The 4-Hour Body_ An Uncommon Guide to Ra - Timothy Ferriss [223]
“Using dairy for all their protein. Many lacto-ovo vegetarians will turn to dairy for all their protein needs when dropping meat. This can be a big mistake for a few reasons. First of all, lactose-intolerance and milk protein allergy are quite common—more common than most people think. Second of all, most store-bought milk and dairy offerings contain hormone and antibiotic residues, which are now being shown to negatively impact human health. Of course, in small doses (i.e., one cup of dairy per day), this isn’t much of a problem unless you’re highly sensitive, but using dairy multiple times per day can create big problems.
“Not using supplements. As discussed above, by dropping entire food groups from your menu, you’re bound to create some dietary deficiencies if you’re not careful. So you have to supplement, and very few vegetarian athletes know what to do in this regard.
“Use the supplements in my daily menu as a basic guide. It might seem like a pretty long list of nutrients to be mindful of, and it is. If you’re going to make the lifestyle choice to become a vegan or vegetarian, you have to accept the responsibilities that such a choice foists upon you. If not, you’re just being negligent, and you can expect health problems to follow.”
WHAT DID YOU CONCLUDE AFTER THIS EXPERIENCE?
“I’ve come to conclude that vegetarianism can work, but this usually requires the help of a trained nutrition coach. Done right, vegetarianism can be satisfying, healthy, and performance- boosting.
“That said, I’ve also concluded that vegetarianism is a real challenge for the average person. Without meticulous planning and some nutritional guidance, most are doomed to muscle loss, poor performance, and a host of nutritional deficiencies, ranging from mild to severe.
“It’s not a change to take lightly, and most people don’t have the discipline to prevent digressions and corner-cutting that will have serious consequences over time.”
Meat vs. Plant—Bridging the Divide
Some of John’s meat-eating supporters became enraged by his 28-day experiment, one going so far as to FedEx him grass-fed sirloin packed in dry ice. Carnivores can take vegetarianism very personally.
On the other side of the fence, die-hard vegans tore into him for compromising in a few areas and not going pure 100% vegan. Hate mail abounded.
As usual, the extremists on both sides were missing the point.
It was an experiment, not a moral statement, and there were valuable lessons to be learned by purists from both sides.
For the militant vegans, the primary lesson is that omnivores can quickly transition to a near-vegan PPBD if they make some allowances for protein (such as two to three eggs per day). If this compromise isn’t allowed, crossing the chasm can take months and, more often than not, never happens.
For the omnivores and carnivores, the benefits of considering a vegan diet are multifold, even if it’s just a thought experiment: If I couldn’t eat any animal products for 28 days, what would I eat?
John summarizes a few areas where proper vegans (the organized and informed minority) trump 99% of meat-eaters:
“Proper vegans tend to eat more whole, natural, locally produced, and unprocessed foods than most omnivores. This means things like raw nuts and seeds, whole grains like quinoa and amaranth, and a locally grown bounty of fruits and veggies. That’s all they eat, so they make sure to do it right.
“Speaking as an omnivore, in our quest for filling one-third of our plate with animal flesh, sometimes we forget to think about