity. Moreover, vegans might be at risk of inadequate intake of certain vitamins and minerals commonly found in foods [...] Read more.
Background: Plant-based diets are not inherently healthy. Similar to omnivorous diets, they may contain excessive amounts of sugar, sodium, and saturated fats, or lack diversity. Moreover, vegans might be at risk of inadequate intake of certain vitamins and minerals commonly found in foods that they avoid. We developed the VEGANScreener, a tool designed to assess the diet quality of vegans in Europe. Methods: Our approach combined best practices in developing diet quality metrics with scale development approaches and involved the following: (a) narrative literature synthesis, (b) evidence evaluation by an international panel of experts, and (c) translation of evidence into a diet screener. We employed a modified Delphi technique to gather opinions from an international expert panel. Results: Twenty-five experts in the fields of nutrition, epidemiology, preventive medicine, and diet assessment participated in the first round, and nineteen participated in the subsequent round. Initially, these experts provided feedback on a pool of 38 proposed items from the literature review. Consequently, 35 revised items, with 17 having multiple versions, were suggested for further consideration. In the second round, 29 items were retained, and any residual issues were addressed in the final consensus meeting. The ultimate screener draft encompassed 29 questions, with 17 focusing on foods and nutrients to promote, and 12 addressing foods and nutrients to limit. The screener contained 24 food-based and 5 nutrient-based questions. Conclusions: We elucidated the development process of the VEGANScreener, a novel diet quality screener for vegans. Future endeavors involve contrasting the VEGANScreener against benchmark diet assessment methodologies and nutritional biomarkers and testing its acceptance. Once validated, this instrument holds potential for deployment as a self-assessment application for vegans and as a preliminary dietary screening and counseling tool in healthcare settings. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant-Based Diet: Benefits and Concerns)
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