Any Diet Can Be Dangerous

But let’s look at the real problem with plant-based diets.

Photo via Eszter Biró on Unsplash

If I had a nickel for every time someone told me I needed to eat meat to get my iron or protein in, I would currently be sipping a margarita on a beach in some exotic location I’m too poor to even name. Maybe that’s a slight exaggeration (except for the “I’m poor” bit— seriously, what’s a good exotic beach to dream about?), but you get my point. As a vegan, I field questions and comments like this all the time.

I heard less concern from friends and family about my diet when I was eating an extra large pizza and cheesesticks and washing it down with a bottle of cheap wine every night. By that, I mean I heard no concern at all — except the occasional fat joke from my grandma, which doesn’t count as actual concern. I was without argument at my lowest health during this time. It’s what prompted me to go vegetarian and started me on my path to a vegan lifestyle.

The truth is, I don’t need meat to get in my required iron and protein. My vegan (or plant-based) lifestyle allows me all the iron and protein I need. Yet, I constantly hear about people who were vegan or plant-based being “malnourished” or falling ill due to their diets. People always lay the blame on the vegan diet, but there is a larger problem to blame.