Bear Grylls says he feels “embarrassed” that he used to promote veganism. Not only has he now ditched being vegan, he eats a diet that’s heavy on red meat and no vegetables at all – and the adventurer insists the health benefits he’s reaping from his meat, blood and bone marrow diet eclipse anything he gained from being plant-based.
“I was vegan quite a few years ago – in fact I wrote a vegan cookbook, and I feel a bit embarrassed because I really promoted that,” Grylls, said in an interview with PA. “I thought that was good for the environment and I thought it was good for my health. And through time and experience and knowledge and study, I realised I was wrong on both counts.”
Of course, the impact diet has on somebody’s health and the environment may depend on what an individual is actually consuming – rather than just whether they eat meat or identify as vegan – and it’s well documented that the meat industry is associated with big environmental concerns. For example, a study published in Nature Food in 2021 found meat accounts for nearly 60 per cent of all greenhouse gases from global food production, and causes twice the pollution of production of plant-based foods.
