The unspoken problem of vegan diets

You don’t need me to tell you how controversial the vegan diet is. Almost everyone has an opinion these days, and if you spend any time on X, you know it’s a hot topic in the health community.

Plant-based diets are on the rise in America — and today, approximately 4% of the US population self-describe as vegan.

But while the benefits crop up often, the side effects sometimes get swept under the rug. This includes research showing low birth weight and nutritional deficiencies in babies with vegan mothers.

I’m not here to point a finger at veganism or its proponents. I’m also not here to be an alarmist.

But I do want you to know the true risks of veganism so you can learn new strategies for a metabolically healthy approach.

But first: an olive branch

We know that the consumption of ultra-processed food is the root of metabolic disorders, along with other important lifestyle factors. The solution is eating whole, real food — which people can do on a variety of diets.

But the problem is that not all diets consist of eating whole, real food. It doesn’t matter whether you eat carnivore, vegan, or keto: processed food is not your friend.

I am not attacking veganism. But I am attacking diets that do not rely on whole, real food.

With this in mind, let’s jump into the research.

The vegan diet requires supplementation

Subsisting on a plant-only diet requires ample supplementation to keep your body healthy. Iron and calcium, for example, are harder to source and synthesize in plant-based foods.

You should know that a strict vegan diet may be positively correlated with sarcopenia, osteoporosis, and anemia. It may also be associated with worse physical and mental health outcomes, including:

A higher risk for mental health problems
Hematological (blood) disorders
Impairments affecting the skeletal, immune, and nervous system

Vegan diets are often processed

To maintain a plant-based diet and enjoy ‘conventional’ meals, some vegans resort to eating ultra-processed foods. Studies show the average vegan diet is 39.5% processed, followed by 37% for vegetarians and 33% for meat eaters.

The more ultra-processed foods you eat, the worse your health outcomes will be. The numbers don’t lie:

Every 10% increase in UPFs leads to a 2% increase in cancer rates
Every 10% increase in plant-sourced UPFs comes with a 5% higher risk of heart disease (and a 12% greater chance of dying from it).
Fake meat, plant milk, and alternative cheese contain additives that harm your heart, including artificial colors, emulsifiers, stabilizers, and artificial flavors

I also have to touch on the elephant in the room: the prevalence of seed oils in vegan diets. Studies show that vegans and vegetarians consume more linoleic acid than non-vegetarians. This eventually leads to tissue damage and mitochondrial dysfunction, which ultimately leads to metabolic disorders.

You should also know many processed foods are ‘vegan’ by default. For example, most sandwich breads, packaged cookies, and sugary breakfast cereals are ‘vegan.’ But not many people would consider these to be healthy foods.

Of course, you can turn any diet into a whole, real food diet if you give it enough care and attention. It’s just harder to do this on a vegan diet, especially since so many plant-based foods contain processed byproducts.

Children cannot subsist on vegan diets

There have been hundreds of studies on how vegan diets affect children. Unfortunately, there are far more dangers than benefits to report.

As mentioned earlier, we know vegan mothers tend to have more complicated pregnancies, which can result in children with lower birth weights. We also know vegan diets come with significant nutritional deficiencies, which is why most dieticians don’t recommend them for children.

There’s also evidence showing children raised on vegan diets may struggle to maintain their health as they grow. They may suffer from serious (possibly irreversible) developmental setbacks, including weaker bone structures and neurological damage.

No vegan sets out to harm their child — the vast majority want them to eat healthy, nutritional, and balanced diets. But because plant-based diets can be so restrictive, and because they can take so much work to maintain, it can be difficult to meet their child’s nutritional needs on a strict vegan diet.

So how should we eat?

Vegan diets are not intrinsically ‘bad’ for you. Any diet can be metabolically healthy — it just requires more work to keep it that way.

I recommend that you:

Focus on protein intake. Remember that plant-based sources of protein are less bioavailable than animal protein.
Supplement your diet with appropriate nutrients. This largely depends on your diet, although the most essential nutrients should be vitamin B12, iron, calcium, and vitamin D. Again, remember that supplements and medications are not a ‘cure all’ for better metabolic health.
Avoid seed and vegetable oils. Coconut oil, avocado oil, and olive oil are some of the best vegan alternatives. Remember: saturated fat is not the enemy.
Unprocess your diet. Instead of purchasing meat or dairy alternatives, cook at home and make your own (or forgo them altogether).
Keep an eye on your blood sugar. If you’re metabolically healthy, fruit and sweet potatoes may not have a disastrous effect on your glucose levels. However, it’s still a good idea to track your health with a continuous glucose monitor (CGM).
Strive to eat more low-carb meals. For vegans, this will likely include staples such as zucchini, cauliflower, and mushrooms.
Avoid the trap of added sugar. Vegan pre-made meals contain as much as seven times more sugar compared to meat-based alternatives. You need to carefully read your labels and

All this can seem like a lot of work, especially if you’re a longtime vegan. But I promise: working to unlearn unhealthy patterns can help to strengthen your heart and keep you metabolically healthy.

Looking for more information about plant-based diets? I’ve collected some resources to get you started:

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