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Introduction
In this episode Alan and Danny aim to address the idea that you shouldn’t eat vegetables, or that they aren’t beneficial. We will specifically look at a number of claims that relate to:
- The claim that vegetables aren’t beneficial for health, or that there is no health benefit to high vegetable intake.
- The claim that vegetables are actually detrimental to health, and their removal improves health.
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Related resources
- Join the Sigma newsletter for free
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- Become a member of Alan Flanagan’s Alinea Nutrition Education Hub
- Enroll in the next cohort of our Applied Nutrition Literacy course
- [02:02]Understanding chronotypes
- [06:26]Measuring chronotypes
- [15:12]Genetic and environmental influences on chronotypes
- [28:34]Health implications of chronotypes
- [52:21]Practical applications
The Hosts
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Dr. Alan Flanagan has a PhD in nutrition from the University of Surrey, where his doctoral research focused on circadian rhythms, feeding, and chrononutrition.
This work was based on human intervention trials. He also has a Masters in Nutritional Medicine from the same institution.
Dr. Flanagan is a regular co-host of Sigma Nutrition Radio. He also produces written content for Sigma Nutrition, as part of his role as Research Communication Officer.
Danny Lennon has a master’s degree (MSc.) in Nutritional Sciences from University College Cork, and he is the founder of Sigma Nutrition.
Danny is currently a member of the Advisory Board of the Sports Nutrition Association, the global regulatory body responsible for the standardisation of best practice in the sports nutrition profession.
Overview
Two related ideas have been circulated in some nutrition/health communities on the internet:
- Vegetables aren’t beneficial for health (or that there is no health benefit to high vegetable intake).
- Vegetables are actually detrimental to health, and their removal improves health.
Such advice is usually defended through some combination of the following claims, which we examine in this episode:
- Humans are naturally carnivores, or have evolved to thrive on animal foods, and only turn to plants in times of famine.
- Certain indigenous populations such as the Inuit or the Masai, eat close to no vegetables, yet have robust health.
- Many of the nutrients present in vegetables can be obtained from animal foods. And beyond that, these nutrients are more bioavabilable when coming from animal sources.
- Fibre is not an essential nutrient, and high-fibre diets don’t lead to the health benefits that are typically claimed.
- Certain compounds in plants are actively harmful to us. Some of these compounds are natural pesticides, aimed to hurt us. Others are anti-nutrients, which decrease absorption of other key nutrients.
- Plants/vegetables contain compounds/nutrients exacerbate clinical conditions such as IBS or autoimmune disorders, and removing all plants including veg, leads to improved outcomes in these people.
- There is no benefit to a diet high in vegetables compared to a diet with low/no vegetable consumption.
