In this Premium episode Alan and Danny aim to address the idea that you shouldn't eat vegetables, or that they aren't beneficial. Two related ideas have been circulated in some nutrition/health communities on the internet:
- Vegetables aren't beneficial for health (or that there is no health benefit to high vegetable intake).
- Vegetables are actually detrimental to health, and their removal improves health.
Such advice is usually defended through some combination of the following claims, which we examine in this episode:
- Humans are naturally carnivores, or have evolved to thrive on animal foods, and only turn to plants in times of famine.
- Certain indigenous populations such as the Inuit or the Masai, eat close to no vegetables, yet have robust health.
- Many of the nutrients present in vegetables can be obtained from animal foods. And beyond that, these nutrients are more bioavabilable when coming from animal sources.
- Fibre is not an essential nutrient, and high-fibre diets don't lead to the health benefits that are typically claimed.
- Certain compounds in plants are actively harmful to us. Some of these compounds are natural pesticides, aimed to hurt us. Others are anti-nutrients, which decrease absorption of other key nutrients.
- Plants/vegetables contain compounds/nutrients exacerbate clinical conditions such as IBS or autoimmune disorders, and removing all plants including veg, leads to improved outcomes in these people.
- There is no benefit to a diet high in vegetables compared to a diet with low/no vegetable consumption.
Premium subcribers can access the detailed study notes to this episode
here.