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Alicia Silverstone Goes Head To Head With Nutritionist On Meat And Dairy

Written by Vegetarian Star on Wednesday, May 6th, 2009 in Actresses, Food & Drink.

2009 Heart Of Green AwardsNothing better than two hot ladies duking it out in the ring.

Before you start to think this is a really sexist blog (especially if you’ve read that post on the vegetarian Playmate of the Year, Ida Ljungqvist), let us explain.

Alicia Silverstone and nutritionist Rachel Beller recently gave their input on the health effects of eliminating meat and dairy from your diet.

Here are a few replays:

Alicia Silverstone:
The excess animal protein in meat and dairy is so acidic that it causes the body to release calcium to buffer the acidity. Osteoporosis is very rare in countries that eat little or no dairy. Meat and dairy contain no phytonutrients, no complex carbs (which are very important). Basically meat and dairy are saturated fat and protein.

Rachel Beller:
The bottom line is that Alicia is NOT wrong, but the statement is polarizing. It sounds like all meat and dairy should be avoided; however, like so many things in life, it’s never this simple. A high protein diet that particularly emphasizes an intake of animal sources of meat and dairy does cause an acidic environment in the body, which subsequently must be neutralized by the body’s calcium. The prevailing idea is that calcium is absorbed from the bones to balance the acidic environment, thus leading to bone loss. Numerous studies have supported this theory for years. This is the basis of a long-standing claim that we (the American people) should increase our intake of vegetable sources of protein and decrease our animal sources of protein.

We’ve heard Alicia’s and Rachel’s input, now it’s time to hear yours. 

Continue reading what Alicia and Rachael have to say at Glamour.com.

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