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.
The podcast for lovers of nutrition science! Listen to detailed discussions with researchers and leading experts about the science of nutrition, dietetics and health.