February 25th 2020
If you have watched the documentaries “What the Health” and “Game Changers” you may be curious about switching to a vegan diet given the abundance of health claims that these documentaries promote. My recommendation, as a future registered dietitian, is to do as much research on how to obtain optimal health while on a vegan diet before committing to this diet. In addition, make sure your sources of information are credible given the abundance of information readily available at our fingertips.
Knowing the forms of supplementation you will need such as, Vitamin B12, and getting a routine blood test to check for any potential deficiencies is a smart idea both before and after adopting this new diet. Maintaining “optimal health” means something different to everyone. I think optimal health includes getting enough vitamins, minerals, macro and micro nutrients to support our body’s nutritional requirements. Some of the benefits of eating a vegan diet include a feeling of lightness after eating a meal, increased energy, and the natural increase in fiber consumption that inevitably occurs when eating more fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
However, the vegan diet is not the only diet that provides a plethora of health benefits. The Mediterranean diet that focuses mostly on fruits, vegetables, nuts, olive oil and lean protein sources is also an excellent diet to adhere to. The one claim made throughout both documentaries that is not congruent with current evidence-based research regarding meat and dairy is that they are inherently bad for you and directly cause disease. I certainly agree that we should all eat a more plant focused diet. A plant focused diet means getting most of your daily calories from non-animal sources, but it does not mean eliminating them completely.
Yes, processed meats and cheeses should be limited, but not all forms of high-quality animal protein such as meat, poultry, seafood and dairy need to be. These food groups contain a wide variety of key nutrients our bodies need to function optimally. Is it impossible to obtain these key nutrients through a vegan diet (except for B12?) No. The problem with the current nutrition research is the lack of studies that compare a whole foods focused diet to a whole foods vegan diet. If you switch from eating refined carbohydrates, processed meats, cheeses, and sweets high in sugar, to a vegan diet, you will notice an increase in overall health.
However, we should be eliminating animal protein from an overall healthy diet. Bottom line, I think we should all put more of our nutritional focus on the quality of our diet as a whole. Reducing the amount of refined carbohydrates and sugars (cookies, candies, white breads, sodas, sugar laden beverages, etc.) is something that we also should all focus on as it is one of the main contributors to diabetes and obesity.
At the end of the day, each person is unique and what works exceedingly well for Bob might not work for Susie. Overall, I believe that all foods are part of a healthy diet. There is no need to fear animal products. Is an abundance of them the best for you? Probably not. Reducing rather than eliminating should be our main focus. There is no one size fits all approach to eating, but there is no need to oblige to the fear mongering these documentaries have tried to instill. Do what works for YOU and what is best for YOU.
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