Vegan - what is the attraction?

[herm]

I'd like to ask how many Non-vegans do you know that "balance their diets property...." ?
I know far too many people who have poor health partially because of their diets - vegan, non-vegan, and all shades in-between.

and  oooh and  oh my

very few. thats why i mentioned exchanging one unhealthy diet for another.

[ducatiz]

all of the vegans i know have horrible gas from the huge amounts of legums and beans they have to eat.  you just can't get away from it, humans are designed as omnivores -- too much of anything isn't good. 

i dated a chick years ago who was vegan, it lasted until she started spending nights.  she wouldn't fart during the day but at night it would just UNLOAD in her sleep.

i asked around and this was just the norm.

Cows?  Vegans.  2nd or 3rd biggest methane producers on the planet.

[ducpainter]

It seems to be working quite well for Clint Eastwood.


That fukker's like 200 years old.

Kids...

[Holden]

Cows? Vegans cannibals.

FIFYâ€"
You do know what they do with the downers, don't you?

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/158359_feed28.html

[Kopfjäger]

What are the physical, emotional, and psychological benefits of a vegan diet?

Vegan Philosophy and Lifestyle

[Grappa]

Vegans/vegetarians having bad gas?  I second that!  I lived with a guy who was vegan and he had the WORST gas ever.  Of course, it could have just been his metabolism and not necessarily the veganism, but DAMN.  You could be vegetarian/vegan for many reasons, as far as I know.  Health, environmental, animal welfare, taste preference.  I hope your niece doesn't fall into the category of being vegetarian because she thinks she is fat.  (Not all veggies are skinny by the way.)  Nothing wrong with a woman with some curves, in my opinion.  I like curves.  One reason why I ride a Ducati!   [moto]

I flirted with vegetarianism for a few weeks, just as a way to try to learn how to cook and incorporate a greater variety of vegetables into my diet.  Learned some new recipes and familiarized myself with some new spices.  I find it more challenging to cook a good, hearty meal without animal products, but I like a challenge.

[il d00d]

I want to get my two cents in before this becomes a "my dogma is better than your dogma" kind of discussion.

I am not challenging any particular person's beliefs here, but how deep do vegans and vegetarians dive into the ethical question?  Having just re-watched Food Inc, and experienced the same disgust at seeing Monsanto* sue an apparently legal seed cleaning operation, I wonder if the vegetarians and vegans are taking note of this and adjusting their diet or consumption accordingly.  This kind of legal exploitation is just as graphic as making a cow stand ankle deep in its own shit its entire life before being sent off to slaughter.

In short, I don't have any beef (ha!) with vegans - I am a big fan of people acting on principle.  In most cases, the more Quixotic, the better.  I do take exception to an arbitrary application of an ethic.  If you pick and choose what you observe, or how you respond to crises of conscience, it begins to look more like superstition than principle.

For those that walk the walk, keep doing what you're doing.


* If you haven't watched the movie, Monsanto sells soy seeds to farmers - they own the intellectual property which is Roundup-resistant soy plants.  About 95% of all soy farmers in the US use Monsanto seed - about 80% of the corn planted in the US is Monsanto GMO.  Monsanto seed can't be re-used - if farmers do clean and re-use their seed, they risk being black-listed and sued.  The case in question involved a seed cleaner who did not work for Monsanto-using farmers.
Here's some other good news:
"The price of seeds is already rising. Monsanto increased some corn seed prices last year by 25 percent, with an additional 7 percent hike planned for corn seeds in 2010. Monsanto brand soybean seeds climbed 28 percent last year and will be flat or up 6 percent in 2010, said company spokeswoman Kelli Powers. "

[Kopfjäger]

^^^

[Bun-bun]

I understand Tonys point, as I have had vegetarians/vegans denigrate my eating of meat. My wife uses the line "If god didn't want us to eat meat, he wouldn't have made it taste so damned good!" This seems to quell the veg preaching, or at least slow it down. There are always going to be some people who think they can "help" you come to their way of thinking.I get people telling me to quit smoking, quit eating meat, quit drinking soda, etc. I even had a woman in the post office two weeks ago ask me if I knew God!

Most people who have made a certain life choice are quite happy to live and let live. Those that know me personally know that I don't drink alcohol. It makes me break out . . . in stupidity. However, I keep a stocked bar for my friends, and will gladly pour you a glass of single malt, or make a pitcher of mojitos on a hot summer evening.

My reason for the original post was to get some further info on veganism so that I could better understand my neices choice, and try to figure out if there was a way she could be vegan and still be healthy. Thanks to all who replied with videos and sources of information.

[mstevens]

Veganism doesn't involve enough bacon to keep me happy, but I know a number of very healthy vegans.

As others have pointed out, there is almost certainly something wrong with this young woman. If she has symptoms of a vitamin deficiency, then her diet is very problematic. If she knows she has a nutritional deficiency and does nothing about it, that's just plain worrisome. Many vegans get all the nutrients they need in their regular diet, but many use vitamin and other supplements for the same reason that people on other diets use them.

There's also the issue of being taken out to her restaurant of choice yet still not appearing to eat or enjoy food. This may be an issue of the announced diet choice being used as a smokescreen for a problem such as food avoidance.

[cyrus buelton]

Humans = mammals = omnivores.


Just my worthless two cents.

[brix821]

bun bun.. if i can help in anyway...shoot me a p.m. and will get you my number and we can talk.

[Speedbag]

Vegans/vegetarians having bad gas?  I second that!  I lived with a guy who was vegan and he had the WORST gas ever.  Of course, it could have just been his metabolism and not necessarily the veganism, but DAMN. 

I'm pretty sure I would be seriously lethal if I became a vegan....

[mstevens]

Humans = mammals = omnivores.

Humans = mammals - absolutely and verifiably true. Verifying this can be sort of fun.

Humans = omnivores - probably mostly correct from a biological and evolutionary standpoint, but given the existence of human vegetarians and the historical reliance of polar peoples on completely carnivorous diets, verifiably untrue if applied to all humans.

mammals = omnivores - utter and complete nonsense. Many mammalian species are non-carnivorous, and mammalian omnivores are relatively uncommon.

[ducpainter]

Humans = mammals - absolutely and verifiably true. Verifying this can be sort of fun.

Humans = omnivores - probably mostly correct from a biological and evolutionary standpoint, but given the existence of human vegetarians and the historical reliance of polar peoples on completely carnivorous diets, verifiably untrue if applied to all humans.

mammals = omnivores - utter and complete nonsense. Many mammalian species are non-carnivorous, and mammalian omnivores are relatively uncommon.

a far truer equation...

cyrus = spoken bullshit.