The recent malnutrition death of Vegan Tik Tok and Instagram influencer Zahanna Samsonova was a shock to her mi llions of devoted followers. She was preaching the power and joys of eating a raw food vegan diet. Convinced that this was the healthiest and most natural way to eat, she was sure that it would make her super healthy. Instead it killed her. She was eating only fresh fruits, sprouts, and smoothies toward the end of her life. It is a sad lesson in how belief does not beat out reality. She was right; what she was eating was super healthy. But being right is not enough. Life is amazingly complex, and simple answers to complex problems just don’t cut it. They fail. In her case, she died from her simple truths.
The world is filled with simple truths that are killing us daily. We need to see bigger perspectives of life to get a clue. This is happening in every arena of life, but today I want to focus on the battle between the plant food faddists and the animal food faddists. They each have truths that fuel their deep and righteous beliefs. Each side is completely certain that they are right, and the other side is completely wrong. They bring out their studies, charts, and graphs to ‘prove’ their points. They’re passionate about it. I think passion is a good thing. Can you imagine a world where no one cared about anything? Not a pretty picture! However, in my experience, both sides of most arguments have thought and intelligence behind them. But for some reason, once people get polarized into one belief or another, they become completely blind to the depth of thinking on the opposing side.
I’m curious about the process of how seemingly oppos ite perspectives can come from the same reality. What are the hidden complexities that bridge the gap between these viewpoints, allowing us to see the bigger picture? How much of the extreme positions actually apply to my life and experiences? Or is my life happening in a place that neither side is considering? I’ve written before about how biased scientific research can be and how meaningless statistical results can be for individuals. Let’s say 100 people tried a weight loss supplement. 50 of them lost 25 pounds, and the other 50 gained 25 pounds. According to the study, the supplement had no effect on weight. But that’s silly, right? Well, that’s how statistical averages work. There’s no such thing as an average person. So statistical averages don’t apply to anyone.
Here’s the main takeaway for today’s discussion on vegetarians and carnivores. Both sides have a ton of scientific evide nce backing their claims. They also have countless personal stories of people who got sick and how a specific diet saved their lives. I genuinely believe each side is telling the truth. But here’s the thing: relevance matters. Which pieces of data are most important to you and which ones aren’t? Unfortunately, we end up choosing a diet that is based on what our friends believe in this week. Or we follow social influencers (like Zahanna) on media and do what they say. I understand that some of you might consider following your doctor’s advice, but it’s important to note that doctors don’t receive any training in nutrition. So, what can we do to make informed choices about our health?
We start by looking at the real world and figuring out how things work. Let’s start with a simple question: why haven’t we figured out the best diet yet? The answer is surprisingly simple: th ere’s no single best diet for everyone. We’re all different, and what works for one person may not work for another. Reality completely shatters all the assumptions made in nutritional science. Scientific studies about populations always assume that everyone is the same, with the same needs and biological functions. But that’s not true at all. It’s like assuming that everyone has blue eyes and blond hair. They don’t.
Each of us is a unique blend of genes, making us who we are. These genes aren’t just about eye and hair color. They play a crucial role in how our bodies process food, absorb nu trients, and utilize them effectively. They influence the composition of our gut microbiome and determine the foods that support our health. These genes also help us tolerate certain foods while identifying those that may be harmful to us. You know, our nutritional needs are super unique and can change based on a bunch of factors like what we’re doing, how well we sleep, and how stressed we are. So, advice from someone else about our diet is pretty much useless. We’re the only ones who can figure out what we really need.
So, how do we figure out what’s going on? Just like you judge a tree by its fruits, you judge your diet by the results you g et in your body. How strong are you? How long can you go without getting tired? How quickly do you heal from a scrape? How well do you fight off infections? How well do you digest your food? Do you have gas or bloating? Do you have constipation or diarrhea? Do you get brain fog? How well do you sleep? Do you have 1 to 3 bowel movements a day? What color are the movements and what consistency? What is your overall sense of well-being. How well is your vision, hearing, taste and smell perception? How are your energy levels, mood, and emotional stability? I have a comprehensive health assessment questionnaire available at the office. You may ask for one at the front desk if you would like.
I don’t ask if your diet makes you feel great. If that were the only thing that mattered, we’d all be munching on cocaine or meth for our health. I think some of that confusion might have even contributed to the influencer’s death. Many extreme diets that are not good for you can still have a big impact on lifting how you feel emotionally. Heck, lots of chocolate will make you feel good. That does not mean eating a diet of only dark organic free trade chocolate is a good idea.
Health comes from taking up the challenge of doing w hat it takes to be healthy on all levels. Chasing after comfort and just what feels good will slowly destroy your health.
All animals, including humans, share a few basic biological truths. First and foremost, they’re all made of protein. That means we need to eat protein to survive. Unlike some bacteria, we can’t make our own protein building blocks from the nitrogen in the air. Plants have these special bacteria living inside them, and they use these nitrogen products to make amino acids, which are the building blocks for proteins. Animals don’t have these bacteria, so we either get our amino acids from plants directly, or from other animals that have eaten the plants. Proteins are made up of amino acids, and if we don’t get enough protein, we die.
As humans, we need to eat a bunch of essential nutrien ts regularly, or we’ll die. Diseases caused by deficiencies are examples of this, like scurvy, pellagra, Beri Beri, goiter, rickets, kwashiorkor, and anemia. Most of these diseases develop slowly, so a particular diet could take years to show up as a problem for you. And guess what? Almost every plant contains a variety of toxic substances naturally. But if you’re healthy and have a strong digestive system, your body can handle most of these natural built-in poisons. Our bodies don’t handle all the pesticides sprayed on our crops well. If your digestion isn’t strong or your gut lining is damaged, many plant foods can be a problem for you. Animal foods have their own set of problems. The real takeaway is that what diet works best for you depends on how your body digests food. If you have a leaky gut, you’re more likely to develop an autoimmune condition that makes many plant foods toxic to you. But if you’re feeling super stressed, your stomach might not be producing enough acid to break down the meat. And guess what? When that happens, bad bacteria in your gut can create toxic byproducts.
The key to a healthy lifestyle is all about paying a ttention to how your body responds to the food you eat, not just how it tastes. Taste is there to get you to spit out rotten food and to eat lots of fattening foods. But avoiding rotten food and being fat helped us survive for most of human history. Now, being fat isn’t really helpful anymore.
I think the whole vegetarian vs. carnivore debate is kinda moot. What really matters is what diet works best for you r body. Some people might thrive on a well-planned vegetarian diet, while others might find that going carnivore helps them heal. Start with what you’re drawn to and see how your health responds. Don’t be afraid to experiment and try different diets. The best way to figure this out is to listen to your body and see what makes your body work better. Influencer opinions can be helpful, but remember that your body is the real expert.
Take care,
David
ST. Patrick’s Day is coming up soon, and Eva, one of  Ellen’s friends, gifted Ellen with a holiday appropriate scarf. Ellen decided she wanted to see how well it went with various tops, and selected this lovely mustard top to wear it with.
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t the type that works the best is resistance or strength training. Free weights, weight machines, and exercise bands all worked to improve sleep the best.
ed because of the damage they cause to the liver, kidneys, and heart, these findings suggest that inflammation may be a key to Alzheimer’s. As such, using non-toxic anti-inflammatories consistently may be a good idea. I would look at curcumin, white willow bark, and CBDs.
ent research is showing that they stimulate the body to burn up fat much like the body was fasting, but without having to avoid food.