For those of you who have not watched ‘The Game Changers’, its a film based around former MMA fighter James Wilks and his search for the best diet to help him recover from a serious knee injury. Wilks interviews various athletes from around the world who have adopted a fully plant based diet, including former steak guzzling Mr Universe himself, Arnold Schwarzenegger. These athletes then describe how a plant based diet has changed their lives both personally and professionally in differing scenarios.
So…… I watched it and was expecting big things based on what I had heard from my vegan friends. I thought it was going to be....'A Game Changer'….as the title suggests, however I was left feeling I had more questions than answers and also a little frustrated that people will watch it and, without perhaps knowing as much about nutrition or the human body, think it speaks total truth when much of it is deeply floored.
Firstly, what I agreed with:
Commercial Farming is BAD, particularly in the U.S -
I 100% agree we need to eat less, poor quality meat products. Commercial farming methods use far too much land and water, as well as devastating forests, which is not sustainable for the us, the animals or the planet. The animals are fed a diet of corn, soy and wheat which is not what they should be eating and is done for one purpose and thats to get the animal fat as quickly as possible so it sells for a higher price.(1) Many of the american fast food chains are reportedly responsible for (at least) some of this. (2)
Age is a factor -
Protein digestion starts primarily in the stomach, (after a good bit of chewing from the mouth), which is filled with hydrochloric acid (HCL). HCL is there to begin the process of separating the amino acid bonds found in protein and is also essential for the following digestive processes including pancreatic enzyme production and bile release from the gall bladder. However HCL production appears to reduce as we age, (unless you supplement with betaine HCL), so a more plant based diet may well be more beneficial as we get older however Vitamin B12 is still essential so supplementation would be necessary.(3)
My issues with the
film:
Possible conflict of interest from the Director -
Make of this what you will….. but 11 months before the film was aired on Netflix, the Director of ‘The Game Changers’, James Cameron, reportedly made an investment of $140,000,000 into a pea protein processing plant (easy for you to say) due to his belief that a plant based diet not only makes good business sense but is also best for the planet. (4)
Unrealistic for normal people -
The film centres around athletes and how they are performing at the highest level on a plant based diet. However, typically they appeared to have Chef's and Nutritionists available to them on a daily basis to ensure they are getting the right amount of nutrients within their diet. The vegan diet, in particular, is a very challenging diet to maintain, with reported deficiencies in proteins, iron, vitamin D, calcium, iodine, omega-3, and vitamin B12.(5)
Ethnic background shaping genetics -
Additionally the majority of the athletes that claimed to be thriving on a plant based diet were ethnically from equatorial genetic backgrounds. Their close ancestors originated from areas closer to the equator where there would be more plant based food available and less of a requirement for animal protein. The availability of meat and fish would be far lower due to location and higher temperatures. This would have shaped their genetics and thus they would suit a diet higher in plants. Their microbiome (which is passed down from generation to generation through child birth, unless C-section) will also thrive on a diet high in fibre .(6)
Strange comparisons to Cows / Ox and Gorillas -
This is where the film and the argument for veganism loses me completely. To compare the internal anatomy of a Human to that of a Cow / Ox or Gorilla baffles me.
Firstly Cows have 4 stomach's or rumen, which are used to store grass and vegetation in. This vegetation, through fermentation by their microbiome, is turned into volatile fatty acids (VFA's) which they use for energy, they then obtain their protein from digested bacteria which happens in their fourth chamber. They are therefore built to digest vegetation, much the same as an Ox. (7)
Gorillas also have key differences to humans. They have a much longer colon than we do, which is why they have a giant, rotund belly as they only eat vegetation which, again, needs to be broken down and fermented by their microbiome to extract the nutrients. They also need to eat up to 40 pounds of vegetation a day, which, for a human, would mean we would constantly be eating with very little time for anything else. That alone indicates that we are adapted to eat more nutrient dense animal products which fill us up for longer.(8)
As I mentioned above, the first digestive organ that human food hits is the stomach. A perfectly engineered, HCL acid filled sack, designed to separate amino acid bonds. This acid is stimulated by protein with best results coming from animal protein.(9)
Extreme diet comparisons -
A number of experiments were performed during the film where fried chicken, hamburgers or burritos were used as examples of a meat eaters diet and then compared to a plant based option. This comparison was then used as scientific evidence that meat is bad. I think one of the main reasons people feel better on a plant based diet initially is it automatically means that have to start to cook, which removes a huge amount of the staples of the typical western diet (TWD), pizza, burgers, fried chicken etc. These not only contain poor quality meat, but are high in trans fats and poor quality processed carbohydrates. A vegan diet is always going to be better than the TWD but that does not prove that meat is bad for you and humans should eliminate it from their diet all together.
Heme v non Heme -
Heme iron (only available from meat products) is the most bio-available form of iron. Non - heme iron from plants requires vitamin c and other co-factors to aid absorption and is also diminished by phytates found in plants. (10) Yes, too much iron can be a problem but then if you are eating loads of meat you are probably not eating a balanced diet which will cause all sorts of other problems, too much iron being one.(11)
Make up your own mind:
Having watched the film and researched literature for this blog, my opinion on diet remains the same as it did before - As a Nutritional Therapist we are taught to treat every person as an individual and base our diet recommendations on that persons bespoke needs and symptoms. There is NO perfect diet and my job is to educate others on how to listen to their body effectively enough, that they discover what diet is right for them.
More info:
If you want to find out more information on the Vegan debate I really recommend the Chris Kresser and Joel Khan debate on the Joe Rogan podcast.
https://podcastnotes.org/2018/10/02/kresser-kahn/
Chris Kresser also provides an article containing a huge amount of research into whether eating meat is beneficial or not for humans beings, which I would definitely check out, if you are interested.
https://chriskresser.com/why-you-should-eat-meat-my-appearance-on-the-joe-rogan-experience/
References -
Daley, C., Abbott, A., Doyle, P., Nader, G. and Larson, S. (2010). A review of fatty acid profiles and antioxidant content in grass-fed and grain-fed beef. Nutrition Journal, 9(1).
Wasley, A. and Heal, A. (2019). Leading burger supplier sourced from Amazon farmer using deforested land. [online] the Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/sep/17/leading-burger-supplier-sourced-from-amazon-farmer-guilty-of-deforestation [Accessed 21 Oct. 2019].
Britton, E. and McLaughlin, J. (2012). Ageing and the gut. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, 72(1), pp.173-177.
Foodbusinessnews.net. (2019). Ingredion increases investment in plant-based protein j.v.. [online] Available at: https://www.foodbusinessnews.net/articles/14222-ingredion-increases-investment-in-plant-based-protein-jv [Accessed 22 Oct. 2019].
Sebastiani, G., Herranz Barbero, A., Borrás-Novell, C., Alsina Casanova, M., Aldecoa-Bilbao, V., Andreu-Fernández, V., Pascual Tutusaus, M., Ferrero Martínez, S., Gómez Roig, M. and García-Algar, O. (2019). The Effects of Vegetarian and Vegan Diet during Pregnancy on the Health of Mothers and Offspring. Nutrients, 11(3), p.557.
Schnorr, S., Candela, M., Rampelli, S., Centanni, M., Consolandi, C., Basaglia, G., Turroni, S., Biagi, E., Peano, C., Severgnini, M., Fiori, J., Gotti, R., De Bellis, G., Luiselli, D., Brigidi, P., Mabulla, A., Marlowe, F., Henry, A. and Crittenden, A. (2014). Gut microbiome of the Hadza hunter-gatherers. Nature Communications, 5(1).
The University Of Minnesota (2019). The ruminant digestive system. [online] Extension.umn.edu. Available at: https://extension.umn.edu/dairy-nutrition/ruminant-digestive-system [Accessed 21 Oct. 2019].
UC Davis Integrative Medicine. (2019). Why You’re Not a Cow or a Gorilla — (And You Don’t Eat Like One Either) - UC Davis Integrative Medicine. [online] Available at: https://ucdintegrativemedicine.com/2016/03/youre-not-cow-gorilla-dont-eat-like-one-either/#gs.bhzvta [Accessed 21 Oct. 2019].
Mcarthur, K., Walsh, J. and Richardson, C. (1988). Soy protein meals stimulate less gastric acid secretion and gastrin release than beef meals. Gastroenterology, 95(4), pp.920-926.
Gibson, R., Raboy, V. and King, J. (2018). Implications of phytate in plant-based foods for iron and zinc bioavailability, setting dietary requirements, and formulating programs and policies. Nutrition Reviews, 76(11), pp.793-804.
Geissler, C. and Singh, M. (2011). Iron, Meat and Health. Nutrients, 3(3), pp.283-316.