Veganism

I've just finished watching two documentaries about plant-based diets, first a newly released documentary called The Game Changers which is about vegan athletes and demonstrates the health benefits of eating a vegan diet, and then the classic 2014 doc Cowspiracy which details the land, water, and greenhouse gas impacts of animal agriculture.

The Game Changers first shows many examples of world-class athletes performing and training only on vegan diets. They claim that their diet gives them better energy levels, reduced inflammation, and that they can still build muscle. The doc goes through some of the science about how the proteins are made up of amino acids, and that all amino acids are from plants, especially because meat-producing animals eat plants to grow meat. It also talks about how eating meat increases fat in the blood and causes restricted blood flow, and clotting. The documentary demonstrates that eating meat can reduce the sexual prowess of men. And it even shows that studies have found that meat-eaters are also deficient in vitamin B-12. Concluding that going vegan is better for athletic performance and general health, the documentary relates all of this by showing that human ancestors were mostly vegetarian, based on bone density research, human's teeth being structured to grind down plants, and our intestines being long enough to process fibrous plant matter.

Cowspiracy tells the story of an environmentalist who discovers this 2009 UN study that says that the greenhouse gas emissions of the animal agriculture industry is greater than all forms of transportation combined, and commits himself to discovering the truth about the environmental impacts of meat-eating and why none of the environmental organizations he originally supported were doing anything about it. The obvious conclusion is that meat production is far more costly on all resources than plant-based food production, mainly because of all the plants needed to feed the animals which have to turn that energy into meat.

Both of these documentaries reminded me of the Mashantucket Pequot Museum, which I used to visit a lot as a kid. I was always interested in how the way of life of Americans before Europeans arrived was so environmentally conscious. As far as I understand, environmentalism is and was a core part of their culture. The earth is sacred, and we must tread lightly on it by making the most of the resources that we take from it. This was demonstrated by the way that they farmed corn, beans, and squash together symbiotically, where the corn stalk provided a support for the bean vine, and the squash leaves at the base soaked up the excess sunlight and prevented weeds from growing. Another example is that when they killed a wild animal, they would use every part of it in some way, such as sharpening the bones into needles, tools, and jewelry, turning the skin into leather to make clothes and tools, or using the cleaned stomach as a water flask. Their homes were also very interesting. Wigwams, small domes made of bent sticks and flattened bark shingles, were designed with a ring of wooden benches/beds surrounding a fire, with storage under the beds and hanging from the rafters. When I was older I got to help build a wigwam at the Beaver Brook Association in my hometown.

It strikes me that eating a limited amount of meat, reducing the consumption of goods, and living consciously with the earth were all things that American Indians did, and not just because of their excellent morals, but because it's an efficient way to live. In terms of economics, humans require a supply of resources to live, and can maintain a long-term supply of those resources with knowledge and care about how those resources are used and re-used. Or a population could greedily squander those resources in the long-term, with selfishness and bad habits in the short term.

I'd like to see more research on the health changes of being vegan. It doesn't seem like dietary research has proven that one diet is always healthier than all others. The ketogenic diet has shown to be effective therapy for epilepsy [1]. This 2003 study says that veganism reduces the likelihood of heart disease (because of the lack of consumption of red meat) but increases the risk of nutritional deficiencies especially in B12, B2, calcium, iron, and zinc [2]. This 2017 meta-analysis found that [3]:

Compared with omnivores, all-cause mortality and immortality from NCDs such as ischemic heart disease, circulatory and cerebrovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes and all the cancer incidences, except breast cancer,were significantly lower in vegetarians than in omnivores. A vegan diet appears to be useful for increasing the intake of protective nutrients  (fibre, magnesium, folic acid, vitamins C and iron) and phytochemicals  and for minimizing the intake of dietary factors implicated in several chronic diseases. [...] However, these diets are low in total fat, n-3 PUFA,  calcium, iodine, zinc, Fe2+, vitamins B12 and D."

Overall I was inspired to try vegetarianism and veganism by these documentaries and I found that researching for this post made me more confident that a vegan diet with whole foods (and maybe vitamin supplements) is healthy and good for the environment!

Sources:

[1] Rho, Jong M. "The ketogenic diet and epilepsy." Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition & Metabolic Care 11.2 (2008): 113-120.

[2] Dagnelie PC. "Nutrition and health--potential health benefits and risks of vegetarianism and limited consumption of meat in the Netherlands" Nederlands Tijdschrift Voor Geneeskunde (2003): 1308-1313.

[3] Petti A, Palmieri B, Vadalà M, Laurino C. Vegetarianism and veganism: not only benefits but also gaps. A review. Progr Nutr [Internet]. 2017Oct.6 [cited 2020Jan.8];19(3):229-42