Myth-Busting
TenThingsYou'veHeardAboutVeganismThatAren'tTrue
Most arguments against plant-based diets repeat a small set of memorable, confidently delivered, and demonstrably wrong claims. Here is what the evidence actually says — citations included.
Why This Page Exists
Confidence Is Not Evidence
Most of the loudest objections to veganism are not arguments — they are slogans. They get repeated so often that they sound true even when the underlying research says the opposite. This page takes the ten most-cited claims and walks through what large peer-reviewed studies, meta-analyses and major dietetic associations actually conclude.
We're not asking you to take our word for it — we're pointing at the work of Poore & Nemecek (Oxford), the Adventist Health Study-2, the EPIC-Oxford cohort, and the position papers of the American, British, Canadian, Australian, and Portuguese dietetic associations. Read on.
A claim repeated a thousand times by a thousand people is still just a claim. Evidence is what makes it true.
The Ten
Myth vs. What the Research Says
"You can't get enough protein on a plant-based diet."
What the evidence shows: The average vegan in industrialised countries already exceeds the WHO's daily protein recommendation without trying. Lentils, beans, tofu, tempeh, seitan, peas, oats, nuts and whole grains all deliver complete amino acid profiles when eaten across a normal day. The largest study of strength athletes (NUTRENDO 2021) found no performance difference between matched vegan and omnivore lifters.
"Soy causes hormonal problems / breast cancer / lower testosterone."
What the evidence shows: Decades of human research show the opposite. Whole soy foods are associated with REDUCED breast cancer risk and improved survival post-diagnosis (AICR 2021 review). A 2021 meta-analysis in Reproductive Toxicology of 41 studies found no effect of soy or isoflavones on testosterone or estrogen in men. The myth comes from rodent studies at doses humans cannot reach with food.
"B12 deficiency proves veganism is unnatural."
What the evidence shows: B12 is made by bacteria in soil and water, not by animals themselves — livestock are routinely supplemented with B12 because modern hygiene means they no longer ingest enough from dirt. Vegans simply take the supplement directly, cutting out the cow. Up to 39% of the general population is also B12-deficient regardless of diet (American Family Physician).
"Our ancestors were hunters — eating meat is in our DNA."
What the evidence shows: Hominin diets were overwhelmingly plant-based for most of evolutionary history. Hunter-gatherer studies (Hadza, !Kung) show 60–80% of calories from plants. Our gut length, dentition, and metabolism resemble herbivores and omnivores far more than obligate carnivores. 'Ancestral' is also a poor guide to optimal — our ancestors had a life expectancy of 30.
"The Inuit lived on meat and were perfectly healthy."
What the evidence shows: They weren't. Skeletal studies of pre-contact Inuit show high rates of osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease, and life expectancy of around 40. Their diet was a brutal adaptation to an environment with no plants — not a model. Modern Inuit communities now show some of the highest rates of stroke and heart disease in North America.
"Almond milk uses more water than dairy milk."
What the evidence shows: Per litre: dairy milk uses ~628 L of water, almond milk ~371 L, oat milk ~48 L, soy milk ~28 L (Poore & Nemecek, Science, 2018). Even the 'thirstiest' plant milk uses less water than dairy — and the comparison ignores that ~70% of all almonds are grown for human snack consumption, not milk.
"If everyone went vegan, billions of farm animals would suffer / go extinct."
What the evidence shows: Demand changes gradually, not overnight. As demand falls, fewer animals are bred into existence. The 70+ billion land animals slaughtered each year don't exist 'naturally' — they exist because we breed them to kill them. Ending that cycle isn't extinction; it's no longer creating life specifically to end it prematurely.
"Veganism is a privileged Western trend."
What the evidence shows: The cheapest staple foods on Earth are vegan: rice, beans, lentils, oats, potatoes. Many of the world's largest plant-based traditions are non-Western: Indian dal-and-rice, Ethiopian injera, Mexican beans-and-tortillas, Chinese tofu cuisine. The expensive part is meat and dairy, which is why their consumption rises with national income.
"Plants feel pain too."
What the evidence shows: Plants have no nervous system, no nociceptors, no brain, no centralised processing. There is no scientific basis for plant sentience. Even if there were, growing crops to feed to animals uses 5–10× more plants than eating them directly — so plant-eaters end far fewer plant lives, not more.
"Cows need to be milked / sheep need to be sheared — we're helping them."
What the evidence shows: Cows produce milk to feed their calves, not us — they only lactate after being repeatedly impregnated, with calves removed within 24–48 hours of birth. Modern sheep breeds need shearing because we selectively bred them to overproduce wool — wild sheep shed naturally. Both are problems we created, not services we provide.
One More Thing
Why Bad Arguments Persist
Most of these myths persist not because anyone has rigorously checked them, but because they offer comfortable permission to keep doing what we already do. That's a normal human reaction — nobody wants to feel they've been participating in something harmful. The way out is not guilt but information, followed by one small change at a time.
“It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his dinner depends on his not understanding it.”
Now You Know — What Will You Do With It?
The next time someone confidently repeats one of these, you'll be the person in the room who has read the actual study.