Following a healthy-plant based diet reduces the risk of kidney disease compared to those who eat starchy and sugary foods, a new study has found.

The study surveyed 14,686 middle-aged adults, half of whom were examined over the course of 24 years. Around 4,343 participants developed a chronic kidney disease, while those sticking to a diet of healthy plant-based foods were found 14% less subject to the illness.

“Relatively higher intakes of healthful plant foods and relatively lower intakes of less healthful plant foods and animal foods are associated with favorable kidney outcomes,” senior study author Casey Rebholz of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore said.

“We believe that healthful plant foods played an important role because higher consumption of healthful plant foods were associated with a lower risk of kidney disease and slower decline in kidney function when the consumption of less healthful plant foods and animal foods were held constant,” Rebholz noted by email.

A healthy plant-based diet consists of an average of nine to ten servings a day, and includes whole grain foods, fruits (such as apples, pears, and oranges), veggies (dark, leafy greens, sweet potatoes, broccoli, etc.), nuts and natural peanut butter, as well as legumes (string beans and lentils).