Worldwide
Dietitians on both sides of the ocean say a planned vegan diet works
AND, NHS, BDAAmong the bodies that call planned vegan diets adequate
The U.S. Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Britain’s NHS and Dietetic Association, Dietitians of Canada, Italy’s nutrition society, Mayo Clinic, and Harvard Health all say a well-planned vegan diet can meet nutrient needs. WHO Europe reviewed plant-based eating for health and the planet. Heart groups now tell people to put plant protein first. Germany is more cautious on some life stages and still wants B12 covered. The official line is not “you need meat.” We do not have to harm or eat animals at all.
They say the same thing
Dietetic and health bodies on both sides of the ocean land in the same place: a planned vegan diet can meet nutrient needs. Each card is the organization, in its own words.
Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 2009 · Review
American Dietetic Association & Dietitians of Canada, 2009
Appropriately planned vegetarian diets, including vegan, are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. Appropriate for all stages of the life cycle, including pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, and adolescence, and for athletes.
Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 2016 · Review
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 2016
Same core position, updated: appropriately planned vegetarian, including vegan, diets are healthful and nutritionally adequate and may help prevent and treat certain diseases.
Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 2025 · Review
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, adults 2025
In adults, appropriately planned vegetarian and vegan patterns can be nutritionally adequate and can offer long-term cardiometabolic benefits. Vegetarian and vegan patterns are listed as a healthy option in the U.S. Dietary Guidelines.
National Health Service, UK · Review
NHS — the vegan diet
“With good planning and an understanding of what makes up a healthy, balanced vegan diet, you can get all the nutrients your body needs.” Fortified foods or supplements for B12, vitamin D, iodine, selenium, and calcium are part of that plan.
British Dietetic Association · Review
British Dietetic Association
Carefully planned plant-based diets can support healthy living at every age and life stage. They may reduce risk of type 2 diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and some cancers. All essential nutrients can come from plants; vegans need a reliable B12 source.
British Nutrition Foundation · Review
British Nutrition Foundation
Practical healthy-eating advice for vegetarians and vegans: variety of plants, and attention to B12, iodine, vitamin D, and omega-3. Same country, same conclusion as the NHS and BDA.
UnlockFood.ca · Review
Dietitians of Canada / UnlockFood
Public guidance on how to follow a vegan eating pattern. Dietitians of Canada co-signed the 2003/2009 North American position that well-planned vegan diets are appropriate across the life cycle.
Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada · Review
Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada
Vegetarian eating is presented as a heart-healthy pattern, with the usual notes on B12, iron, and calcium. Not framed as risky. Framed as a way to eat well.
Nutrition & Dietetics, 2022 · Review
Dietitians Australia — healthy and sustainable diets
2022 position: food-system change is needed so healthy, sustainable, mostly plant diets are the easy default. Human health and planetary health are treated as one job.
WHO Regional Office for Europe, 2021 · Review
WHO Europe — plant-based diets, health, and environment
2021 evidence review: more people in the European Region are shifting toward plant-based diets for health, climate, and animal welfare. Those patterns can support health. The office also says long-term vegan evidence is still incomplete compared with mixed diets. Both sentences belong here.
Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases, 2017 · Review
Italian Society of Human Nutrition (SINU)
2017 position: well-planned vegetarian diets that include a wide variety of plant foods and a reliable B12 source provide adequate nutrient intake.
Harvard Health Publishing · Review
Harvard Health — becoming a vegetarian
Quotes the academy position that appropriately planned vegetarian and vegan diets are healthful and nutritionally adequate, and may help prevent and treat certain diseases. Walks through B12, calcium, iron, and omega-3 the same way the NHS does.
Mayo Clinic · Review
Mayo Clinic — vegetarian diet
A well-planned vegetarian diet can meet nutritional needs and may lower risk of heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers. It can suit people of all ages, including pregnancy, with planning. Vegan eating needs more attention to B12, calcium, iron, zinc, iodine, and omega-3 — not a veto.
Circulation, 2026 · Review
American Heart Association, 2026
Updated dietary guidance to improve cardiovascular health: prioritize plant-based proteins such as legumes and nuts over meat, and replace saturated animal fats with plant unsaturated fats.
German Nutrition Society, 2024 · Review
German Nutrition Society (DGE), 2024 update
DGE re-evaluated vegan diets. A vegan diet is particularly environmentally friendly. They still flag critical nutrients, especially B12, and still describe their general recommendation as mostly plants with some animal food. Germany is more cautious than the BDA or the U.S. academy. The update is still a move toward plants, not away from them.