Protein, iron, muscle: Plant-based recovery myths 🌱

Hi Reader,

If you’re plant-based and facing surgery, or recovering from one, you’ve probably heard some version of this: you need meat to heal properly. I hear it from patients. I hear it in comments. I heard it long before I started eating this way myself.

It’s not true, and the research backs that up clearly. I broke down exactly what the evidence says in a new post, myth by myth:

You need meat to get enough protein to heal. Wound healing runs on total protein intake and amino acid variety, not the source. Lentils, tofu, tempeh, seitan, and quinoa can absolutely hit post-surgical protein targets when meals are planned with intention.
Plant-based diets don’t have enough iron, zinc, or Vitamin B12 for healing. These nutrients are all available in plants. You just need to know where to find them and how to absorb them well. Vit B12 is the one real exception. It needs supplementing on any strict plant-based diet, whether you're healing from surgery or not.
You’ll lose muscle recovering on a plant-based diet. Muscle preservation comes down to total protein, how it’s spread across meals, and movement, not whether that protein came from a plant or an animal.

The full post also walks through what a real day of eating looks like during recovery.

→ Full post: Can You Heal on a Plant-Based Diet? Here's What the Research Actually Says

And if you want the exact foods to eat before and after surgery, I put together a free checklist with budget and low-energy swaps built in.

→ Grab the free checklist here!