I don't think it matters if you're a California glam vegan or a Bowery vegan or any other kind. It doesn't matter if you dot kelp caviar or applesauce on your plate. I think Jeff Gordinier's entertaining article is referring to vegan food's tendency to give off a medicinal good-for-you air, when it can be enthralling in the right hands. The people in "That Vegan Glow" gave vegan fare the attention and tinsel it deserved. I happen to sit down to plants on my plate because of my unity with factory-type farmed animals and my hope for more rescues. It's all good.
did you grow up eating delicious homemade food? what i noticed is that most vegans/vegetarians i know personally had a mom who made terrible tasting food. like my brother said, have you ever met a french or an italian who is a vegan?
1
Lol, that sounds terrible. I have known a few like that as well. Unfortunately their vegan food sucked as well. I mean even the salads were bad. They have gotten better after receiving some neat Asian inspired cookbooks. Some people may not have had the inclination or the background to put a balanced dish together. Both sides of my family are comprised of amazing cooks. I went vegan after going to undergrad for my pre-vet degree. We were all geared up to work with cats and dogs but were quickly informed that we'd become desensitized after our first slaughter. After that first year, going home to pull in the crab baskets didn't seem quite as great as it used to be. I used to sell pound cakes and cheesecakes to get through school and also had requests for my all white mac n cheese as Christmas gifts. Creative people have no problem switching over. I still make really good baked goods. I'm not gloating. My food just tastes great to vegans and non vegans alike. There are also things that I can't recreate. My mother used to make a great seafood stuffing but passed before I could get the recipe and I have given up on it. Look at omnivores like Kenji Lopez and Roberto Martin. They are great for making really good food...that just happens to be plant based. When you're vegan every day is like an episode of Chopped. I don't go out and rally or preach. I make food and dress nicely. People ask about it and incorporate these without associating them with veganism. Good is good.
1
My mom and my huband's mom cooked delicious food and they taught us to cook our own food at home. Most every night.
We eat mostly vegan, all vegetarian and BTW my husband is Italian.
If I go out to eat vegan, it has to be something that's too difficult to make at home or something really creative, like the food at Angelika Kitchen in NYC.
I think eating well can include meat - it's just not for me.
We eat mostly vegan, all vegetarian and BTW my husband is Italian.
If I go out to eat vegan, it has to be something that's too difficult to make at home or something really creative, like the food at Angelika Kitchen in NYC.
I think eating well can include meat - it's just not for me.
Morning: Raw Organic Oatmeal with Yogurt and bananas, espresso, filtered water. Mid Morning: Organic tomatoes, lettuce leaves, pickled carrots. Lunch: Tuna salad, pickled cucumber, boiled egg. Dinner: 4oz. Filet, green beans, baked potato, butter. Several glasses of wine.
What's wrong with that? Nothing. Moderation and a respect for where your food is sourced. I'm tired..er...bored with the preaching about food, Much like all the other preaching going on. Enjoy your life. Enjoy food.
What's wrong with that? Nothing. Moderation and a respect for where your food is sourced. I'm tired..er...bored with the preaching about food, Much like all the other preaching going on. Enjoy your life. Enjoy food.
1
I wonder why some vegans feel that shaming meat eaters is an effective way of conveying their message? I could consume a mostly vegan diet based on what I already eat, but once I hear the judgment, I feel like going out and getting a mass produced burger. We get it; all us meat eaters are immoral and the cause of mass animal suffering.
Why not try to entice us barbarians with food based on its taste first, and then health benefits, without bringing in the moral judgment? It's not like there's a shortage of potential there. Beans and vegetables are delicious. Nuts are satisfying and packed with protein and minerals. And the cooking world has exploded with creativity in the past 10 - 15 years. You just have to package it differently.
Why not try to entice us barbarians with food based on its taste first, and then health benefits, without bringing in the moral judgment? It's not like there's a shortage of potential there. Beans and vegetables are delicious. Nuts are satisfying and packed with protein and minerals. And the cooking world has exploded with creativity in the past 10 - 15 years. You just have to package it differently.
3
Julia Child would recoil in horror. The worst wedding I ever attended was Vegan. We were made to feel slightly less than human by the organizers. The food was beyond uneatable. Nobody would have had a problem with a vegetarian meal, it could have been wonderful but a bit of cheese or egg seemed to be beyond the pale for the bride. Still can't get over that lousy, lousy meal.
7
I say the same thing about the weddings I attended as a member of the bridal party. Even at the head table, where orders were given to prepare something I could eat (lacto-ovo vegetarian at that time so it wasn't that difficult) they'd serve meat and tell me to remove it from the plate if I didn't like it. I even had the experience of waiting so long for a meal that the cake was coming out by the time I was served grilled cheese, as if to teach me a lesson for being too demanding.
I went to a vegetarian wedding. Guests knew they were vegetarian, were told in advance they would be served vegetarian food. A large number of guests complained bitterly about the lack of meat and why the couple couldn't get over themselves and serve up meat. Everytime I see these people it is whinge about the food at this wedding, even though it was quite good, just not what they were used to and with different flavours. I can't comment on yours but will say - you got invited to the wedding and you whine about the food? Food you did not like at a wedding makes you feel like you were treated 'worse than human'? Time to relook at what you are focusing on here.
8
Plant-based IS accessible and affordable. Here is a free and amazing program that guides you through 21 days of eating a healthy, plant-based diet. It's really motivating and interesting!
http://www.pcrm.org/kickstartHome
http://www.pcrm.org/kickstartHome
6
PCRM's program is outstanding, as are those from "Forks Over Knives" http://www.forksoverknives.com/the-fok-diet/ and Engine 2. This new one from Lani Muelrath should also be at the top of any list:
http://lanimuelrath.com/plant-based-journey/resources/
http://lanimuelrath.com/plant-based-journey/resources/
This is exactly what I am trying to do with my recipes, be the vegan Julia Child! I think I have even written that on more than one occasion. Vegan cooking can be difficult, but it can be so simple, just like any other cooking. It's all about replacing old habits with new ones. Once you get the swing of it, it's as easy as cooking any other meal. I promise.
http://itdoesnttastelikechicken.com/
http://itdoesnttastelikechicken.com/
4
"Whole-food plant-based" vegan shopping, cooking and eating is already easy, accessible and affordable -- and always has been. Its diet of legumes, whole grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds is traditionally the diet of the poor, and of most human beings for most of our history. Meat and dairy have traditionally been the elite food of the rich, until modern subsidies made those foods artificially low out-of-pocket cost.
As noted, we already have Isa as a Julia Child, but many others provide wonderful guidance and recipes, all whole-food: Forks Over Knives cookbooks and on-line recipes, Ellen Jaffe Jones's "Vegan on $4 A Day", Jeff Novick, Dreena Burton, Lindsay Nixon, Neal Barnard, and -- for those more ambitious cooks who wish to recreate meat and dairy dishes from plant foods at home -- Skye Michael Conroy ("The Gentle Chef") and Miyoko Schinner, not to mention the cookbooks from The Millenium Restaurant.
One of veganism's challenges was making rice and beans desirable and aspirational, as most people choose animal foods -- symbols of status, wealth and power -- when their economic circumstances make that possible. Seems like we've done too good a job of meeting that challenge, and veganism is now incorrectly viewed as expensive and elitist. It is not about $12 green juices! It's about making one's diet aligned with values all of us already have and share, namely rejecting exploitation, suffering and death of animals (and of humans too).
As noted, we already have Isa as a Julia Child, but many others provide wonderful guidance and recipes, all whole-food: Forks Over Knives cookbooks and on-line recipes, Ellen Jaffe Jones's "Vegan on $4 A Day", Jeff Novick, Dreena Burton, Lindsay Nixon, Neal Barnard, and -- for those more ambitious cooks who wish to recreate meat and dairy dishes from plant foods at home -- Skye Michael Conroy ("The Gentle Chef") and Miyoko Schinner, not to mention the cookbooks from The Millenium Restaurant.
One of veganism's challenges was making rice and beans desirable and aspirational, as most people choose animal foods -- symbols of status, wealth and power -- when their economic circumstances make that possible. Seems like we've done too good a job of meeting that challenge, and veganism is now incorrectly viewed as expensive and elitist. It is not about $12 green juices! It's about making one's diet aligned with values all of us already have and share, namely rejecting exploitation, suffering and death of animals (and of humans too).
16
We have several vegan Julia Childs. My very favorite is Lindsay Nixon, The Happy Herbivore. (www.happyherbivore.com) Her recipes are delicious, economical, and simple - just what I love. She is my go-to for everything.
And tied for favorite is the dynamic duo of Ann Crile Esselstyn and Jane Esselstyn, whose recipes feature in Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease and the Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease Cookbook. I absolutely LOVE those recipes. Again, they're simple, delicious, and inexpensive.
And there's LeAnn Campbell of the various China Study cookbooks.
Also like Del Stroufe from Forks Over Knives.
And, although his only claim is that his food is vegan, not delicious, there's The Vegan Dad http://vegandad.blogspot.com/ Despite what he says, his food is great.
And, any book by Dr. Neal Barnard has great and extremely simple recipes.
These wonderful people are all basic, down-home, excellent cooks and cookbook authors. When I first switched to a plant-based diet, I was amazed at how many excellent vegan cookbooks there are - and many more have been published in the last few years.
And tied for favorite is the dynamic duo of Ann Crile Esselstyn and Jane Esselstyn, whose recipes feature in Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease and the Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease Cookbook. I absolutely LOVE those recipes. Again, they're simple, delicious, and inexpensive.
And there's LeAnn Campbell of the various China Study cookbooks.
Also like Del Stroufe from Forks Over Knives.
And, although his only claim is that his food is vegan, not delicious, there's The Vegan Dad http://vegandad.blogspot.com/ Despite what he says, his food is great.
And, any book by Dr. Neal Barnard has great and extremely simple recipes.
These wonderful people are all basic, down-home, excellent cooks and cookbook authors. When I first switched to a plant-based diet, I was amazed at how many excellent vegan cookbooks there are - and many more have been published in the last few years.
6
If these were truly "vegan Julia Child" standins then people who weren't vegan would actually know who these people are.
I see some comments that are variations of "meat made us smart." I would like all the smart meat and dairy eaters to figure out how smart they really are. We are managing to destroy the environment, cause irreversible climate disruption and are killing of species at the fastest rate ever in history of life on earth. The only thing that would convince me that we are "smart" is to adopt a plant-based diet, across the board, for everyone. Let alone relieving the suffering of unimaginably vast numbers of animals (including sea animals it adds up to over a trillion a year killed for human food, ALL unnecessary), let alone attempting to save the planet for what we hope may be future generations of humans, let alone our own health, we can feed all the hungry people in the world today, with plant foods used to fatten animals killed for food.
How smart are we? When the answer is just so obvious. How smart are we?
How smart are we? When the answer is just so obvious. How smart are we?
14
We have a vegan Julia Child. Her name is Isa Chandra Moskowitz. Look her up.
18
If you want to know why it's immoral to our brethren or what they produce, watch the film "Cowspiracy." The specious argument that one food choice is as good as another has never held up to scrutiny, and with climate change the single-most important issue facing the planet, it's ludicrous to ignore that animal agriculture is the leading (read: primary) cause of climate change. I'll repeat that again. What we eat, what we sustain ourselves with, is the leading cause of the greatest challenge humanity has ever faced. If we can't find a way to change over to a plant-based diet, we are, to put it simply, doomed.
16
My wife and I have been vegan 95% of the time for the past 6 years. We are both over sixty. I can assure you that there is way that we are going back to eating chicken, pork, beef, dairy products and aqua culture times on a regular basis again. A small piece of fish or shrimp every couple of weeks is all that we ever need . I never get colds anymore unless I sit on a plane for 18 hours at a stretch. I attribute that to my dietary habits.
5
Wonder how many vegans and vegetarians eat meat on the sly?
1
I did once, about six months after going vegetarian. Didn't feel too well after. It's been a meat-free quarter century now (and twelve years without dairy and egg), and I don't miss it at all.
We already have a vegan Julia Child: Isa Chandra Moskowitz. Her recipes range in complexity, mostly employ readily-available ingredients, and don't rely on storebought fake meats or cheeses. Bonus is that there's no self-righteous attitude or body shaming, which you tend to get in faddier vegan cookbooks. Miyoko Schinner and Bryant Terry are also great for more experienced cooks or people who don't mind slightly more time consuming recipes.
11
I am an omnivore and I have no dilemma.
12
Joe in Iowa seems unaware that producing animal-based foods involves cruelty against the defenseless. That is inescapably a moral issue.
13
There are, in fact, incredible online sources for vegan/plant-based recipes that are geared toward everyday people who don't want to spend a lot of money or time in the kitchen, but who STILL want food that is delicious and familiar, with ingredients that are easy to find. Check out the free recipes at StraightUpFood.com, as well as the Happy Herbivore cookbooks to name just two.
3
I find this all so preposterous...eat what you want in moderation...don't make it a cult or some glamourous trend. Spare us the expensive hand raised "heirloom" vegetables. What is needed is a program that feeds all Americans regardless of incomes healthy satisfying food. Eat plants sure...but teach people how to cook them. Edible Schoolyards setting a great example.
9
I was quite surprised to see that the recipes contained refined sugar...??
Furthermore, if food has to be processed so much, then isn't that defeating the
purpose of eating real, healthful food?
Furthermore, if food has to be processed so much, then isn't that defeating the
purpose of eating real, healthful food?
1
There are good arguments on both sides of the fence with this issue. One fact is indisputable: over millions of years, we have evolved into our present state of exceptionally high intelligence - eating meat.
9
The other indisputable facts are that a diet high in animal protein correlates to osteoporosis, erectile dysfunction, heart diseases. These are all Western diet related diseases.
12
The idea that meat was necessary for human brain development is but one hypothesis - key word is hypothesis. In science a hypothesis is far from fact, yet everyone who tries to use this argument to justify carnism states it as if it were fact. There is actually a competing hypothesis, which states that it was the cooking of starch that was most instrumental for the development of our brains. Now, this makes more sense to me since the brain uses glucose (glucose is found in starch) as its fuel. In any case, these are both hypothesis and I doubt we'll ever be able to state with certainty what it is our ancestors ate that led to the development of our brain.
However, what we do know with certainty is that a vegan diet is healthy for all individuals, including pregnant women and infants; all the major medical associations acknowledge this. If (and this is a big IF) eating meat was at one point necessary to develop intelligent brains, which led to the construction of civilizations, then it's ironic that it is now leading to the destruction of our environment. This is the bottom line: there is no reason to eat meat other than taste.
References:
Article which discusses the hypothesis that cooked starch was integral in our brain development
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/13/science/for-evolving-brains-a-paleo-di...
American Dietetic Association's statement that a vegan diet is healthy for all individuals
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19562864
However, what we do know with certainty is that a vegan diet is healthy for all individuals, including pregnant women and infants; all the major medical associations acknowledge this. If (and this is a big IF) eating meat was at one point necessary to develop intelligent brains, which led to the construction of civilizations, then it's ironic that it is now leading to the destruction of our environment. This is the bottom line: there is no reason to eat meat other than taste.
References:
Article which discusses the hypothesis that cooked starch was integral in our brain development
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/13/science/for-evolving-brains-a-paleo-di...
American Dietetic Association's statement that a vegan diet is healthy for all individuals
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19562864
2
That is not so certain. Cooking starches greatly increased energy availabilty of starchy foods. Humans have far more ability to process these carbohydrates than our nearest relatives and have evolved the genes to process them. Evidece is emerging (or old evidecnce which was ignored) that the primary sources of nutritian for early humans was plant based, with meat scavenged when available. The ability to cook and process food, thereby increasing energy availabilty of plant based foods (e.g. a cooked potato can have 20x the available energy than an uncooked potato) provides the energy surplus to power the human brain. Meat, though providing important nutrients, took vastly more energy to hunt than it provided in energy. Evidence for porridge consumption goes back 35000 years, far earlier than the agricultural revolution. Prehistoric teeth markings indicate that the diet was primarily plant based not animal. The ability to control firand he resulting improvement in nutritional value of plant based foods is probably the prime source of energy which allowed our brains to expand, not meat.
If vegan food is tasty and well presented, then that is excellent and should stand on its own. That will convert those who are willing to explore the vegan lifestyle. What has and continues to be an impediment is the sanctimonious holier than thou preaching by those who oppose the omnivore diet. You are welcome to your opinion, but to try to shame others for their different diet will not win converts.
15
I am tired of the assertion that veganism is healthier without any scientific proof. Eat what you want, but please leave me alone with all the holier-than-thou theories. I am tired of people trying to shame me for eating an omnivore's diet. Did you know that trees can communicate with each other? Better stop eating everything!
27
I would recommend starting out with "Whole: Rethinking the Science of Nutrition."
Research increasingly links meat and milk consumption with higher rates of cancer, heart disease, and other ailments.
I say "increasingly," because the link has already been established by science. Further research has only been confirming it again, and again, and again. This research includes both population studies and microbiological research. At every level, the science points to the same conclusion: in the long run, a well-rounded diet centered on vegetables, whole grains, fruits, and nuts is just ideal for longevity and health.
The research is out there, for anyone who cares to look for it.
Research increasingly links meat and milk consumption with higher rates of cancer, heart disease, and other ailments.
I say "increasingly," because the link has already been established by science. Further research has only been confirming it again, and again, and again. This research includes both population studies and microbiological research. At every level, the science points to the same conclusion: in the long run, a well-rounded diet centered on vegetables, whole grains, fruits, and nuts is just ideal for longevity and health.
The research is out there, for anyone who cares to look for it.
38
Trees may communicate with each other but that doesn't mean that they are consciously aware or able to suffer fear and pain. There is no credible scientific evidence that plants are sentient. In contrast, we know that animals are sentient.
Using animals for food entails needless suffering and death. All of the nutrients derived from animals/animal products can be obtained more healthfully, humanely, and environmentally responsibly from plant sources. Needlessly harming animals for food or for anything else is animal abuse. There's plenty to eat without harming other sentient beings, and there is no valid justification for needlessly harming them.
Using animals for food entails needless suffering and death. All of the nutrients derived from animals/animal products can be obtained more healthfully, humanely, and environmentally responsibly from plant sources. Needlessly harming animals for food or for anything else is animal abuse. There's plenty to eat without harming other sentient beings, and there is no valid justification for needlessly harming them.
24
Plants do not possess a brain or a nervous system, which are necessary for sentience. Yes, plants have a certain degree of intelligent organization which allows them to communicate in ways that we may not be fully aware of. However, this is also true of lower life forms, such as bacteria, fungi, protists - do these organisms warrant moral consideration as well? The answer is no, since none of them (including plants) are sentient. At the end of this comment I will post a link to an interview with a biologist who studies plant intelligence. Not even he believes that plants are capable of suffering.
Additionally, if one is concerned with killing plants, then a vegan diet is the one that causes the least harm. When we consume animals we are also consuming all the crops that are grown to feed them (the majority of the crops grown in this country are used to feed animals!). Therefore, a vegan diet still wins out.
Reference:
Interview with plant biologist
http://www.vice.com/read/we-asked-a-botanist-how-sure-science-is-that-pl...
Additionally, if one is concerned with killing plants, then a vegan diet is the one that causes the least harm. When we consume animals we are also consuming all the crops that are grown to feed them (the majority of the crops grown in this country are used to feed animals!). Therefore, a vegan diet still wins out.
Reference:
Interview with plant biologist
http://www.vice.com/read/we-asked-a-botanist-how-sure-science-is-that-pl...
4
My wife was vegetarian for a number of years and I spent those years being a vegetarian at home. I had no problem with it and I enjoyed what we ate. For those looking for satisfying vegetarian food I'd recommend any cookbook by Molly Katzen (of Moosewood fame).
Veganism, however, has always been one step too far for me. There is no reason that I can see not to partake in the benefit of well treated dairy cattle or bees or chickens.
To those who are Vegan and happy that way all I can say is bon appetite.
Veganism, however, has always been one step too far for me. There is no reason that I can see not to partake in the benefit of well treated dairy cattle or bees or chickens.
To those who are Vegan and happy that way all I can say is bon appetite.
34
The phrase "well-treated dairy cattle and chickens" is an oxymoron. In the United States, at least, the vast majority of animals raised and consumed for their meat or excretions live their short misery-filled lives in disgusting (and massively polluting) factory farms. Those very few who are raised in more "humane" settings have their lives ended in the exact same slaughterhouses as the factory farmed animals, because existing food safety legislation (another oxymoron, actually) stipulates that all animals intended for human consumption have to be killed in officially sanctioned facilities.
12
I encourage everyone who has access to Netflix streaming to watch Conspiracy. It is an excellent documentary about how animal agriculture (even so-called "sustainable" farming and backyard farming) is destroying our environment and contributing to global warming. As one person says, "you cannot be an environmentalist and eat animal products" (or something like that). Even though animal agriculture is responsible for the destruction of our land and seas, environmental nonprofits do not even mention this. They only talk about fossil fuels or fracking. It's time to step up and make a real difference if we want a healthy plant for our children and grandchildren.
26
Automobile admissions are responsible for environmental degradation. I hope you always avoid any transportation that involves fossil fuels. Human waste products are equally as bad as animal products. I hope you know how those waste products are disposed and making sure they are non-polluting. I hope you are practicing birth control in order to reduce people pollution. Plastics are choking our rivers, streams and oceans and killing sea life. I hope you never use any plastic. Electronics are full of poisons. I hope you are not using any computers or cell phones. Electricity generation is often done with coal burning. I hope you have solar panels on your roof. It's time for you to step up in these areas one hundred percent and then you can lecture me about eating the occasional piece of meat or an egg.
23
I am all for clean burning power and renewables, but this discussion is ridiculous. Any living organism, especially humans, creates destruction of other parts of the environment by virtue of their existence. We could return to a hunter gatherer lifestyle to minimize the impact, but I doubt there are many takers. Going vegan would have minimal impact. Your food still has to be produced and as Barbara points out you're still using a lot of power generating things in your day to day life. Me, I will continue eating meat and have zero apologies.
12
I think Barbara and Dave both missed your point here. I don't understand the defensive anger of statements like "Stop lecturing me!"
The point of the movie is that animal agriculture is one of the largest sources of environmental degradation. Do with that information what you will.
Personally, I think humans should try to minimize their impact in all arenas. You are right it is hard to be 100% perfect across the board. For me that is not enough of a justification to just continue going about doing whatever I want. It is also interesting to think about why our government is subsidizing animal agriculture and if that is an investment we really want to make.
The point of the movie is that animal agriculture is one of the largest sources of environmental degradation. Do with that information what you will.
Personally, I think humans should try to minimize their impact in all arenas. You are right it is hard to be 100% perfect across the board. For me that is not enough of a justification to just continue going about doing whatever I want. It is also interesting to think about why our government is subsidizing animal agriculture and if that is an investment we really want to make.
36
Good thing we weren't vegan as the species gradually morphed into Sapiens. With out the meat and plenty of it we may not have made the cut from semi-simians. (Brain size, I believe.)
This, by the way, is verifiable.
Anyway, if vegans got you under its spell, prolly OK stuff, because all kinds proteins are "formable" Just don't forget the B12. And, oh yes, I do notice many vegan versions of meats and cheeses. Interesting stuff, food.
naf
This, by the way, is verifiable.
Anyway, if vegans got you under its spell, prolly OK stuff, because all kinds proteins are "formable" Just don't forget the B12. And, oh yes, I do notice many vegan versions of meats and cheeses. Interesting stuff, food.
naf
21
I don't believe it was the introduction of meat as much as the discovery of cooking food that allowed the brain to grow quickly bc the food could be metabolized more easily. I think.
8
Yes what you say is a fact. The human brain depended on meat included in the diet. Humans have canine teeth which verifies the fact we are omnivores. I'm not interested in vegan imitations of meats and cheeses, I will stick to the real thing.
3
The brain runs on glucose, available in carbohydrates. This is not vegan propaganda. It's mainstream science.
3
You don't have to be a "foodie" or spend a lot of money at fancy stores to eat a healthy plant-based diet. Inexpensive items like beans, brown rice, potatoes, whole grain pasta, and some fresh fruits and vegetables are all that are needed to support one's nutritional needs and prevent or even reverse serious diseases that directly caused by the Standard American Diet. I recommend watching "Forks Over Knives" (available on Netflix) and checking out books like "The Engine 2 Diet" by Rip Esselstyn or "The Starch Solution" by Dr. John McDougall. If you want to eat out at a fancy vegan restaurant that takes plant-based recipes to an art form, that's perfectly fine and occasionally desirable---but the larger population suffering from the Western disease-causing diet need to know that eating healthy and plant-based is not rocket science or for the wealthy. In fact it can even cost less than the cheap (subsidized) fast foods being so heavily marketed to the poorest Americans.
43
Fortunately the choices aren't limited to veganism and the so-called standard American diet, or to eating supposedly "subsidized" fast food. For dinner I had some salmon sashimi and a salad. But what's interesting is a good fraction of "vegans" I have known are fat, some very fat. Many won't find this surprising since as you describe the diet consist of large amounts of rice, potatoes, and pasta. All things that contribute to obesity for those with the right body type. If someone wants to be vegan that is fine with me but what's interesting is that its pushed with religious fervor. Humans are omnivores, this is scientific fact - and I will continue to eat meat.
13
It sounds like you don't know many vegans. I do, and they are among the slimmest, fittest people I know. Most vegan diets include lots of fiber - something that is absent in meat and other animal products.
As omnivores we can thrive on a plant-sourced (i.e., vegan) diet. As moral agents we should act to live without causing other sentient beings to needlessly suffer, such as they do when they are used for food. Advocating the protection of others from needless harm SHOULD be zealously promoted - and heeded.
As omnivores we can thrive on a plant-sourced (i.e., vegan) diet. As moral agents we should act to live without causing other sentient beings to needlessly suffer, such as they do when they are used for food. Advocating the protection of others from needless harm SHOULD be zealously promoted - and heeded.
6
Correction: SOME people can thrive on a vegan diet. Like Dave above, I know more overweight vegans than slender ones. One of the overweight vegans bicycles 25 miles a week, is still overweight, and catches every single bug that comes around. The overweight vegans seem to eat a lot of sugar--and a craving for sweets is a sign of malnutrition.
Some of us know from experience that we balloon up if we eat too many grains or too much sugar. In addition, if I eat soy products more than about once a week, I develop allergy symptoms.
The diet that works best for me is made up mostly of vegetables with a bit of animal protein on the side, i.e. an Asian diet. If you travel in Asia and look at what people there actually eat, you will find no vegans other than Buddhist monks or members of the Jain religion, lots of vegetables and rice (although not as much rice as is usually served in restaurants in the U.S.), and small amounts of meat and seafood. Even in India, most people eat dairy products and eggs.
Some of these regions have known severe famines within living memory. When Western travelers have tantrums because the noodle vendor used fish or chicken broth or the cook used yogurt in making their curry, they come off as privileged brats.
Eat what works for you. Shop where you can avoid factory farm products. Don't make a religion out of it, and don't act like the food police or the food missionaries.
Some of us know from experience that we balloon up if we eat too many grains or too much sugar. In addition, if I eat soy products more than about once a week, I develop allergy symptoms.
The diet that works best for me is made up mostly of vegetables with a bit of animal protein on the side, i.e. an Asian diet. If you travel in Asia and look at what people there actually eat, you will find no vegans other than Buddhist monks or members of the Jain religion, lots of vegetables and rice (although not as much rice as is usually served in restaurants in the U.S.), and small amounts of meat and seafood. Even in India, most people eat dairy products and eggs.
Some of these regions have known severe famines within living memory. When Western travelers have tantrums because the noodle vendor used fish or chicken broth or the cook used yogurt in making their curry, they come off as privileged brats.
Eat what works for you. Shop where you can avoid factory farm products. Don't make a religion out of it, and don't act like the food police or the food missionaries.
1
If it was about the animals, why have a problem with eating the unfertilized eggs of chickens raised in the country, scratching for worms and clucking around the yard? Who does that hurt? What's the problem with milk, yogurt, or cheese from humanely raised and treated cows? And no one hurts the bees when they collect the honey - that would be counterproductive.
Those of us who eat eggs and dairy (including vegetarians) have a better chance of making life better for dairy animals and egg-laying hens, as we can demand that our food come from happy, well-treated animals and refuse to buy eggs and dairy from mass concerns. Vegans have removed themselves from that cycle, and can have no effect on the treatment of those animals.
I once read about a vegan woman who stands near a slaughterhouse and tells truckloads of pigs turning in at the gate that she loves them. I'm sure it makes her feel good about herself, but I don't think it does much for the pigs.