Should Friends Let Friends Go Vegan?
How to think when your client, friend or family member is vegan
Last week I had a chance to catch up with my college roommate, teammate, groomsman at my wedding, and one of my all-time best friends. It had been a few months since we had a chance to catch up so we spent nearly two hours talking about what was new in our lives.
About halfway through the conversation, he told me that there was something that he had been meaning to tell me but was afraid to. He has been vegan for the past 7-8 months. He confided in me that he was nervous about telling me because he didn’t think that I would approve.
After putting some thought into it, I realized I didn’t blame him. Admittedly I have been rather aggressive towards the vegan dietary movement on social media, in my writing, and on any podcasts when the topic pops up. I realize now that the intent behind my message has been misrepresented by myself and misunderstood by others.
I do maintain the stance that a vegan diet is far from the optimal human diet for most people. My research has shown me that plants do not provide bioavailable nutrients like animal protein is able to and that plant protein is not a complete source of protein, meaning it does not provide all of the essential amino acids that are required for optimal human function.
However, that is not the main reason for my discontent with the vegan diet. My problem lies in today’s version of the vegan diet. Many individuals I talk to who are following a vegan diet are loading up on processed foods. Especially processed carbohydrates and even worse, processed fake meat. This is as far away from a healthy diet as the standard American diet (nicknamed SAD for a reason).
I feel that many people are changing to a vegan diet in the pursuit of better health but cutting out meat and replacing it with processed carbs labeled “vegan-friendly” and eating fake meat like Impossible or Beyond Burger, which are loaded with pro-inflammatory vegetable oils and other harmful ingredients, is not the answer for optimal health.
When my friend told me about his vegan journey, I first started by asking him how it was going. He said it was going great. He said he felt good, he was slimming up (although he has always been in incredible shape since I have known him), and his digestion was much better. He has been doing a lot of running and his times have been improving. His only complaint was that he felt like he wasn’t maintaining or gaining muscle like he would like to.
This feedback brings up a big point. If a diet is producing results for you that you are happy with, to some extent that matters way more than what the science says. Now, I will say I think that there are several reasons why a vegan diet can produce positive results. One of which is that when it is done correctly, it can lead to the removal of many potential health harmful foods. Which led to my next question. “What have you been eating?”
My friend responded by saying that he knew the importance of avoiding processed foods so he had been trying to eat as many real foods as possible. Bingo. Let me tell you a little secret. I believe that one of the main reasons why most diets work is because of what they are not rather than what they are. If you were eating McDonald’s every day and now you are eating broccoli, it’s very likely that you are going to see some health improvements. I think a similar component is present in keto and carnivore diets, although I do think these diets offer many other complimentary benefits such as inducing ketosis and resetting the gut microbiome.
The other component that I don’t like about modern-day vegan dieting is the outlandish claims and the fear-mongering that is present. Many in the vegan community make people fear meat consumption saying that it is bad for health, bad for the environment and that killing animals is wrong. To start, meat is not bad for your health, nor is there any reliable research that indicates that it is. On the note of the environmental impacts of meat, science has found that sustainable animal agriculture is actually incredibly healthy for our environment and even factory farming’s environmental impact has been blown out of proportion (but I don’t support these farming practices). In fact, monocropping, which includes the production of soy, corn, and wheat used in so many vegan-friendly products, is very destructive to our environment. Finally, when it comes to killing animals, many vegan supporters fail to realize how many animals die per acre of plant agriculture.
My point here is that the claims and the fear that the vegan community typically promotes is often far from the truth which is why I asked my friend why he was following the vegan diet. Was it because of the pros of eating more plants or because of the “cons” of eating meat? He responded that it was the pros of eating plants that got him to make the switch. This was an answer that I was much more satisfied with since many people come to me saying they are following a vegan diet and when you press in, it’s for all the wrong reasons.
The reason why I chose to share this story with you is that I think it is important whether we are trying to be good coaches, friends, or family members, that we are supportive when someone is taking a leap towards improving their health. For many people, starting any diet is incredibly difficult and we don’t need to tear someone down for their dietary choices when they are trying so hard to do well.
If you are a coach then it is important for you to be able to check the logic of your clients if they desire to take on a dietary change such as a vegan diet. If they are going to follow such a diet, it is important to make sure that their reason for following it is sound and that they understand how to do it the best way possible. If these items are in check, it is worth it to see the outcome of the experience. The truth is, maybe one day we will find out that certain individuals with certain genetics actually do better with a plant-based diet. I think those instances are few and far between and I haven’t found science to support that but I will always keep my mind open to such a thing!
P.S. If are considering a vegan diet because you watched the documentary Game Changers or if you just want to learn some of the facts that aren’t presented in many plant-based arguments, I highly recommend checking out Chris Kresser on Joe Rogan and reading the Game Changers review we wrote at Perfect Keto.