Is "Plant Based" Really Healthier?

I feel like every single time I go to the grocery store, I see a new “plant based” food product. Then I pull out my phone, and the internet is filled with companies promoting their products, and claiming that animal products are the cause for modern illness + global warming.

But is this really the case?

I dug in to the ingredients for these “plant based” products, and I didn’t like what I saw. Most are made of highly processed (and subsidized!) ingredients that come from low quality monocrops using things like GMO’s and glyphosate. Here are a few common ingredients in most of these products that raise a red flag:

• Isolated proteins- these products take low quality crops and process & refine them into isolated proteins. This means that most of the nutrients are removed, and you’re left with just the protein of the plant. The processes they use to do this vary, but typically involve some sort of chemical treatment to separate the protein from the rest of the components. Unfortunately, these proteins aren’t always quite absorbable. Some common proteins used such as soy protein isolate have been linked to cancer.

• Seed / vegetable oils + lecithin’s- again, low quality crops are taken and processed & refined into oils. Like isolated protein, the seeds must go through rigorous processing to be broken down to just the fat. Oils, however, go through much more intense processing involving harsh chemical solvents, high heat, and extreme pressure- which denatures the oil. These oils are then rancid + toxic before they even hit the grocery store shelves. They are highly inflammatory, high in free radicals + omega-6 fatty acids (over-abundant in our modern diet), and can lead to a variety of chronic conditions including diabetes, gut issues, auto-immune conditions, heart + coronary diseases, and even cancer.

• “Natural Flavors”- you will see this in almost every single food product on the shelf. It is kind of deceiving; it sounds like a healthier option than its counterpart, “artificial flavors”, but really, it isn’t much better. The first big issue I have is that products claiming “natural flavors” are not being transparent about what is actually in their product. So many different substances can be hidden behind those words. Another problem is that many of those substances are chemically or enzymatically extracted from their source. As we know, this can cause denaturing leading to harmful effects on the body.

How manufactured food "products" are made

vs how REAL FOOD is GROWN

Besides these ingredients having potentially harmful effects, they don’t have much (if any) nutritional value. Of course, the protein powders are added for supporting protein intake. Unfortunately, isolated processed proteins are limited- they don’t contain the full spectrum of nutrients that the source contains before processing, and they don’t contain as many essential amino acids as other high quality protein sources. Seed and vegetable oils provide texture, bulk, and calories, but they aren’t as nutritive as other cold pressed oils, or animal fats. Natural flavors are not a source of nutrients at all, they are solely used for texture and flavor enhancement.

Many people follow plant based diets in an effort to eat a healthy diet, and promote sustainability for the environment. I 100% support these efforts, however, the methods of plant based eating do not accomplish either health, nor sustainability.

Highly processed foods like most of the ingredients found in plant based food products have harmful effects on our health, and their production is anything but sustainable- monocrops, glyphosate, and factories for processing.

Nutrient deficiencies are common with plant based eating- there are nutrients in animal products that just aren’t found in plant foods. This can potentially lead to worsened health, and having to take medications or supplements long term. Between pill bottles, and pharmaceutical/supplement production, these things do not support sustainability.

Why the push towards plant based? Its very profitable.

Instead of eating what nature has to offer, which can’t be patented (meats, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, dairy), they want you to buy their highly processed patented food products, and feel guilty when you don’t. Later on, when you become nutrient deficient, they can then sell you the supplements and/or medications to compensate. A vicious cycle of relying on the government, big food corporations, and big pharma while they profit big time at the expense of your wallet, AND your health.

At the end of the day, health is not a matter of plant based vs animal based; low fat vs low carb; high calorie vs low calorie; Its a matter of eating less of these manufactured food products, and more of the foods we are physiologically designed to eat!