What place does veganism have in the bodybuilding world?
Kai Greene is experimenting with veganism after being deeply moved by the new Netflix film The Game Changers. From filmmaker Louie Psihoyos, the documentary chronicles former UFC fighter James Wilks’ transition to a plant-based diet following a traumatic injury as a way of returning to peak physical condition. Kai tweeted out his interest last week and got a response from James Wilks’ himself, who reached out to share diet and nutrition tips. However, what started as a light-hearted question from Kai has erupted into a full-blown culture war on Twitter:
Looks like a propaganda movie to me pic.twitter.com/07ncR3vrTj
— naruto (@narooto_123) October 23, 2019
Here is what Men’s Health had to say about the documentary: https://t.co/4KN1hY2Rcq
— Sean O (@TheRealSean_O) October 23, 2019
Men’s Health criticized the film for being “heavy on the plants, but light on the scientific context” necessary to support the bold assertion that removing meat from your diet can increase physical health. Critics argued the film was extremely misleading, often falsely staging anecdotal experiences as scientific studies, including one scene where Wilks claims that Roman gladiators did not eat meat. Other studies have shown that a plant-based diet does, in fact, reduce creatine levels and lower white blood cell count.
In turn, supporters of the documentary have criticized Men’s Health for being funded by the meat and dairy industry, and in having a vested interest in controlling the narrative. Similarly, meat-eaters have taken to Twitter to accuse James Wilks of being funded by the vegan lobby. Both sides seem convinced utterly of their truth and that the other is only the result of fake news. With all the factors that go into diet and nutrition these days — food additives, how food is cooked and prepared, how much of it is eaten in conjunction with diet and exercise — the real answer may lie somewhere in between.
