Can you live healthily without animal-derived products? Professional bodies say yes, if the diet is well planned. Here you will find what official sources say, what you need to know about vitamin B12, and what we cannot responsibly say in a general article.
In short
- According to the 2025 position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, in adults a well-planned vegan diet can be nutritionally adequate and can offer long-term health benefits, for example for markers linked to cardiometabolic disease.
- Vitamin B12 is not naturally found in plant foods: vegans get it from fortified foods or supplements.
- WHO has classified processed meat in Group 1 (carcinogenic to humans) and red meat in Group 2A (probably carcinogenic).
- In pregnancy, while breastfeeding, for children or if you have a medical condition, talk to your doctor or a dietitian.
What professional bodies say
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the professional organisation of nutrition and dietetics practitioners in the US, published a position paper on vegetarian and vegan diets in adults in 2025. Its conclusion: in adults, well-planned vegetarian and vegan diets can be nutritionally adequate and can offer long-term health benefits, such as improving several health outcomes associated with cardiometabolic diseases. The paper covers adults who are not pregnant or breastfeeding and stresses the role of dietitians in tailoring the diet to each person.
The key word is “planned”. A vegan diet is not automatically healthy: what you eat every day matters, not just what you leave out.
Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 is the one nutrient vegans need to watch in particular. According to the US National Institutes of Health, it is not naturally present in plant foods, but some plant foods are fortified with B12, including many breakfast cereals and nutritional yeast. NIH lists people who follow vegetarian diets, as well as infants of women who follow vegan diets, among the groups at risk of deficiency.
In short: if you are vegan, plan a reliable source of B12 (fortified foods or a supplement) and ask your doctor or a dietitian about the dose. We will cover this topic in a dedicated article.
What WHO says about meat
According to WHO, processed meat has been classified in Group 1, “carcinogenic to humans”, and red meat in Group 2A, “probably carcinogenic to humans”. For details on the types of cancer linked and on WHO’s recommendations, see WHO’s questions-and-answers page in the Sources section.
How to start, in practice
- Start from dishes you know: vegetable soups, beans, mămăligă with vegetables. You will find ideas in Fasting food and the Vegan guide to Moldova.
- Read labels and, when you can, choose home-cooked food made from simple ingredients.
- Plan vitamin B12 from the start.
- If you have a medical condition, are pregnant, are breastfeeding or are caring for a child, get a specialist’s advice before any big change.
- For the link between diet and the environment, see The environmental reason.
The information in this article is for guidance only and does not replace the advice of a doctor or a nutritionist.
Sources
- Vegetarian Dietary Patterns for Adults: A Position Paper of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (J Acad Nutr Diet, 2025)
- NIH Office of Dietary Supplements: Vitamin B12 – Health Professional Fact Sheet
- WHO: Carcinogenicity of red and processed meat
Updated: 26 October 2026
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