Let’s make something clear from the outset: I am not anti-vegan, you are free to eat in whichever way you prefer. What I am is anti-propaganda. I’ve already written about the Netflix documentary “Game Changers” but as it continues to be brought up I feel compelled to address it again. I’ve no intention of pushing a meat-eating agenda on anyone but will not abide the dissemination of bad information.
Renowned trainer and T-Nation contributor, Christian Tibaudeau, does a great job of dissecting the fraudulent “science” of Game Changers. Before you convert to a vegan lifestyle inspired by the documentary, please read Thibaudeau’s article so you have more information upon which to base a decision with very real health consequences.
It may be possible to live a healthy lifestyle as a vegetarian. Personally I have not seen it played out in the real world. I was myself vegetarian for 15 years. I dabbled only briefly with veganism but loving eggs and cheese was mostly an ovo-lacto vegetarian. Unlike many, I was not a meat-lover in denial. I did not particularly miss meat, did not enjoy meat-like substitutes and to this day do not particularly enjoy eating the flesh of other animals. Other than eggs and cheese, my other favourite foods are not animal based.
So why do I eat meat? Eventually my body began to break down on a plant-based diet. Not right away. It took 15 years. But my immune system became compromised. I became chronically injured. My recovery went to shit. In distress I experimented reluctantly with reintroducing meat into my diet only to see injuries heal with almost magical speed, my immune function return AND my muscle tone increase while my belly fat decreased. Not what I had been led to believe by those promoting vegetarianism as a healthier lifestyle.
I’ve seen this experience replicated over and over again. Robb Wolf, author of the Paleo Solution, was a long-suffering vegetarian before he restored his health by adopting a Paleo eating model. Every week in the news prominent vegetarian influencers announce or are outed for their return to meat consumption. Many cite flagging energy levels or health complications as their reason for abandoning the vegetarian lifestyle they became famous for promoting. This echoes my experience though most of these social media personalities were not vegetarian anywhere near the 15 years that I was.
But not the athletes featured in Game Changers, right? They are healthy and high performing on their meat-free diets. Or are they? Turns out athletes Novak Djokovic and Chris Paul, executive producers of Game Changers, have both faced recent struggles with injuries that threaten their athletic careers. And they’re not alone. Most of the vegan athletes featured on Game Changers as “injury free” are now injured or retired due to injury.
Still think that a vegetarian diet is superior for athletic performance? The evidence – and my experience as a coach – does not support this. Will the Game Changer executives issue a second documentary following up and apologizing for disseminating bad nutritional advice in light of the injuries suffered by their executives and featured athletes. Probably not. I hope someone exposes them.
It is irresponsible to push agenda-driven nutritional regimens to the masses backed by fraudulent science. Lives are at stake. Some health problems like spinal disc degeneration and atrophy of neural networks are irreversible. Eat meat or don’t eat meat but, for your sake, please do not follow nutritional advice offered through Netflix or any other entertainment provider and please avoid advice offered by folks with a political agenda. Your health is too important!
