THERE is no single gold standard when comparing a mixed diet of moderate animal foods  (meat, dairy, eggs, fish) and plant foods (bread, rice, pasta, fruit and veg) with a fully vegan diet (plant foods only).  

But you should consider this:  If you were consuming a very high intake of animal foods and going above 20-30g of saturated fat per day or 70g of red meat, then this would provide a different backdrop as there’s the potential here for high cholesterol and bowel cancer risk.  

One thing that‘s agreed is that eating plenty of fruit and vegetables (five portions per day) can reduce your risk of heart disease, stroke and some types of cancer.  Variety is important. Different types and colours of fruit and vegetables contain different combinations of fibre, vitamins and minerals which our bodies need to stay healthy.  Try having a wide variety of fruit and vegetables from each of the colour groups: green, yellow, red, purple, orange and white.  Wholegrains (bread, pasta, noodles, oats, couscous, rice etc) provide plenty of fibre in the wholemeal, wholewheat and wholegrain versions with plenty of B-vitamins too.

There are some nutrients (calcium, iodine, vitamin B12) that you should consider  if you are solely following a vegan diet as the best sources of these are animal products, especially dairy.  But, an amazing development within our food chain in recent years is that these are all added into plant-based milk brands like Alpro so those who follow a vegan diet don’t become deficient.  Omega 3 is another one when following a vegan diet in which the best sources are oily fish (salmon, mackerel, sardines etc) but a natural algae supplement will do the trick here. 

Many traditional diets are healthy and it's more important to create a balanced, culturally sensitive diet that works for an individual, rather than trying to follow one specific diet perfectly.

Research shows that traditional diets from various cultures share similar principles and that what ultimately matters most is a sustainable and balanced approach to eating. 

• Lee McCusker (BA; MSc; MSc; MSc; ANutr; SENr) is a registered nutritionist from Belfast and can be found on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.  Email: attentive nutrition@gmail.com