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You don’t have to look far to see that extremism and alarmism sells. 

Turn on any cable news network at just about any time of the day, for instance, and it’s a daisy chain of drama, conflict, and contradiction.

The same forces are at work in the health and fitness space as well, and especially in the realm of diet and nutrition.

Everywhere you look there’s another self-styled guru selling the superiority of one regimen or another, and plant-based dieting is a favorite of many.

Every few years, a new documentary claims to challenge everything you think you know about diet and nutrition. 

In 2011, it was Forks Over Knives.

In 2017, it was What the Health.

And in 2019, it was The Game Changers.

Although most of these documentaries belabour the same points, they often take different angles. Forks Over Knives focused on how plant-based eating can help fight chronic diseases like cancer and diabetes, and What the Health was more or less the same except with a “whistleblower” slant—foisting much of the blame for modern diseases on food companies.

What the Health was different, though, because it promoted veganism on the basis of its supposed performance-enhancing effects. 

Many people asked me what I thought about the documentary, but since I’ve already covered much of the same information, I thought I’d get someone else’s take on the movie.

That’s why I invited Chris Kresser on the show. In case you aren’t familiar with Chris, he’s one of the most respected names in the world of Functional Medicine, a New York Times bestselling author, and the host of the popular Revolution Health Radio.

In this show, Chris dissects all of the main points from Game Changers and compares how they stack up to the scientific literature, including: 

  • How a vegan diet affects athletic performance
  • Common nutritional deficiencies among vegans
  • Plant vs. animal protein for health and body composition
  • Potential health issues associated with eating animal products and meat in particular
  • Environmental impact of plant-based dieting
  • And more.

Timestamps:

7:10 – Can a vegan diet affect an athlete’s performances and their health?

10:56 – What are some examples of nutrients that can affect how you handle a vegan diet?

13:41 – Is plant protein the same quality and as effective as meat protein?

24:20 – Do you think the vegan diet is optimal for any athlete?

25:57 – What are some common deficiencies in a vegan diet?

34:42 – Do problems with the vegan diet happen to most people or a small percentage?

37:18 – What are some of the claims that eating animal products have negative side effects?

50:21 – What kind of impact does veganism have on the environment?

Mentioned on The Show:

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What did you think of this episode? Have anything else to share? Let me know in the comments below!