SNP1: "Don’t Eat Vegetables" [Preview]

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:

1. Vegetables aren’t beneficial for health (or that there is no health benefit to high vegetable intake).
2. 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:

1. Humans are naturally carnivores, or have evolved to thrive on animal foods, and only turn to plants in times of famine.
2. Certain indigenous populations such as the Inuit or the Masai, eat close to no vegetables, yet have robust health.
3. 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.
4. Fibre is not an essential nutrient, and high-fibre diets don’t lead to the health benefits that are typically claimed.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.   Click here to subcribe to Sigma Nutrition Premium.