With the growing interest in non-dairy products, there has been a surge of interest in consumers seeking plant-based cheese alternatives spurred by a desire to improve individual health and achieve a more sustainable food supply. The aim of this study was to conduct a cross-sectional survey of non-dairy cheese alternatives available in the United States and to evaluate their nutritional content. A total of 245 non-dairy plant-based cheese alternatives were analyzed using their nutritional facts labels. The various cheese alternatives were based upon coconut oil (n = 106), cashews and coconut (n = 61), cashews (n = 35), oats (n = 16), almonds (n = 7), soy (n = 6), palm fruit oil (n = 5), and other blends (n = 9). Only 3% of these cheese alternatives had 5 g or more of protein, while 19%, 14%, and 1% were fortified with calcium, vitamin B12, and vitamin D, respectively. Almost 60% had high levels of saturated fat, while 15% had low sodium levels. The products based on cashews alone more commonly had the highest protein levels and the lowest sodium and saturated fat levels. Those containing coconut oil more commonly had higher saturated fat and sodium levels and were most frequently fortified with vitamin B12. Few of these products could be considered good dietary sources of either protein or calcium.

Diet significantly influences the risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD), the leading cause of death in the United States. As vegetarian dietary patterns are increasingly being included within clinical practice guidelines, there is a need to review the most recent evidence regarding if and how these dietary patterns mitigate CVD risk. This umbrella review of systematic reviews compared the relationships between vegetarian, vegan and non-vegetarian dietary patterns and CVD health outcomes and risk factors among presumably healthy adults (≥18 years) in the general population. MEDLINE, CINAHL, Cochrane Databases of Systematic Reviews, Food Science Source and SportsDiscus databases were searched for systematic reviews (SRs) published from 2018 until March 2024. Eligible SRs and meta-analyses examined relationships between vegetarian or vegan diets and CVD risk factors and disease outcomes compared to non-vegetarian diets. SRs were screened in duplicate, and SR quality was assessed with AMSTAR2. The overall certainty of evidence (COE) was evaluated using the Grading of Recommendation, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) method. There were 758 articles identified in the databases’ search and 21 SRs met inclusion criteria. SRs targeting the general population had primarily observational evidence. Vegetarian, including vegan, dietary patterns were associated with reduced risk for CVD incidence [Relative Risk: 0.85 (0.79, 0.92)] and CVD mortality [Hazard Ratio: 0.92 (0.85, 0.99)] compared to non-vegetarian diets. Vegan dietary patterns were associated with reductions in CVD risk factors including blood pressure [systolic mean difference (95 % CI): -2.56 mmHg (-4.66, -0.445)], low-density lipoprotein cholesterol [-0.49 mmol/l (-0.62, -0.36)], and body mass index [-1.72 kg/m² (-2.30, -1.16)] compared to non-vegetarian dietary patterns, as well as c-reactive protein concentrations in a novel meta-analysis [-0.55 mg/l (-1.07, -0.03)]. Practitioners can consider recommending vegetarian dietary patterns to reduce cardiometabolic risk factors and risk of CVD incidence and mortality.

A growing number of people are seeking a non-dairy plant-based beverage both for their personal health, and for the health of the planet. The aim of this study was to conduct a cross-sectional survey of single-serve plant-based beverages to assess their nutritional content and health profile. A total of 51 non-dairy plant-based beverages were analyzed from the nutrition label listed on the commercial package. The various beverages contained extracts of soy (n = 14), almonds (n = 13), oats (n = 12), peas (n = 7), banana (n = 2), coconut (n = 2), and rice (n = 1). Almost one-half (45%) of the single-serve beverages had 5 g or more of protein/serving. A total of 75% and 65% of the single-serve beverages had calcium and vitamin B12 levels, respectively, fortified to at least 20% of the Daily Value (DV), while only 28% had vitamin D fortification at the 20% DV level. Two-thirds of the single-serve beverages had high sugar levels, while 39% were low in sodium, 63% were low in fat, and 96% were low in saturated fat. The single-serve plant-based beverages had more protein, calcium, vitamin B12, and sugar but less fat than the non-dairy, multi-serve plant-based beverages/ serving. A limited number of single-serve beverages met the requirements of school meal programs.