We can all picture a big slab of butter-coated red meat clogging our arteries, or decaying in our gut and releasing harmful toxins, because it’s been hammered into our heads since most of can remember. Especially when it’s the processed, factory-farmed, GMO-fed, antibiotic-pumped meat we wrongfully assume is all that’s available.
Add the latest talk show doctor pushing meat-free living, or NetFlix documentary of a guy cutting weight with fruit smoothies, and these vegan and vegetarian diets start looking pretty good.
But are they really?
- We’ve been taught that cancer, heart disease, and early death are the result of animal foods rich in cholesterol and saturated fat.
- We’ve been told that going vegetarian is ‘healthier for humans,’ and ‘better for the environment.’
- We’ve been led to believe that plant-based protein alternatives provide all the essential nutrients we need to thrive.
But is any of it true?
Should we all be ditching steaks for soy and tenderloin for tofurkey?
Vegans and vegetarians would have you believing so, as they’ve decided that meat is the cause of their ills and excess body fat. Because apparently the beef inside the bun next to the french fries, and the pepperoni on the pizza next to the liter of cola are to blame.
Or they’ve determined that animal lives are more important than plants lives, and dealing with bone and brain loss is a small price to pay for more deer and less death.
As I wrote about in a recent article posted for T-Nation, there’s no good reason to eliminate meat, and plenty of reasons to prioritize it. We became the strong, intelligent human beings we are today when we introduced animal protein and fat to our diet; and those choosing to avoid it are taking a step in the wrong direction.
CLICK HERE to learn the 10 Things Vegetarians Get Wrong.
Stay Lean!
Coach Mike
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