Growing into my adult figure, I dabbled in diets as most 18 year olds tended to do. My female friends and I would often restrict foods in order to stay slim- canned tuna and rice cakes being a staple. Yeah, in hindsight that sounds as appetising as a cardboard sandwich, but when that’s all you feel you can eat, it’s nectar from the food gods.

Through the process of even more restriction and elimination, I somehow stumbled across a diet based around eating non-animal products. Goodbye meat, hello skinny.

They Called It ‘Vegetarianism’

I started introducing the idea of vegetarianism into my life at about 19, but my tuna and rice cake addiction was hard to shake, so it took some time to completely remove the fish. I never associated how I felt with what I ate; I was more preoccupied with my waistline and its size, so this ‘veggo’ thing seemed to be working.

In the typical style of my addictive personality, I needed to go the extra mile. I needed to stand out, distance myself from the norm and ultimately become what I thought to be the healthiest version of myself… so the veganism began. In terms of diets, I was definitely down the back of the bus with the cool kids.

At first it was, and I was, ok. Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels right? However, after a few months, areas of my health started to wane. Small things at first, things that my commitment to the lifestyle allowed me to ignore. But no matter how many hints dropped by friends and family, I was fully committed to my plant-based ways. It wasn’t until I hit such a point of frustration, especially in regard to my sleep and body composition that I started looking at other avenues.  The three main areas that impacted me the most were:

1. Sleep issues
2. Digestion problems (the sexy side of veganism)
3. Mood fluctuations

Thankfully I changed my ‘diet” and moved on to healthier alternatives.

As an ‘ex-planter’, I hope to expand your ideas around ‘health’ and plant-based diets. We seek what we want to hear; throughout my journey of veganism I fed myself (not that I was feeding myself a lot of food) a lot of non-science based information around plant-based nutrition and health. Mostly because I wanted so badly to believe in it. This article is not going to discuss the ethics surrounding this topic, nor the environmental impact. Instead we’re going to look at the facts regarding health and what truly should be sought after for achieving optimal health.

Protein: Our Most Powerful Weapon

‘Why is it so important to eat enough protein? Because your brain senses how much of it your body requires and prompts you to keep eating until fulfilled. This is why a diet lacking protein leads to obesity – your brain will always be telling you to eat more.’ – Arthur De Vany, PhD.

Of all the macronutrients, protein has been the most studied. From its effects on gut health, to muscle mass, brain function and disease, protein more often than not is superior to its carbohydrate and fat counterparts.

Let’s start with its effect on the immune system. We have three main immune barriers in our body: the gut, the lungs and the brain. Each of these organs has the job of stopping pathogens, infections and toxins into our blood stream so that our bodies avoid states of disease. It’s a thankless job, and sometimes we do our best to make that job harder.

When any of these barriers become permeated (imagine small holes opening up) we are put in a position where our system is becoming exposed to foreign pathogens. This then has a domino affect on our immune system, as it now has to work harder due to the barrier it trusted, becoming broken.

Gardening Your Gut

Protein, in particular amino acids glutamine and glycine, help to keep the integrity of the gut flora (good bacteria), aid in cellular and systemic detoxification and maintain optimal acid-base balance in the body. Foods which are richest in glutamine and glycine are offal, grass-fed red meat and seafood.

On average, the first 60 grams of our daily intake of protein go directly to our immune system. It allows for our cells to repair, and essential amino acids, which are crucial for correcting gut permeability, to foster our internal environment into one which thrives in the face of disease, instead of dying in it.

Protein rich foods, such as beef, fish and organ meats, provide our bodies with essential nutrients such as Vitamin D, E and A. All of these are fat-soluble vitamins, which allow for fat-cell breakdown, neural repair and regeneration and help to provide strength through your central nervous system. Diets high in omega-3 fatty acids, contained in foods such as salmon, can stimulate molecular systems that serve neuronal function and plasticity in the brain and spinal cord.1  Yup, this is all good stuff.

Now, I know what you’re thinking- nuts and seeds can provide the body with omega-3 fatty acids, right? On a surface level this is true, however plant-based omega-3 are first something called ALA (alpha linolenic acid) which our bodies need to then convert to DHA/EPA in order to become the essential omega-3 nutrient. The conversion of ALA to DHA/EPA is taxing on our system, and more often than not fails to complete itself. One study found a 0-9% conversion efficiency in human studies, and also held DHA superior to ALA in regards to its health benefits.2

Results Based Eating

One other controversial topic is the impact that high-protein diets have on our muscle growth and fat loss. Diets such as Atkins, Dukin and now the popular Paleo are all pioneers in the concept of ketosis (essentially using fat-stores for energy rather than glucose). It comes as no surprise then, that protein, in particular the amino acids it provides, are what have the biggest effect on our muscle growth.

The DRI (Dietary Reference Intake) is 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, or 0.36 grams per pound. Keep in mind; medical guidelines regarding nutrition are based from not contracting disease. This amounts to: