I hear from a lot of people that their food guru also cites studies to back up their stands on veganism. I tell people there are many ways that studies are interpreted and this does seem to cause some distress. How do we handle those concerns?

Yes, just do the best you can to educate and to provide information and resources, and ultimately, people have to come to their own conclusion. I agree that it’s confusing and I agree 100 percent that research, you could say, can be interpreted in different ways. You can also say that there are differing levels of quality of interpretation of research, and there’s a lot of confirmation bias. So, if you have a particular point of view, it’s very easy to look at a study and just pick the parts that [are] supported or interpreted in such a way that support your point of view rather than looking at it objectively and dispassionately. Ultimately, I don’t spend a lot of time trying to convince people to follow a particular diet. I think that can be a waste of energy, and I view it is my job just to educate and provide information, and then people will come to their own conclusion. They’ll also reach a kind of conclusion based on their own experience with trying things, and I do have patients that are vegan and vegetarian, and I don’t generally try to dissuade them from doing that. If we do lab tests, for example, that show deficiencies in a lot of nutrients that I think could be related to their diet choices, I will definitely share that with them, but even there, I’m not actively trying to convince them to do something different. I’m just offering the information, and it’s up to them what they do with that.