Does a Plant-Based Diet Affect Mental Health?

Plant-based diets lack vitamin B12 and may also make other key nutrients harder to absorb. Learn how to compensate.
Does a Plant-Based Diet Affect Mental Health?
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Switching to a plant-based diet may feel like a step toward better health or a kinder world, but is it gentler on your mental well-being?

When occupational therapist Megan Bezuidenhout switched to a vegan diet, she expected to feel healthier. But after just a few months, chronic anxiety and low mood left her questioning whether her new eating habits were affecting her brain.

Zena le Roux
Zena le Roux
Author
Zena le Roux is a health journalist with a master’s in investigative health journalism and a certified health and wellness coach specializing in functional nutrition. She is trained in sports nutrition, mindful eating, internal family systems, and applied polyvagal theory. She works in private practice and serves as a nutrition educator for a UK-based health school.