Doctor warned for recommending prohibited whole-food plant-based diet

South Savo wellbeing services county Eloisa has issued doctor Soili Kasanen a written warning for advising patients to follow a whole-food plant-based diet, Yle reports.

The warning followed an internal investigation launched after Yle reported in May that at least one Eloisa doctor had directed patients towards a plant-based diet that contradicted treatment recommendations, despite the organisation’s leadership having prohibited such advice.

Eloisa decided in March 2025 that patient guidance must follow official dietary recommendations. The wellbeing services county said Kasanen had recommended a whole-food plant-based diet to some patients at her own discretion. Kasanen acknowledged this during a hearing.

The diet is considered contrary to treatment recommendations because there is not enough research on it. Experts have also described it as too demanding for public healthcare. Ideally, the diet excludes all animal products and added fats, as well as processed foods.

Kasanen said she received the warning for distributing articles and other materials about the diet to patients. She said she now follows the chief medical officer’s directive and no longer recommends the diet or distributes its recipes.

However, Kasanen said she still advises patients on healthy plant-based choices and encourages them to increase their consumption of vegetables and fruit. She said the whole-food plant-based diet had been an important tool in her work and that she could no longer offer patients the same support as before.

“You are not allowed to say the words whole-food plant-based diet,” Kasanen said.

Kasanen said she had not directed patients to follow a strict version of the diet, but had discussed options with them for reducing inflammation in the body.

Eloisa’s communications department said it would not comment publicly on the employment relationships of individual workers or officials.

Following the internal review, chief medical officer Jaana Luukkonen told Yle that oversight of the issue had not been comprehensive. In response to questions about improving supervision, she said Eloisa had reviewed its oversight procedures.

Eloisa said it would use internal monitoring to ensure that the wellbeing services county follows nutritional and treatment recommendations.