Adherence to a culturally adapted soul food vegan diet among African American adults increases diet quality compared to an omnivorous diet in the NEW Soul Study

Adherence to a vegan diet may lower risk of cardiovascular disease among African Americans (AAs). Feasibility and sustainability of adopting a vegan diet may be challenging among AAs who live in regions where soul food is a predominant cuisine. Our hypothesis was that AAs randomized to a culturally adapted vegan diet will have greater adherence to their assigned diet compared with those randomized to a culturally adapted omnivorous diet. AAs (N = 113) with overweight/obesity from South Carolina were included. Dietary intake was measured at months 0, 3, 6, and 12 using 24-hour recalls. Adherence was defined based on recommended animal product intake for each group. Differences in nutrient intakes and dietary indices (Alternative Healthy Eating Index 2010 and healthy plant-based diet index) between groups were evaluated using t-tests. At 12 months, adherence was higher to the vegan (51%) versus omnivorous (35%) diet. Participants assigned to the vegan diet had higher intake of carbohydrates (P = .01) and fiber (P < .001), and lower intake of cholesterol P< .001) and protein (P = .001) compared with participants assigned to the omnivorous diet. Participants adherent to the vegan diet had lower cholesterol intake (P < .001) and higher fiber intake (P = .02) compared with those adherent to the omnivorous diet. Compared with those assigned to the omnivorous diet, participants assigned to the vegan diet had higher Alternative Healthy Eating Index 2010 (P = .01) and healthy plant-based diet index (P < .001) scores. AAs with overweight/obesity were more adherent to a culturally adapted vegan diet versus an omnivorous diet after 1 year, and nutrient and food group intake changes were sustained.