WEBVTT 00:00:00.390 --> 00:00:01.949 We’ve all experienced it. 00:00:01.949 --> 00:00:05.261 We invite a friend to dinner, only to learn that she is the dreaded V-word. 00:00:05.261 --> 00:00:09.090 We have a vague sense of what it means, but we’re left with so many questions? 00:00:09.090 --> 00:00:10.090 Is it healthier? 00:00:10.090 --> 00:00:11.380 Will you sit on my leather couch? 00:00:11.380 --> 00:00:13.060 Can we still go to Taco Bell? 00:00:13.060 --> 00:00:15.687 In a world of health magazines and Planet Fitness commercials, 00:00:15.687 --> 00:00:19.430 many people want to learn more about nutrition and which diets are the healthiest. 00:00:19.430 --> 00:00:22.455 Wherever you go, no one can escape the growing vegan phenomenon, 00:00:22.455 --> 00:00:25.239 so we thought it would be fun to explore it further in this episode 00:00:25.239 --> 00:00:28.267 of The Infographics Show; Vegans vs Meat-eaters. 00:00:29.417 --> 00:00:33.397 A vegan is someone who follows a diet that contains no animal meat, fish, eggs, 00:00:33.397 --> 00:00:35.863 dairy products, or any other food that comes from animals. 00:00:35.863 --> 00:00:39.370 They differ from vegetarians, who generally still eat dairy and eggs 00:00:39.370 --> 00:00:40.600 as part of their diets. 00:00:40.600 --> 00:00:44.712 Vegans also typically abstain from using any other products that come from animals, 00:00:44.712 --> 00:00:46.388 such as honey and leather jackets. 00:00:46.388 --> 00:00:51.059 Back in 2008, vegans only accounted for around 0.5% of the US population, 00:00:51.059 --> 00:00:52.607 or about 1 million people. 00:00:52.607 --> 00:00:57.339 As of polls taken in 2014, vegans now make up roughly 2.5% of the population. 00:00:57.339 --> 00:01:01.390 At least in the United States, women seem to be far bigger fans of veganism, 00:01:01.390 --> 00:01:03.742 making up around 79% of vegans. 00:01:03.742 --> 00:01:06.555 The number of meat eaters obviously far outweighs 00:01:06.555 --> 00:01:08.051 the number of vegans throughout the world, 00:01:08.051 --> 00:01:10.735 with the highest concentration of vegans being in Israel 00:01:10.735 --> 00:01:13.212 at only around 5% of their population. 00:01:13.212 --> 00:01:15.307 By not consuming any animal products, 00:01:15.307 --> 00:01:18.159 vegans follow a dietary path similar to an herbivore. 00:01:18.159 --> 00:01:21.093 Herbivores are animals that feed exclusively on plants, 00:01:21.093 --> 00:01:23.440 such as cows, giraffes, and adorable deer. 00:01:23.440 --> 00:01:25.304 Meat-eaters are typically omnivores, 00:01:25.304 --> 00:01:27.753 which means that they eat both plants and animals. 00:01:27.753 --> 00:01:31.554 The term comes from the latin words Omni,meaning “all or everything,” 00:01:31.554 --> 00:01:34.015 and the word Vorare, which means “to devour.” 00:01:34.015 --> 00:01:37.179 So basically omnivores are down to eat whatever. 00:01:37.179 --> 00:01:40.726 Most meat-eaters don’t solely eat just meat, like a carnivore would do. 00:01:40.726 --> 00:01:43.579 That is, unless you’re Ron Swanson from Parks and Rec. 00:01:43.579 --> 00:01:46.499 Then it’s beautiful bacon and sizzling steaks all day! 00:01:46.499 --> 00:01:48.933 So humans are widely thought of as natural omnivores, 00:01:48.933 --> 00:01:51.350 but some believe that humans are at their optimal health 00:01:51.350 --> 00:01:53.577 when following the dietary habits of an herbivore. 00:01:53.577 --> 00:01:56.245 People often cite potential health benefits and ethical dilemmas 00:01:56.245 --> 00:01:58.375 as the main reasons to go on a vegan diet. 00:01:58.375 --> 00:02:00.132 We won’t get into the ethics today, 00:02:00.132 --> 00:02:02.040 but we are curious about the health differences 00:02:02.040 --> 00:02:03.966 between vegans and their meat-eating friends. 00:02:03.966 --> 00:02:06.179 People on a vegan diet tend to be leaner. 00:02:06.179 --> 00:02:09.214 In a cross-sectional study of nearly 40,000 adults, 00:02:09.214 --> 00:02:12.734 meat-eaters had the highest mean body-mass-index, or BMI. 00:02:12.734 --> 00:02:15.864 Vegetarians were in the middle and vegans had the lowest. 00:02:15.864 --> 00:02:19.040 Based on several studies from Finland, some scientists have suggested that 00:02:19.040 --> 00:02:22.143 vegan diets may be helpful in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. 00:02:22.143 --> 00:02:24.840 Vegans also appear to have lower rates of hypertension 00:02:24.840 --> 00:02:27.001 than both meat-eaters and vegetarians. 00:02:27.001 --> 00:02:30.082 Vegans also typically have lower cardiometabolic risks 00:02:30.082 --> 00:02:32.123 for conditions like heart disease or strokes. 00:02:32.123 --> 00:02:34.470 The problem, however, doesn't seem to be with meat itself, 00:02:34.470 --> 00:02:36.532 but rather with the quality of meat. 00:02:36.532 --> 00:02:39.505 Recent findings have found that coronary heart disease problems 00:02:39.505 --> 00:02:43.015 do not seem to be linked with red meat and saturated fats like previously thought, 00:02:43.015 --> 00:02:44.704 but rather with processed meats. 00:02:44.704 --> 00:02:49.480 Based on a study of nearly 1.25 million people consumption of processed meats, 00:02:49.480 --> 00:02:53.445 not simply red meat, was associated with higher rates of coronary heart disease. 00:02:53.445 --> 00:02:55.557 From an evolutionary standpoint, 00:02:55.557 --> 00:02:57.310 meat-eating omnivores also seem to be the reason 00:02:57.310 --> 00:03:00.003 behind the growth of our larger, more intelligent brains. 00:03:00.003 --> 00:03:03.763 This is the result of the higher protein content associated with meat consumption. 00:03:03.763 --> 00:03:06.231 The American Dietetic Association, or ADA, states that 00:03:06.231 --> 00:03:10.943 the protein from plants can easily meet and exceed protein requirements, 00:03:10.943 --> 00:03:14.919 and that being an omnivore merely increases the amount of protein sources 00:03:14.919 --> 00:03:17.429 a person can have by including animal meat. 00:03:17.429 --> 00:03:20.550 Obviously, protein is important to both bone health and muscle mass. 00:03:20.550 --> 00:03:23.030 One study even found that women who ate meat 00:03:23.030 --> 00:03:26.116 had higher amounts of muscle mass than their vegetarian counterparts, 00:03:26.116 --> 00:03:28.620 even if the protein intake was the same. 00:03:28.620 --> 00:03:31.689 While there certainly may be some health advantages in going vegan, 00:03:31.689 --> 00:03:34.098 there seems to be some common deficiencies in the diet. 00:03:34.098 --> 00:03:37.079 One of these deficiencies is with the vitamin B-12. 00:03:37.079 --> 00:03:39.720 The ADA states that there are no natural plant foods 00:03:39.720 --> 00:03:42.012 that contain any significant amount of the vitamin. 00:03:42.012 --> 00:03:46.660 Vegans can still get it, but they need to take a vitamin or consume fortified foods 00:03:46.660 --> 00:03:48.832 like soy milk and certain breakfast cereals. 00:03:48.832 --> 00:03:52.734 Omega-3 fatty acids are also very difficult to come by on a vegan diet, 00:03:52.734 --> 00:03:55.804 but this can be overcome through the consumption of algae supplements. 00:03:55.804 --> 00:03:59.345 With vegans requiring supplementation to meet their nutritional needs, 00:03:59.345 --> 00:04:02.364 it supports the claim that veganism is unnatural, 00:04:02.364 --> 00:04:04.852 but that doesn’t necessarily mean it's unhealthy. 00:04:04.852 --> 00:04:09.014 At this point, some of you may be wondering which diet leads to longer life spans. 00:04:09.014 --> 00:04:11.510 For that information, we turn to Okinawa. 00:04:11.510 --> 00:04:16.223 The traditional Okinawan diet is typically regarded as the best for health and longevity, 00:04:16.223 --> 00:04:20.721 with the Okinawan islands having the greatest concentration of centenarians in the world. 00:04:20.721 --> 00:04:23.618 An archipelago hundreds of miles off the coast of Japan, 00:04:23.618 --> 00:04:28.580 Okinawa has about 740 centenarians out of its population of 1.3 million people. 00:04:28.580 --> 00:04:31.980 While their diets have been changing recently due to globalization 00:04:31.980 --> 00:04:33.768 and factors like fast food chains, 00:04:33.768 --> 00:04:38.175 the traditional Okinawan diet is made up of large amounts of plant-based carbohydrates 00:04:38.175 --> 00:04:40.051 Although they are primarily vegans, 00:04:40.051 --> 00:04:43.513 traditional Okinawans still eat meat on special occasions, 00:04:43.513 --> 00:04:47.006 usually pork, as well as small amounts of fish on a weekly basis. 00:04:47.006 --> 00:04:50.460 This doesn’t prove that small amounts of animal products are vital to good health, 00:04:50.460 --> 00:04:52.860 but it does hint that the optimal human diet 00:04:52.860 --> 00:04:55.131 can be achieved without going completely vegan. 00:04:55.131 --> 00:04:58.144 That said, many health organizations, including the ADA, 00:04:58.144 --> 00:05:01.881 state that well-planned vegan diets are healthy and nutritionally adequate, 00:05:01.881 --> 00:05:03.180 and may provide health benefits 00:05:03.180 --> 00:05:05.193 in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. 00:05:05.193 --> 00:05:07.710 It seems like no matter what your dietary preferences are, 00:05:07.710 --> 00:05:11.590 a healthy lifestyle can be achieved on or off a vegan diet. 00:05:11.590 --> 00:05:14.661 Are you or would you ever consider becoming a vegan? 00:05:14.661 --> 00:05:15.716 Why or why not? 00:05:15.716 --> 00:05:17.553 Let us know down in the comments below. 00:05:17.553 --> 00:05:20.612 And if you like our videos and want to help us continue to make more of them, 00:05:20.612 --> 00:05:22.800 please head on over to our Patreon and show us some love. 00:05:22.800 --> 00:05:25.248 Don’t forget to give this video a like and make sure to subscribe 00:05:25.248 --> 00:05:26.588 so you can keep up with our show!