{"id":35816,"date":"2022-07-08T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-07-08T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foodrevolution.org\/?p=35816"},"modified":"2024-11-12T16:20:20","modified_gmt":"2024-11-13T00:20:20","slug":"top-vegan-myths-debunked","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foodrevolution.org\/blog\/top-vegan-myths-debunked\/","title":{"rendered":"The Top 5 Vegan Myths Debunked"},"content":{"rendered":"

Humans have long believed weird and untrue things about food. When Europeans first encountered <\/span>tomatoes<\/span><\/a>, many believed they were poisonous. The British Royal Air Force Air Command during World War II spread the rumor that carrots magically allow you to see in the dark<\/a> in order to explain their nighttime successes without revealing the truth about their new radar navigation system. And, as we discovered in 1969, the moon is not in fact made of cheese.<\/span><\/p>\n

While we\u2019ve come a long way, there are still food myths that persist in the popular imagination, despite having been soundly debunked. In this article, we\u2019ll look at five vegan myths that keep people from adopting plant-based diets, or keep them from succeeding when they do.<\/p>\n

The Rise of Plant-Based and Vegan Diets<\/h2>\n
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More and more people are going <\/span>plant-based and vegan<\/span><\/a> every year, swapping out animal products for plant-based options. New and existing brands are debuting <\/span>plant-based alternatives<\/span><\/a> to meat, dairy, and even eggs \u2014 and curious consumers are eating them up, literally.<\/span><\/p>\n

There\u2019s plenty of evidence that plant-based diets offer myriad benefits to your energy, mood, physical appearance, and overall health. Not just from dry scientific papers, either \u2014 many beloved <\/span>celebrities credit veganism for their well-being and happiness<\/span><\/a> and aren\u2019t afraid to share their views with their fans.<\/span><\/p>\n

Yet despite all this progress and positive press, veganism and plant-based eating have yet to reach mainstream acceptance. A lot of people really like the taste of meat and don\u2019t want to give it up. Cultural and family traditions may call for ingredients that vegans don\u2019t consume. And many people may not know how easy it can be to create healthy, plant-based versions. Maybe someone tried a soy burger from the 1980s and is still trying to get the taste out of their mouth.<\/span><\/p>\n

Many people would probably try out a vegan or plant-based diet happily except for a few still-pervasive myths. These myths about veganism are spread by word of mouth, shared online, and in books, often with the help of misinformation campaigns funded by industries that stand to lose market share if more people give up meat, eggs, and dairy. And these food myths can keep folks from making the switch to a plant-based diet, or scare them into giving up before they experience the benefits for themselves.<\/span><\/p>\n

Before I get to the top myths about going plant-based or vegan and uncover the truths about this way of living, let\u2019s just remind ourselves of the truth \u2014 that <\/span>going vegan can be good for your health, the environment, and the animals<\/span><\/a> whose lives depend on our mercy.<\/span><\/p>\n

Benefits of a Vegan Diet<\/h2>\n

Going Vegan for Health<\/h3>\n

First, a plant-based diet<\/a>, followed correctly, provides many health benefits. Studies show<\/a> that vegans typically enjoy a lower risk of chronic disease, healthier weight, and a longer life expectancy than omnivores.<\/strong> And the benefits are much greater when the diet is not just vegan, but whole foods, plant-based (minimizing processed foods like white flour, sugar, and certain oils, and eating lots of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and legumes).<\/p>\n

Among the conditions that are preventable or treatable with a whole foods, plant-based diet are <\/span>cardiovascular disease<\/span><\/a>, type 2 <\/span>diabetes<\/span><\/a>, and <\/span>Alzheimer\u2019s disease<\/span><\/a>, as well as some <\/span>cancers<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>autoimmune diseases<\/span><\/a>, and <\/span>digestive<\/span><\/a> ailments. The legendary <\/span>Blue Zones<\/span><\/a>, communities in which astounding percentages of the population live unimpaired into their 90s and even 100s, also all feature predominantly plant-based diets.<\/span><\/p>\n

Going Vegan for the Environment<\/h3>\n

Second, a plant-based or whole food vegan diet is good for the environment. By choosing to eat low on the food chain, you can <\/span>decrease your food-related carbon footprint<\/span><\/a> and thereby reduce your contribution to greenhouse gas emissions and global climate chaos. Because producing calories from plants is vastly more efficient than getting them from animals, plant-based agriculture uses much less water, land, and chemical inputs overall, and results in far less pollution.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Over one-quarter of all ice-free land on the planet is <\/span>used for animal agriculture<\/span><\/a>. Much of that land is former forestland, converted to pasture or grain fields to feed cattle. Agricultural runoff directly tied to animal farming has created massive <\/span>dead zones<\/span><\/a> in the world\u2019s oceans. Increased levels of CO2 and higher temperatures in these waters result in more greenhouse gas buildup in the atmosphere and also contribute to mass die-offs of marine species. You can choose not to contribute to these calamities by eating plants instead of animals.<\/span><\/p>\n

Going Vegan for Animals (& Humans)<\/h3>\n

Third, going plant-based gives you the ability to opt-out of the industrial animal farming system, in which billions of sentient beings are kept in conditions that deny them their instincts and their lives. Historian Yuval Noah Harari <\/strong><\/span>has called<\/a> the mass suffering inflicted on these creatures by industrial animal agriculture \u201cone of the worst crimes in history.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

And even if you aren\u2019t an animal lover, a <\/span>visit to a feedlot<\/span><\/a>, industrial chicken coop, or slaughterhouse will quickly show you that the humans who labor in the factory farm system are also victims. From <\/span>exposure to dangerous pathogens<\/span><\/a> to repetitive strain injuries to industrial accidents, slaughterhouse and factory farm workers (who are typically from marginalized communities, often undocumented, poorly paid, and with few options available to them) get sick and injured at <\/span>shocking rates<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

By shifting your diet away from animals and toward plants, you vote with your dollars for a kinder, more ethical world for livestock animals and your fellow humans.<\/span><\/p>\n

Top 5 Vegan Diet Myths<\/h2>\n

Even with all those reasons to adopt a plant-based or vegan diet, you may still find yourself wondering if it\u2019s a good idea based on things you\u2019ve heard. Things like, \u201cYou\u2019ll become protein deficient,\u201d or \u201cIf veganism was healthy, you wouldn\u2019t need to supplement,\u201d or \u201cSoy milk and tofu are full of estrogen.\u201d So let\u2019s examine the top five vegan myths, and see what the evidence shows.<\/p>\n

1. You can\u2019t get enough protein on a vegan diet<\/h3>\n
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The truth is that most people in the industrialized world consume <\/span>more<\/span><\/i> protein than they need. It\u2019s actually pretty hard to design a diet that\u2019s <\/span>protein deficient<\/span><\/a> as long as you’re eating real food and getting enough calories overall.<\/span><\/p>\n

Also, eating too much protein isn\u2019t harmless. While your body is able to store carbohydrates and fats for later use, you have no mechanism to store excess protein. Your kidneys have to process whatever protein you don\u2019t need for repair, replacement, or growth. Research shows that longtime adherence to a <\/span>high-protein diet<\/span><\/a> can damage your kidneys. But not all protein, actually. Protein from animal sources can lead to <\/strong><\/span>chronic kidney disease<\/a>, while protein from plants appears benign.<\/strong><\/p>\n

This directly contradicts the main protein myth, that you need to eat animals in order to get enough protein. The myth comes in two flavors. One is that animals contain sufficient protein and plants do not. The other is that while plants do have protein, it\u2019s either incomplete or of inferior quality compared to animal protein.<\/span><\/p>\n

So what does the evidence say about either of those claims? You guessed it \u2014 they\u2019re totally incorrect.<\/span><\/p>\n

Protein Needs<\/h4>\n

First, how much <\/span>protein<\/span><\/a> do we need? That\u2019s a complicated question to answer for an individual, depending on lifestyle, activity levels, sex, age, health status, and more. Children and those over 60 years old need more, as do athletes and pregnant or breastfeeding people.<\/span><\/p>\n

But on average, the recommended dietary allowance (<\/span>RDA<\/span><\/a>) for protein is 0.8g per 1 kg of body weight (at least in the US). If you aren\u2019t into the metric system, you can find your daily RDA in grams by multiplying your weight in pounds by 0.36 if your requirements are low, and up to 0.45 if you have a very demanding lifestyle. For example, a mostly sedentary 160-pound man should aim for roughly 57g of protein per day.<\/span><\/p>\n

And the RDA isn\u2019t an average number, either. It\u2019s calculated to provide enough protein for 97.5% of the population, which means that for many people, it\u2019s significantly more than they need.<\/span><\/p>\n

All plants, as well as mushrooms, contain protein. Here\u2019s how many grams per half cup of some common plant foods:<\/span><\/p>\n