Vegetarianism and veganism are becoming more and more popular with each passing day. You walk into a bookstore and the cooking section is overflowing with vegan cookbooks; restaurants all around have vegan options because of the high demand. Word of mouth is that we should all go vegan to be truly healthy, and that animal foods are bad for us. But is a vegetarian diet really a good idea? What are its strengths and drawbacks? Is vegetarianism better for the planet? What does science have to say about all of this? And, more importantly, what does nature have to say about it?

In today’s episode, Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, author of “Gut and Psychology Syndrome,” offers a fresh look at vegetarianism. She provides up-to-date scientific information about how plant and animal foods work in the human body and how we can eat to thrive. She dives into a variety of topics including agriculture, soil degradation, the power of plants to detox our bodies, and how to be a healthy vegetarian!

Highlights from the conversation include:

what inspired Natasha to write her latest book: “Vegetarianism explained”

how nature created different groups for specific purposes: plants that convert sunlight into energy; herbivores who have a rumen specifically designed to digest this plant matter; predators and omnivores, with no rumen and a hostile environment for microbes (in the acidic stomach)

how humans are in the last group and how the only foods that our stomachs can digest properly are fish, meat, eggs and dairy.

how plants just sit in our stomach waiting to be moved to the small intestine where very little is absorbed, and then move to the large intestine where more is absorbed

how only bacteria can truly break down plants

how fat is half our dry weight and how this fat is the same type of fat found in animal fats

how only protein and fat from animal foods are appropriate for human physiology

how plant proteins (which are incomplete) are very difficult for our systems to digest

how we need animal foods for cell rejuvenation

the power of plant foods for cleanses and detoxing the body

how a vegan diet can help a person with many toxins in their body

why veganism is a form of fasting

how after detoxing, people start craving animal fats (and why they ignore these cravings)

what the body does to survive (i.e. consuming itself)

how to be a healthy vegetarian

the role of animals to keep the planet healthy

why growing plants in industrial agriculture is easy but tending animals is not

how industrial agriculture is the major cause of global warming and soil degradation

how veganism perpetuates industrial agriculture

the benefits and ease of keeping animals in organic agriculture

how we could reverse global warming in 15 years with a switch from industrial to pastured agriculture

Resources:

Natasha’s website for the new book “Vegetarianism Explained”

Savory Institute – Holistic Management for regenerating the earth