3244: What is the Best Diet - Plant Based Eating or Carnivore Nutrition on Evidence-Based Eating

Optimal Health Daily - Fitness and Nutrition

Optimal Living Daily LLC

Nutrition, Fitness, Health & Fitness

4.5 • 677 Ratings

🗓️ 2 January 2026

⏱️ 10 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com. Episode 3244: Dr. Neal Malik unpacks the science behind the most popular eating plans, paleo, ketogenic, and plant-based, to determine which offers the best long-term health benefits. Drawing from extensive research, he explains why plant-focused diets like Mediterranean, DASH, and vegetarian consistently rise to the top, emphasizing sustainability over trends. Quotes to ponder: "The best diet to promote a healthy lifestyle is one that allows for food to be consumed in moderation and one you are able to follow over the long term." "All of these three have something very important in common, they are all plant-based diets." "You can eat whatever you want, just be sure that most of the time you're consuming the foods I just mentioned. It becomes a lifestyle, not a diet." Episode references: Mediterranean Diet Overview – Mayo Clinic: https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/mediterranean-diet/art-20047801 The DASH Diet Eating Plan: https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/education/dash-eating-plan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	It's another Q&A edition of Optimal Health Daily, and I'm Dr. Neil Malick.
0:05.3	Hey there, happy Friday, and welcome to another Q&A edition of Optimal Health Daily,
0:09.6	where I answer your health questions related to fitness, diet and nutrition, and lots more.
0:14.6	You send me the questions, and I answer them for you.
0:17.5	So why do I call myself Dr. Neal?
0:19.6	Well, first, nobody knows how to pronounce my last name,
0:22.2	but more importantly, I do have my doctorate degree in public health with an emphasis in
0:26.1	chronic disease prevention and nutrition. I'm also a registered dietitian nutritionist,
0:30.8	a certified health education specialist, and a certified exercise physiologist. I've been teaching
0:36.1	in higher education for a long time now,
0:39.3	and I'm currently faculty within the California State University System. I've published peer-reviewed
0:44.3	studies, presented at national and international conferences, and I've been interviewed by over
0:49.5	70 different media outlets for my expertise on basically all the things I talk about on this
0:54.8	podcast. So all of this to say that when I provide my commentary after each episode and answer
1:01.1	the questions you send in like today, I hope you feel as though it's coming from a place of
1:06.0	truth. My only intention is to help you feel your best. All right. and with that, let's finally hear today's question as we optimize your life.
1:19.8	This is Shell from Grand Rapids, Michigan.
1:23.1	I have had this question for years, which is better, paleo or plant-based, basically,
1:29.9	or ketogenic versus plant-based?
1:32.4	Either way, more meat or less meat.
1:36.9	Do we really need meat in their diet?
1:39.3	I was raised vegetarian for my first 18 years, so I lean a little bit toward vegetarian. I don't
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