Why Vegan Diets May Not Be Good For Your Health

Episode 582 1h 10m
Topics Overview

Overview

The topic of veganism is hotly debated in terms of health and environmental stewardship. But how did the idea that being vegan is the best way to eat for our bodies and the planet develop in the first place?

The answer is more complex than you might think. On this episode of The Doctor’s Farmacy, Jayne Buxton challenges the notion that veganism is the cure for disease and climate change and explains how we got here.

I was so excited to sit down with Jayne and learn how the general public came to view veganism the way that they do. She explains the history of the Seventh Day Adventists and how their influence has spread all the way through our dietary guidelines and even into other countries.

Despite the altruistic halo most people view around the vegan diet, it’s important to recognize some major players benefit from pushing the vegan agenda. Jayne and I discuss what that looks like and who’s making money off of supporting this way of eating, contrary to what the science might say.

Jayne breaks down the evidence on why eating only plants is not the healthiest for our bodies or for the planet, as well as why saturated fats and animal protein are not the villains they’ve been made out to be. While I’m not against veganism, I have to agree that there are a wide variety of nutrients lacking in the vegan diet that can make it hard to create optimal health. Jayne and I talk about the key nutritional components to think about.

My diet is mostly plants but I do include some really high-quality animal foods. Since I’ve eaten this way and moved away from starchy foods like beans and grains, which I used to eat often when I was vegetarian, my cognitive health is better, my energy is better, my muscle mass is better—I truly feel the best I’ve ever felt.

Topics Covered

  • The origins of the overarching mythology that veganism is best for human, animal, and planetary health

    (5:04)

  • How big food, big agriculture, and big pharma benefit from widespread veganism

    (7:17)

  • Why the movie Gamechangers was a tipping point for Jayne to write her book

    (10:58)

  • Countries who have banned vegan diets for children

    (14:55)

  • My experience treating vegan patients

    (19:01)

  • Frequent health issues that occur from vegan diets

    (22:50)

  • Navigating the science, and subsequent dietary recommendations, around vegan diets and eating meat

    (29:54:00)

  • Building soil health through regenerative agriculture

    (51:05:00)

  • Pervasive myths around cows and methane production

    (55:05:00)

  • Jayne’s recommendations for how to eat for optimal human, animal, and planetary health

    (1:03:53)

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Ep. 582 - Why Vegan Diets May Not Be Good For Your Health