As the nutrition transition unfolds, low-fat, fiber-rich traditional foods are displaced by the ‘meat-sweet’
diet with more animal protein, refined sugars and fats, and processed foods. Together with reduced
physical activity, these dietary changes lead to increases in obesity and other non-communicable diseases.
Yet in India, the dynamics of the nutrition transition confront the country’s long history of vegetarianism.
In this context, it is unclear if plant-based diets have protective effects for health. This paper thus aims to
(1) estimate the protective effect of vegetarianism against unhealthy BMI, disentangling this from
household wealth and urban status; and (2) evaluate the extent to which this plant-based protective effect
operates differentially by place of residence. Findings contribute to our understanding of how
vegetarianism operates with respect to health outcomes in the non-Western context amidst intensifying
pressures towards diet Westernization.