Meat-Free Diets Best for Weight Loss

A vegetarian or vegan diet is best for weight loss, according to a study published in Eating Behaviors. Researchers assigned participants to one of five diets, vegan, vegetarian, pesco-vegetarian, semi-vegetarian, or omnivorous, for six months as part of the New DIETs study. Those assigned to the completely meat-free diets, vegan and vegetarian groups, lost more weight, compared with those following the pesco-vegetarian, semi-vegetarian, and omnivorous diets. Vegetarians and vegans also had high acceptance rates for their assigned diets. This study suggests that offering a meat-free diet to overweight individuals may be the most effective way to promote weight loss.