0:00:00.390,0:00:01.949
We’ve all experienced it.

0:00:01.949,0:00:05.261
We invite a friend to dinner, only to learn that she is the dreaded V-word.

0:00:05.261,0:00:09.090
We have a vague sense of what it means, but we’re left with so many questions?

0:00:09.090,0:00:10.090
Is it healthier?

0:00:10.090,0:00:11.380
Will you sit on my leather couch?

0:00:11.380,0:00:13.060
Can we still go to Taco Bell?

0:00:13.060,0:00:15.687
In a world of health magazines and Planet Fitness commercials,

0:00:15.687,0:00:19.430
many people want to learn more about nutrition and which diets are the healthiest.

0:00:19.430,0:00:22.455
Wherever you go, no one can escape the growing vegan phenomenon,

0:00:22.455,0:00:25.239
so we thought it would be fun to explore it further in this episode

0:00:25.239,0:00:28.267
of The Infographics Show; Vegans vs Meat-eaters.

0:00:29.417,0:00:33.397
A vegan is someone who follows a diet that contains no animal meat, fish, eggs,

0:00:33.397,0:00:35.863
dairy products, or any other food that comes from animals.

0:00:35.863,0:00:39.370
They differ from vegetarians, who generally still eat dairy and eggs

0:00:39.370,0:00:40.600
as part of their diets.

0:00:40.600,0:00:44.712
Vegans also typically abstain from using any other products that come from animals,

0:00:44.712,0:00:46.388
such as honey and leather jackets.

0:00:46.388,0:00:51.059
Back in 2008, vegans only accounted for around 0.5% of the US population,

0:00:51.059,0:00:52.607
or about 1 million people.

0:00:52.607,0:00:57.339
As of polls taken in 2014, vegans now make up roughly 2.5% of the population.

0:00:57.339,0:01:01.390
At least in the United States, women seem to be far bigger fans of veganism,

0:01:01.390,0:01:03.742
making up around 79% of vegans.

0:01:03.742,0:01:06.555
The number of meat eaters obviously far outweighs

0:01:06.555,0:01:08.051
the number of vegans throughout the world,

0:01:08.051,0:01:10.735
with the highest concentration of vegans being in Israel

0:01:10.735,0:01:13.212
at only around 5% of their population.

0:01:13.212,0:01:15.307
By not consuming any animal products,

0:01:15.307,0:01:18.159
vegans follow a dietary path similar to an herbivore.

0:01:18.159,0:01:21.093
Herbivores are animals that feed exclusively on plants,

0:01:21.093,0:01:23.440
such as cows, giraffes, and adorable deer.

0:01:23.440,0:01:25.304
Meat-eaters are typically omnivores,

0:01:25.304,0:01:27.753
which means that they eat both plants and animals.

0:01:27.753,0:01:31.554
The term comes from the latin words Omni,meaning “all or everything,”

0:01:31.554,0:01:34.015
and the word Vorare, which means “to devour.”

0:01:34.015,0:01:37.179
So basically omnivores are down to eat whatever.

0:01:37.179,0:01:40.726
Most meat-eaters don’t solely eat just meat, like a carnivore would do.

0:01:40.726,0:01:43.579
That is, unless you’re Ron Swanson from Parks and Rec.

0:01:43.579,0:01:46.499
Then it’s beautiful bacon and sizzling steaks all day!

0:01:46.499,0:01:48.933
So humans are widely thought of as natural omnivores,

0:01:48.933,0:01:51.350
but some believe that humans are at their optimal health

0:01:51.350,0:01:53.577
when following the dietary habits of an herbivore.

0:01:53.577,0:01:56.245
People often cite potential health benefits and ethical dilemmas

0:01:56.245,0:01:58.375
as the main reasons to go on a vegan diet.

0:01:58.375,0:02:00.132
We won’t get into the ethics today,

0:02:00.132,0:02:02.040
but we are curious about the health differences

0:02:02.040,0:02:03.966
between vegans and their meat-eating friends.

0:02:03.966,0:02:06.179
People on a vegan diet tend to be leaner.

0:02:06.179,0:02:09.214
In a cross-sectional study of nearly 40,000 adults,

0:02:09.214,0:02:12.734
meat-eaters had the highest mean body-mass-index, or BMI.

0:02:12.734,0:02:15.864
Vegetarians were in the middle and vegans had the lowest.

0:02:15.864,0:02:19.040
Based on several studies from Finland, some scientists have suggested that

0:02:19.040,0:02:22.143
vegan diets may be helpful in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

0:02:22.143,0:02:24.840
Vegans also appear to have lower rates of hypertension

0:02:24.840,0:02:27.001
than both meat-eaters and vegetarians.

0:02:27.001,0:02:30.082
Vegans also typically have lower cardiometabolic risks

0:02:30.082,0:02:32.123
for conditions like heart disease or strokes.

0:02:32.123,0:02:34.470
The problem, however, doesn't seem to be with meat itself,

0:02:34.470,0:02:36.532
but rather with the quality of meat.

0:02:36.532,0:02:39.505
Recent findings have found that coronary heart disease problems

0:02:39.505,0:02:43.015
do not seem to be linked with red meat and saturated fats like previously thought,

0:02:43.015,0:02:44.704
but rather with processed meats.

0:02:44.704,0:02:49.480
Based on a study of nearly 1.25 million people consumption of processed meats,

0:02:49.480,0:02:53.445
not simply red meat, was associated with higher rates of coronary heart disease.

0:02:53.445,0:02:55.557
From an evolutionary standpoint,

0:02:55.557,0:02:57.310
meat-eating omnivores also seem to be the reason

0:02:57.310,0:03:00.003
behind the growth of our larger, more intelligent brains.

0:03:00.003,0:03:03.763
This is the result of the higher protein content associated with meat consumption.

0:03:03.763,0:03:06.231
The American Dietetic Association, or ADA, states that

0:03:06.231,0:03:10.943
the protein from plants can easily meet and exceed protein requirements,

0:03:10.943,0:03:14.919
and that being an omnivore merely increases the amount of protein sources

0:03:14.919,0:03:17.429
a person can have by including animal meat.

0:03:17.429,0:03:20.550
Obviously, protein is important to both bone health and muscle mass.

0:03:20.550,0:03:23.030
One study even found that women who ate meat

0:03:23.030,0:03:26.116
had higher amounts of muscle mass than their vegetarian counterparts,

0:03:26.116,0:03:28.620
even if the protein intake was the same.

0:03:28.620,0:03:31.689
While there certainly may be some health advantages in going vegan,

0:03:31.689,0:03:34.098
there seems to be some common deficiencies in the diet.

0:03:34.098,0:03:37.079
One of these deficiencies is with the vitamin B-12.

0:03:37.079,0:03:39.720
The ADA states that there are no natural plant foods

0:03:39.720,0:03:42.012
that contain any significant amount of the vitamin.

0:03:42.012,0:03:46.660
Vegans can still get it, but they need to take a vitamin or consume fortified foods

0:03:46.660,0:03:48.832
like soy milk and certain breakfast cereals.

0:03:48.832,0:03:52.734
Omega-3 fatty acids are also very difficult to come by on a vegan diet,

0:03:52.734,0:03:55.804
but this can be overcome through the consumption of algae supplements.

0:03:55.804,0:03:59.345
With vegans requiring supplementation to meet their nutritional needs,

0:03:59.345,0:04:02.364
it supports the claim that veganism is unnatural,

0:04:02.364,0:04:04.852
but that doesn’t necessarily mean it's unhealthy.

0:04:04.852,0:04:09.014
At this point, some of you may be wondering which diet leads to longer life spans.

0:04:09.014,0:04:11.510
For that information, we turn to Okinawa.

0:04:11.510,0:04:16.223
The traditional Okinawan diet is typically regarded as the best for health and longevity,

0:04:16.223,0:04:20.721
with the Okinawan islands having the greatest concentration of centenarians in the world.

0:04:20.721,0:04:23.618
An archipelago hundreds of miles off the coast of Japan,

0:04:23.618,0:04:28.580
Okinawa has about 740 centenarians out of its population of 1.3 million people.

0:04:28.580,0:04:31.980
While their diets have been changing recently due to globalization

0:04:31.980,0:04:33.768
and factors like fast food chains,

0:04:33.768,0:04:38.175
the traditional Okinawan diet is made up of large amounts of plant-based carbohydrates

0:04:38.175,0:04:40.051
Although they are primarily vegans,

0:04:40.051,0:04:43.513
traditional Okinawans still eat meat on special occasions,

0:04:43.513,0:04:47.006
usually pork, as well as small amounts of fish on a weekly basis.

0:04:47.006,0:04:50.460
This doesn’t prove that small amounts of animal products are vital to good health,

0:04:50.460,0:04:52.860
but it does hint that the optimal human diet

0:04:52.860,0:04:55.131
can be achieved without going completely vegan.

0:04:55.131,0:04:58.144
That said, many health organizations, including the ADA,

0:04:58.144,0:05:01.881
state that well-planned vegan diets are healthy and nutritionally adequate,

0:05:01.881,0:05:03.180
and may provide health benefits

0:05:03.180,0:05:05.193
in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases.

0:05:05.193,0:05:07.710
It seems like no matter what your dietary preferences are,

0:05:07.710,0:05:11.590
a healthy lifestyle can be achieved on or off a vegan diet.

0:05:11.590,0:05:14.661
Are you or would you ever consider becoming a vegan?

0:05:14.661,0:05:15.716
Why or why not?

0:05:15.716,0:05:17.553
Let us know down in the comments below.

0:05:17.553,0:05:20.612
And if you like our videos and want to help us continue to make more of them,

0:05:20.612,0:05:22.800
please head on over to our Patreon and show us some love.

0:05:22.800,0:05:25.248
Don’t forget to give this video a like and make sure to subscribe

0:05:25.248,0:05:26.588
so you can keep up with our show!