Made in Elements
Vegan on Vegan (verbal) Violence
Published 8.24.2026: Recently, Youtube pushed a video at me from Jeff Nelson at Veg Source. He has a website and all that, but I’m not linking to it. (Front page rule for the win!) If you google him you’ll find it. In this video he launches a broad side against Joel Fuhrman (vegan doctor) because Fuhrman claims that absent a lot of supplements (beyon B12) vegans will age unhealthily.
Joel Furhman sells supplements, including DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). Fuhrman claims that vegans need to supplement DHA or they are at risk for developing dementia as they age. Certainly they are at risk if they don’t supplement B12. Jeff Nelson doesn’t think that vegans need to supplement DHA and thinks Fuhrman is “talking his book” as a supplement salesman. This is his first YouTube attacking Fuhrman’s position; this is the second.
I’ll admit that I never questioned Fuhrman’s statements on the research. I have always noted that he sells supplements— and that he thinks that vegans need to supplemet more than B12 to be healthy. But I think I’m also guilty of giving Fuhrman too much credit. I like the fact that although he eschews oil, he is not a low fat guru, he will eat nuts, seeds, and avacado. That said, he’s also a believer in calorie restriction (though he doesn’t call it that) for longevity. For the record (and my size show this) I do not believe that.
Jeff Nelson is a low fat guy, he and Peter Rogers (a low fat vegan doctor with a YouTube channel) have made videos together. Peter Rogers is the guy who got himself banned from Chef AJ’s channel when he included some sexually inappropriate messages in his tribute to Dr John McDougall. McDougall was a low fat doctor, who died early. He was not anti-salt or sugar, in part because he knew that his diet wasn’t really the long term solution that he presented it as.
I’ve read McDougall’s book, and perhaps I’ll reformat that so that I can link to it. I think he was an undiagnosed binge eater. I’m not any sort of medical professional, but it’s my opinion. But it gives me an excuse to state my standard disclaimer: As a nonmedical professional of any description, DO NOT TAKE MEDICAL ADVISE FROM ME!!
This would not be Fuhrman’s first foray into controversey. Neither T Colin Campbell or Esslestyn will have anything to do with him, nor would the late Dr. McDougall after he got caught misrepresenting his “research.” His "research" is no different than what you or I could do with Google, He does NOT do randomized control trials, at best he has case studies. He IS a medical professional, and can give advice. I’ve read a number of his books, though I think eat to live is the only one I reviewed. That review was years ago, and I don’t think Google will find it again. His tune hasn’t changed, though he used to allow 10% of his diet could be animal products. He changed that, and now advocates a purely vegan diet— one that includes nuts and seeds (and supplements), which puts him on Jeff Nelson’s list.
I’ll let you watch the videos, but suffice it to say, Jeff Nelson is a healthy, 70 year-old vegan who does NOT supplement DHA, Fuhrman’s or any other. He is resolutely low fat, and a likely follower of John McDougall, whose book I did not enjoy and would not recommend. His wife followed the diet and healed herself of some chronic disease— which is evidence of exactly nothing. But it does explain his adherence to the diet.
Nelson also talks about Rhonda Patrick (and the Barbell Medicine podcast has debunked her a few times on their “Quack Watch". I used to listen to her podcast, I no longer do. Not sure I’d put Patrick and Fuhrman into the same group, but if they are both misleading their audience or misreading the research, then maybe it fits. I’ll say this about vegans though, they should be VERY careful about labeling people as cherry pickers. They themselves do a LOT of cherry picking.