Convinced you should avoid meat? Part I

Guaranteed, every single time I tell someone that I’m a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, they always reply, “Oh, well I’ve been trying to eat less meat,” or “I know I should go vegan, but I just have a hard time giving meat up,” or “I’ve been thinking about going vegetarian since meat’s not good for you.”

Does that sound like you or someone you know? If yes, let me know in the comments below!

Guess what? I don’t think you should give up meat.

I’ve got 11 arguments that everyone normally thinks of as reasons not to eat meat – and why they don’t hold up. Today, here’s #1-#4:

Argument #1:  Plants are best for all nutrition

They actually don’t have ALL the essential nutrients you need…

Vitamins

The B Vitamins – All B vitamins are found in larger amounts in animal products than in plant sources. In fact, you can only find Vitamin B-12 in meat and animal products. The B vitamins are critical not just to physical health, but also to mental health. Lacking in B vitamins can cause confusion, impaired senses, aggression, insomnia, weakness, dementia, and peripheral neuropathy.

Vitamin A – Vitamin A is only found in meats and animal products such as butter. Beta-carotene is the precursor to Vitamin A and is found in plants. So anyone telling you to eat your butternut squash so you can get some Vitamin A is fibbing – whether they know it or not. Some people actually have a hard time converting beta-carotene into Vitamin A, so it’s better to get it from animal products.

Minerals

Iron – Hands down, meat is one of the best sources of iron. If you’re deficient in iron, it increases your risk for anemia, decreased immune function, overall crankiness, and low energy or even fatigue. Plants contain non-heme iron, which your body absorbs less easily. Heme iron is more readily and easily used by your body and only comes from meat. And get this: Women need even more iron in their diets than men because of our periods.

Zinc – meat is also a great source of zinc, which we need for cell division, cell growth, wound healing, muscle repair, and the breakdown of carbohydrates, among other things.

Amino Acids

Meat contains all 9 essential amino acids in their readily available form, which means it’s a great source of complete protein. This includes the amino acids our bodies can’t produce. Trying to get all 9 essential amino acids from plants is very difficult to do.

DHA

DHA is only found in animal products and is very necessary for our brains to function. Without it, we have a higher chance of getting an eye condition, increased risk of inflammation, and increased risk of some cancers.

Also…

There’s nothing in grains that you can’t get from other sources. You’re not missing out on specific vitamins or minerals if you cut out grains. But you are if you cut out meat!

Argument #2:  Evolution

I’ve heard the argument that evolutionarily, humans aren’t meant to eat meat. But did you know that we developed 99.99% of our genes before the agricultural revolution?

For more than two million years we were meat eaters. Grains, beans, dairy, and sugar were not part of our diet, which means that our bodies were genetically programmed to function most optimally when we eat meat, eggs, fish, vegetables, and fruit.

We’ve only been eating grains for 23,000 years or so, which hasn’t been enough time for our digestive systems to develop the ability to digest grains effectively. And we’ve been eating sugar (like from sugar cane) for only about 10,000 years, which is definitely not enough time for our bodies to have adapted.

Argument #3:  Brain

People who avoid meat are more at risk for neurotransmitter imbalances due to the lack of meat protein. Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers that regulate many of our bodily functions and our bodies make them from amino acids.

Imbalances in neurotransmitters can lead to anxiety, depression, weight issues, hyperactivity, attention deficit, insomnia, and addiction.

Unfortunately, vegetarians are 2-3x more likely to suffer from depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and somatoform disorders, according to research conducted at the University of Graz.

Also, like I said above, you absolutely need DHA for brain function and it is only obtained from animal products.

Argument #4:  Energy

Our bodies break down carbs into quick-burning energy. Our bodies also break down proteins and fats for energy, but it’s longer-lasting. So we need a good mix of all 3 in order to have sustained energy throughout the day. If you’re eating only plants, you’re more likely to have energy dips throughout your day, as you’re more likely to be eating mostly carbohydrates.

The stimulation of certain kinds of cells called orexin cells is directly linked to energy consumption and wakefulness. Amino acids stimulate orexin cells more than any other nutrients do, so eating protein from meat actually leads to burning more calories and more energy. On the other hand, research has linked reduced orexin cell activity to weight gain and narcolepsy.

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Do any of these reasons resonate with you? Let me know in the comments below!

Can’t wait until next week to see what the other reasons are? Check out my Resources page for my favorite books, podcasts, etc. for more reading. My absolute favorite is The Big Fat Surprise by Nina Tiecholz.