Low Carb Vegan

I was working on an article about antioxidants (which is still in the works) and I noticed some interesting things about phytic acid. And I think those aspects illustrate some of the issues we face trying to figure out what we should be eating based on the latest results from nutritionists.

First of all, where does phytic acid come from? Well, phytic acid is a common way that plants store phosphorus. As phosphorus is the second number in NPK, it’s a pretty basic nutrient for plants. And phytic acid is found in nuts, seeds and grains. So you can see, a vegan diet could very easily include a number of those.

And why is that important? That’s where things get more interesting. Phytic acid binds quite easily with minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc. As I’ve been told in the past that I’m low in at least two of those, this definitely caught my attention. So, I’m announcing that I’m now eating dead animals where ever I can lay my hands on them? No.

This is a really good example of why looking at nutrients in isolation from each other just doesn’t work. I’m not eating just phytic acid. I’m eating tempeh and lentils and walnuts and, actually, a whole bunch of things. A number of those are high in phytic acid, true; but they’re also high in a lot of other things.

And just to make your head explode, there is some evidence to suggest that phytic acid protects against cancers of the colon by, wait for it, blocking minerals the cancer need to grow.

Bottom line, what do we do? For me, not much. Fermentation seems to reduce the amount of phytic acid in food and I do try to eat fermented soy. Past that, there really doesn’t seem to be a lot of consensus on phytic acid’s role so I’m just going to go ahead and eat the best I can. If it turns out that I’m low in something, I’ll address that as seems best.

We don’t eat nutrients in isolation from each other and the attempts to analyze them in isolation are not doing anyone a favor. We need to eat more food that’s not been processed within an inch of it’s life and, certainly, leave the animals alone! They have enough problems of their own.