A Plant Based Diet- Doing you no favors.
We have been told for so long that a plant-based diet is best, and many believe that by removing animal foods, they are doing their bodies and their health a favor. While I won’t deny that temporary benefits may exist, I can’t help but question the long term impact of a diet free of animal foods.
Where did this belief system come from? There are several answers to this question, but for the sake of time, I will focus on Dr. Ancel Keys. Dr. Keys was, without a doubt, a very brilliant man. So brilliant in fact that he played an integral part in shifting the dietary climate of the nation. In short, Dr. Ancel Keys hypothesized that a diet low in saturated fat would lower the risk of heart disease. He conducted several flawed studies to support his hypothesis, which was accepted with little question, though there were skeptics and those who opposed this new paradigm. Dr. Ancel Keys aggressively highlighted the crucial takeaway point to his studies- that is, eating saturated fat leads to high cholesterol, and in turn, high cholesterol leads to heart disease. Those who did oppose him were attacked and in time, virtually silenced. This new mindset surrounding the very foods that nourished and sustained the country for generations took root, went to Washington, and became the backbone of nutrition for decades.
In the spirit of the healthy plant-based craze today, our supermarkets are overflowing with field roasts, buttery spreads, vegetable oils, hydrogenated oils, soy proteins processed and manipulated to resemble sausage, chicken, or other desirable meats, plant-based products infused with meaty, smoky flavors, and a host of other new scientific experiments attractively packaged and marketed to the health-conscious consumer. It’s a huge business; there is a massive market for it. While your diet is your choice, and I will support you with whichever diet you choose, shouldn’t we just question why meat is not manipulated to resemble vegetables? Even in the Carnivore community, no one is running around making ground beef look like broccoli or steak look like eggplant. Maybe, just maybe deep down, our genes are craving meat.
Consider this, when you significantly reduce any part of the diet, it must be replaced with something. Yes, saturated fat in the form of animal products at one point was a substantial part of the American diet. So, what was it replaced with? Carbohydrates and vegetable oils. Eventually, the food pyramid was introduced with whole grains awarded the largest place at the base of the pyramid. The question becomes, did this fix anything?
Instead of heading off heart disease, it has only increased along with cancer, diabetes, and obesity, to name a few. So, if this new, healthy, prudent, preventive diet is so essential and beneficial to Americans, what happened? Could it be that our ancestors living prior to the 1940’s and 1950’s already had the best diet for heart disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity, and the plethora of other ailments that plague modern society today? I won’t answer that question for you, but will instead allow you to decide for yourself.
Please consider the fact that in the 1960’s, sugar was glorified, and looked upon as an excellent food to help you stay slim. A sweet treat was encouraged before meals to help curb the appetite. Ads boasted that you could “turn down your appistat with sugar and avoid overeating”. If you don’t believe me, do a quick google search of 1960’s sugar ads and tell me what you find. Today, we know and understand the dangers of sugar, and many people go out of their way to reduce it or even avoid it altogether.
Now, let’s take a moment to talk about Dr. Weston A. Price, a dentist, born in 1870, who in the 1930’s began to take a close look at the diets of primitive, traditional cultures. As I mentioned, he was a dentist, but his findings were quite unique, as was his research. Dr. Price did not go out to prove a specific belief or hypothesis to be true. Instead, he went out to study various populations that up to that point had remained untouched by western civilization to discover what was necessary for good dental health. Dr. Price found outstanding oral health, including straight teeth free of decay throughout the primitive cultures. He also found that the people were strong and resistant to disease. In observing their diets, he noted that all traditional cultures consumed some form of animal food such as fish, fowl, eggs, land or sea animals, organ meat, muscle meat, bones, and yes, animal fat. These foods rendered beautiful, healthy, stable populations, virtually disease free, vibrant, and healthy. These people were our ancestors.
Something you may find very interesting is that Dr. Ancel Keys, in his late eighties, finally concluded that after 30 years, his findings did not stand. He had written a paper outlining the facts surrounding high cholesterol in the diet and heart disease, not supporting his theory that he had felt so strongly about just three decades earlier. He was frustrated because no one would publish his paper. He could not put out the fire that he had started. The embers are alive and glowing today.
I don’t have to convince you to eat fruit and vegetables. You are going to do that, and you should. I hope I have shared enough with you though, to encourage you to eat animal food and not to fear the fat or maybe I didn’t speak enough about fat. Perhaps we’ll save that for another post- but healthy fat is absolutely amazing! If you have been eating a mostly plant-based diet with lean meats and vegetable oils, or even a vegetarian or vegan diet, then I strongly suggest that you make dietary changes slowly. Slowly add meat back into your diet or start with small amounts of bone broth. Go with leaner cuts of meat at first and gradually add more fat. These foods are nutrient-dense, they help balance the blood sugar and benefit many systems and organs of the body. One more thing I would like to encourage you to do- get the cleanest, highest quality animal foods you can buy, and trust me, it doesn’t have to be very expensive. Local farms and farmer’s markets are a great place to start. When you find the right farmers, they will become your friends.
Sources and further reading:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancel_Keys
https://oldwayspt.org/blog/pulling-ancel-keys-out-under-bus
https://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/abcs-of-nutrition/principles-of-healthy-diets-2/
https://www.choosemyplate.gov/eathealthy/brief-history-usda-food-guides
The Big Fat Surprise: Why Butter, Meat and Cheese Belong in a Healthy Diet by Nina Teicholz
Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon with Mary Enig