In just the last three years, there has been a 600% increase in people identifying as vegans.[1]
It’s easy to see why…
Health organizations increasingly recommend “plant-based” eating. Books and op-ed columns extol the virtues of giving up meat.[2]
Celebrities such as Bill Clinton, Carrie Underwood, Paul McCartney, Ariana Grande, and Brad Pitt say they have gone vegan.[3] [4]
Veganism (eating no animal foods) and vegetarianism (eating no meat, but consuming eggs and/or dairy) are touted as being healthier, better for the environment, and more ethical.
As part of this effort, a major report on global nutrition was published earlier this year in The Lancet. It was written by an international group of 37 scientists and endorsed by the World Health Organization.[5]
The 47-page document envisions a “21st Century Great Food Transformation.” Its goal is to achieve an “environmentally sustainable and optimally healthy diet for the world’s people by 2050.”
The eating plan outlined in the report is “universally healthy,” the authors claim. They say it will reduce climate change, obesity, and malnutrition. It is “urgent” that we adopt the eating habits in the report.[6]
The core recommendation is plant-based eating. This means eating little, if any, meat.
This is a bad idea, according to a new paper in the journal BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health. It was written by Dr. Emma Derbyshire. She’s runs a consultancy specializing in nutrition and biomedical science.[7]
Dr. Derbyshire is concerned that healthcare professionals are not warning the public about the dangers of choline deficiency.
Choline is an essential nutrient. Your body can’t produce it in sufficient quantities, so you have to get it from your diet. The best choline sources are eggs, beef, fish, chicken, and dairy products. It’s found in some nuts and vegetables, but in insufficient amounts.
We’ve told you about previous research showing that low choline intake can trigger dementia. Dr. Derbyshire points out that choline is critical to brain health. It also helps ward off excess cellular damage from free radicals.
Dietary surveys in the U.S. and other countries show that most people aren’t getting the minimum recommended daily amount of choline.
“This is concerning,” said Dr. Derbyshire, “given that current trends appear to be towards meat reduction and plant-based diets.”[8]
She believes that the The Lancet report is misleading…and that doctors aren’t properly informing the public about choline due to their own ignorance. “More needs to be done to educate healthcare professionals and consumers about the importance of a choline-rich diet,” she said.
Don’t Fall for the Vegetarian Myth
You might be surprised to learn that not a single human clinical study links red meat to any health problem… And that veganism is associated with cognitive impairment, mental illness, and osteoporosis.
Discover the bad science behind the meatless movement…and why giving up animal foods won’t make you healthier or help the environment.
Read the latest issue of Independent Healing, the monthly journal that brings you unbiased, science-based health advice. Go HERE to find out more.
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[1]https://foodrevolution.org/blog/vegan-statistics-global/
[2]https://heated.medium.com/most-of-what-you-know-about-protein-is-wrong-2e8950c78c48
[3]https://www.everydayhealth.com/diet-nutrition-pictures/influential-celebrity-vegetarians.aspx
[4]http://www.beegans.com/brad-pitt-vegan/
[5]https://www.thelancet.com/commissions/EAT
[6]https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(18)33179-9/fulltext?utm_campaign=tleat19&utm_source=hub_page
[7]https://nutrition.bmj.com/content/early/2019/09/03/bmjnph-2019-000037
[8]https://medicalxpress.com/news/2019-08-plant-based-diets-worsening-brain-health.html