Perspective on healthful diet A recent letter writer suggested that “most of Asia” consists of “stunted people” and attributed this deficiency to the popularity of plant-based diets in the traditional cuisines of that part of the world. He spun what could only be described as a misguided folktale in which the ruling elite promoted vegetarian and vegan diets so as to keep the population docile and in line. But in contrast to the letter writer’s fanciful story, the American Dietetic Association — the world’s largest organization of nutrition professionals — has concluded that “vegetarian or vegan diets, are healthful, nutritionally …