For decades you’ve have been told fruits and veggies are an excellent source of micronutrients, which are the vitamins, minerals and other phytonutrients that your body needs to thrive. 

In fact, you should be making plants a significant part of each meal and to try and consume a variety of different fruits and vegetables – eat the rainbow 

Certain plants are even hailed as superfoods because they’re supposed to have incredibly high concentrations of micronutrients and antioxidants. Examples include broccoli, kale and other leafy greens.

Unfortunately, as with much of what has been taught about nutrition, there are some serious problems with this way of eating. 

These problems include the fact that most of the nutrients in plants are poorly absorbed by the body, combined with the fact that many plants have chemical defense mechanisms (called antinutrients) that can prevent the absorption of nutrients and even make you sick. 

In practice, plants are an inferior source of micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) compared to animals.

This is true for several reasons:

·       There are some essential vitamins that do not exist in plants at all.

·       Some of the vitamins in plants have to be converted before the body can use them, reducing their bioavailability.

·       Antinutrients prevent the body from absorbing many of the vitamins and minerals found in plants.

·       Plant protein has an incomplete amino acid profile and is poorly absorbed.

·       Most plants contain unfavorable ratios of certain fatty acids, including omega-3 and omega-6.

Essential Nutrients Missing in Plants

There are several essential and non-essential nutrients — such as vitamins, minerals and fatty acids — that don’t exist in plants at all. In other words, we have to get them from animal sources. 

Examples include:

·       There is no sources of vitamin B12 in plants, results in many vegans being deficient in this essential micronutrient (and why they try to compensate by consuming highly-processed foods fortified with synthetic vitamin B12). On the other hand, organ meat (and liver in particular) is an excellent source of B12.  

·       Vitamin D3 does not exist in a functional form in plants, with the exception of microalgae. Humans get most their Vitamin D from the sun and animals (especially fatty fish).

·       There are several versions of vitamin K (including K1) and several versions of K2 (MK-4, MK-7, etc.). Plants contain vitamin K1, which is poorly absorbed by the body, especially in the absence of fat. To get vitamin K2 from plants, they would need to be fermented. Arguably the most important form of Vitamin K2 (the version called MK-4) is only in animal products (and especially liver).

·       Creatine plays in important role in muscle and brain function and while the liver, pancreas and kidneys can produce up to one gram of creatine per day, studies show that those following a plant-based diet have much lower levels. Without supplementation, low creatine levels can lead to decreased physical and mental performance.

·       Carnosine is a non-essential amino acid that’s responsible for muscle function. The body can make some carnosine from the amino acids histidine and beta-alanine, but studies have shown that without supplementation, vegetarians have significantly lower levels of carnosine in their muscles (which can lead to decreased endurance and lower muscle mass).

·       Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is an essential omega-3 fatty acid found in fatty fish, fish oil and microalgae. While some DHA can be made from ALA (the omega-3 fatty acid found in plants), the conversion from AHA to DHA is inefficient and may not increase DHA blood levels sufficiently. Vegans must supplement with algae oil or synthetic versions of DHA to get sufficient amounts of DHA in their diet.

·       Taurine is a sulfur compound found only in animal-based foods, including fish, seafood, meat, poultry and dairy. The exact role that taurine plays in the human body is unclear, but it appears to support muscle function, bile salt formation, and the immune system.

As a result, strict veganism or vegetarianism will most likely lead to nutrient deficiencies, thus increasing the risk of osteoporosis, anemia, lethargy, hair loss, neurological symptoms and more. 

Low Bioavailability

The nutrients in plants are less usable than the nutrients in animal-based foods.

Many of the vitamins and minerals in plants exist in variations that the body can’t readily use without first converting them, thus decreasing their bioavailability and effectiveness. 

Examples include:

·       Vitamin A: Plants only have precursors of vitamin A (alpha carotene, beta carotene, beta kryptoxanthin) that must be converted for use Organ meats, such as liver, are loaded with bio-available versions of this fat-soluble vitamin (retinol) require no conversions.

·       Iron: Non-heme iron (the type of iron found in plants), is three times less bioavailable than the heme iron found in muscle and organ meats (especially spleen and liver).

Plant Protein vs. Animal Protein

Amino acids are the building blocks of protein. While the body can make certain amino acids, there are others (called essential amino acids) that the body can’t make and need to be derived from food.

Only animal protein contains all the essential amino acids you need.

Plant-based protein has an incomplete amino acid profile, making it hard to obtain all the essential amino acids from plant-based sources. 

Additionally, plant-based protein has much lower bioavailability than animal protein, which means the body absorbs fewer essential amino acids from plants than from animal sources.

Omega-3 vs. Omega-6 Ratio

Both omega-3 and omega-6 are polyunsaturated fatty acids that play crucial roles in the human body, supporting brain function, promoting skin and hair growth, regulating the metabolism, maintaining the reproductive system and more.

Unfortunately, in excessive amounts, omega-6 is also pro-inflammatory. That can become an issue if you consume significantly more omega-6 than omega-3. Seed oils are loaded with inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids.

Early humans maintained a relatively balanced ratio of dietary omega-3 to omega-6. This ration became imbalanced with the introduction of industrial seed oils and the overconsumption of plant foods that are naturally high in omega-6, including nuts and seeds.

Note that meat from grain-fed animals has a less-favorable ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 than meat from grass-fed animals. This is why it is always recommended to choose pasture-raised meats whenever possible.

Nutrients in Animals vs Plants

Meat from properly-raised animals has none of the issues associated with the poor absorbability and bioavailability of plant nutrients. In fact, if you maintain a nose-to-tail animal-based diet, you’ll get all the nutrients your body needs in the most bioavailable form possible. More importantly, you won’t have to worry about any of the toxins commonly found in plants. 

The list of toxins found in plants (called phytotoxins) is long, however, some of the most prevalent ones include:

·       Antinutrients (or enzyme inhibitors)

o   Glucosinolates

o   Gluten

o   Lectins

o   Oxalates

o   Phytates or phytic acid

o   Saponins

o   Tannins

o   Trypsin inhibitors

·       Goitrogens

·       Heavy metals

·       Neurotoxins and carcinogens

·       Phytoestrogens

The Least Toxic Plants

You might be wondering what, if any, plants there are safe to eat considering all their detriments

It’s true that the list of plants that are safe to eat due to their relatively low toxicity and potential to cause inflammation is short. These all still contain many compounds that can cause issues, but in lower amounts that may be tolerated by some

Here are some of the least-toxic plants, which, depending on your personal tolerance level, you may choose to experiment with and eat occasionally

·       Avocados: These are actually fruit, but they’re very low in carbs and high in healthy fats.

·       Berries: These are a low sugar, delicious option for those wanting a little fruit and include raspberries, blackberries, strawberries and blueberries. Note that out of all the berries, raspberries have the highest amount of oxalates (about 48 mg per serving). While that may sound like a lot, it’s nothing compared to what you find in spinach and other leafy greens.

·       Cucumbers (peeled and deseeded): If you remove the most toxic parts (the skin and seeds) and season them with salt, they actually make for a pretty refreshing snack on hot summer days due to their high water content.

·       Dates: While dates are particularly high in fructose and sugar, they’re relatively low in defense chemicals. They can be used occasionally as a natural sweetener, or you can certainly consume them whole.

·       Olives: Much like avocados, olives are fruit and can be enjoyed moderately

·       Squash (peeled and deseeded): Similar to cucumbers, squash (including pumpkins and zucchinis) has most of its defense chemicals concentrated in the skin and seeds.

What is most important to understand is that although the plants on this list are amongst the least-toxic available, that fact does not imply that you should consume them at the exclusion of meat. 

In other words, don’t eat a big fruit salad instead of a steak or liver.

Give your body what it needs, remove what it doesn’t to create your best and healthiest version of yourself!