10 Minutes & You’ll Crush Your Vegan Health Goals in 2025

🌱 Tired of chasing endless nutrition trends and "perfect" diets? In this game-changing talk, 35-year plant-based veteran Jeff Nelson cuts through the noise with powerful insights from decades of working with pioneers like Dr. Dean Ornish, Dr. McDougall, and Dr. Esselstyn. Discover why the Okinawans – some of the longest-lived people on Earth – thrived despite "nutrient deficiencies," and learn how your body's incredible nutrient recycling system makes optimal health simpler than you think.

You'll learn:

* Why obsessing over "perfect" nutrition might be holding you back
* The surprising truth about nutrient recycling and why less can be more
* How to achieve lasting health with a simple, sustainable approach
* Which nutrients actually matter (and which ones you can stop worrying about)

Whether you're new to plant-based eating or a seasoned vegan looking to optimize your health in 2025, this no-nonsense guide strips away the complexity and gives you the fundamental principles that really work. Based on real science and decades of clinical experience – not corporate marketing hype.

LINKS:

Nutrient recycling refers to the process where the body conserves, repurposes, or reutilizes nutrients and cellular components to maintain homeostasis, especially under conditions of stress or limited nutrient availability. Research on processes like autophagy, amino acid recycling, and urea nitrogen salvage provides excellent examples of nutrient recycling. Below are key studies or areas of research that highlight this concept:

1. Autophagy and Nutrient Recycling
Study: "Autophagy as an adaptive response to nutrient deprivation"
• Authors: Mizushima et al., Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology, 2008.
• What It Shows:
o Autophagy is a cellular process where damaged organelles and proteins are degraded and recycled into amino acids, lipids, and other building blocks during periods of nutrient scarcity.
o This recycling mechanism helps sustain cellular function and survival when external nutrients are unavailable.

2. Protein Turnover and Amino Acid Recycling
Study: "Protein metabolism during starvation"
• Authors: Cahill et al., American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1976.
• What It Shows:
o During fasting or starvation, proteins in the body are broken down into amino acids, which are then reused for vital functions such as gluconeogenesis (the production of glucose from non-carbohydrate sources).
o This highlights the body's ability to recycle amino acids to sustain energy production.

3. Urea Nitrogen Salvage in the Gut
Study: "Urea nitrogen salvaging in ruminants and non-ruminants"
• Authors: Lobley et al., Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, 1999.
• What It Shows:
o Urea produced by the liver is not fully excreted. In the gut, bacteria convert some urea back into ammonia, which is used to synthesize amino acids and proteins.
o This is an example of how the body recycles nitrogen to conserve essential resources.

4. Recycling Lipids in Starvation
Study: "Lipid autophagy balances energy needs during starvation"
• Authors: Singh et al., Cell Metabolism, 2009.
• What It Shows:
o During periods of nutrient deprivation, lipid droplets are broken down via autophagy into free fatty acids and glycerol, which are used as energy sources.

5. Nutrient Recycling in Aging and Longevity
Study: "The role of autophagy in aging and longevity"
• Authors: Levine and Kroemer, Science, 2008.
• What It Shows:
o Autophagy-mediated recycling of cellular components plays a key role in delaying the effects of aging and promoting longevity by maintaining cellular health.

6. Microbial Contributions to Nutrient Recycling
Study: "The human gut microbiome as a nutrient recycling system"
• Authors: Sonnenburg et al., Nature, 2005.
• What It Shows:
o Gut microbes metabolize dietary fiber and other compounds to produce short-chain fatty acids, vitamins, and other nutrients that the body can absorb and use.
o This demonstrates how external and internal processes contribute to nutrient recycling.

7. Nutrient Recycling in Plants (For Context)
Study: "Nutrient recycling in ecosystems and its role in sustainability"
• Authors: Chapin et al., Nature, 2000.
• What It Shows:
o While not specific to humans, this study shows how ecosystems recycle nutrients through organic matter decomposition, providing insights into sustainability principles that can parallel human physiology.


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O U R W E B S I T E

[ew]

Probably the best summarized approach to plant based eating and health I've heard. Excellent! 👍

[mugman]

Spot on jeff! Couldnt agree more. Thats why I loved Dr. Mcdougall so much. The starch solution saved my life. Thanks for all your hard work and dedication.

[kevinfaust]

The truth is usually pretty simple. No money to make in that though. With everyone trying to get a following, more views, and selling plans it doesn’t get out there like it should. I believe you are absolutely right. Thanks for keeping it simple.

[oanalesnic]

A beautifully articulated perspective on health that resonates deeply and makes perfect sense in the most natural and logical way. It aligns perfectly with what I have always believed. 👏

[susanweiler]

My mother is Okinawan & lived there most of her life. Her diet consisted of western foods due to American military bases. She lived to 81 yrs old and passed away due to liver cancer which is very rare in Okinawans. As Dr. McDougall says “It’s the FOOD!”

[VmixxD]

I love that, "the bottom line is beautifully simple".

[lindapestridge]

Oh i just realised i don't need
The dozens and dozens of supplements i keep ordering
On Amazon Thanks to this video.

[Juice_Angel]

Thank you!🙏 The hypoxia thing is a big deal and I don’t understand why the keto community never discusses this. I’ve tried keto three times during my life and every time I ended up horribly dizzy from it, even though I was replacing electrolytes constantly.

[martinaudovicic]

Thank you! I’ve been plant based for more than 20 years. There were almost no processed vegan food options in Croatia back when I became vegan so I only ate healthy for a number of years. That somewhat changed with all the new food available now but this video is a good reminder to just go back to basics and ditch processed food altogether to feel top notch.

[tonyturner]

Thanks for this positive nudge. It’s easy to get carried away on optimal perfect nutrition … and spend a lot so doing. From now, back to basics so I enjoy my plant based journey.
This should be mandatory viewing for all vegans.

[saritakumta]

Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good ! Very important advice at the end of the video !

[rsully]

Seems like there something else going on with back handed criticism of the work of Dr Gregor? Dr Gregor calls his daily dozen "aspirational, " not required. In addition, Dr Gregor does not sell supplements or anything else for that matter, and donates proceeds from his books to charity.

[enough]

Can you please do a review video about Dr. Brooke Goldner’s protocol for curing auto immune disease diseases, and other things?
She uses a lot of flax and Chia and I’m hearing mixed reviews
She also uses raw foods only and tons of cruciferous vegetables
And says that we need an iodine supplement, B12 D and sometimes probiotics

[off-gridsurvivalmike]

I am new at all of this and you seem to have the most basic and straight forward information compared to a lot of others. Great information.

[kentroskelley]

Great info Jeff. I’ve learned to listen to my body, and eat a variety seasonal whole plant based foods, almost exclusively organic.
Glad you mentioned the toxin’s we have to contend with now that the pre western influence Okinawin people didn’t face. The body is a miraculous entity, we need to consider listening more to it than many nutrition influencers.

[johnnyblue]

I really like Dr. Michael Greger. I think he does a very valuable service to the world, even if he doesn't treat patients. But following his videos one can keep up with a lot of nutrition info. I think your criticism of his work is a bit too harsh. Look for instance at "The Best Diet for Fatty Liver Disease Treatment". Very valuable for people suffering of this condition. And he has a lot of similar videos. Also, his work is not solely about diet.

[MarkDegani]

Thank you for your inspiring videos. Your perspective is really valuable. I do, however, disagree with your characterization of Dr. Greger. The daily dozen was always intended to be used as a source of ideas. It's a just a list of foods you can aspire to eat when your habits slide. For people who are not experts in nutrition (like me), it's an easy way to remember to include certain foods to crowd the processed foods out. Did you and Dr. Greger have a disagreement on something specific that you can elaborate on?

[BradStelmach]

Thanks Jeff. The latest nutrition science is like the wild west. Everybody wants you to believe they know what is best for us. Even those with a MD or a PHD. Thanks for being there for us. You would have made a great high school teacher. :)

[randyshields]

This is great Jeff. It's why I loan The Starch Solution to people and never read How Not to Die (which was given to me and I gave it away). 600 pages is intimidating for someone learning about veganism and isn't necessary -- it already gives the wrong impression that veganism is complicated -- yet it hasn't been complicated for millions of people over thousands of years who were a lot healthier than most people walking around today. McDougall understood the benefits of compliance and consistency instead of worrying about every little thing. The reason that McDougall and Pritikin aren't more widely known is that no one has figured out how to make big bucks out of them.

[pete]

I would blow away if I didn't regularly eat nuts every day. A smallish handful of walnuts + two tbsp ground flaxseed for my morning oatmeal, and then late afternoon is last meal of day of oatmeal again with small handful almonds. Mid day snack is a serving of peanut butter (2 tbsp) on slice of Ezekiel bread. I think I eat very healthy with other foods throughout day, such as berries and bananas (on oatmeal), oranges, black beans, corn, steamed tomatoes, spinach, arugula, broccoli, onion, carrots, microwaved red potatoes.