Why Plant-Based Diets Seem More Extreme Than Low-Carb Diets

Jul 23, 2020

"There is a vast difference between treating effects and adjusting the causes."
–Daniel David Palmer

The inspiration for this post came as I was eating chocolate. On the front of the packaging, it was advertised as a simple, clean chocolate bar with only four ingredients that were all vegan and paleo. On the back, the nutrition facts gave away the truth: 13 grams of fat, eight of which were saturated fat (per serving, of which there were two in the bar). While it's perfectly fine to occasionally treat yourself to fatty, sugary foods like this, it shouldn't be a part of daily life. And not just chocolates; other foods high in fat should be avoided and those high in unrefined carbs should be indulged.

It's Easy to Overconsume

I ate that chocolate bar in five minutes, three of which were just me staring at it and telling myself to save it for later, inevitably failing because, obviously: it's chocolate. And I could have easily eaten a few more bars without it even making a dent in my satiety. But at 320 calories per bar, eating just two more would have pushed me to nearly 1,000 calories, almost no nutrition, and a virtually empty stomach. To put this in perspective, my (first) lunch that day was less than 200 calories but was a massive oil-free salad. Not only did that manage to make me feel full (at least for a little while), but it was also packed with nutrients. Of course, it's unfair of me to compare a chocolate bar to nutritional powerhouses like the leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables, and legumes in my salad, but let's take a closer look at "normal" foods and diets.

We're Already Addicted to Low-Carb Foods

The Standard American Diet is high in fat and protein and low in carbs (unrefined, wholesome carbs, at least). A typical meal consists of a meat-based protein source, plus a smaller serving of grains or starches and vegetables. (At least, that's how I ate before going vegan.) When it comes to snacking, we love chowing down on oily and salty potato chips, buttery popcorn, and sugary candy, chocolate, and baked goods. We prefer french fries over baked potatoes and cheddar-drenched broccoli over steamed broccoli. And that's not necessarily our fault. Those are the foods most easily accessible, the foods almost literally shoved down our throats since birth.

People Don't Really Know What Carbs Are

It almost sounds ridiculous, but the average consumer doesn't really understand what a carbohydrate is. Carbohydrates are one of three macronutrients found in all natural foods; the other two are protein and fat. (Please note the use of the word "natural," as some refined foods, like oil, are pure fat and do not contain all three macronutrients.) Macronutrients are essential for our health, but they are not created equal.

Macros & Calories

An average whole foods, plant-based diet (WFPB) focuses on a ratio of about 80 percent carbs, 10 percent protein, and 10 percent fat (all of which come from predominantly whole, unrefined sources, hence the term "whole foods"). Virtually every other diet outside of this focuses on increasing fat or protein intake instead and restricting carbohydrates. But because fat contains more than twice the number of calories per gram than protein or carbs, eating the same quantity of food from, say, an avocado versus an apple will make you feel just as full but will have cost you far more calories.[1] (Of course, getting your fats from avocados and nuts/seeds is far superior to refined fats like oils or animal-based sources. The quality of fat consumption -- and all other nutrients -- is incredibly important.)

And when you're trying to lose weight and are eating calorically-dense foods, this means you have to eat a smaller quantity to account for the increase in calories. (Of course, when following a WFPB diet, counting calories is generally unnecessary because the vast majority of plant foods are not calorically-dense, meaning you can keep eating and eating without overconsuming calories.) And while calories aren't everything, it should be noted that just one standard carnist meal can easily surpass 1,000 calories, meaning you could be eating 3,000+ calories per day -- a number far greater than the average person requires -- and not even realize it.

Gasoline vs. Diesel

To add on top of that, carbohydrates contain glucose, which is basically what fuels your entire body; calories are units of energy, and the human body's preferred source of fuel is carbs.[2] While your body may run on fats or protein, it's like putting diesel in your car instead of gas: you won't be as efficient as you could be, you're damaging your body, and you won't be able to keep doing it for long without developing some serious health issues.

A Proven Diet

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has deemed that a well-planned, balanced plant-based diet is perfectly fine for humans at all stages of life.[3] Considering the myriad health issues we have as a society, I'd argue that a plant-based diet should be taken more seriously, both for weight loss and disease prevention. Not to mention that there have been numerous studies proving -- as far as is possible with research -- the positive health benefits of a WFPB diet and the negative health repercussions of the Standard American Diet.[4] (Please see How Not to Die, How Not to Diet, Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease, The China Study, What the Health, and The Game Changers for more information on these studies.)

Fiber Phobia

The thing about a WFPB diet is that it is generally very high in fiber, and fiber is what carries almost all of the nutrition in a food. (This is another important part of the "whole foods" part of WFPB because eating foods in their most whole form helps you absorb their nutrients most effectively.) However, with our high intake of protein and fat from animal sources and oils, we get less than half the fiber we need. As we are herbivores with an incredibly long intestinal tract, we need excessive amounts of fiber to help push everything through our systems.[5] There are so many people with constipation and other bowel-related issues that can be traced back to fiber deficiencies.

Low-Carb Diets Are Socially Acceptable

When someone tells you they're going on a diet, we generally interpret that as a period of calorie restriction in which they stop eating grains, starchy vegetables (such as potatoes), and refined carbohydrates (like sugary cereals and bread) to cut down on their carb intake. We don't view dieting as a way to eat more of foods we all accept as healthy: fruits and vegetables. Low-carb diets have infiltrated society as a socially acceptable method to lose weight, largely because of the public's confusion about the healthfulness of carbohydrates, so following a diet that is the complete opposite of what's normal is an alien concept to most people. Not to mention that diets are often done purely for superficial purposes, not to correct or prevent health problems; ultimately, dieters end up failing both in attaining a certain body image and in preventing illness.[6]

Butt of the Joke

Even for people that only eat a plant-based diet and don't consider themselves vegans, they are immediately categorized as animal rights "radicals." Because of the prior point, simply eating a plant-based diet is an unnatural phenomenon. You'd never hear jokes about the keto diet in mainstream conversations, but you do hear them about vegans. For example: "How do you know if someone's vegan? ...Don't worry, they'll tell you." There's also the trope used in pop-culture of the crazy, irrational vegan (which used to be used for vegetarians but has since evolved with the times). When I watch a show or movie with a vegan character, they're always portrayed as freaks, and though they will sometimes make an occasional good point -- like "So you'll drink cow milk but not cat milk?" or "I don't eat my dog, so I won't eat other animals" -- it's usually as a set-up for the punchline of a joke.

Lifestyle, Not Diet

"Plant-based diet" is an unfortunate term because it implies that eating only plants is, like all other diets, just a temporary measure to lose weight before reverting back to a less-than-optimal diet that will ultimately lead to weight gain and returning health problems. But a plant-based diet is one important factor in developing a healthy lifestyle, and though it can bring many health benefits, the best consequence of it is developing a healthy mental attitude towards food. No longer do you need to count calories or starve yourself of that slice of bread at the dinner table calling your name or overexercise to make up for a cheat day. It can bring your life into harmony by fostering a positive relationship with food (and it helps animals and the planet to boot -- it's a win-win-win).