I’m excited to present the very first episode of the No-Bullshit Vegan podcast! In this episode, I give you a quick run-down of why I think this podcast is necessary, and what I hope it accomplishes. You’ll also get 4 resources to use when you’re doing your own fitness and nutrition research, and 8 questions to ask yourself to help you evaluate said research.
I started this podcast to address what I think is a major problem within the vegan movement: the prevalence of unscientific, non-evidence-based information (a.k.a. pseudoscience, a.k.a. bullshit). Non-vegans notice the BS and dismiss it (as they should), but they also often dismiss veganism itself.
Pseudoscience can harm vegans themselves, too. There are a lot of ideas within veganism that are not supported by research. Extremely low fat diets, extremely high carb diets, high fruit diets, detoxes or cleanses, eating alkaline foods…the list goes on. In the best case scenario, you’re doing something that has no effect, or just doesn’t work in the way it’s supposed to (like detoxing is supposed to rid your body of so-called toxins - it doesn’t). In the worst case, you’re doing damage and harming your health.
This is one of the many, many reasons to make sure you’re getting legit, science-backed info. It’s not just about the information you consume. When it’s in the health and fitness field, it becomes about the food you consume, and what you do with your own body.
We’ll be busting bullshit in the world of health, fitness, and nutrition in many different ways. - what non-vegans think about veganism - myths within veganism - bullshit we tell ourselves - bullshit in the fitness industry as a whole, regardless of veganism
Thanks so much for being part of our movement of No-Bullshit Vegans, and I hope you'll enjoy the podcast! I'd love to hear from you with your thoughts, suggestions, and ideas. Please get in touch!
Important topics and points you don't want to miss:
>> How I came to choose veganism 15 years ago.
>> Why it's important to have access to unbiased, evidence-based fitness, health, and nutrition information.
>> How bullshit/pseudoscience is doing the vegan movement a huge disservice.
Your 4 research resources to get you started:
>> Examine.com
>> I no longer link to Alan Aragon's material (mentioned in the episode) as it's come to light since I recorded the episode that he's victimized women.
8 questions to ask when evaluating research studies:
>> Have multiple studies found similar results? (As in, have results been replicated?)
>> Has the research been done using human subjects, versus animals?
>> Who were the subjects? Can we apply the results from this group to other groups?
>> How many subjects were used? 17, or 17,000? The latter has more statistical power, which means we can be more certain that the results weren’t due to chance.
>> Compared to what? Was there a control group used?
>> Was the research study design experimental?
>> Which extraneous variables were controlled for?
>> What were the study's limitations? What might prevent us from generalizing results to a larger population? What further research needs to be conducted? What could have been improved in the study’s design?
Connect with your host, Karina Inkster!
Calories and macros on a vegan diet: A free e-book for you!
Download Karina’s free 32-page ebook that shows you how to track your food, calculate calories, and set macro goals on a vegan diet. You’ll even get step-by-step instructions – complete with a printable grocery list – for how to prep a week’s worth of delicious Buddha bowls in 60 minutes or less.
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