It’s almost impossible to not come across a vegan or vegetarian advocate claiming that plant based diets are the most healthy diets for the human body.  Many suffering from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) often get roped into trying a plant based diet due to all the information surrounding the amazing health benefits that comes from following such a diet. 

In fact, if you type into google “best diet for IBS” you will be given thousands of websites all saying that you need to eat more fruits and vegetables.

Unfortunately, this is not reality.  In fact, nothing could be more un-natural than following a completely 100% plant based diet.  The fact that essential nutrients required for human survival can only be found in animal foods should be enough reason for most to question the dangers of following a plant based diet.

However, those with digestive disorders such as IBS are typically desperate for a solution and are willing to try anything that may help.  This is extremely unfortunate because those with IBS will almost always cause more intestinal damage when going plant based.

In this post we will demonstrate why plant based diets are a horrible idea if you suffer from IBS and what type of diet you should be following for optimal digestive health.

Problems With Plant Based Diets

With all the rage surrounding vegan, vegetarian, and plant based diets, its hard to imagine that there could be a flaw in something so heavily advocated.  Unfortunately, those who promote such diets have not been on the diet long term, or are in it for the animals even it may destroy their health. 

With that said, there are several nutrients that are completely absent from plant based diets.  It should be mentioned that deficiency in these nutrients can lead to serious health conditions and is not something to take lightly. 

Complete list of nutrients that do no occur in plant foods

Omega 3’s DHA and EPA

Vegan and vegetarian diets only contain the omega 3 ALA.  Both the essential fatty acids DHA and EPA are not present.  The body is able to convert ALA into both DHA and EPA, but only in small amounts.  Research shows that only about 5% of total ALA actually gets converted in the body (1).  Also, for those unaware, both DHA and EPA have both been shown to help prevent degenerative disease(s) such as Alzheimer’s and Dementia (2)(3).

Vitamin B12

Vitamin B12 is the largest of the B-vitamins and is essential for the nervous system.  Vegans and Vegetarians will make the claim that dirt found on natural grown vegetables would be a source of B12.  However, since all produce is washed, the need for supplementation is required.

Again, this is false and if the correct diet is followed, there is absolutely no need for supplements.  Deficiency in B12 can lead to mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety, fatigue, poor balance, and numbness.  In fact, in extreme cases research has shown that individuals can go into a state of psychosis when B12 is deficient in the diet (4).

Vitamin B6

Although present in plants, its availability is extremely low.  Research has shown that its overall availability in plants is around 5-10% while it’s typically 100% available in most animal foods (5).  Vitamin B6 plays an important role in our overall mood and energy levels.

Vitamin K2

Vitamin K2 is an important fat soluble vitamin that plays an extremely important role in persevering the health of the teeth and preventing calcification in the body.  This vitamin was discovered in 1929 and was thought to be the reason why cultures still eating traditional foods had near perfect teeth.  Sources of this vitamin include liver, animal foods, raw cheese, and egg yolks.

This vitamin does occur naturally in fermented foods such as natto, but in extremely small amounts.  It’s for this reason that many will take extra virgin cod liver oil in order to prevent and reverse problems in their teeth.  Also, research has shown that K2 can help prevent calcification in the body by properly directing calcium into the bones where it belongs (6).

Cholesterol

Despite what you may have heard, cholesterol is needed for the optimal function.  In fact, it’s so vital for our survival, that our body will actually produce its own cholesterol when animal foods are not present in the diet.  This is a survival mechanism and is not something that should be relied upon long term.

With that said, cholesterol is responsible for the production of all of our sex hormones.  If we are low in this substance, our sex drive will naturally lower.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D is actually not a vitamin but rather a hormone.  Those living further away from the equator risk becoming deficient in this crucial hormone.  In fact, there is still debate as to whether the body can generate all the necessary vitamin D from the sun needed for optimal health.

However, animal foods are the only source of this important hormone.  Deficiency in this vitamin can lead to serious mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression (7).  Also, research shows that vitamin D play an extremely important role in the overall health and maintenance of our immune system (8).

It should be mentioned that adequate amounts cholesterol is needed in order to properly utilize vitamin D in the body. 

Plant Based Diets, Anti-Nutrients, and IBS

As well as being extremely deficient in several different nutrients, plant based diets also contain extremely high amounts of anti-nutrients.  These anti-nutrients pose a huge threat to those with intestinal inflammation and digestive disorders such as IBS.

In fact, it’s well known that anti-nutrients such as gluten, oxalates, saponins, tannins, phytic acid, and lectins can cause immense amounts of digestive distress.  Many of these plant anti-nutrients can destroy the mucosal lining in the gut and cause the intestines to become more permeable or “leaky.”  Although cooking can reduce the amount of anti-nutrients present in plant foods, it typically is not enough for those with compromised digestion.

It’s for this reason that we highly recommend those with digestive disorders such as IBS to follow the diet outline listed on our Diet Protocol Page.  Here you will find the best foods to eat if you suffer from IBS.  These foods are well known for reducing inflammation and soothing the intestines.

So, are Plants Bad?

No, plants are not bad.  In fact, every single healthy tribe and culture around the world has always been found to consume some form of plant foods (except the Eskimos).  That being said, plant foods have their place in the diet, but should never be relied upon as a way to sustain oneself.

Those with IBS may need to remove all plant foods from the diet until the gut is properly healed.  These plant foods should be replaced with high quality animal foods, bone broths, and fermented vegetables.  These foods do not contain anti-nutrients and will not cause inflammation in the intestines. 

Also, animal foods contain all the nutrients needed to sustain life and are required for optimal repair of the body.  Again, a detailed explanation and a list of gut healing foods can be found on our Diet Protocol Page.

With all that said, many find that they can begin introducing plant foods slowly back into their diet once their gut is re-balanced and has returned to an optimal state.  However, consuming an overabundance of plant foods in the absence of high quality animal foods will always end badly for the overall health of the body.

Cook IBS Friendly Meals

Those new to eating IBS friendly foods may find our Intestinal Heath Cookbook to be a great resource.  We’ve created over 20 different mouthwatering recipes that not only taste good, but are great the gut.  Our goal of creating this cookbook was to make the transition to an IBS friendly diet has simple as possible!

However, we cannot emphasis enough how important it is that you begin to cook all your own meals if you suffer from a digestive condition such as IBS.  This allows you to know exactly what is going into your food and lowers the risk of consuming an ingredient that may irritate your condition.