The debate surrounding vegetable-free diets has resurfaced in recent days following statements by Marcos Llorente, an Atlético de Madrid player, who openly admitted on social media that he doesn't eat them. His case has generated both curiosity and concern, as it's unusual for a top-level athlete to completely eliminate this food group.
Beyond the anecdote, the question many people are asking is clear: what are the health implications of cutting out vegetables, both for the general population and for athletes? To answer this, the scientific community has spent years accumulating data on the impact of minimizing this food group on disease risk, life expectancy, and physical performance.
Why the vegetable-free diet worries specialists
Vegetables are considered one of the cornerstones of dietary patterns most closely linked to good health , such as the Mediterranean diet or plant-based diets, which are very common in Europe. Nutritionists and scientific societies agree that their regular consumption is associated with a lower incidence of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and several types of cancer.
According to recent studies compiled by organizations such as the World Health Organization, insufficient fruit and vegetable intake is directly linked to increased mortality from all causes. In the specific case of vegetables, the problem is not usually noticeable in the short term: a person can feel well for years and yet silently accumulate risk until the first warning sign arrives in the form of a heart attack, stroke, or other serious complication.
In practice, systematically eliminating this food group is associated with a worsening of metabolic and inflammatory control . In simpler terms, the body has more difficulty processing sugars and fats, low-grade inflammation increases, and a metabolic environment is created that, over time, opens the door to multiple chronic non-communicable diseases.
In addition to the long-term impact, a day-to-day diet without vegetables can promote digestive discomfort , persistent tiredness, and greater susceptibility to infections , even if the rest of the diet seems reasonably balanced.
What do vegetables really provide and why are they so difficult to replace?
From a nutritional standpoint , vegetables stand out for their density of micronutrients and bioactive compounds. They are not just a "side dish" on the plate: their function goes far beyond adding color or volume to meals.
Among the nutrients they provide in significant amounts are:
- essential vitamins such as A, C and K, in addition to folates.
- Minerals like potassium and Magnesium, key to cardiac and neuromuscular function.
- Dietary fiber, both soluble and insoluble, essential for intestinal transit and the microbiota.
- Phytochemicals and antioxidants (polyphenols, carotenoids, glucosinolates, among others) with anti-inflammatory effects and protective effects against oxidative damage.
This combination of nutrients and bioactive substances is found in a complex food "package" that science still cannot fully replicate with capsules or powdered preparations. Precisely for this reason, studies comparing the intake of whole vegetables with the use of isolated supplements tend to show better results when the nutrients come from food.
When vegetables are consistently absent from the diet, deficiencies in key micronutrients begin to appear , even in people who don't seem to have problems with food quantity. It's common to see decreases in levels of vitamin C, folate, vitamin K, potassium, magnesium, and fiber, among others.
In Europe, striking clinical cases have already been described in people who follow very restrictive diets low in vegetables, with the reappearance of classic deficiency diseases that were considered practically eradicated, such as scurvy, linked to a severe and sustained deficiency of vitamin C.
Consequences of following a diet without vegetables
Beyond the analytical deficiencies, a diet that excludes vegetables has a series of negative effects on various bodily systems . Many of these effects accumulate over time and go unnoticed until the damage is significant.
At a digestive level, a lack of fiber and fermentable compounds from plants is associated with a higher risk of constipation, imbalances in the gut microbiota , and an increased risk of inflammatory bowel disease . This disruption of beneficial bacteria can lead to indigestion, bloating, recurring abdominal discomfort, and a less efficient immune system.
From a metabolic standpoint, eliminating vegetables makes it harder to control blood glucose and lipid levels , especially if the space they occupied is filled with more processed foods or foods high in sugars and refined flours. The result is a greater likelihood of developing insulin resistance, high cholesterol, and other cardiometabolic risk factors.
Another important consequence is the increase in low-grade systemic inflammation , a fertile ground for the development, over time, of pathologies such as cardiovascular disease, some types of cancer, and certain neurodegenerative diseases. The lack of antioxidants and phytochemicals in vegetables makes it more difficult for the body to neutralize the oxidative damage generated by daily life.
Finally, a combination of lower intake of vitamin C, folate, certain minerals, and phytonutrients is linked to increased susceptibility to infections and chronic fatigue . Although the cause isn't always immediately identifiable, some people notice a gradual decline in energy after years of maintaining a diet very low in vegetables.
Can fruit compensate for a lack of vegetables?
A common question when discussing a diet without vegetables is whether simply increasing the intake of seasonal fruit would be enough to balance things out. The reasoning seems logical: if fruit also provides vitamins, antioxidants, and fiber, it might fill that gap.
The available evidence indicates that, although fruit is a very healthy and recommended food , it cannot completely replace vegetables. Their nutrient profiles and bioactive compounds overlap to some extent, but they are not identical. There are vitamins, such as vitamin K and certain folates, and specific phytochemicals that are much more concentrated in vegetables.
Furthermore, vegetables generally have a lower content of free sugars and a greater variety of fermentable fibers , which is especially beneficial for weight management, satiety, and gut health. Replacing all vegetables with large quantities of fruit could lead to excessive sugar intake for some people, particularly those already predisposed to blood sugar imbalances.
Certain compounds, such as the glucosinolates found in cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, etc.), are scarce in other food groups and are being studied for their potential protective role against various types of cancer and cardiovascular disease. Limiting oneself solely to fruit means missing out on these elements and many other phytochemicals specific to each vegetable family.
Major studies examining the relationship between vegetable intake and health agree that the greatest benefits are observed when fruits and vegetables are combined , not when only one group is consumed. In other words, add them together, don't replace them.
Vegetable-free diet in elite athletes: an even more delicate case
The case of Marcos Llorente has brought attention to a particular group: high-performance athletes . In this group, the physical demands are far greater than those of the general population, and this translates into an increased need for energy, micronutrients, and antioxidants.
Intense exercise generates considerable oxidative stress and a level of transient inflammation that the body must resolve in order to recover properly and perform at its best. Vegetables play a key role here, as they provide many of the compounds that help modulate this stress and protect cells from damage.
In professional athletes, vegetables play a key role in processes such as muscle recovery, inflammation control, immune system maintenance , and a reduced risk of injury and illness. Several recent studies in sports nutrition show that diets high in plant-based foods are associated with improved endothelial function, reduced oxidative damage, and a healthy body composition, without compromising performance.
Can someone competing at the highest level stay healthy without eating vegetables? From a theoretical standpoint, some experts believe it might be possible, but only with extremely rigorous nutritional planning . This would involve a very high consumption of other plant-based foods (fruits, legumes, whole grains, nuts), regular blood tests, and often specific supplementation tailored to each individual.
Even under these circumstances, it is recognized that the athlete would be unnecessarily increasing their risk of premature illness and long-term mortality . Factors such as favorable genetics or a highly controlled medical and training environment can mitigate some of the impact, but they do not eliminate it entirely.
Are supplements useful to cover a diet without vegetables?
Faced with the idea of ​​cutting out vegetables, many people quickly think of vitamin and mineral supplements as a shortcut to compensate for potential deficiencies. However, research in this field is quite clear on one point: supplements do not fully replicate what a plate of vegetables provides.
Most reviews agree that it is not a recommended long-term strategy . There are nutrients, such as vitamin E and other antioxidants, that show protective effects when ingested within plant-based foods, but these same benefits have not been observed when administered in isolated pill form in well-designed studies.
In the context of a vegetable-free diet, if supplementation is still chosen, it would be necessary, at a minimum, to consider multivitamins with vitamins A, C, K, and folate , magnesium and potassium supplements, fiber supplements (soluble and insoluble), and, in some cases, specific antioxidants under the supervision of a healthcare professional. All of this should be monitored with regular blood tests to ensure that the deficiencies are indeed being corrected.
Even with this approach, experts point out that supplements don't replace the food matrix —that is, the way nutrients, fiber, and hundreds of different phytochemicals interact within the food itself. This synergy is one of the keys to why vegetables are so protective, and it has yet to be replicated in a bottle.
Supplementation can make sense in very specific situations and under supervision , but basing your health strategy on "compensating" for the absence of vegetables with capsules is usually, at the very least, risky.
Given the available scientific evidence, maintaining a diet without vegetables comes at a price in the form of a higher risk of chronic diseases, metabolic imbalances, and micronutrient deficiencies, both in the general population and in athletes. Although high-profile cases like that of Marcos Llorente might give the impression that it's possible to perform at your best without this food group, the truth is that the cost is paid in the long run and is not usually immediately apparent. Reclaiming a regular place for vegetables on your daily plate, combined with fruits and other vegetables, remains one of the simplest and most scientifically sound strategies for maintaining good health today and for decades to come.
