The Dr. Hyman Show - The Pegan Diet: Eat Like A Regenetarian

Episode Date: February 19, 2021

Our agriculture system is destructive— for the earth and for human health. The food produced by industrial agriculture leads to at least 11 million deaths a year and drives our obesity epidemic. We need to build a regenerative system—one that regenerates the earth and human health. Regenerative agriculture is more profitable for farmers, produces higher yields, and better-quality food. When we vote with our dollars and our forks by choosing regeneratively grown food, we send a message to Big Food that we want more sustainable farms. In this mini-episode, Dr. Hyman discusses how to eat like a regenetarian, the ninth principle in his new book, “The Pegan Diet: 21 Practical Principles for Reclaiming Your Health in a Nutritionally Confusing World” out February 23, 2021. Learn more and pre-order the book at pegandiet.com The Pegan Diet is Dr. Hyman’s definitive guide to using food as medicine and understanding how food impacts every system of our body. It has 21 easy to follow principles for anyone, regardless of where they are on their health journey. It also contains 30 delicious Pegan-approved recipes. Get Dr. Hyman’s discount bundle which includes discounts to all of his favorite brands when you pre-order The Pegan Diet today. 

Coming up on this episode of The Doctor's Pharmacy. Remember, whatever diet you choose, vegan, vegetarian, paleo, everything else, we can move toward a regenerative and protective way of eating for ourselves and the planet. Welcome to The Doctor's Pharmacy. I'm Dr. Mark Hyman. That's pharmacy with an F, F-A-R-M-A-C-Y. And welcome to the special mini-series on my new book, The Pegan Diet, 21 Practical Principles for Reclaiming Your Health in a Nutritionally Confusing World. Now, my book, Pegan Diet, is sort of a spoof on the diet wars between paleo-vegan and all the other diet fads and wars. The truth is, they all have more in common with each other

than the standard American diet or SAD diet, and today we're going to dive into one of those key principles, which is eat like a Regenitarian. And make sure you check out my new book, The Pegan Diet, which comes out February 23rd, 2021. It's a comprehensive guide that will show you how to start the Pegan diet and become your healthiest you yet. So let's get started with today's episode. Today I want to

talk about principle nine, eat like a Regenitarian. And you're probably wondering what the heck is a Regenitarian? Well, it's kind of some I sort of made up and a lot of people are talking about, which is trying to source food from an agricultural system that regenerates the earth, regenerates the environment, the soil, our water, our biodiversity, and yes, even human health. So how do we eat like a Regenitarian? I mean, nobody can be against that. No, I want to be a Destructarian. I'm going to eat food that's destructive to the earth, to the climate, to the environment, to myself. No, nobody can be against that. And that's why I figured, well, let's create this whole idea of a Regenitarian because it crystallizes a lot of principles about how to eat food that's good for you and good for the planet. Okay, here goes.

Our agriculture system is destructive. It's destructive for the earth and for human health. The way we produce food, it destroys the soil. It mows down forests. It depletes all our fresh water resources from over-irrigation. I mean, we are depleting the Glala aquifer, which is our biggest aquifer for the Midwest in the country, at about a trillion gallons more a year than it's being replenished by rainfall. We also have an agriculture system that drives massive loss of biodiversity. We've lost 75% of our pollinator species, 90% of our edible plant species, half of all livestock species, and not to mention the millions of other species of flora and fauna. The food produced by the system kills at least 11 million people a year

and is the biggest driver of our obesity and chronic disease epidemic. So we really need to build a regenerative system, a one that regenerates the earth and human health. And the good news, it's more possible than ever. So in my last book, I mapped this all out, including how the food system is the number one contributor to climate change and how fixing it is our number one solution. Now, if you're not worried about climate change, you should be worried about this. The United Nations estimates that we have only 60 harvests left before we run out of soil. So why is this important? Well, if you have or you plan to have children or grandchildren, they're going to need to eat.

No soil, no food, no humans. Now, aside from driving climate change and soil loss, which is bad enough, our modern farming practices destroy natural resources and biodiversity. They kill coral reefs, on which about a half a billion people depend on for food a year. They pollute the oceans. They destroy rainforests. And they're going to lead to massive food insecurity. Because of rising temperatures and instability of farming systems, our very way of growing food is threatening our future ability to grow food. We might have to grow corn in the North Pole and not in North Dakota, except for the fact that in the North Pole, the soil sucks,

and we probably can't do it anyway. Our food system is responsible for almost half of all greenhouse gas emissions. How? Well, deforestation, destructive agricultural practices, soil erosion, soil damage, food waste, you name it. The soil loss accounts for about a third of all the carbon now in the atmosphere, or about 300 billion tons of carbon dioxide. One-fifth of all the fossil fuel use on the planet is used for the food system, which is more than transportation by planes, ships, cars, and trucks combined. Also, what we do to the planet, we do to our bodies. And what we do to our bodies, we do to the planet. Like it or not, we humans are part of a biological ecosystem. In fact, scientists have coined a new term

to describe our epic, like the Ice Age, for example. It's called the Anthropocene, and it reflects the first time in the entire history of our Earth, our planet, which is billions and billions of years old, the first time when humans are the main factor driving changes to global climates and ecosystems. Also, as a doctor, I realized I couldn't cure chronic diseases like obesity and diabetes and heart disease in my office. The solution is on the farm. It's in our grocery stores, kitchens, and restaurants. In other words, the food system. Food is medicine for humans,

and food grown in ways that are restorative and regenerative is medicine for the planet. Now, many people hold the idea that a regenerative climate-friendly diet is a plant-based vegan diet. And yes, we should all be eating a plant-rich diet for our health. Factory farms are an unmitigated environmental and climate disaster and should be banned. But that doesn't mean that animals should be banned from agriculture. Why? The science is pretty clear on this. Animals must be included in the natural cycle of regenerative agriculture. Why? Because animals build soil. They produce fertilizer, otherwise known as poop and pee. They conserve water and they eliminate the need for lots of these toxic agricultural chemicals,

which are pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides, and fertilizer, and blah, blah, blah. Eating animals is optional, but integrating them into diverse natural farm ecosystems is not optional. A vegan versus an omnivore diet is a false choice for the environment and climate. We can eat all the plant-based soy burgers we want, but it will not save us from climate change. All right, so how does regenerative agriculture work? Well, regeneratively raised animals are a net benefit to climate change because they restore the largest carbon sink on the planet, which is far greater than all the rainforests. A sink that can store three times as much carbon as exists today in the

atmosphere. Soil is the carbon sink. There's no better carbon capture technology on the planet than photosynthesis. It's free and it exists pretty much everywhere. The best way to build soil by far is to mimic natural grassland animals behavior with something called managed grazing or adaptive grazing. Now, overgrazing is destructive and it leads to increasing desertification. I mean, we lose the equivalent of Nicaragua in arable land every year to desert. But here's the deal. 40% of agricultural land around the world is not suitable for growing crops, but it's perfect for managed grazing and regenerative agriculture. And some people estimate, some scientists say, we could draw down 50 to 100% of all carbon in the atmosphere if we scaled up regenerative agriculture.

Now, the side effects of this kind of agriculture are all good ones. It produces far more nutrient dense food. It restores nutrient rich soil, which then makes more nutrient densedense food. It restores nutrient-rich soil, which then makes more nutrient-dense food that we get to eat. It restores natural habitats for insects, birds, and animals. The animals on the farm, the cows, chickens, pigs, sheeps, goats, they naturally seek out plants with the most phytonutrients and the most minerals and vitamins and medicinal compounds while being raised in the most humane way possible. Now, right now, this type of farming accounts for only 1% of agriculture. And we hear from big ag that, well, organic, local, and regenerative might be nice. It's not going to feed the world.

But here's the headline news. This thesis, promoted by your friendly ag companies like Monsanto and Cargill and all the rest, has been totally debunked. Globally, scientists, governments, and the UN understand that we need Regenerative agriculture is far more profitable for farmers, up to 20 times more profitable in a world where the average farmer who's forced into bank loans and crop insurance and has then had tested by seeds and chemicals from big ag companies loses about 1600 bucks a year. And the regenerative agriculture practices also create higher yields for them and better quality of food. And they're drought

resistant and flood resistant and weather resistant. I mean, and we vote with our dollars and we choose regeneratively grown food, which we can. It sends a message to big food that we want more sustainable farms. I mean, companies like General Mills, Nestle, Dannon, and others are investing in regenerative agriculture. I mean, some food companies are paying farmers to convert to regenerative agriculture, stepping in where the government isn't. Why? Well, they understand that their supply chain of raw materials from ag is threatened if our current farming practices continue the way they go. Now you say, what can I do? How does it matter to me? Well, your choices

do matter. Eating for a healthy planet isn't just about big companies and policies. Your everyday choices matter. Food waste, for example, lack of recycling, overuse of plastic, all those contribute to climate change. In fact, if food waste were a country, it would be the third largest emitter of greenhouse gases and is one of the biggest contributors to climate change. 40% of the food that we buy is thrown out in the trash. Think about that. And produce thrown in the garbage emits three times more methane than factory farm livestock. And then, of course, there's the microplastics that come from waste

thrown in the ocean that end up in our food. Even things like tea and salt and butter and bottled and tap water. Now, should we panic? No. But it means we need to live as sustainably as possible, and part of that includes how we grow, consume, and discard food and food-related products. So remember, whatever diet you choose, vegan, vegetarian, paleo, everything else, we can move toward a regenerative and protective way of eating for ourselves and the planet.

All right, now let's dive into this topic, which is a bit controversial, and I'll probably get nailed for this. But the question is, are plant-based meats the answer to climate change? Some would have us believe that, but let me tell you this. The current buzz about plant-based meats is a distraction. The benefits are dubious and the risks are unclear. Yes, we should all be eating more plant-rich foods, whole foods, not industrial science projects with GMO ingredients, novel proteins, and the dose of wheat killer, also known as glyphosate, which is a carcinogenic and microbiome destroyer. It's thrown in there for

good measure. Yes, a soy burger is far better than a feedlot burger, no doubt. Now, listen carefully and get this. Eating a regeneratively raised beef burger removes three and a half kilos of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. While eating an impossible burger, which is GMO soy, adds three and a half kilos of carbon dioxide. Now it's better than a feedlot burger, but not better than a regenerative burger. An independent life cycle analysis company, Qantas, found that you would have to eat one regeneratively raised beef burger to offset the carbon emissions of one impossible burger. Whoa, okay, that's not going to go over well, but it's true.

So instead of eating frankenmeats, make your own bean and lentil burger. Have a tempeh sandwich. Stick to real whole food, not frankenfoods. Now, soon we're going to explore in the book, which you can get at peagandiet.com, the vegan diet and how to eat healthy as a vegan. And if you're a meat eater, how do you choose grass-fed, vaginal-based meat and where do you find it? And how do you do it affordably? We're going to go over all of that. It's pretty exciting. So what are the takeaways from this principle of

the vegan diet? Eat like a Regenitarian. First, shop local and organic. Join a community-supported agriculture system or CSA that's in your area and they can get local organic produce delivered right to your door. Go to localharvest.org to find one in your area. Shop at farmer's markets because why? They support local food systems. Two, if you can, look for the regenerative organic certified label. This is a new label. It's coming up and it's going to be like organic. It involves three basic principles. One, soil health. Two, animal welfare. And three, social fairness, the farm and food workers. You can also end food waste. Start a compost pile. Buy only what you need. Eat your leftovers. Learn to make whiff meals. That's whatever's in the

fridge. Now I'm surprised to hear people say they have nothing to make. And I look in their pantries and fridges and I see a world of possibilities. Try using something like fresh paper to keep your veggies and fruit fresher for longer. Check out Imperfect Produce and Misfits, which allow you to buy produce that's not perfectly looking but tastes perfectly good. And also limit your use of plastics. All the plastics we throw out are contributing to environmental pollution. Use reusable coffee cups, pack utensils. It might seem like a hassle, but it's important. And lastly, of course, eat real whole foods. Avoid

packaged, ultra-processed foods. That makes you a climate activist. So I hope you've enjoyed this little mini episode on how to eat like a Regenitarian derived from my new book, The Pegan Diet, 21 Practical Principles for Reclaiming Your Health in a Nutritionally Confusing World. And hopefully it's going to be less confusing after you read my book. The book's out February 2021. It's a comprehensive guide that's going to show you how to start the vegan diet and become your healthiest you yet. Go to peagondiet.com to order the book, to learn more. I hope you've enjoyed this special mini episode of The Doctor's Pharmacy, and we'll see you next time for another one of these episodes on The Doctor's Pharmacy. Hey everybody, it's Dr. Hyman. Thanks for tuning into The Doctor's Pharmacy. I hope you're loving

this podcast. It's one of my favorite things to do and introducing you all the experts that I know and I love and that I've learned so much from. And I want to tell you about something else I'm doing, which is called Mark's Picks. It's my weekly newsletter. And in it, I share my favorite stuff from foods to supplements, to gadgets, to tools, to enhance your health. It's all the cool stuff that I use and that my team uses to optimize and enhance our health. And I'd love you to sign up for the weekly newsletter. I'll only send it to you once a week on Fridays,

nothing else. I promise. And all you do is go to dr. Hyman.com forward slash picks to sign up. That's dr. Hyman.com forward slash picks P I to sign up. That's DrHyman.com forward slash PICS, P-I-C-K-S, and sign up for the newsletter, and I'll share with you my favorite stuff that I use to enhance my health and get healthier and better and live younger longer.

Hi, everyone. I hope you enjoyed this week's episode. Just a reminder that this podcast is for educational purposes only. This podcast is not a substitute for professional care by a doctor or other qualified medical professional. This podcast is provided on the understanding that it does not constitute medical or other professional advice or services. If you're looking for help in your journey, seek out a qualified medical practitioner. If you're looking for a functional medicine practitioner, you can visit ifm.org and search

their find a practitioner database. It's important that you have someone in your corner who's trained, who's a licensed healthcare practitioner, and can help you make changes, especially when it comes to your health.