Your Brain On... Eating Meat

About this episode

This episode explores the necessity of meat in our diets amidst rising chronic diseases and the cultural challenges of adopting plant-based eating.

Carnivorous diets have been woven into our history for millennia, but, with nutrition science advancing at an unprecedented pace over the past century... do we really still need to be eating meat? We live in a time of rising chronic disease, new longevity research, and a growing awareness of how our food choices shape our brain and our planet. We're also constantly exposed to 'nutrition tribalism': social media communicators and influencers building identities (and livelihoods) around polarizing dietary debates. It's a lot to navigate. So, we're cutting straight to the data in this episode. Plus: we're pulling on the work and research we've done in many different communities to explore how going plant-based can be as much a cultural or logistical hurdle as a health-driven or ethics-based choice. In this episode, we discuss: Whether protein deficiency is a realistic concern Protein myths: plant vs. animal What the actual protein science says (and why most Americans already get more than enough) The role of saturated fat, fiber, and the microbiome Processed vs. unprocessed meat — what matters most How identity, culture, and family can make going plant-based challenging How cooking…

People in this episode

Hosts: Drs. Ayesha Sherzai, Drs. Dean Sherzai

Topics covered

• carnivorous diets
• plant-based eating
• nutrition science
• chronic disease
• cultural hurdles
• protein myths
• meat alternatives

Keywords

• eating meat
• plant-based
• protein deficiency
• saturated fat
• fiber
• microbiome
• processed meat
• meat alternatives

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: social media, nutrition science, longevity research

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