Vitamin B12 is an essential nutrient. Guess what? The only source is animal foods.
I could end this post right there. I am thinking about it...
© noelzialee / Flickr.comDeers living happy lives in the wild.
1. Vitamin B12, an essential nutrient, is only found in animal sources
This reason alone should make you think thrice about not eating animal foods. This reason alone should prove that our bodies absolutely need to eat animal foods. Sure, you can supplement. But is it really doing you much? Do you really believe that a Vitamin B12 supplement is as good as Vitamin B12 from whole food? It's similar to fish oil. It's great as its pure oil from fish but it should be logical sense to anyone that whole fish is better. Once I can afford more fish and seafood I will quit my supplementation.
2. DHA and EPA, essential fatty acids, are only found in animal sources
DHA and EPA are omega 3 fatty acids. They are absolutely essential for brain development. They can only be found in animal sources, most abundantly in fish and seafood. ALA is the famous omega 3 fatty acid that is found in plant foods. Guess what? I don't know of a single benefit of ALA outside of the fact I might be able to convert 2-3% of it into EPA and DHA. Yay!
3. Plant foods contain anti-nutrients, animal foods do not
Have you ever heard of phytic acid? It's the famous devil that literally steals vitamins and minerals from your body! Chocolate is famous for being rich in antioxidants as well as the taste and feel good properties. Unfortunately, chocolate is LOADED with phytic acid. I have yet to discover a food that has more phytic acid per 100 grams. Legumes, grains, nuts, seeds and other plant foods contain this devil too. Their are tons of other anti-nutrients as well. Even spinach has them!
When you eat plant foods you think you are getting a lot of nutrition. You are, but then the devil steals them from you! Phytic acid binds to magnesium, iron, zinc and calcium. Yikes!
4. I have a small colon and gut
Did you know that our colons and guts are smaller than our closest ancestor? Some people say that we have 99.6% of the same genes as apes. Awesome! Apes eat lots of grass and fruit, right?! I guess that means we should too! No. That just ain't right. Our guts and colons enjoy the balance of plants and animal foods. Meat is dense because of the fat content. Thus, you get more for less. That's pretty slick!
5. Not a single tribe has ever thrived on a vegetarian diet
If you disagree then I want you to find me an article that proves otherwise.
6. The oldest living person in the world eats local animals
Maria Lucimar Pereira, an indigenous Amazonian belonging to the Kaxinawá tribe of western Brazil, will soon be celebrating her birthday - her 121st birthday, to be exact.Do I need to say more? She is 100% primal. Maybe you should get primal too? Click here to read the full article.
Pereira credits her long-life to an active, healthy lifestyle, in addition to a diet rich in locally grown meats, fruits, and vegetables gathered in the forests around her home - free of the extra salt, sugar, and preservatives so commonly found in foods around the world. Her all-natural diet, along with frequent walks around town, has allowed Pereira to thrive while others, many years her junior, do not.
7. There is zero evidence that eating meat is harmful to your health
I am going to quote Denise Minger, a well educated individual who was a raw vegan for a decade.
"There is no diet out there and you have zero evidence that only eliminating animal products from the diet can do anything for your health. There is not a single study out there showing that. The vegans will try to tell you otherwise but they are wrong. And if you ask them for evidence they will have nothing."She said this in her speech at the Ancestral Health Symposium.
If you eat a SAD and turn into a health conscious vegan then your health will more than likely improve. But why is this? Vegans will say its because they eliminated animal foods from their diet. But if you ask them to write down everything they changed in their lifestyle then they may say some of the following:
- Eliminated all refined grains
- Eliminated all packaged foods
- Eliminated all franken oils
- Prepared food more
- Ate more coconut products
- Began to eat LOADS of veggies
- Began to drink green smoothies for breakfast
- Started to exercise more as oppose to sitting on my ass
- Stress declined significantly
- Started to sleep better
- Became happier, smiled and laughed more
- Became part of the vegan community
- And much more...
Has there ever been a vegan or vegetarian who was health conscious who started to live a primal lifestyle and noticed improvement in their health? I am not sure to be honest. I don't know the details of former vegans/vegetarians who now live a primal lifestyle.
Has there ever been someone who lived a lifestyle based on the SAD and then went vegan, vegetarian or primal and saw their health improve dramatically?
Only millions.
Meat is not constant in both cases. Eliminating junk food is. So why do vegans or vegetarians still claim that eliminating meat is better for ones health? I truly do not get it. If you are a vegetarian or vegan for ethical reasons then I honestly applaud you. I do believe it is totally kick ass that one can live a healthy, fun, vibrant lifestyle for 80+ years and not take the life of another animal.
My main point is this...
Eliminating all animal foods, including 100% grass fed beef, venison, pastured pork, chicken and eggs along with wild caught seafood and fish, does NOT improve your health.
If you truly believe it will then you are not educated. Or, you are educated but extremely closed minded. Is it POSSIBLE that there is 1 in a billion exception? Maybe. I have yet to come across anyone that is allergic to ALL animal foods.
I love bacon, beef, fish, seafood, eggs and even dairy. I am lactose intolerant and now have reason to believe I am casein intolerant. I love cheese but if I eat it for a few day straight then I will breakout. It's a fact as I have tested it over and over again. Eliminating dairy will improve my health. Eliminating all animal foods will cause problems.
Comment: "I don't know the details of former vegans/vegetarians who now live a primal lifestyle.
Has there ever been someone who lived a lifestyle based on the SAD and then went vegan, vegetarian or primal and saw their health improve dramatically?"
Read Lierre Keith's The Vegetarian Myth for answers to these questions and more addressing the health, moral, and political issues of vegetarianism.