common misconceptions about being plant-based
written by Jasmine Irven
Considering going plant-based? Congratulations! Incorporating more plants into your diet is a great way to start feeling better. I know for me anyways that when I started to shift from the normal “American” diet to one created by me with more intention, I experienced a wide range of benefits I don’t think I would have experienced otherwise.
My energy levels went up, I seemed to be less stressed, my digestion and skin improved, and I fell in love with cooking. My lifestyle completely shifted.
However, as others around me began to notice the changes I was making I got a lot of questions, and a lot of criticism.
People questioning why I was making the changes I was, and telling me that I couldn’t possibly get the protein I needed without eating meat or the calcium I needed without dairy.
There’s a joke in the vegan community that goes,
“The quickest way to become a nutritionist? Talk to a vegan. Suddenly everyone becomes an expert on food when they meet a vegan.”
While I of course knew how much better I felt, and knew that this was the right move for me, it can be nerve-racking and frustrating when everyone around you starts telling you that you’re wrong! It may even have you start questioning yourself.
I hope that as the number of people willing to experiment with a plant-based diet continues to increase, this negative feedback and misinformation will lessen, but for now, if you are plant-based or considering a plant-based lifestyle, it’s important to inform yourself about some of the biggest misconceptions out there about being plant-based.
Whether you choose to defend yourself in front of others or not, I think it’s important for you yourself to have the knowledge that you’re making the right decision, so your confidence doesn’t waver in times like these.
definitions
Before going any deeper into this discussion I want to provide a few definitions as I’ve already thrown around a few terms and want to provide some clarity on how I use these words based on what they mean to me:
vegetarian
Someone who refrains from eating meat and fish but may consume eggs, dairy, and other animal by-products.
vegan
Someone who refrains from consuming any animal products or by-products (generally no: meat, dairy, eggs, gelatin, honey, and/or foods processed with animal ingredients). Vegans also generally extend this idea beyond their diet; avoiding animal products in every aspect of their lives (no leather, only using cruelty free products, etc.).
plant-based
Those who are plant-based refrain from consuming any animal products or by-products (no meat, dairy, eggs, etc.), but may not extend this concept into their life beyond their diet.
I also consider those who are plant-based to focus on consuming mostly whole-foods (foods like fruits, vegetables, and grains) that come directly from the earth, rather than those full of additives.
mostly plant-based
This is how you might have seen that I classify myself. I consider someone who is mostly plant-based someone who follows the above guidelines about 95% of the time. For example, I refrain from eating all meat, eggs, dairy, and other animal by-products the majority of the time, as well as avoiding overly processed foods when I grocery shop, opting instead to cook most of my meals and snacks at home.
However, if I’m really craving a chocolate bar, I might have a dark chocolate bar - even if it still has a little milk in it. Or, if I’m at someone’s house and they make something forgetting I’m mostly plant-based that has an egg in it, I will likely still eat it.
This allows me flexibility and prevents my diet from feeling overly restrictive. I have been strictly vegetarian for about 5 years, but going completely plant-based has been a little bit more challenging, so going about 95% of the way there is what’s working for me currently.
Please note this is just how I use these words. I know unfortunately the line between these terms has become blurred, especially in recent years, but I hope this provides some clarity!
Remember that you don’t need to define yourself based on a word or category like this. We’re all unique and our needs will look different from anyone else. But if you find comfort in these definitions, feel free to use them as you see fit.
misconceptions about being plant-based
Now let’s dive into some of the myths or misconceptions about living a plant-based (or mostly plant-based) lifestyle. I’m focusing on plant-based diets in this post rather than vegan diets, because I specifically want to chat about nutrition, rather than the broader lifestyle.
“a plant-based diet places you at risk of nutrient deficiencies”
Specifically in the past, and specifically with regard to children’s diets, this argument is often brought up as a sweeping reason why plant-based diets can’t possibly be healthy. As we’ll go into in a moment, this argument might be used to refer to micronutrients like vitamins D or B12, iron, or calcium, or broader references to an entire macronutrient group like protein.
We’ll dive into a few of these in a moment but as an overall defence to this misconception, you can let people know that in reality, such insufficiencies are generally related to poorly designed diets - not whether the meals are plant-based or not.
Studies continually show that well-planned vegetarian and vegan diets support healthy lifestyles. In fact, plant-based diets continue to be promoted for supporting personal health and healing, being associated with less obesity (which plays into reducing chronic disease and improving overall health), reduced risk of chronic disease, improved longevity, and improved nutritional intakes relative to current recommendations.
All diets should include an element of planning and intentionality with them - whether you eat animal products or not. Your focus will simply be different. For example, while yes those who choose a plant-based diet may need to focus a little more on including quality protein sources in their diet, those consuming an animal based diet may need to focus more on ensuring they’re including enough fibre through vegetables and fruits in theirs.
While vegetarian diets may be associated with potential increased risk of deficiency diseases, what many fail to realize is that there is at least if not more potential for malnutrition with animal-centred diets, whether that malnutrition comes from nutrient deficiencies due to lack of variety in the diet, and/or an excess of fat and sugar crowding out foods that would otherwise contribute essential nutrients, or overconsumption - most commonly seen in diets centred on animal foods, processed foods, and fast foods which are often low in fibre and high in fat, cholesterol, sugar, and salt.
“you have to take a ton of supplements”
Similar to the above argument, you may get people telling you that if you go plant-based you’ll have to take a ton of supplements, so “why not just eat meat?”
While yes, going plant-based may require investment in a couple supplements, the reality is that in our modern society, supplements are often an important part of most diets. With increases in pollution, pesticide use, GMOs, processed foods, and additives, coupled with less time outdoors, more sedentary lifestyles, more reliance on fast foods, and more screen time — we’re all subject to a number of potential nutrient deficiencies.
This again means that having intentionality surrounding your diet - regardless of how you describe your diet, and it also means scheduling semi-regular bloodwork appointments to check in on any deficiencies you might have with your healthcare provider.
“but… what about protein?!”
It might be interesting for you to note, that no nutrient essential to human life is found in meat that is not also found in diets composed entirely of plant foods; every one of the nutrients used to build animal and human bodies come from plants & micro-organisms.
The reason that some nutrients may be higher in animal products is due to bioaccumulation (nutrient build-up in animals as we go up the food chain). However, these increased amounts of nutrients may not actually be beneficial, and/or may be accompanied with a number of unhealthful components like saturated fat and cholesterol, whereas plant-based sources of protein are often low in saturated fat, completely free of cholesterol, and accompanied by healthy and protective phytochemicals found only in plants.
All of the amino acids we require either originate from plant foods, or can be built in our bodies from other amino acids.
While animal foods may contain more protein per serving, more protein is not necessarily a good thing. In excess, protein actually causes greater stress on the kidneys and liver.
While of course you do need to be intentional about including protein sources in your diet if you choose to go plant-based, if you are eating a wide range of plant-based foods including grains, beans, vegetables, fruits, and nuts and seeds, chances are you won’t have any problems meeting recommended amounts.
“you can’t possibly get enough calcium without consuming milk?!”
Along the same lines, milk was once considered one of the foundations of a healthy diet (mainly due to partnerships between dairy farmers and the government but that’s a discussion for another day…).
Today however, we know that while milk is a key source of calcium for people consuming animal-centred diets, it’s not essential to human health.
To maintain calcium levels and bone health taking part in weight-bearing exercise, avoiding excess salt, and avoiding the extremes of insufficient or too much protein are habits that work to your advantage. Plant-based foods like collards, kale, turnip greens, broccoli, bok choy, and white and black turtle beans, provide well-absorbed calcium, and fortified foods like almond milk, orange juice, breads, coconut yogurts, and calcium-set tofu can provide similar levels of calcium to dairy products, you simply need to check your labels!
“ummm what about B12?!”
Animals do not actually make vitamin B12; bacteria do, and therefore whatever is contaminated with B12 producing bacteria can provide us with B12. Remember, no nutrient essential to human life is found in meat that is not also found in diets composed entirely of plant foods.
In the past people got vitamin B12 from dirt clinging to plants and from water, but today with our modern sanitary food environment, we wash any bits of dirt from vegetables before eating them and chlorinate our water, which is why if we're not eating animals (where B12 is able to bioaccumulate from dirt), our levels of B12 are generally low.
Fortified foods can provide some B12 but yes, a supplement may be necessary (please talk to your healthcare provider) when you incorporate more plant-based foods into your lifestyle. However this is simply because of our modern society, not because there is something “superior” about animal based foods. In fact, as we discussed in our protein discussion, when you consume animal based foods, the B12 is accompanied with a number of unhealthful elements like saturated fat and cholesterol.
And again, taking a supplement is not a “bad thing” rather they can be a healthful part of a variety of diets depending on your current age, life stage, or living circumstances.
“going plant-based is so expensive”
This argument seems to have gained traction in recent years as more and more plant-based products and substitutes have come out and the organic section of grocery stores has expanded.
While I love that more plant-based options are becoming available, I also recognize that a lot of these products are expensive. This is no different than a lot of meat and dairy products though!
Like any diet, there are more expensive options based on the level of convenience they provide. While these might be part of your diet, they don’t need to make up the majority, and in fact it’s likely better if they don’t.
Focusing instead on whole foods like brown rice, pasta, beans, tomatoes, apples, etc. can help bring your grocery bill down, even moreso than if you were consuming meat and dairy.
“I couldn’t get by just eating salads”
Now, I love a good salad, but salads don’t need to make up the majority of a plant-based diet. There are an incredible number of delicious, plant-based recipes out there that don’t sacrifice flavour or fulfillment.
Healthy components of a plant-based diet include a wide selection of fruits and vegetables, yes (likely more than you would ever experiment with if you were not plant-based), but also quinoa, brown rice, couscous, lentils, chickpeas, beans, oats, and pasta, along with substitutes to a “animal-based” diet like burgers, (chickpea or black-bean burgers for example) pizza (made without cheese or with a vegan substitute), and snacks or desserts like chocolate, brownies, and cookies (while in moderation, like any diet, of course)!
“plant-based substitutes are so unhealthy”
This is not so much a misconception, but something that may be true, but simply does not define a plant-based diet.
Like any packaged or processed food, it’s important to do a quick label-check to see what’s gone into the product (i.e. how many ingredients are there, are there a ton of words I don’t know the name of, is there a lot of added salt and/or sugar, etc.).
Yes, it’s true that simply labeling something as plant-based or vegan does not make it healthy. But this is no different than if you do eat animal products, and are browsing for a new yogurt to try.
Plant-based substitutes are not all “bad for you”, nor are they all “good for you” - but even if they are not the “healthiest” it doesn’t mean that they need to be completely avoided! A simple label check will give you the information you need to decide if you’d like to try the product, and even if it is “unhealthy,” in moderation, these substitutes can be a component of a healthy, plant-based diet.
Plus, there are also a number of substitutes that are actually healthy! Substituting banana or flaxseed for eggs in recipes, avocados can be used to make brownies, or using coconut yogurt for your yogurt parfaits.
final thoughts
My intention in sharing this information is not to shame you if you decide to continue incorporating animal-based foods into your diet. Like I mentioned at the beginning, I consider myself a flexitarian with my own mostly plant-based approach.
However, I did want to provide you with a sense of the incredible benefits that transitioning to a plant-based diet can have. And, I wanted to give you some concrete information that you can use if people start to ask you (or argue with you) about your dietary changes and choices.
While sometimes it may not even be worth getting into a discussion over if you know the person is … “stuck in their ways” — if people are genuinely curious, this post will hopefully provide a great starting point for you to give some background and context on some of the most common questions and misconceptions about a plant-based lifestyle.
If you come across and/or think of anything else I should include in this post, please let me know in the comments! I’d love to expand on it.
please note
Most of the information in this post is sourced from the book “Becoming Vegetarian, Revised: The Complete Guide To Adopting a Healthy Vegetarian Diet” by Vesanto Melina and Brenda Davis, though some of course also comes from my own experience with a mostly plant-based diet, after having transitioned from what I would consider a very typical, “American,” animal centred diet in my younger years (though I know I’m still young, okay don’t hate on me for this lol!).
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about the author
Hey there! I’m Jasmine, founder of the Sustainable Bliss Collective, a Certified Meditation Teacher, and lover of all things self-care, slow-living, and personal development.
I believe that ambition and self-care can coexist, and as such I hope to encourage and inspire you to take care of yourself, breathe deeply, connect with who you are, manifest your dreams, enjoy the blissful moments of each day, and make an impact in this beautiful world we call home.
Connect with me on Instagram here!
