Integrating Plant-Based Diets into Schools for a Healthier and More Sustainable Future: A Contemporary Overview

Schools constitute strategic settings for shaping eating behaviors among youth. Given the profound environmental, health, and social challenges associated with current food systems, there is an urgent need to explore dietary patterns that simultaneously support human well-being, ecological sustainability, and ethical principles. This comprehensive review provides a contemporary overview of the role of plant-based diets as an instrumental pathway to a healthier and more sustainable future by examining (i) environmental and social impacts of current food systems; (ii) the effects of plant-based diets on health; (iii) determinants of plant-based diet implementation in schools, including barriers and facilitators to their adoption; and (iv) the development of future-oriented dietary guidelines. Transitioning to plant-based diets, combined with sustainable agricultural practices, can reduce resource use and promote ecological sustainability. Promoting plant-based diets can also encourage the development of a more responsible and equitable social culture. Plant-based diets consistently provide metabolic, cardiovascular, and anti-inflammatory benefits across diverse populations, contributing to healthy weight and glycemic regulation. Well-planned plant-based diets may also improve cognitive function and promote psychological well-being. The integration of plant-based diets in schools is limited by barriers such as children’s food preferences, habitual eating patterns, peer influence, time and resource constraints, limited knowledge, cultural attachment to meat, and low family involvement. Conversely, facilitators including experiential learning, nutrition education, teacher and family engagement, social norms, ethical or environmental motivations, and institutional support promote acceptance and implementation. Ongoing research is required to refine dietary recommendations, assess long-term health outcomes, and ensure nutritional adequacy across pediatric populations. Continued evaluation of school-based interventions and policy frameworks will be essential to optimize the integration of plant-based diets and to monitor their health, ethical, and environmental impacts.