10 Arguments Against the Paleo Diet
Food Hazards in Animal Flesh and By-products from All-Creatures.org Vegan
Health Articles
These are some of the reasons why we are vegans
All-Creatures.org Health Position and Disclaimer
From
Julieanna Hever,
The Plant-Based
Dietitian
February 2014
Time to address the paleo diet, as it is one of the biggest dangers to
what most vegans deem perilous: the persistent torture and slaughter of
billions of animals a year and destruction of our planet. Yet, people who
try the paleo diet seemingly do well initially health-wise, which makes it
appear all the more appealing. But the truth is that people may thrive
merely because they are switching from the standard western processed diet
to one that includes more whole foods.
click to enlarge
The diet promotes healthy vegetables,
fruits, nuts, and seeds and they also cut out dairy and processed foods,
which are all health-promoting choices. The major issue is the irresponsible
emphasis on meat, meat, and more meat. Further, we have no long-term data on
people eating this way, although the evidence on the risks of eating animal
products is well-substantiated.
Here are the top arguments against this diet fad:
- Because there were multiple types of diets prevalent during the
Paleolithic era (depending on location and food availability), great
leaps of assumption have been made to suggest eating a meat-rich diet
occurred at all. Many anthropologists suggest this argument is flawed.
Two primary reasons for this include the fact that carbohydrates, found
primarily in plant foods, are the preferred fuel for the brain and body
and plant food availability was much more stable, accessible, and
consistent, whereas animals were not.
- Even if the original paleo diet hypothetically looked as it is
currently described, there are no health parameters that are comparable
to our current culture to make it relevant to us now. Factors including
lifespan (they lived to approximately 30 years of age), activity level,
access to medical care, and overall food intake (they ate wild plant
foods and animals, unlike what we have available to us today) are
critical to consider when determining long-term health assessment.
click to enlarge
- According to some anthropological experts, humans have not adapted
physiologically, anatomically, or genetically to consume meat,
especially in large doses. For example, the long length of our digestive
tracts and type of teeth suggest a need to base our diets on whole plant
foods.
- Research is consistent in finding associations between the
consumption of meat and incidence of heart disease, type 2 diabetes,
dyslipidemia, high blood pressure, metabolic syndrome, and certain
cancers. Further, meat eaters tend to have higher BMI’s, increasing risk
for most chronic diseases. Plant-based eaters have lower overall
mortality, lower cholesterol, lower cardiovascular disease mortality,
better blood sugar control and the ability to reverse type 2 diabetes,
and possibly less cancer.
- People thrive with whole grains and legumes, which are excluded on
the modern paleo diet. Whole grains and legumes provide fiber,
phytochemicals, vitamins, and minerals that are crucial for satiety and
to meet nutrient requirements. Animal products contain zero fiber or
phytochemicals, two of the most important nutrients for optimal health.
- Grass-fed or organic animal products still contain hefty doses of
health-damaging saturated fats and dietary cholesterol, naturally
occurring hormones like insulin-like growth factor 1 and heme iron,
which promotes cancer growth.
- In order to sustain a large portion of the world on a paleo diet, we
would need the resources of 2 Earths.
- Eating a large portion of calories from organ meats, grass-fed, and
organic meats is extremely expensive and challenging. Compare organic
beef, which costs $5.25 per pound to beans, which cost about $1.99 per
pound, dried, which makes about 8 cups cooked and can serve at least 8
people.
- Eating animals contributes to the unnecessary horrific cruelty and
animal suffering of billions of animals a year. We absolutely do not
need animal products to survive. All nutrients from animal products can
be found in plants, but better packaged. The only exception to this is
vitamin B12, which the animals get from microorganisms in dirt.
- Not only do vegans get enough of all essential nutrients, we tend to
meet nutrient needs better than omnivores. The Academy of Nutrition and
Dietetics shows the plant-based diets meet all of our nutrient needs.
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All-Creatures.org Health Position and Disclaimer
We began this archive as a means of assisting our
visitors in answering many of their health and diet questions, and in
encouraging them to take a pro-active part in their own health. We believe
the articles and information contained herein are true, but are not presenting
them as advice. We, personally, have found that a whole food vegan diet
has helped our own health, and simply wish to share with others the things we
have found. Each of us must make our own decisions, for it's our own
body. If you have a health problem, see your own physician.