Many meals labeled as “vegan” are not necessarily healthy—new research reveals that refined grains, fried foods, and saturated fats are common in plant-based dishes served at restaurants around the world. Are your vegan choices truly good for you? Study: Healthful vs. Unhealthful Plant-Based Restaurant Meals.
In a recent study published in the journal Nutrients, researchers analyzed menus from eateries globally to determine whether plant-based offerings at both omnivore (OMNI) and vegan or vegetarian (VEG) restaurants are ‘healthy’ by avoiding saturated fats, refined grains, and deep-fried foods. The findings showed that many establishments, with OMNI places being less limited than VEG ones, offered inadequate choices of plant-based main courses and that 14-27% had no healthful options at all. The research team hopes these results will encourage restaurants to make nutritional details more readily available.
Only 2% of the restaurants achieved a perfect health score—meaning nearly all vegan menus included unhealthy components such as refined grains, fried foods, or saturated fats. An increasing number of people are opting for plant-based diets worldwide due to various reasons including health benefits and environmental concerns. However, many still need accurate information on what makes their meals truly healthy.
Researchers found that dedicated VEG restaurants offered a greater proportion of healthy options than OMNI ones, but refined grains were the most common reason dishes were classified as unhealthy. U.S.-based restaurants slightly outperformed non-U.S. counterparts in terms of offering healthier choices.
The study also highlights challenges related to nutritional transparency. Only a small fraction provided detailed nutritional content online; disclosure was more frequent in OMNI places, primarily due to regulations requiring large franchises to share this information.
While the study provides valuable insights, it has limitations. The sample was largely from the U.S. and Westernized countries, potentially affecting generalizability. Assessments were based on online menu descriptions that might not capture all nutritional details accurately.
To address these issues, researchers suggest regulatory bodies such as the FDA expand nutritional disclosure requirements beyond large franchises to include a broader range of restaurants. This would empower patrons to make informed decisions about their health and encourage eateries to reduce health risks by limiting the use of refined grains, excessive sodium, saturated fats, added sugar, and fried foods in their dishes.
