Ep. #144: Is What the Health Right? The Definitive Evidence-Based Review

[00:00:00] The new documentary, What the Health, is causing quite the stir these days. According to some people, it is the nail in the coffin for omnivorous eating, conclusively proving that animal products have downright no cure. disastrous effects on your health and the environment. Other people though scoff at claims like these and they dismiss the movie as little more than vegan propaganda meant to shock and scare you into changing your ways.

Every day I hear from at least a few people who are surprised or concerned or skeptical about what’s presented in the film and want my podcast that I have owed you for a little while now. I’m And here’s the long story short, What the Health does make some very good points. And all in all, I do think it will probably help many people out there [00:01:00] make healthier eating choices in general.

Unfortunately though, it’s also riddled with factual errors, misrepresentations and oversimplifications, and outright fabrications. And in this podcast, I’m going to break it all down, and I’m going to directly address a number of questions that you probably have After watching the film, including does eating animal products really increase your risk of heart disease and cancer?

Is a 100 percent plant based diet the best or even the only way to maximize long term health and vitality? Are the people that disagree with that simply just justifying their own poor eating habits? Do rent seeking food conglomerates reign over public health institutions? By the end of this podcast, you’re going to know what the health got right, what it got wrong, and what science actually says about eating animal products.

Now, before we get into this episode, I’m sorry, but I have to shill for something to pay the bills. [00:02:00] No, I’m just kidding. I’m not big on promoting stuff that I don’t personally use and believe in. So instead, I’m just going to quickly tell you about something of mine. Specifically my 100 percent natural vegan protein powder Thrive.

Now Thrive is a plant based protein powder that provides you with a highly bioavailable blend of several plant proteins that are easily digested and absorbed. Thrive also contains 10 additional vitamins, minerals, and nutrients that vegetarian and vegan diets tend to be low in as well as four enzymes to help you obtain the maximal nutritional benefit from every scoop.

Lastly, it’s also 100 percent naturally sweetened and flavored and contains no chemical dyes, cheap fillers, or other unnecessary junk. So if you want to build muscle and lose fat as quickly as possible and improve the nutritional quality of your diet without having to eat animal protein, then you want to head on over to www.

LegionAthletics. [00:03:00] com and pick up a bottle of Thrive Nutrition. Today. And just to show how much I appreciate my podcast peeps use the coupon code podcast at checkout and you’ll save 10 percent on your entire order. All right. So that’s it for the advertising. Let’s get to the show. Okay. So let’s start with seven things that, what the health got wrong.

Now, Over 70 percent of Americans are overweight or obese, nearly 50 percent of adults suffer from at least one chronic health condition, and close to 25 percent suffer from two or more. Over the long term, these diseases account for 7 out of 10 deaths in the United States, and obesity and weight related diseases are responsible for 5 10 percent of all healthcare spending, which is about 114 billion dollars.

with a B billion dollars per year. Now these numbers paint a rather horrifying picture [00:04:00] and while diet isn’t the only contributing factor here, research does indicate that it’s the main one. Specifically, us Westerners, we eat too many sugary, fatty, and processed foods and too few fruits, vegetables, and home cooked meals and we are paying the price for it.

Given all that, if What the Health does nothing more than encourage people to quote unquote clean up their diets a bit, I think it is actually doing a public service. The problem though, and my disagreement, is in the methods used to accomplish this, which mostly consist of scare tactics and sensationalism.

For example, the claims that eating meat and dairy is akin to smoking, that the meat industry is an environmental catastrophe on par with the Deepwater Horizon spill, and that the only way to save yourself and the environment is swearing off animal products forever. That said, I guess you could argue that the end justifies the means, but I really don’t think we have to debate the [00:05:00] ethics of that, because lying and misdirection just doesn’t work.

Is it necessary? As you’ll see, you can make a powerful case for eating a plant centric diet without the shenanigans. And let’s start making that case by unpacking the seven biggest things that the documentary got wrong. First, there’s the claim that there is no such thing as a protein that’s healthy.

deficiency. Low protein dieting and veganism usually go hand in hand because while it is certainly possible to eat plenty of protein on a vegan diet, it does require a fair amount of attention to detail in your meal planning. And that of course is one of the main concerns that many of us fitness folk have when considering a vegan diet.

Will we be able to eat enough protein to both stay healthy and continue to improve our body composition or at least maintain our body composition? And according to what the health such worries are just unfounded because protein deficiency isn’t even a real thing. And. Studies show that is just plain wrong.

First, there is a [00:06:00] plethora of research that has shown that the minimum protein intake for basic health needs is around 0. 8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. In other words, if you eat less than that for too long, then you are likely going dermatitis, hair loss, and dandruff. Tooth decay.

And eventually a protein deficiency can actually lead to the development of one of a number of debilitating diseases, including Kawashirocor and Merasmus. And if you want to check those out on Google, the first Kawashirocor is spelled K W A S H I O R K O R and Merasmus is spelled, how it sounds M A R A S M U R.

1. Now, the good news though, is that it’s actually quite hard to develop a serious protein deficiency unless you are also just severely malnourished in general. If you eat enough calories every day and are at least halfway sensible in your food choices, it’s almost impossible to eat less than [00:07:00] 0. 8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day.

Now, something else we have to consider in the context of protein deficiency is if we move beyond the basic health needs and then we consider how protein intake affects muscle gain and fat loss. Daily requirements rise dramatically. Specifically, studies show that for the purposes of gaining muscle and losing fat as quickly as possible, you want to eat somewhere around one gram of protein per pound of body weight per day, or about 2.

2 grams per kilogram of body weight per day. Now this can be done on a plant based diet. I’ve made a video about it. I’ve written articles about it. But it does require careful meal planning. There’s just no way around that. And most people, they really don’t want to do that. And that’s why research shows that protein intake does tend to be quite low among vegans and vegetarians.

And again, the main reason really why both veganism and vegetarianism tend to have a bad rap in the bodybuilding community. So the bottom line here is medically speaking, protein deficiency is very real. [00:08:00] And most vegans and vegetarians do eat enough protein to avoid it, but not to maximize muscle gain and fat loss.

Okay, let’s move on to the next thing that What the Health Got Wrong, and that is the claim that all meat is bad for you. Now, a primary motif of this film is that meat is simply toxic to the body and it should be eliminated from your diet, regardless of how the meat is sourced or prepared. And the primary evidence offered in support of this radical position consists of a few studies that found that People who eat the most meat also have the highest risk of cancer, heart disease, and just death from all causes.

And of course, research like that makes for splashy headlines, but doesn’t actually prove that meat is a menace because it’s observational research which can suggest correlation, but not establish causation. In other words, such studies can highlight a potential relationship between meat consumption and poor health outcomes, but until further [00:09:00] experimental research is done to confirm or deny the hypothesis, it remains just that, a theory.

Furthermore, the research in question has serious deficiencies, not the least of which being the fact that Many confounding factors that scientists simply can’t control for can also greatly increase the risk of cancer and just disease in general, including smoking, BMI, body mass index, drinking, and inactivity.

For example, here’s an excerpt from one of these studies, quote, men and women with Higher intake of red meat were less likely to be physically active and more likely to be current smokers, drink alcohol and have higher BMI. In addition, a higher red meat intake was associated with a higher intake of total energy, but lower intakes of whole grain fruit and vegetables.

So the people who ate the most red meat Also tended to just neglect their health in general, and so we would expect for them to experience more [00:10:00] disease and to live shorter lives. The question though is if you can single out meat and say that it is the cause, can we blame their problems on meat or can we at least partially blame it on meat?

And of course, how can we answer that without further research, without further illumination? Now I’ll say though, a more legitimate bone to pick. is with eating highly processed meats, especially stuff like hot dogs, hams, bacon, pre packaged deli cuts and other meats that are generally pink, cured and preserved with sodium nitrate because there is good evidence that two substances in particular in these foods, nitrates and heme may increase the body’s production of carcinogenic compounds known as nitrosamines.

Another caveat worth noting is that research shows That in some people eating meat that is cooked at very high temperatures like frying or grilling or very thoroughly, like to the point of being well done may increase the risk of [00:11:00] cancer. This is due to a genetic polymorphism that undermines the body’s ability to process several compounds that are produced by these cooking conditions.

I myself actually have this polymorphism, so while cause and effect hasn’t been conclusively established here just yet. I personally am just playing it safe by generally avoiding grilled and overcooked meat. And speaking of playing it safe, you may be aware of everything I’ve discussed so far and figure that while the correlation between meat consumption and disease is weak at best, it might be prudent to just cut it out, just in case.

And to that, I say to each their own, if you feel that’s necessary, then do it. You should know that meat actually can benefit your health in several ways because it’s high in protein, it’s high in iron, zinc, B vitamins, including B12 and other beneficial compounds such as carnosine and creatine.

So the bottom line here is it’s very dishonest to claim that meat ravages your body and directly increases your risk of heart disease, cancer, and other nasty diseases and dysfunctions. [00:12:00] However, eating lots of processed meat or meat cooked at very high temperatures may increase your risk of cancer, but more research is needed.

All right, moving on to the next thing that the documentary got wrong, and that is The claim that dairy can kill you. What the Health repeatedly insists that dairy is much to blame for cancer’s meteoric rise here in the West. The main culprit, they say, is the hormone insulin like growth factor 1, or IGF 1 for short, which is Naturally present in milk, although in very small quantities and which your body also naturally produces more of when you drink milk.

Now the issue here is that IGF 1 encourages cell growth and regeneration and IGF 1 levels are often elevated in people with cancer. So this claim does seem to make sense on the surface. Now what they didn’t tell you though, is that scientists haven’t yet established whether high IGF 1 levels increases the risk of cancer or is [00:13:00] simply a.

byproduct of it. In other words, are we looking at correlation or causation? The literature just hasn’t provided a definitive answer yet. Moreover, while research has shown that people who eat more dairy have a slightly higher risk of certain cancers, studies have also found the opposite, that people who drink more milk have the same or even a lower risk of cancer than people who eat more dairy.

Less dairy. We should also note that IGF 1 levels are generally correlated with your total protein intake, including plant protein, which means the more protein of any kind that you eat, the higher your IGF 1 levels are generally going to be. Soy protein, for example, Elevates IGF 1 more than milk does. So if we go by the IGF 1 equals cancer logic, then a high protein diet would actually be far more dangerous than moderate milk consumption.

And we know that this isn’t the case. We know that a high protein diet per se does not raise the risk [00:14:00] of cancer. So the bottom line here is there’s just no credible evidence that dairy increases the risk of or causes cancer. Moving on to the next. thing that what the health got wrong eating eggs is as bad for you as smoking cigarettes.

That one is good. So the film claims that eating a single egg is as harmful to the body as smoking five cigarettes. And of course that blazed through social media like chain lightning. However, it is old fake news. This turmoil originally kicked off years ago when observational research suggested that there may be a relationship between egg yolk consumption and atherosclerosis, which has plaque buildup in the arteries, which of course increases the risk of heart disease and similar to the level that is seen among regular smokers.

Now. As such research can never prove causation, so any suggestions even to this effect are immediately false, but fortunately, more recent larger studies have actually refuted these earlier [00:15:00] findings, demonstrating that egg eating isn’t associated with heart disease, and actually to the contrary, may be associated with a lower risk of stroke.

We also know that Two out of every three long term smokers will eventually be killed by it, but we’ve seen nothing of the sort among regular egg eaters. So the bottom line here is that eating eggs is definitely not as bad as smoking cigarettes and people who eat more eggs may actually have a lower risk of some diseases.

The next point is All animal farming is cruel and bad for the environment. Now, what the health depicts your typical livestock farmer as a mustache twirling malefactor who just gets his rocks off by abusing animals in the environment. And while it’s very true that gruesome abuses definitely occur, and especially in concentrated animal feeding operations.

If you just do a quick Google search, you will find pages and pages of videos that will simply turn your stomach. [00:16:00] Now what you’re not told though is that this actually isn’t the norm in the meat and dairy industries. Most of the whistleblower accounts of horde abuses at factory farms actually come down to the actions of a small number of errant employees, not company wide policies or practices.

We should also consider the fact that scientists have spent many years and many millions of dollars researching and developing more humane methods of raising and slaughtering livestock. Why go through all that trouble if you’re just going to neglect everything that comes out of it and just torture the animals because, you know You want to and finally there are stringent regulations in place to prevent animal cruelty and pollution And those regulations are monitored and forced now, of course abuses occur violations occur and there are always things that can be improved and corrected, but That’s really true of anything.

Now with all that said, if you still have scruples over purchasing meat produced by commercial farms, I do understand and you should know [00:17:00] that they aren’t the only game in town. There’s actually a growing movement of farmers who pride themselves on caring for their animals, raising them on a natural diet of fresh grass, giving them plenty of exercise.

Allowing them to enjoy each other’s company and so forth. And you can support these businesses instead, and then not only feel better about your purchases, but also help create the kind of change that you want to see a good resource for this is eat wild. com. So the bottom line here is that painting all farmers with the same black brush is just unfair.

The majority would never engage in the cruel and malicious mistreatment of animals and some even go out of their way to be more humane. Next on the chopping block is the claim that dietary fat causes diabetes. Now, diabetes is absolutely wreaking havoc here in America, and according to What The Health, dietary fat is to blame, not sugar.

And there’s actually a kernel of truth here, but it’s not in the way that you’re being told. Diabetes is a [00:18:00] disease that’s caused by the body’s inability to produce or process the hormone insulin, which primarily helps your cells absorb and use the carbohydrates that you eat. Now, there are two types of diabetes.

Type one is a genetic condition wherein your immune system destroys the cells that actually produce insulin. And type two diabetes, and this is the more common one, is a lifestyle disease, so to speak, because it’s caused by sedentary living. Chronic overeating and high levels of body fat. Now, this is where dietary fat enters the picture because it’s high in calories, has about nine calories per gram.

It is easily converted into body fat and it makes foods more palatable. So basically the more dietary fat that you have in your diet, The easier it is to overeat and gain weight. And there’s actually research to back that up. This is why studies show that obesity is more prevalent among high fat dieters than low fat dieters and why high fat dieting can [00:19:00] contribute to the onset of diabetes.

by promoting fat gain. Now, to suggest that dietary fat causes diabetes is simply false. In fact, research shows that so long as calories are restricted, high fat diets are equally effective as low fat diets for helping diabetics lose weight and thereby improve their health. Now, all that said, we need to talk about types of dietary fat because not all of them are alike.

There is one type in particular that we should absolutely avoid, and that is trans fat. Now trans fat does occur naturally in some meat and dairy foods, and that’s not the type of trans fat that we need to be concerned with. We need to be concerned with the type that is manufactured industrially by infusing vegetable oil with hydrogen.

Creating the partially hydrogenated vegetable oil that you find in many processed foods. This chemically altered oil is added primarily to increase the shelf life of foods. And while I’m really [00:20:00] not one for dietary absolutism of any kind, there is little argument at this point that these artificial trans fats should just be eliminated entirely from our diets.

Studies show that relatively small amounts of these fats can increase the risk of a whole Okay. cause a host of health problems, including heart disease, Alzheimer’s, breast cancer, depression, and more. And there’s also evidence that trans fats may increase the risk of diabetes as well. To quote a review conducted by scientists from Harvard, TFA trans fatty acid consumption causes metabolic dysfunction.

It adversely affects circulating lipid levels, triggers systemic inflammation, induces endothelial dysfunction. And according to some studies, Increases visceral adiposity, body weight, and insulin resistance. Consistent with these adverse physiological effects, consumption of even small amounts of TFAs, 2 percent of total energy intake is [00:21:00] consistently associated with a markedly increased incidence of coronary heart disease.

So the bottom line is dietary fat does not cause diabetes. Eating too much food, moving too little, and being too overweight does. Now, trans fats, those are shockingly harmful to your health and absolutely should be avoided. Okay, moving along to the next point, which is veganism is the one true diet for long term health and vitality.

So perhaps the most fundamental flaw of this documentary is this notion that eating a vegan diet is the only way to avoid poor health and disease. And while I’m the first to say that there are many benefits to eating more fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and legumes, this doesn’t mean that you need to eliminate all animal products from your diet.

In fact, if you do this, it actually comes with its own set of problems, including an increased risk of various nutritional deficiencies. including iron, vitamin [00:22:00] B12, and omega 3 fatty acids. Furthermore, while diet absolutely plays a pivotal role in determining our long term health, it’s not everything.

There are other factors to consider, including exercise habits, body composition. Alcohol consumption, smoking, sleep hygiene, and stress levels. And if any of those things are mismanaged, they can override even the most scrupulous diet. And it can go the other way too. If you do a very good job in those other dimensions of your health, you can absolutely make up for deficiencies in your diet.

Not that you should do that, but it just should be noted. So the bottom line here is that veganism is not necessary to get and stay healthy, and what you eat isn’t the only thing that determines your long term health. So let’s step away from the chopping block now and talk about a few of the things that what the health got right, because it did make several points that we should absolutely take to heart.

The first one is that most of us should eat more [00:23:00] plant foods. As I said earlier, most Americans eat a lot of fat, they eat a lot of sugar, they eat a lot of processed foods, and they eat very little fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, and whole grains. And flat out, no question, this is asking for an early painful death.

Plant foods provide phytonutrients that improve overall health and being and help prevent just about every disease you can think of. So if you want to be as healthy as possible for as long as possible, then you want to eat more plant foods and not less. And yes, of course, you should also include treats in your meal plans and you should apply the principles of flexible dieting.

But on the whole, you should absolutely be getting the vast majority of your calories from relatively unprocessed and nutritious foods. Plant foods. So the bottom line on this point is if you want to optimize your health and performance and drastically reduce your risk for disease and dysfunction, then you should eat at [00:24:00] least two or three servings of fruit and vegetables per day.

And you should also include generous amounts of whole grains, nuts and seeds and legumes in your diet. The next thing that What the Health got right is that food companies Absolutely may be influencing public health guidelines and policies. And this documentary does do a good job of showing how corporations use their considerable financial resources to attach themselves to public health institutions.

For example, the American Diabetes Association is sponsored by Dan and yogurt. Partners of the American Cancer Society include Tyson Chicken, Campbell’s Soup, and Subway. Cheerios and Hass Avocados sponsor the American Heart Association, and sponsors of the National Breast Cancer Foundation include Hungry Howie’s Pizza, very random I know, Jamba Juice, Ritter Sport, Panera Bread, and others.

Now, what the hell implies that these institutions, they know which side their bread is buttered on and act accordingly, but offer little in the way of proof. And, [00:25:00] my thoughts are, while conspiracies absolutely do exist, and especially when you have a lot of money and power involved, it’s just not fair to assume the worst when you’re presented with facts like these.

The reality is it’s impossible to say whether these relationships are harmful because there’s just no clear evidence of wrongdoing. That said, human nature being what it is, it’s absolutely fair to assume that not everyone involved in this game has all of our best interests in mind. I would think that ignorance and economics are more likely motives than just outright maliciousness.

But, that doesn’t make anyone less guilty. Now, fortunately We don’t have to worry about what may or may not go on behind closed doors because instead we can simply just take it upon ourselves to learn the very simple science of healthy eating as opposed to blindly following our guts literally or national guidelines.

So the bottom line here is Public diet and health guidelines are probably influenced by food companies to some degree, for [00:26:00] better or for worse, and this is why it is incumbent upon us to educate ourselves as opposed to just blindly following the masses. The next point that I liked in What the Health is that your diet will largely determine your long term health.

If there is one thing that this documentary and other documentaries like it do best, it’s highlighting the fact that how we eat directly correlates to our overall health and longevity. Unfortunately, too many people, they just whistle past this graveyard, ignoring the facts like. Their eating habits are objectively awful.

They’re probably not going to change their ways anytime soon and medical advances probably won’t be able to save them once the wheels fall off. In other words, many people are simply stacking the odds against themselves and they are significantly increasing their chances of experiencing. untold amounts of pain, misery, and ultimately an [00:27:00] untimely death, whether they want to acknowledge it or not.

There is a reality. And this applies to many people who take their fitness seriously. Many of these people want to believe that so long as they’re lean and muscular, they’re healthy, but that is just far from the truth. Remember that a favorable body composition, yeah, it contributes to your overall health, but it most definitely is not a foolproof barometer of it.

You can have a killer six pack and a whole host of nutritional deficiencies that, if allowed to fester for too long, may literally one day kill you. What the health is right in that what you eat matters and it matters a lot more than many people would like to believe. So the bottom line here is that your diet absolutely plays a crucial role in your health, vitality and longevity and that you neglect it at your peril.

So that’s about it for my review of What the Health. And before we finish up, I do want to talk about building muscle and losing fat on a vegan diet. Because if you are [00:28:00] considering overhauling your diet after watching the film, and you also care about your body composition, you might be worried that it’s going to go downhill.

And that is not true. Many people do say that you just can’t build a great body without eating animal products, and they are wrong. You can. But you have to know what you’re doing. And the bottom line here is that if you don’t understand the downsides and limitations of a vegan diet in the context of bodybuilding, you are going to get disappointing results.

If you do though, and if you plan and adjust accordingly, then you will have no problem building muscle, losing fat and getting strong as a plant fueled athlete. It really just comes down to the basics, eating the right number of calories, balancing your macros and eating the right foods and or taking the right supplements to avoid some common nutrient deficiencies.

And I actually break it all down in an article that you can find on muscle for life. So if you just go to muscle for life. com and you search for vegan, you will find an article that is titled. [00:29:00] This is the definitive guide to vegan bodybuilding. every plant eater needs. And you can also find a nine minute video overview of the information on my YouTube channel in a video titled how to gain muscle and strength faster on a vegan diet.

So in closing, what the health is in the final analysis, more fiction than fact, it’s not a groundbreaking expose of collusion between the government and food industry to keep us all fat sick and dying so much as a. carefully staged, managed presentation meant to sell you on vegan ideology. That said, it does contain some truth and good advice.

Most people’s diets are absolutely horrible, and at least partially responsible for the epidemic level health problems that plague us here in the West. And most, All of us could benefit greatly from eating a lot fewer animal and a lot more plant foods. That doesn’t mean though that a 100 percent vegan diet is the absolute best way to eat for everyone under all [00:30:00] circumstances.

You can enjoy all of the health benefits that plant foods have to offer while also eating some animal foods as well, including meat and dairy. Hey there, it is Mike again, and I just wanted to say that I hope you enjoyed this episode and found it interesting and helpful. Now if you’d like to read about all this stuff as well, then head over to MuscleForLife.

com, that’s MuscleForLife. com, and LegionAthletics. com, L E G I O N Athletics. com, because I’ve published over a million words of free articles on the blogs on those websites on all types of things Building muscle, losing fat, and getting healthy. New articles go up every week on both sites as well, so if you like what you read, then definitely hop on my mailing list and you will be notified when new stuff goes live.

My email subscribers also get exclusive deals on my products [00:31:00] and services and other goodies, so there’s that too. Thanks again for listening to this episode and I will see you in the next one. Oh, and before you leave, let me quickly tell you about one other product of mine that I think you might like.

Specifically, my 100 percent natural greens supplement, Genesis. Now, Genesis is a very unique combination of greens, superfoods, adaptogens, herbs, and other phytonutrients that have been proven to increase immunity, heart and circulatory health, energy levels, libido, mood, and more. Genesis is also naturally sweetened in flavors and contains no artificial food dyes, fillers, or other unnecessary junk.

And all that is why it has over 200 reviews on Amazon with a four star average and another 150 plus on my website also with a four star average. So if you want to be healthier, feel better, train harder, and increase your immunity and longevity, [00:32:00] then you want to head over to www dot com. LegionAthletics.

com and pick up a bottle of Genesis today. And just to show how much I appreciate my podcast peeps, use the coupon code podcast at checkout and you will save 10 percent on your entire order.