Why I Don’t Recommend Vegetarian Diet for my Clients
Why I don't recommend a
vegetarian diet for my clients
Hold on a second…
If you’ve already made a decision about what this article is going to say about vegetarian eating and vegan diets, I invite you to take a step back and check your assumptions at the door.
I’m going to turn some heads with this article, I am certain of that.
But first and foremost I ask you to please keep in mind that this is a complex subject with many strong points on either side.
I’m not here to argue which is ‘right’ or ‘wrong’.
Nor am I going to stick rigidly to this recommendation if a client’s body is clearly calling out for a vegetarian food diet.
As a holistic nutrition expert, I get asked about vegetarian eating often, and whether or not I recommend it.
So I’m here to offer my opinions based on the knowledge I have of the human body.
what's really important
Whether you’re new here, or have followed my work for some time, please know that I believe the following statement is more foundational to health than anything I else I will cover in this article:
A person’s bio-individuality is the most important consideration when addressing health in a sustainable way.
One’s food experiences, genetic factors, digestive health, toxic load, and immune health, all come together to inform how each body handles what is put in front of it.
For this reason, I do not advocate for any one diet over another, 100% of the time.
follow your gut
Let’s first acknowledge that there are many reasons for eating vegetarian food or a vegan diet, that have nothing to do with your health or bio-individual needs.
You get to consider those factors and decide for yourself what’s right for you and your family. I’m not here to argue against that.
I’m going to share what I know to be true from a nutritional standpoint.
What I hope you’ll take from this article is that it’s important to make an informed decision.
Before you opt into a health claim, do your research, and equally important, listen to your body.
Why I don't recommend a vegetarian diet for my clients
GUT HEALTH
The production of stomach acid, mucosal lining of the intestines, and a process known as the Migrating Motor Complex are all important factors in fighting off gut pathogens like bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), candida (a type of yeast) overgrowth, mold, and parasites.
Macronutrient Imbalance
Macronutrients include carbohydrates (starches, sugars, fiber), fats, and proteins.
Vegetarian food is commonly higher in carbohydrates, relative to fats and proteins.
This imbalance creates a prime feeding ground for these pathogens.
Think of how yeast feeds off sugar in order to ferment and make wine or bread. Similarly, when these pathogens make their way into our gut (as they commonly do), they will feed off of carbohydrates, create stronger structures to hide in (called biofilm), and outnumber the “good” bugs in our gut.
When these pathogens become out of control, this leads to chronic adrenal stress (fatigue, poor stress handling), increased inflammation, skin conditions like acne and eczema, autoimmune disease, and disruption to neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine.
Migrating Motor Complex
The Migrating Motor Complex (MMC) is a mechanism our intestines use to help “sweep” out unwanted pathogens.
In a fasted state, when the small intestine is nearly empty of food, a hormone called motilin is released, triggering smooth muscle contractions of the intestines to begin moving any contents of the intestines, out. During this process, digestive enzymes are also released to help break down anything larger.
The MMC cannot be triggered when we are constantly “grazing” or snacking.
Here’s Where the Roads Cross
Proteins and fats are known to help us feel more full for longer periods of time. They are more calorie-dense, meaning we don’t need to eat as much to feel satiated, allowing mechanisms like the MMC to go to work, while simultaneously choosing foods that do not feed unwanted pathogens in the gut.
The Takeway
To support optimal gut health, it is important to eat a diet well balanced with quality proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. It can be very difficult to find this balance in a strictly vegetarian or vegan diet.
Since gut health is often compromised in the clients I work with, a vegetarian diet is not conducive to their healing.
BLOOD SUGAR LEVELS
For the same foundational reasons vegetarian food is not conducive to gut health, it can also be harmful to blood sugar levels.
What is Blood Sugar?
The term “blood sugar” refers to the amount of glucose (the smallest form of sugar, used in the production of energy called Adenosine TriPhosphate, or ATP) floating freely in the blood.
All carbohydrates are broken down into glucose, not just sweets. Even protein and fats can be converted into glucose when the body has good metabolic flexibility.
Here’s the short version of how blood sugar works (read a more in-depth explanation here):
When we eat, carbohydrates are broken down into glucose and enter the blood (“blood sugar”)
A hormone called insulin is released from the pancreas, which acts as sort of a key to unlock the door into cells, shuttling the glucose into cells, where it will be used to make ATP.
Once the cells have had their fill of glucose, what’s left in the blood gets converted by the liver into glycogen (storage form of glucose in the liver).
When the liver’s stores are full, what’s remaining gets converted into triglycerides and stored as fat (no limit of storage in fat tissue). This is why triglycerides are often monitored in those with diabetes.
After some time of fasting, the brain recognizes there is no more glucose to create energy, and goes into stress response. The adrenal glands release cortisol and norepinephrine, which stimulate the breakdown of stored glucose to be put into the blood, and hormones are released to stimulate hunger.
In someone with poor blood sugar handling (poor insulin sensitivity, adrenal dysfunction, or a diet higher in carbohydrates), this commonly occurs every 1-3 hours, and manifests as “hangry” - shaky, fatigue, irritability, ravenous.
In someone with optimal sugar handling ability, this likely happens closer to 4-5 hours, with no “hangry” symptoms.
Refined carbohydrates (anything broken down from its whole form - flours, white rice, fruit syrups, flavored syrups, sugars, starches, etc.) break down into glucose much more rapidly than whole food carbohydrates, causing a more sudden “spike” in blood sugar, and thus, a more drastic “fall”.
Proteins and fats (and fiber associated with whole foods) help slow the breakdown of carbohydrates into glucose, stabilizing blood sugar levels throughout the day.
Eating a diet higher in carbohydrates, over time, will cause symptoms like:
insulin resistance (if insulin is a key that unlocks the cell door to allow glucose in, think of insulin resistance as though the cell changed the locks, and the key no longer works. This stresses the pancreas to produce more insulin, the adrenals because cells are not getting the glucose they need, and the liver, because it has more glucose to convert into stored forms)
diabetes
adrenal dysfunction
poor energy
reliance on caffeine and sugar for energy
poor sleep
weight gain
The Takeaway
If vegetarian food is generally higher in carbohydrates as compared to proteins and fats, this puts a person at risk for long term health concerns. Unless one is very intentional about choosing whole foods and prioritizing fats and proteins, a vegetarian diet is not conducive to supporting blood sugar levels.
HORMONE HEALTH
Here’s where the rubber meets the road.
Hormones are chemical messengers produced by various glands in the body, to be released in response to a stimulant. It’s part of a much larger and more complex communication system, and is regulated by feedback systems collectively called homeostasis.
Hormones are used in a wide variety of systems - reproductive health, stress handling, bone health, skin health, and energy production, to name just a few.
Hormones come and go in the body, and are either converted to other chemicals, or prepared for elimination from the body by way of the liver, kidneys, feces, urine, and sweat.
Too much of any hormone, in and of itself, is generally considered a toxin and causes imbalance in other hormones as the body tries to deal with it.
To learn more about the long term effects of these types of stressors, read this article.
In relation to our topic here, when there is additional stress on the liver, the pancreas, and the adrenal glands as we’ve discussed earlier in the post, hormones will also become a toxic burden, adding to the stress on these organs, and will contribute to a chronic stress response.
Reproductive health, digestive health, blood sugar handling, thyroid health - all of these systems will begin to suffer due to an imbalance of hormones. This could manifest in symptoms such as:
irregular periods
bleeding abnormalities
PMS (no, PMS is not normal)
hair loss / excess facial hair
poor energy/drastic energy fluctuation
poor sleep
infertility
“hangry” symptoms when meals delayed
poor stress response
autoimmune disease
IBS symptoms (constipation, diarrhea, heartburn, urgency)
unexplained weight gain
Another contributor to hormone imbalance in a vegetarian diet, is that the nutrients required to make many hormones are often lacking in vegan diets and vegetarian food.
Sex hormones and stress hormones are known as types of steroid hormones, which are made from cholesterol.
Proteins are essential to facilitating nutrient transport through cellular walls, and throughout the body.
The health of your skin, muscle tissue, and blood also rely on good quality fats and proteins to be consumed in the diet.
The Takeaway
Vegan diets and vegetarian food diets commonly cause overburdened adrenals, liver, and pancreas, leading to symptoms of hormone imbalance. Additionally, our cellular health as a whole will suffer if not taking in adequate (and quality) nutrients.
so, what?
Am I saying no one should eat a solely vegetarian diet?
That is not at all what I’m saying.
Plants are loaded with great nutrients that we cannot get in high quantities from animal products (and vice versa).
We would all benefit from eating far more plant foods, and especially in their whole forms.
Whole plant foods are loaded with antioxidants, polyphenols, fiber, minerals, and other vitamins. In a person with optimal digestion, a diet rich in these foods would provide great benefit!
But does it mean we should cut out animal foods altogether? I would argue not.
A few examples of the nutrients in question:
Fatty Omega 3, 6, and 9 acids are found in higher quantities in animal foods, and are essential to regulating inflammation.
Vitamin B12 is found abundantly in beef and lamb (and is virtually nonexistent in many plant foods). To absorb B12, we need something called Intrinsic Factor, which is produced by the cells in the stomach, and released when protein is present (yep!).
Cholesterol is needed for healthy cells and hormones, as we mentioned.
What's more important?
If you are considering a vegetarian diet for the sake of health, please consider these things:
Optimize gut health and blood sugar handling first - work with a functional or holistic practitioner who can assess your body’s bio-individuality and address gut health and sugar handling first, will go a long way in helping you understand your body’s needs, and allow you to really get benefit from a vegetarian diet.
Balance your macronutrients - The guidelines will not be the same for every person. For someone with good digestive health, looking to support blood sugar and adrenal health, a good starting point is 90 grams of protein per day (unless you have compromised kidneys). You will find that if you are reaching that amount, the other macronutrients will easily fall into place.
Choose quality food sources - My online course, the Kitchen Detox Workshop, is a great resource for learning about food quality, sourcing, and to understand common food marketing terms to help you decide what products to use. Register for the Kitchen Detox Workshop here.
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What is your experience with eating a vegetarian food diet? Have you experienced signs of hormone imbalance, symptoms of poor gut health, or poor handling of blood sugar?
How have you been navigating that?
Please share your thoughts in the comments below!
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