Meat and dairy belong in a healthy diet, experts say

A group of Canadian health professionals has taken strong exception to Canada’s federal health agency’s growing advocacy of a “plant-based diet.”

The Canadian Clinicians for Therapeutic Nutrition say there is no scientific support for such a diet, and warns that plant-based eating omits such important nutrients as vitamin B12, absorbable iron, zinc, long chain omega-3 and polyunsaturated fats.

The proposed focus on a plant-based approach lacks sound scientific support.

The clinicians wrote in a recent letter to the Calgary Herald newspaper:

Calgary Herald: Healthiest diets include meat and dairy say health professionals

The strongly worded letter was in response to an earlier opinion piece that said Canada’s new food guide, currently under development, is on the right track by focusing on plant-based foods.

Rather, the clinicians noted, a diet that includes meat, eggs and dairy and that minimizes sugar and carbohydrates has been shown to be more beneficial.

“Animal products have always been a cornerstone of a healthy diet for humans,” wrote the eight authors, one of whom is our contributor Dr. Èvelyne Bourdua-Roy.

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Anne Mullens

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