What are the health benefits of a plant based diet? Elizabeth Tracey reports

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Can consuming the majority of your calories from plant-based sources make you healthier? Jaqueline Rose, a dietician at Johns Hopkins, says the benefits of a diet based largely in plant material are multiple.

Rose: There is a significant amount of research on the benefit or a real reduction in chronic diseases, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer. Preventing some of those diseases can increase quality of life in older age. There also is a growing body of evidence that suggests there may be a relationship between diet and Alzheimer’s dementia. There is research that suggests that a plant based or a more Mediterranean diet style of eating may lower the risk of and slow the rate of cognitive decline.  :31

Rose says that implementing dietary changes is a long term project for most, and also must include foods you enjoy or you won’t stick with it. She says experimenting with plant foods can also be fun. At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.