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When it comes to nutrition, and especially
when it comes to vegan nutrition, we tend
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to focus on what we’re not getting enough
of, and the dire consequences of nutritional
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deficiencies. What about our protein? Iron?
Zinc? B12? Omegas? And on and on. And while
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these concerns are important, the truth is,
at least in America, it’s not what you’re
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not getting enough of that will kill you,
but what you’re getting too much of.
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Hi it’s Emily from Bite Size Vegan and welcome
to another vegan nugget. If you’re not familiar
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with my channel, you may not know that I have
an entire series covering all the nutritients
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of greatest concern to new vegans with the
incredibly knowledgeable Dr. Michael Greger
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of Nutritionfacts.org, which is linked up
there and down below.
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While I had the pleasure of talking to Dr.
Greger for that series, we branched off into
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some other topics. One of which is the state
of the field of nutrition and how Dr. Greger
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believes it's focus is completely off. I wanted
to share with you his fascinating look at
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the real nutritional dangers for which we
seem to have a collective blind spot.
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There's all sorts of ways your
body makes sure you get enough of stuff, right...maybe?
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Look, there wasn’t even a nutrition of science for the first couple millions years of our existence, right?. Our bodies
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had to figure it out on their own. The whole
field of nutrition was based…the foundation
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of nutrition, based, you know...back the first part
of the twentieth century on deficiency diseases.
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We discovered scurvy. We discovered beriberi, and pellagra.
So the whole mindset of nutrition is..."are we a deficiency
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disease", “are we not getting enough,”
right? But, I mean, when's the last time a friend
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of yours was diagnosed with pellagra or beriberi, or some of these actual...or scurvy. These deficiency diseases.
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Okay now, have you ever heard of anyone diagnosed with
the overnutrition symptom like heart disease or diabetes,
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or high blood pressure, or...I mean
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these are diseases of not under consumption - of over consumption. Cause overconsumption
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of saturated fat and cholesterol, and sodium,
etc. So, but still the field of nutrition is in
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this kind of deficiency mindset making sure everybody
gets enough. Whereas people are dying by the
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millions, not...at least in the developed world.
Not by what they’re not getting enough of
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but what they are getting way too much of. So, that's why...
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...there really needs to be this change in thinking.
The whole field of dietetics towards let's
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make sure you're not getting enough. And there's
something we really, you know, are concerned about, I mean,
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there are a few nutrients that ninety seven
percent of Americans don’t get enough of:
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Fiber! 3% of Americans get enough fiber. 98%
of Americans don’t reach the minimum for
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potassium right? Where is potassium found?
Greens, beans okay. So, I mean,
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you want a deficiency disease? That’s what
you should be going after but most of the
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diseases are caused by getting too much of
the bad stuff. And so, that's really where we
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need to think. I mean, that's what people are going
to die of. That’s what your family is going to die of.
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And of course I’m happy to talk
and assuage fears about not getting enough
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of these various, you know, wacky things. But
you should kind of have faith that your body kind of
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figured it out, and that if we eat a variety
of whole healthy plant foods, we should be
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fine unless our diets are just packed with
empty calories junk where we’re getting
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enough calories to walk around every day,
because we are eating candy bars, but we’re
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just not eating enough food. Well, then okay you
can run into, you know, deficiencies. But other than
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that you know, other than the B12 issue, I think you
should be comfortable, you're getting
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enough, and the most important thing is that
you’re not getting too much of the nutrients
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of concern that are killing people.
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I hope you enjoyed this bonus with Dr. Greger.
What are your thoughts on our collective focus
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on deficiencies while we’re dying of excess?
Do you feel the field of dietetics needs a
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makeover? I’d love to hear your thoughts
in the comments! And for any deficiency questions
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you have, be sure to check out my nutrition
series with Dr. Greger,
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again linked below, and in the sidebar.
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If you enjoyed this video, please give it
a thumbs up and share it around to help inform
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others. If you’re new here be sure to hit that
big red subscribe button down there for more
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awesome vegan content every Monday, Wednesday,
and some Fridays. If you want to help support
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Bite Size Vegan, check out either of the support
links in the video description below, and for
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perks & rewards for your support, click on
the Nugget Army icon or the link in the sidebar.
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Now go live vegan, change your focus, and
I’ll see you soon.
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You’re vegan?
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Where do you get your...
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Omega 3s?
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Protein?
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Calcium?
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Protein?
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Iodine?
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Protein?
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Magnesium?
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Protein.
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Iron?
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Protein?
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Zinc?
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Vitamin D?
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Protein.
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B12?
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Protein.
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Protein?!
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Let's...ask a doctor.
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Protein..