Ep. #509: Chris Kresser on What The Game Changers Got Right and Wrong, According to Science

You don’t have to look far to see that extremism and alarmism sells.

Turn on any cable news network at just about any time of the day, for instance, and it’s a daisy chain of drama and conflict—”breaking news” banners preceding humdrum bits of information and “countdown clocks” to minor events underscored by melodramatic music and striking sound effects.

The same forces are at work in the health and fitness space as well, and especially in the realm of diet and nutrition.

Everywhere you look there's another self-styled expert selling the superiority of one regimen or another, and plant-based dieting is a favorite of many.

Its popularity is also bolstered by a number of successful documentaries produced over the last decade, including Forks Over Knives, What the Health, and the most recent, The Game Changers.

I wrote and recorded a long, evidence-based review of What the Health a couple years ago, and as The Game Changers repeats many of the same talking points, I was disinclined to repeat the process.

I kept getting asked about it though and so decided to do a podcast on the film with someone who has already done the heavy lifting and can walk us through what the scientific literature has to say about the major claims in the film.

Chris Kresser is that guy, and in this interview, we talk about all the major claims in The Game Changers, including . . .

- How a vegan diet can affect athletic performance
- Common nutritional deficiencies among vegans
- Plant vs. animal protein for health and body composition
- Potential health issues associated with eating animal products and meat in particular
- Environmental impact of plant-based dieting
- And more

Oh and in case you’re not familiar with Chris, he’s one of the premier evidence-based Functional Medicine practitioners and a New York Times bestselling author, and if his name sounds familiar, it may be because he recently was on Joe Rogan's podcast to talk about The Game Changers.

7:10 - Can a vegan diet affect an athlete’s performances and their health?
10:56 - What are some examples of nutrients that can affect how you handle a vegan diet?
13:41 - Is plant protein the same quality and as effective as meat protein?
24:20 - Do you think the vegan diet is optimal for any athlete?
25:57 - What are some common deficiencies in a vegan diet?
35:21 - Do problems with the vegan diet happen to most people or a small percentage?
37:57 - What are some of the claims that eating animal products have negative side effects?
51:00 - What kind of impact does veganism have on the environment?

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Mentioned on the show:
Chris'sWebsite: https://chriskresser.com/
Chris'sPodcast: https://chriskresser.com/podcasts/
Chris'sInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriskresser/
Chris'sTwitter: https://twitter.com/chriskresser
LegionVIP One-on-One Coaching: https://legionathletics.com/coaching/

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