5@5 is a daily, food-related list from chefs, writers, political pundits, musicians, actors, and all manner of opinionated people from around the globe.
What do former President Bill Clinton, Russell Simmons and Ellen DeGeneres have in common?
If you said they all steer clear of animal products, then ding ding ding, we have a winner!
From international bake sales to critically acclaimed documentaries, veganism is officially mainstream - but that doesn't mean the plant-based diet still doesn't have its skeptics. Even the most devout of vegetarians shudder at the thought of the other "v" word, pledging their allegiance to the United States of Grilled Cheese.
If nixing dairy, meat, eggs and butter still sounds just as fun as stubbing your toe or sitting next to that person on the subway, chef Chloe Coscarelli - the first vegan to win a Food Network cooking competition - is here to make her case.
Why Veganism Isn't As Terrible As It's Made Out To Be: Chloe Coscarelli
1. Less fat, more flavor
"When you replace artery-clogging saturated animal fats with plant-based ingredients, you're automatically making your dish more healthful and more flavorful. Instead of grilling a piece of meat and relying on animal fat for flavor, use a creative array of vegetables, grains, legumes, herbs, and spices to create innovative and exciting dishes. Cooking vegan is a great way to add a variety of flavors, colors, and nutrients into your diet, without busting your belt!
For example, rather than making plain ol' burgers that you could buy at any fast-food chain, I like to make 'Mexicali Sliders' that consist of savory black bean patties topped with spicy mango sauce and guacamole. The black bean patties are rich in protein, high in fiber, low-fat, and packed with flavor. Caramelized onions are the secret ingredient to these patties because they add moisture and sweetness.
And hold the mayo! My spicy mango sauce is made from mangoes and sun-dried tomatoes that make for a sweet, creamy, cholesterol-free condiment. These sliders are vibrant in color and packed with sweet, savory, and spicy flavor - the perfect low-fat easy fix for your burger cravings."
Mexicali Sliders
For the Black Bean Patties
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 small carrot, peeled and finely diced or shredded (about 1/2 cup)
- 1/2 cup cornmeal
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1/4 cup water
For the Spicy Mango Sauce
- 1 mango, peeled and cut
- 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, whole or sliced
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 tablespoon white or apple cider vinegar
- 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
For the Guacamole
- 3 avocados, halved, pitted and peeled
- 2 tablespoons lime or lemon juice
- 1/4 cup salsa fresca
- sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 12 to 15 mini buns or dinner rolls
Cooking Directions
- To make the black bean patties: In a large nonstick skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat. Add onions and let cook until tender and slightly caramelized, about 20 minutes. Transfer onions to a large bowl. Reserve skillet for later use.
- Add beans, carrots, cornmeal, breadcrumbs, chili powder, salt, cilantro, and water to the bowl of onions. Use a large spoon or your hands to mash it all together. If the mixture is too dry to hold together, add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time.
- Using your hands, form the bean mixture into patties, to match the size of your slider buns. In the reserved nonstick skillet, heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat, and pan-fry patties about 3 minutes on each side, until lightly browned and crisp. Add more oil to the skillet as needed. Drain patties on paper towels.
- To make the spicy mango sauce: Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
- To make the guacamole: In a large bowl, mash together avocado and lime juice, then fold in salsa fresca. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- To assemble the sliders: Slice each bun in half and layer a couple teaspoons of spicy mango sauce, a black bean patty, and about a tablespoon of guacamole. If you have extra spicy mango sauce, you can use it as a dip for your fries.
2. Vegan food is safer
"You don't have to worry about cross-contamination on your cutting board when you're not working with raw meat. Also, vegan ingredients don't spoil as quickly as meat and dairy products - score!
The biggest plus? When you're baking vegan, you can lick the spoon or taste the cookie dough because there are no raw eggs in sight and no threat of salmonella."
3. Anything you can do, I can do vegan
"We've all heard the stereotype that vegan food tastes bland and boring - wrong! You can cook just about any traditional food the vegan way. Sliders and fries, macaroni and cheese, Indian curries, Mexican tacos, the list goes on. Everything can be made meat-free with simple substitutions.
For instance, instead of making tacos with shredded pork, I like to fill my tacos with shredded oyster mushrooms, which are high in protein, cancer-fighting, and have a succulent, meaty texture.
Or rather than making pizza smothered in greasy cheese, I like to top my pizza with a creamy, garlicky white bean purée that adds much more flavor and nutrients than cheese.
Want creamy decadent fettuccine Alfredo without the cream? You're in luck because it tastes even better vegan-style. Blending raw cashews with water makes a perfect cream sauce base that can be infused with garlic, herbs or spices for savory dishes."
4. Vegan cupcakes rock
"Instead of baking with eggs, which are high in cholesterol, try using vinegar. I know it sounds strange, but vinegar is a great egg replacement in baking. When combined with baking soda, vinegar binds the cupcakes together, leaving no need for eggs. This trick makes for the most delicious and moist cupcakes, and I promise you won't taste the vinegar. Because if you could, there's no way I would have won first place with my vegan cupcakes on Food Network's 'Cupcake Wars.'"
Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes
For the cake
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (or gluten-free all-purpose flour plus 3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum)
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup coffee, water, or coconut milk
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 2 tablespoons white or apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
For the frosting
- 1 cup non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 to 5 tablespoons soy, almond, or rice milk
To garnish
- 1 1/2 cups hulled and sliced fresh strawberries
- powdered sugar
Cooking Directions
- To make the chocolate cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line 2 (12-cup) cupcake pans with 14 cupcake liners.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together coffee, oil, vinegar, and vanilla. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and whisk until just combined. Do not over mix.
- Fill the cupcake liners about two-thirds full with batter. Bake for 16 to 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean with a few crumbs clinging to it. Cool the cupcakes completely before frosting.
- To make the frosting: Using a handheld or stand mixer, beat the shortening until smooth. With the mixer running on low, add powdered sugar, vanilla, and 1 tablespoon nondairy milk at a time, as needed, until frosting reaches a spreadable consistency. You may not need to use all of the nondairy milk. Beat on high for 2 more minutes until light and fluffy.
- To assemble the cupcakes: Once the cupcakes are completely cooled, slice off the top 1/3 of each cupcake and slather with frosting and sliced strawberries. Place the top of the cupcake back on top and add an additional bit of frosting and sliced strawberries. Dust with powdered sugar.
5. Lipitor, be gone!
"Vegan food is naturally cholesterol-free. How awesome is that?"
Is there someone you'd like to see in the hot seat? Let us know in the comments below and if we agree, we'll do our best to chase 'em down.
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In the USA, veganism is becoming FANCIER day by day – which it SHOULD NOT. There is NOTHING FANCY about being a vegan or vegetarian. Because of all this fancy crap, VEGAN ingredients are more expensive than others. This cost makes people hate vegan foods. VEGETARIANISM / VEGANISM is all about principles AS HUMANS to live life. THAT IS IT........No hype. I still do not understand how can one love their pet animals as dear souls and eat pig, chicken, cow etc. which are raised for the SOLE PURPOSE of consumption and then KILLED brutally. CAN ANYONE EXPLAIN THIS???????
Can you explain to us why you won't shut the frack up?
If you would like to open your mouth wide, why do you want others to shut their mouths?
CNN just made it political by dragging in some names. VEGANISM or VEGETARIANISM is not just about food. IT IS BASED ON PRINCIPLES, WAY OF LIFE, COMPASSION by the 6-Sense-Humans towards the 5-sense Animals. You guys love to eat chicken, pigs etc. which are raised in farms. BUT the same you guys love to keep the same animals as pets!!!!! YOU RAISE CATS AND DOGS AS KIDS......VERY IRONICAL AND RIDICULOUS. A SATIRE. Some people in some parts of the world even eat cats and dogs. And they will be termed as DEMONS. Why not show the same compassion to FISH, CHICKEN, PIG, COWS, SHEEP etc. They too are like CATS AND DOGS.
I always enjoy Chloe Coscarelli's articles/videos/recipes. She shares vibrant, classy, and easy recipes. She's actually not that political – this article is a mild exception. I think vegans should stop being obnoxious and look to effective vegan 'role models' (for lack of a better word) like Chloe and Brendan Brazier. If you want to sell it, don't let the viewer know. Because meat eaters always look for an excuse to become defensive. Peace :D
Ironic that she touts the vegan diet becaue of the 'negatives' of an omniviorous diet and then includes canned beans and cornmeal on her list of ingredients. Next time you are at the supermarket pick of a can of beans or a box of cornmeal and read the ingredient list.
I think the ratio of male to female vegetarians has got to be 1:10. Women just seem to naturally crave less meat than men. Most likely because of how different our bodies are. Men need more protein to build our thicker, heavier muscled bodies.
This was a cute article! I think you should interview Carolyn Scott-Hamilton of http://www.HealthyVoyager.com! She's got a kick ass new cookbook coming out, is a world traveler with an awesome online travel show, is a nutritionist, chef and has helped so many people who follow restricted diets live life to the fullest and tastiest!
So it wasn't cantaloupe that caused the deadliest outbreak of food poisoning in a decade? Or it was some sort of meat based cantaloupe?
A vegan diet is no more or less inherently healthy than any other. In fact, it's easier to be less healthy on a vegan diet, because a vegan isn't getting a complete source of protein from any one source. They have to make sure to eat the right combinations of foods to get their complete proteins. It's all about moderation. If you sit down and eat an entire cow's worth of meat in a day, you're going to be unhealthy. If you eat nothing but celery and lettuce, you're going to be unhealthy. We've evolved to eat a combination of meat, fruits, grains, and vegetables, and if you remove any of those from your diet, you're going to have to be careful to replace it with something that will give you the nutrients you would normally get.
Let me say this, ever since I went vegan I've gotten more compliments on how my skin is beautiful and glows, my nails have never been stronger and I can actually poop (weird, right?). I started transitioning into the vegan lifestyle when I was 15, was a vegan by the time I was 16. Today I'm happy and healthy as I'm about to turn 18. People think that vegans are self rightous are full of crap, I've found it's usually the other way around, meat eater force their opinions down the throats of vegans. Vegans are usually generous people that are passionate about food and willing to share it with the world.And if you really think that meat eating is the way to go look at the current state of our people, they're sickly and obese. I've lost 20 pounds since going from vegetarian to vegan. my cholesterol dropped 20 something points. I have more energy and I never cry over my meals. I enjoy food, if vegan food wasn't delicious I would never have become a vegan. And until the all those haters have tried Chole's cupcakes, you can't talk about how bad vegan food is, because I doubt you've ever had vegan food unless it was accidently vegan like fries. Putting something down before you experience it seems so juvenile, like children not wanting to eat a vegetable because it's green. My friends are always wanting me to cook or bake for them because they love to eat my food, especially my baked goods. My mom isn't vegan but she loves when I cook, she has cut down on her dairy,meat and egg consumption drastically. She didn't do it just because, she did it because she's satisfied with the food I cook and she feels so much better when her digestive system isn't trying to digest animal prodcuts. Sure it's not for everyone but if it's not it doen't affect you in anyway. So why hate? Because you're unsatisfied in your own life? Because hating gives you a satisfaction? Everyone though I believe could cut down on their meat, dairy and egg consumption. Not only for the enviroment but for their own health and waistline.
VegGirl, I wish I had a Vegan personal Chef at my disposal. I would definitely go Vegan. But alas, I am not equipped to do it on my own. I love beans, vegetables, fruit etc. but I do not have the knowledge to cook and eat vegan all the time. I really need someone to take care of me when it comes to cooking. Life would be so much easier. I loved your post!
Food borne illness outbreaks in produce are generally traced back to cross-contamination with animal products, or improper sanitation by a factory worker.
You are assuming that the only necessary nutrient is protein, and that it is difficult to obtain with a vegan diet. The idea of protein combining is antiquated, and both soy and quinoa are complete proteins. Of course one wouldn't be healthy eating nothing but celery and lettuce, any more than one would be healthy eating nothing but meat. I don't believe you are educated enough about a vegan diet to make conjectures about the ease of healthy eating. In fact, without all of the "convenient" fast food - an individual eating an alternate diet is forced to make mindful decisions about food, planning in advance for meals, which influences healthy food decisions.
No one is making you vegan. I'd hazard to guess that most vegans don't care what you eat. Incorporating a meatless meal or two into your repertoire would probably be great for your health and the environment, however.
Look up the traditional inuit diet to see how eating primarily animal products affects you.
btw, the recipe is delicious. you know, what the post was about.
I like how everyone against Veganism claims there will be a sufficient drop in protein intake. If anything we over-do the protein.
Breakfast: 5 eggs, a slab of bacon and sausage with protein fortified milk and yogurt.
Snack: A protein shake and nuts, because hey, I need the protein.
Lunch: Some chicken because hell, I haven't had enough protein today. Oh yeah don't skip the beans. Pile those beans on.
Dinner: Some bloody steak, pork, lamb, whatever I can kill that will give me protein because I'm obviously suffering a defiency from not having protein at all hours of the day with fortified o.j.
Nightime: I'll have a glass of fortified milk before sleep, it helps me stay asleep. Oh yeah and my vitamins, because, you know, I need the protein.
None of that changes the fact that vegans are removing the only source of complete proteins from their diet. The only source of complete protein is from meat. All other proteins are incomplete, so you need to make sure you have a combination of foods in your diet that give you a complete protein. If you don't you're going to be protein deficient.
Meat is just one of the sources of complete proteins along with certain legumes, grains, dairy like spirulina, quinoa, buckwheat, hemp milk, or a combination of foods like rice+beans etc.......SO, there are very STRICT VEGETARIANS in India, Buddhists etc. who are living and have lived longer life. SO, IT IS STUPID TO SAY meat eaters are healthier. It's just another excuse you guys have to eat bacon, chicken etc. Whereas we vegetarians or vegans are principle-based than you. And ovo-vegetarians eat EGGS which is NOT VEGETARIAN because yolks are fetuses. And Piscetarians eat FISH which is NOT VEGETARIAN because they eat fish!! FUNNY.....
The Vegan label is about image and Ego as much as it is about food.Some people need to feel superior, and claim to be more evolved or spiritual.I do not eat any meat and pretty much stick to a veggie based diet.I do eat fish when I feel like it or at a pricey restaurant.(I don't want to pay for a thrown together veggie dish) I do feel better eliminating meat, kind of lighter and a little clearer headwise. I think people should find their own level according to what they need, You have to put some time into it. You can eat meat without supporting factory farming. Maurice
I am a vegetarian, but primarily vegan most days. I won't repeat all the dietary and health benefits, or the fun it is to cook the huge variety of vegetables that are out there once you look for them. But it's a clear fact that eating less meat (ideally no meat, I think) will help our environment. If you don't do it for yourself, do it for your children.
I see recipes for all the sides but nothing about the main course. How is the vegan prepped and cooked?
Start by slooooowly peeling off the outer l@yer of clothing. Head South and slooowly commence to e@t it r@w.
I was eating meat for almost 27 years and I became vegetarian 2 years back and never had any desire to go for meat again. The craze for meat gradually reduced and now I have no traces of desire in my tougue for meat. I became more active, energetic and also venturing into many vegetarian wonderful dishes. When i use to eat meat i use to think that there are only few tasty meat dishes in the world but after becoming vegetarian i am almost in for a surprise how many veggie tasty dishes are there.
Apart from tremendous health benefits, consciousness improvement there are much more other valuable benefits you are deriving just by being a vegetarian. All of these are extensively documented in this below presentation. Please please take benefit from this and pass on this to your near and dear ones so they can benefit. We can all together make a difference in our lives.
http://presentations.iskcondesiretree.info/Vegetarianism/The_meaning_of_a_vegetarian_diet_-_by_Vrsabha_Das.pdf
I had a heart attack 5 mos. ago and have been researching nutrition ever since. I personally ate very little meat, no butter,and alot of veg. oils, and too much sugar. Americans have always eaten a lot of animal products, and sat. fat intake was very high. Around 1910 there was a new product on the market called CRISCO. since then america gradually changed from sat. fat to veg. fat and heart disease frequency rate rose in step with this. veg. oils should not be heated, they become toxic, and crisco was made just for cooking. Sat. fat doesn't get rancid from heat. This is the only thing I've found to explain why heart disease is more common than ever.
I eatz me Spinach and Olive Oyl.
alright i have always been interested in giving up meat but scared. what are some GREAT replacements for a burger. i love burgers. please give good websites for me to visited, thanks
This is a very good website for you. Just take your time.
Great replacements for a burger? There are soy burgers that taste fine, but they won't fool you into thinking it is a cow burger. I like portabella mushrooms in place of meat, but it ain't for everyone. Good luck on your search
http://www.morningstarfarms.com/msfhome.html
Are you honestly saying that eating this is better better than eating a peice of humainly raised grass fed beef or a nice piece of fish? (black bean burger)
Ingredients:
TEXTURED VEGETABLE PROTEIN (SOY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, WHEAT GLUTEN, WATER FOR HYDRATION), COOKED BLACK BEANS (BLACK BEANS, WATER), COOKED BROWN RICE (WATER, BROWN RICE), ONION, CORN OIL, EGG WHITES, DICED TOMATOES, ROASTED CORN, WHOLE KERNEL CORN, BULGUR, MILD GREEN CHILI PEPPERS, CONTAINS TWO PERCENT OR LESS OF CALCIUM CASEINATE, CORNSTARCH, ONION POWDER, SPICES, TOMATO JUICE, TOMATO (DRIED), DEXTROSE, YEAST EXTRACT, GARLIC POWDER, SALT, HYDROLYZED VEGETABLE PROTEIN (CORN GLUTEN, WHEAT GLUTEN, SOY PROTEIN), AUTOLYZED YEAST EXTRACT, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS FROM NON-MEAT SOURCES, PAPRIKA FOR COLOR, SOY SAUCE (SOYBEANS, WHEAT, SALT), JALAPEÑO PEPPER, CITRIC ACID, XANTHAN GUM, DISODIUM INOSINATE, CALCIUM CHLORIDE, CARAMEL COLOR, LEMON OIL, LACTIC ACID.
Allergen Information:
CONTAINS SOY, WHEAT, EGG AND MILK INGREDIENTS.
When I stopped eating meat, one of the things I thought would be impossible to give up would be burger. It turns out, I like black bean burgers better than a meaty burger! I do not like other types of veggie burgers though, so my recommendation would be to try out a black bean burger. Morningstar has an excellent spicy black bean burger, or if you are going out, I have found (in Texas, surprisingly) that a lot of local burger places offer veggie burgers, and quite often it's of the black bean variety.
The first black bean burger I had made me realize that going vegetarian wasn't going to be so difficult after all.
Good luck!!!
I used to eat a "balanced" diet and I ended up with arthritis and skin cancer. No medicine could reverse either disease but when I went vegan both just disappeared. I have more energy than ever before and I haven't been to a doctor since I changed my diet 7 years ago. I will never go back to eating animal products.
"Nothing will benefit human health and increase the chances for survival of life on earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet." ❦❥❧—Albert Einstein
yeah and he's dead now
Ummmm...so you didn't ...know...that people were *mortal*...?
❦❥❧ Everyone knows that a vegetarian or vegan diet is healthier; that’s not even in question. Anyone with a middle school education—and the ability to read can tell you that.
So that’s not the issue—the science is in—and has been for quite some time. The mere fact—one among thousands—that vegetarians live longer is really all one needs to point out, to shut down frivolous arguments.
“If humans were physiologi¬cally designed to kill and consume dead animals the way carnivorou¬s creatures are, there could be no justifiabl¬e argument to oppose meat eating, but we are not anatomical¬ly equipped to handle the digestion of animals. “
The Comparativ¬e Anatomy of Eating
by Milton R. Mills, M.D.
http://www¬.geocities¬.com/RainF¬orest/2062¬/ana.HTML
However, the problem is our species isn’t very bright. We do things that routinely and consistently harm our very own health and survival. Nope, we’re none too bright are we?
–We harm our own bodies with fatty meat diets that raise our chances for every disease known to man—plus give us bad skin, makes us chubby and unattractive—and, oh cause impotence.
Then we wreck the planet likes it’s disposable ad we can always get a new one.
Eating Red Meat May Boost Death Risk
Study Shows Red Meat Consumption Linked to Higher Risk of Dying From Cancer, Heart Disease
By Kathleen Doheny
WebMD Health News
Reviewed by Elizabeth Klodas, MD, FACC
Men and women who eat higher amounts of red meat and processed meat have a higher risk of dying from cancer, heart disease, and other causes compared to those who eat less, according to another recent study.
"We found the consumption of red and processed meat is associated with a modest increase in overall mortality, as well as cancer and cardiovascular mortality in both men and women," says study researcher Rashmi Sinha, PhD, a senior investigator at the National Cancer Institute.
Bottom line—people are going to do what they’re going to do—it’s better to accept that.
And when they face the consequences they’ll realize that all the snarky comments they made on the internet—aren’t’ so funny anymore.
Peace to all those who educate themselves and see the light—good luck to the rest.Truly. ❦❥❧
"Nothing will benefit human health and increase the chances for survival of life on earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet." —Albert Einstein
Sorry, had to comment on the "we are not designed to eat meat" argument. First of all, cave people didn't eat lots of fruits, vegetables, and nuts, because they simply weren't as available and often weren't worth it as far as calories and satiety go. So, we evolved thousands of years ago eating primarily meat, with modest amounts of tubers, vegetables, insects, and foraged plants. Our mid-sized digestion tract also point to not having a primarily vegetarian diet, because if you did we would need a longer gut to maximize the nutrient extraction (mineral, protein, and other nutrient availability is generally lower in carb sources) and along time for bacteria to digest some of the cellulose for extra energy. So, lets all agree that it took us thousands of years to evolve, and we ate primarily a meat based diet for thousands of years, and have only adapted to eating a vegetable-and-grain diet since the agricultural revolution.
If you want to argue about the benefits of a vegan diet, saying "we were born to not eat meat!" is not the way to go, scientists will shake their head at you.
Also the study you mentioned, and many of the others I'm assuming you are referencing with you generalized comments, use a flawed diet analysis that does not take many other things into account. For example, we can say that red meat consumption is linked to heart disease. Did you know that right now in America there is less red meat consumption than has ever been on record? And yet obesity and CVD increases. Also, most of your blood cholesterol does not come from the foods you eat, which is why you can still have high levels of cholesterol after adopting a vegetarian diet but lead a stressful lifestyle or consume a lot of sugar. Cholesterol is synthesized in the liver in response to insulin spikes, which you get after eating carbohydrates, particularly unrefined.
Many studies on vegetarians are confounded because they identify just two lifestyles: "vegetarian" and "Western". While I have spent a lot of time as a vegetarian, I have spent an equal amount of time eating whole, unprocessed foods, a diet absolutely nothing like the "typical" western diet. Am I less healthy now that I have reintroduced organic meat into my diet and removed grains for the most part? No, all my digestion problems have gone away, I've lost five pounds and that bloated "skinny fat" look I had while eating vegetarian foods. So, while vegetarianism didn't work for me, I'm sure its a good time for a lot of other people. Equating meat consumption with choosing your own death is a little ridiculous though. Eating any highly processed, refined, high-carb, high-sugar diet on the other hand...that's another story.
Thanks Uni student for offering a well rounded argument for the previous statement, I really appreciate your intelligence on the matter. I wanted to add in some other information that might help make the vegan argument a little more solid. Vegan, very different from vegetarianism, excludes milk and other dairy products which is a huge part of the Standard American Diet. Humans are the only species on the planet that drink the milk of another species and after weaning age. The vast human population is unable to drink milk after weaning because they cannot digest lactose with the exception of some people of European descent who continue to produce the enzyme throughout their lives. Studies by Cornell Professor T. Colin Campbell have found a direct link between cancer growth and the consumption of milk because milk, a key element to the growth of mammals has nothing to sustain in a full grown adult that it usually ends up feeding cancer cells that would have normally been killed shortly after creation. Secondly, I couldn't find the study but it has been argued that part of our evolution was due to the fact that we were able to digest legumes. I'll post it as soon as I find it. I don't eat meat, but I wouldn't say that it was completely evil and I think it is a fact that as a generation, people eat way more of it than naturally intended. :}
I have been vegan for a year and I have never felt better or healthierin my life. Unfortunately, it's something you can't really understand unless you do it. I didn't realize how bad I felt until I felt so good, and I attribute feeling that good to my plant based lifestyle.
Prior to becoming vegan, I never understood it, thought it sounded crazy, etc. So, unless you have actually tried it, how you can judge it because how don't know what it is like. Almost all vegans have eaten meat, dairy and eggs at some point becoming vegan, so we can comment on it from real experience.
So, if you want to bash veganism, why don't you try it for at least 3 months so you can accurately comment on it? Otherwise, your opinions are not really that useful.
Christina – You are so right on – It's like religion – you can talk and talk about it – you can drag people to church – you can tell them about God and all sorts of things – but you CAN'T make them believe – that has to come from THEM – same thing with veganism – (or vegtarianism) – just TRY IT – it is the EXPERIENCE – not what people SAY – not what you READ – it's DOING IT and EXPERIENCING it – I did and I'm happy to tell anyone who asks – I don't push it on them – but when you see a healthy, vibrant person who is at peace and serene – you WANT TO KNOW what they are doing..... :)
Peace~
so well stated :-)
I was a vegetarian for give years, a vegan for six months, had a very different experience. I think that saying a vegetarian diet is the healthiest option for everyone can be a bit of a misnomer because food is very personal. I had a lot of digestion problems while I was eating a plant-based diet, my stomach was bloated and distended for much of the time giving me a look I call "skinny fat" that I see on some vegetarians and vegans I come across. My estrogen levels were also unusually low, which went away when I reintroduced animal protein. Now, my skin and hair are totally different, and my digestion problems have gone away since eliminating most grains and adopting a higher-fat vegetable and animal based diet. It doesn't work well with everyone!
Is it possible you had a food allergy? A distended stomach sounds like a food allergy having friends with food allergies. Especially if were consuming lots of wheat.
Would you be willing to flip it around? Why don't you try Paleo/Primal for 3 months and see how you feel?
People's health problems in America are not because of the inclusion of meat in thier diets. It's to exclusion of vegetables/fruits, the a high-carb low-fat diet, and overall junk in our food (just read the ingredient list on virtually any prepackaged food).
Yeah, it's crazy how everyone hops all over the meat, without realizing that we eat less meat than our distant ancestors ever would have, we have decreased our red meat consumption significantly in the last ten years, and our overall fat intake is continuing to decline every year, and despite it all we have obesity and diabetes that somehow get dumped on meat as the culprit. We also eat more vegetables than ever (think of how many vegetable varieties your grandparents would have in their day- whatever was in season, and not much of it). What has really changed? The massive amount of sugar in our diet, and the high levels of processing. That is the broken leg on the chair.
Cool read. I'm gonna try the Black Bean Patties. Thanks!
I have a recipe for these (in a "sausage" form) on my blog if you are interested in another recipe. They are GREAT with curry ketchup or sirachi mayonnaise
Thanks for the heads up, I will check it out.
I eat meat, and I make no apologies. I don't agree that a vegan or vegetarian diet in itself is healthier. What makes healthy eating, is a balanced diet. A ton of red meat is bad for you. On occasion and in moderation is healthy (B12 amongst other things). Vegetables are good too, and any meat eaters who don't fill their plates with a good mix are not eating healthy. But a strict vegetable diet isn't healthy either, sorry. You can't get enough B12 from non-animal sources to be sufficient for our bodies needs. This is biology and nature at work. Quit fighting what evolution has created and eat that next hamburger with reckless abandon.
Ken: I agree with you. I am a vegetarian (primarily vegan) and have seen many veggies in name only. What makes a diet healthy is it's balance.
B-12 is readily available in fortified cereals. The NIH website has a table of how much you need. A serving of a fortified cereal provides you with 100% RDA of B-12. So, a bowl of cereal with soy milk and a banana and I am good to go. I went vegan as an experiment. When you take the meat, dairy and eggs out of your diet – you have to replace it with more veggies, beans and fruits. I thought – if nothing else, I will have more interesting meals to eat. I didn't know I was going to lose weight and feel better with so little effort. Now, I choose a vegan diet.
Oh great. More baseless arguments to support meat eating. Please do not speak to evolution while you "recklessly abandon" one glaringly important fact: we are primates. We are not lions or wolves or raptors. A lowland gorilla grows to a few hundred pounds on a diet of mainly fruit and some plants and about 3% of "animal protein" in the form of termites and caterpillars. Also please remember many of us choose a plant based diet due to the way we inhumanely raise food animals in this country.
B12 is NOT an animal based vitamin!! It is stored in the case of animals, that is true, but most of farmed animals get their B12 from the feed where it is artificially added. Only certain bacteria have the ability to synthesize B12, no animal or plant has the ability to do so – that is why B12 deficiency can occur in omnivores as well.
Those are advantages of veganism but veganism also has fairly frivolous restrictions.
Ask yourself: Why should I not eat honey or clams, or mussels? I don't understand.
There are different sorts of veganism. The rationale behind "no honey" is the form of veganism that eschews ALL animal products. I think it's out of a dislike for exploiting the animals for our own purposes. Myself, I am not vegan and doubt I will ever become one, but I tend to eat vegan most of the time, it's just the way it falls out. Because I am always trying to curb my caloric and fat intake. So my choices end up inadvertantly vegan most of the time. But I do like milk in my coffee and once in awhile I'll use some cheese and once in a VERY rare while I will actually eat a dead animal – seafood, poultry, beef....but my body is not used to that so I usually don't feel very good afterward for about eight hours. I think the posts here saying stupid and judgemental things about vegans are very juvenile and they suggest a lack of intelligence in those posting. Why on earth do you get your panties in a wad because someone else has found an eating preference that doesn't match yours? Sounds like little Dick syndrome to me. If you haven't tried it, you have absolutely no basis for disdaining it, it just means you're an idiot.
And – Paul – this is not directed at YOU. You didn't say anything nasty or derogatory, you just asked a question. My comments about those who are so puerile are directed at THEM.
Charlotte, there have been childish, name-calling, my-wee-wee-is-bigger-than-yours kinds of comments posted in blogs for a very long time. Sadly vegan, vegetarian & omnivorous baggage alike hemorrhages from one thread to the next, creating animosity out of what otherwise appears to be thin air. It's fun for some and annoying to others – and it often makes for interesting reading on the nets. Why ask why? It is what it is.
Charlotte – I tend to agree with you on most of what you said – I am a vegan (fairly recently) and feel and look and AM 100% happier and healthier – that's ME – I don't push it on anyone else – each person must decided for him/herself what is appropriate. I believe vegans don't eat ANY animal products because of what you said – it exploits animals – however, I still have not come to terms with the HONEY thing as I doubt bees are exploited ! certainly they aren't harmed in making honey – it's what they DO! I often wonder why meat eaters are SO ADAMANTLY ANGRY when they talk to or about vegetarians – why do they feel threatened? It's a CHOICE – and no one is making THEM make choices about their eating habits. I do agree that SOME plant-eaters are OVERZEALOUS and pushy – very true – but this gal is not one of them – I say – eat what you want – what makes you feel and look healthy – don't push your opinion on others and let's all live in peace & Harmony ~
@Paul, one reason people (both vegans and non-vegans) do not eat honey is to save the bee population, which in turn saves the human food supply because bees are of critical importance in pollination of many fruits and vegetables. Bees collect honey to feed the larvae/bee babies that are too young to leave the hive, and adult bees eat it during the winter when the flowers are all dead. So when a beekeeper takes honey, they have to replace it with something or the hive will die. Traditionally they replace it with sugar-water, but now some beekeepers use something cheaper high fructose corn syrup. Studies have shown that bees raised on refined white sugar or high fructose corn syrup are slower and weaker than wild bees raised on honey as nature intended. Bees have been disappearing, this is called colony collapse disorder. Bee Sanctuaries are now popping up where people plant lots of nectar-rich flowers, allow bees to feed the honey to their young and eat it during the winter, in hopes of bringing back the bee population that has disappeared in recent years. As far as clams and mussels, ethical vegans don't eat them because they are capable of feeling pain when killed, but I don't think this would be an issue for health-based vegans.
Thought I'd stop in here since it was recommended by several Facebook pages. But as I scanned the comments, I saw so many angry meat eaters spewing hostile comments I probably won't be coming back here. My mom, aunt and both sisters had breast cancer, and many other diseases, mostly preventable as well. By the time I had kids, my folks were so diseased they couldn't lift my kids, let alone babysit or really know them. Having your chest cracked open for heart disease, losing a limb to diabetes or suffering the ravages of chemo are neither convenient or cheap. Preventable disease is not sustainable, no matter who pays for it. I place in 5K races for my age group, did my first marathon last year, run faster and longer than the high school girls I coach and often get mistaken for 10 or 20 years younger than I am. I didn't get all the good genes. When you understand there's no money in broccoli then you have to figure out what works for you. Blood tests don't lie. My cardiologist says I have the heart of a 21-year-old. A plant-rich diet really does save lives. A serving of beans is way cheaper than a comparable serving of the cheapest 30% hamburger meat.
I'm a strict vegetarian . . . I only eat vegetarians
How old are you – 8?
Maybe – but that was funny.
You are right, Goober – would be funny for my 4 year old. For adults – not so much.
Any veggie spotlight seems to bring out the juveniles
"The biggest plus? When you're baking vegan, you can lick the spoon or taste the cookie dough because there are no raw eggs in sight and no threat of salmonella."'
Right, how many people recently died from tainted cantelopes? 23 deaths I beleive? That one little batch of cantelopes killed one tenth asd many people as died all year from salmonella across the entire country.
Tainted food is tainted food. Five raw red kidney beans can give you serious vomiting and diarrhea..
Veganism is an interesting alternativr but is no panacea for health or a replacement for sound food safety habits.
Do you know where listeria (the pathogen in the cantaloupes) comes from? Animal waste, usually from factory farms. So indirectly, veganism would address that problem too. It's meat that caused the outbreak, not the produce.
Listeria actually comes from animal feces, original outbreaks in Southeast asia back in the day was from human feces that was getting in the water system. A good arguments against inefficient, poorly managed waste for large scale commercial farms, but I would warn against blaming the cows. Everything poops.
I lick the spoon anyway, even if there are raw eggs. I also put a raw egg in my breakfast smoothie. The contamination rate of eggs with salmonella is 1 in 30,000; with average egg consumption, that's a chance of an individual coming across a contaminated egg once every 42 years. The "danger" of raw eggs is blown out of proporiton. (I've had food poisoning 3 times; all 3 times were from cooked food at a restaurant.)
I lick the spoon anyway, even if there are raw eggs. I also put a raw egg in my breakfast smoothie. The contamination rate of eggs with salmonella is 1 in 30,000; with average egg consumption, that's a chance of an individual coming across a contaminated egg once every 42 years. The "danger" of raw eggs is greatly exaggerated. (I've had food poisoning 3 times; all 3 times were from cooked food at a restaurant.)
I am a vegetarian.. never pushed my views on anyone. my husband and daughter eat meat. i dont fix it. i am just really, really, disgusted by the look and feel of it. I made meatloaf for my husband last month, for his bday, i had to use crazy mental powers to stop thinking I was kneeding dead meat.
I eat a balanced diet.. never pushed my views on anyone. my wife and daughter are vegans. i dont fix it. i am just really, really, disgusted by the look and feel of it. I made a salad for my wife last month, for her bday, i had to use crazy mental powers to stop thinking I was kneeding listeria, e-coli, pesticides, fertilizer, poisons, etc.
Not a valid response. LIsteria AND e. coli come from animal waste from factory farms. Pesticides are irrelevant if you buy organic...
You'd better avoid getting any cats, then. They are obligate carnivores and you will have to be disgusted at least twice a day if you feed them a diet that they can thrive on (meaning meat). If you deny them that food they will die (unlike a dog, which is actually an omnivore and can derive sustenance from both plant and animal products). Handling meat doesn't bother me at all, but then I have five cats and you cannot be squeamish if you share your household with five predatory carnivorous megafauna. I, however, am healthier if I don't eat much if any meat. Gotta have my morning latte, though, and I love yogurt!
Wrong. Sorry Charlotte, vegan cat lovers are way ahead of you. Wysong Vegan Dry Dog and Cat Food. Look it up.
Vegan food for cats and ferrets is not healthy for them. Yes the bag says it is, but it's not. They are carnivores. They do not process vegetable proteins properly. All you are doing is setting them up for a shortened life and medical problems.
If you want a vegan pet, there are many. Birds, some rodents, rabbits, a few reptiles. Pick one that's naturally a vegan instead of harming a carnivore because of your personal prejudices.
I would have to agree – it is cruel to make carnivore pets vegans b/c the owner is..
If you are feeding cats – who are obligate carnivores – a vegan diet or promoting as such, you are being abusive to the cat. Cats need meat and need taurine, and I've seen many cats put on "healthy" vegan diets come into my vet office in horrendous shape because their owners think they know better than biology does. I've tested several of the so-called vegan cat diets. None of them are have appropriate taurine in them, and at least two claiming to have taurine had NONE in them.
If you are feeding these items to your cat, you are actively abusing your pet. There is no other way to put this.
If you want to eat vegan, great. Do NOT make your cat – who needs different nutrients than you – eat food that's not appropriate for his/her species.
Oh pul-lease.
Every vegan I know is a tree-hugging, bunny-humping "let's give the country back to the Indians" liberal who thinks there is nowhere else to shop except Whole Foods. You people are more annoying than religious zealots and MLM scammers combined.
You need to expand your sample size, Harry
Wow, really? A lot of the comments on this blog just prove that a lot of people just simply cannot or are too stubborn to think critically about things. For example, is veganism unhealthy? Absolutely not, in upper level college nutrition classes (and from observation) vegans and vegetarians who monitor their diet, like any intelligent human on ANY diet should do, live longer, have a healthier appearance, have less health problems, and are usually more aware of the food they are putting in their bodies.
Yes, veganism is a personal choice. Do some vegans try to convert meat eaters to become vegans? Sometimes. Do you not talk about the things you strongly believe in and try to sway others? I talk to people about how eating LESS meat is better for you. The major health problems that kill the most people in our nation can be attributed to an unhealthy diet. It is nearly impossible for vegans to have these health problems. So, common sense, those who are facing health issues attributed to food (diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure & so on…) can benefit in a major way from a vegan diet. In fact, it can save their life.
TIP: Don't share your opinion unless you are educated on an issue. What your mom and dad told you is not always correct. Doing your own personal research on issues will make you a smarter person. People may actually listen to your opinions if you don't sound like a judgmental moron. Also, try to be a happier person. Happy people have open mind and are willing to explore outside their own box.
"Absolutely not, in upper level college nutrition classes (and from observation) vegans and vegetarians who monitor their diet, like any intelligent human on ANY diet should do, live longer, have a healthier appearance, have less health problems, and are usually more aware of the food they are putting in their bodies."
But that should come as no surprise even if veganism was not any better than a traditional diet. The correlation could exist solely due to the fact that someone who is dedicated enough to maintain a strict diet is likely more willing and interested in maintaining their own health in other manners.
But you're wrong... the peer reviewed studies are showing that it's not just about someones health conscious attitude towards life... it's about the fact that eating animals is bad for you on so many levels.
I've tried eating vegan, but he ran off of the grill while I was inside to get the barbecue sauce.
She's pretty cute, but I can't help wondering if she has hairy armpits.
Wow, whatta buzzkill. Her pits were the last things I was thinking about.
I was wondering what the knobs looked like under the hood, but to each their own.
That's what I'm talkin' about. Maybe a nice tl!ck on the love canal, too.
Chloe's tips are awesome, and trust me, her recipes are amazing. I make her white bean pizza all the time and it tastes like a guilty pleasure, but there's no guilt! I also always enjoy sampling cookie batter without any fear of salmonella from eggs (I've had ecoli in the past, and I'm not risking that experience again). For a comprehensive guide to and entertaining video on egg-free baking, visit TryVeg.com.
You must be a house wife to have time to cook this $#!%. I hope you dont feed it to your hubby, if you have one. By my experience I must say men cant perform without meat in their meals, and I am talking real meat, not minced or processed fast food.
"By my experience I must say men cant perform without meat in their meals..."
Maybe they just perform for you.
I have been a veggie for 32 years, primarily vegan, and I have no problem in that area.
"Maybe they just can't perform for you" was the way it was meant to read
What a stupid remark. There is no difference between whole hunks of beef and minced beef (a.k.a. hamburger) chemically. If you have trouble performing then it's all in your head (the one on your neck, that is) and the problem is probably far deeper for you than just what you ate for dinner. My boyfriend is a vegetarian and he has absolutely no problems 'performing.' Maybe you should drink less alcohol, sometimes that is what causes your problem.
I will definitely visit the link. I like her and want to reduce if not eliminate meat from my diet. Felt better when did not eat it – physically and emotionally. I do cook from scratch about 90% of time (and work full time, one does not have to exclude the other) it is just hard to cook different things for all members of the familly – that is how I got back to eating meat.
Honestly, why is everyone so afraid to try something different?
I'm not going vegan because I like variety, and I enjoy meat dishes. However, I enjoy trying new foods and have found some vegan/vegetarian things I like. So, I'll have that once in a while. To me, it sounds like getting proper nutrition on a completely vegan diet would be too complicated, and I think I would just get sick of beans after a while.
I also have a really difficult time imagining HONEY as a forbidden food. Yes, it'a an animal product, but I have raised honeybees, and they are not suffering. Really.
A little of everything in moderation. By the way, if you want to try some vegetarian dishes, take a look at some of the Moosewood cookbooks. They have a lot of tasty, filling options that are not loaded with obscure or expensive ingredients. Their Moroccan stew is a favorite in our house!
Given that the healthiest diet is having meat once in awhile and vegetables/grains the rest of the time, why don't you consider rearranging your perspective. Have the meat once a week for variety and rely on the vegetarian for your basic food source. It's healthier – you get your meat treat (and believe me, it's much more special if you aren't consuming it all the time) – and you'll feel much better most of the time.
Interesting article. I'll try the vinegar/baking soda trick. I'm vegetarian, not vegan, but that seems like a good way to cut calories in baked goods, and it will save me from using eggs or eggbeaters.
Besides, I saw her episode of Cupcake Wars and read another article on her and her cooking style- I was impressed!
Hey Jill, check out COK's egg-free baking brochure on TryVeg.com as well (on the right side of the page, right under the video, which you might also enjoy watching). It's totally comprehensive and gives you substitutes for whatever your egg-needs are.
I like your reasoning and approach – I have found the best way to cut calories is to avoid eating baked goods, though, LOL! At first it was a little hard to pass them by but now after a year and a half, they just don't even interest me any more (except a good kalamata olive loaf, I'd kill for one of those). The vinegar should work well, though. I do a lot of baking (I just don't eat any of it) and I know that when making pie crust, using vinegar instead of ice water will make a much more tender crust because it doesn't develop the gluten in the flour like water does. Maybe this is what's going on with the vinegar working in the cupcakes.
It's really sad to see how ignorant people are. This article did not bash people for eating meet in any way at all. All it did was offer suggestions and information on a vegan diet. Why is it that us vegans have a bad reputation for being self righteous and arrogant yet the non vegans are the ones being the cruelest? I have never been as healthy as I am now living a vegan life style and my hair is not thinning,my nails are not brittle and yes I have lost a lot of weight but I'm at the perfect weight for my height and age. So instead of making yourselves sound stupid and ignorant, why don't you just accept the fact that different people have different beliefs.
That is because vegans/vegetarians set themselves apart from crowd every time, and state their vegan status in conversations, stressing how they are better people. Therefore vegans/vegetarians are labeled as snobs and posers. Simple psychology, nothing personal.
As a meat eater and sportsman, I must say that I will outperform and beat any vegan/vegetarian with similar training and experience. Sport nutrition science is a cruel thing and vegans/vegetarians dont fit in there.
Oh, that's a load of hogwash, @Soulerman. You simply are over sensitive and if someone comments on being vegan (gosh, like, when there's a discussion about what restaurant to go to, maybe??) you take it as a personal affront because they ask to go someplace where they might be able to get a vegan dish, and you perceive them as being arrogant and superior-feeling. Moreover, you cannot outperform any vegetarian or vegan on the sports front, I can guarantee. You just don't know that the ones who beat you are vegans and vegetarians because unlike you, they don't feel compelled to rant about food choices.
"That is because vegans/vegetarians set themselves apart from crowd every time, and state their vegan status in conversations, stressing how they are better people. Therefore vegans/vegetarians are labeled as snobs and posers. Simple psychology, nothing personal.
As a meat eater and sportsman, I must say that I will outperform and beat any vegan/vegetarian with similar training and experience. Sport nutrition science is a cruel thing and vegans/vegetarians dont fit in there."
I don't state my dietary choices to others as a way of feeling superior. As far as the outperforming, you are a blowhard if you think that such a broad statement is accurate. Perhaps you want to compete with ultramarathon champion Scott Jurek (a vegan) on a 50 mile trail run. Or, try your luck against former Heisman Trophy winner, NFL all star and current Mixed Martial Arts competitor Herschel Walker (a vegetarian).
Soulerman: You stated in another post how, in your experience, men who don't eat meat cannot "perform". Are you out there trying to perform with men?
Rick, I think I speak for most of the guys here when I say taht we are straight. Please take your h0m0 fantasies to an appropriate board. There are many.
Sorry, Captain Slappy, but I am a straight man. Soulerman said that in HIS experience, men who did not eat meat were not able to perform. I was just wondering how he got this personal experience.
Many of you are claiming vegans are self righteous. I'm not vegan but I am a vegetarian. I have never tried to "convert" anyone. But I have never told someone that I was a vegetarian without that person becoming defensive. They start asking all the same cliche questions like "what do you eat?" Or they tell me how badly they want a steak, like that's going to offend me. I don't care what you do. But if your judging all vegans or vegetarians based on the actions of PETA, who even I hate, your no better than PETA is.
Well said. I rarely discuss my diet with others unless the subject comes up. Lately it has come up fairly often because people want to know how I lost so much weight. I don't say I'm vegetarian or vegan, I just tell them I followed Weight Watchers. If they want more detail I point out that you can eat meat and butter and ice cream and eggs and whatever you want on the diet but I choose not to because 1) they aren't that important to me and 2) I really like other things better, and I like to eat A LOT of food. I can eat a lot more food when I just avoid the animal products for the most part, and I'm never hungry but still thin. I don't expect anyone else to eat the way I do. I feel very lucky that the man I have started seeing since a few months ago happens to be vegetarian. It certainly wasn't an issue one way or another but it makes it easy for me to cook him fantastic meals that I don't have to worry about gaining weight from!
"When you replace artery-clogging saturated animal fats with plant-based ingredients, you're automatically making your dish more healthful and more flavorful." I beg to differ- she can keep her cornmeal and breadcrumbs!
We are bound by the word of God to dominate the earth and eat meat.
Don't forget that I also told you to toss the Women out of your home once a month because they are unclean.
That is not a bad idea actually. I have long thought there should be some sort of home that women can go to once a month, so they can be together during that time. Just sayin.
You are bound by the words of brone age sheep buggerers
Where is the ha ha ha after this post. Yikes.
Are you following everything in the Bible, or just select what you like?
Wait a minute. Vegan food is safer? What about all the e-coli in numerous vegetables in the last couple of years? That's not safer.
If you cook properly, you're at very little risk. That's just more scare lore. Also, you need some cholesterol in your diet. It's when you are getting too much bad cholesterol regularly that's the problem.
I don't have anything against vegan cooking. I think if that's what suits you, go for it. And if you're ever a guest in my home, I'll go the extra three miles to make sure you have delicious vegan food in front of you. But please stop trying to act like that's always better than cooking meat. It's not. It's a life style choice, and should be respected. Just like eating meat has its own benefit. Not everyone is suited to eating vegan. What's healthy for you is not so healthy for everyone.
That said, I think I'll try your Mexican black bean patty recipe. Looks delicious and I love black beans. Also, you have an excellent point about the oyster mushrooms. I usually just use them in Asian-styled dishes and soup, but I like the idea of trying them as a pork substitute. I wonder if they'd taste good with a little barbecue sauce.
Just a point, since several people on here have been pointing out the e-coli-infected Spinach instances in the comments: e-coli originates in the intestinal system of farm animals. It grows there due to their grain-based diet. Plants that are found to have been contaminated with e-coli have usually been infected by manure runoff and sewage from nearby commercial/factory farms.
Obviously that doesn't make the e-coli any less dangerous but the point is that the source of this disease is almost solely factory-farm-animal based. But I think her point is that inherently and statistically it's much less likely that you'll become diseased from vegetables and grains than from animal products.
True enough. However, I just thought it was inaccurate to say use that as a tactic to turn people vegan. There's as much risk in buying a vegetable from the grocery store as meat anymore. Unless you grow the veggies yourself, you really are taking as much of a chance.
It may also be that I am not fond of trying to scare people into seeing things a different way in most cases.
Imagine there's no vegans....
It's easy if you try...
No righteous buttholes
No screaming cry
Imagine all the people
Eating what they want...
You may say I'm malnourished...
But I'm not the only one...
I hope the world may join us...
and beat the @^%#$ out of you!
It's #1 with a Bullet and tops the charts.
Don't quit your day job just yet.
All we are saying,
Is give meat a chance!
Well done!
Sorry, John, most of us don't give a crap about what you eat. Tell me, IS happiness a warm gun?
Quite definitely!
In fact for all who would hope for a Beatles reunion, I would just suggest shooting the remaiing two.
Come and get me, pendejo
Pendejo? Is that a new musical instrument?
Yeah, it's a wind instrument
I'm sure Lennon is proud that you are advocating violence. Who is the righteous one now?
Self-righteous butthole? That certainly describes this poor excuse of a 'poet.' You adamant carnivores are all exhibiting much more self-righteous, childish, puerile and ignorant snobbery than any of the vegans or vegetarians who have posted here. Soooooooo defensive and so resistant to considering anything that doesn't fit what you think is supposed to be 'macho.' You seem really frightened.
Every vegan I know is a malnourished, self righteous retard. Every one.
You need to increase your sample size
Don't bring logic into the discussion.
Thomas: Sorry, it's a bad habit I fall into when dealing with these blowhards
Perhaps it is your perception problem. To the majority of us, it is a dietary choice. And, we don't give a damn what you eat
I gotta agree with Jill. I too have only met vegans who look malnourished and are angry in a very self-righteous way, as if the lack of bloody red meat in the diet somehow altered their brain chemical balance.
Rachel: I have met folks like that. I don't think they represent the majority of vegans, who in my experience see this as a dietary rather than moral choice
That's such an asinine statement. That's like me saying, "Every meat-eater I know is a narrow-minded, defensive idiot." I'm a vegan. If people ask me why I'm a vegan, I tell them. Briefly. If they want to know more, I tell them more. I don't tell them they should never eat meat, I don't give them dirty looks if they chow down on a burger next to me. I have answered the "how do you get your protein" question at least 400 times this year, and I patiently explain it every time. I don't condescend, insult or feel disdain for people who eat the all-powerful BACON. So why don't you try not being a jerk and judging everybody else?
...which is why I and most of my vegan/vegetarian friends are all successful Ph.D.'s (retard? right, scratch that one), successful athletes (oh, it's my malnutrition that gets me constantly asked by strangers – including men – "wow, do you lift weights? Wow, you've got great arms/biceps/shoulders!"....ok, scratch malnourished....) Self-righteous? We don't care what others eat but you, honneeepooo, are the one who is being self-righteous by making such a judgemental comment about people whom only you seem to perceive as being your superiors. Blow-hard? What is that, someone who can pronounce words you don't even understand? Someone who is knowledgable or careful? I feel sorry for you and it has nothing to do with your food choices.
I really wish I could get more vegetables in my diet. I hardly eat any because I find the taste of most vegetables to be revolting. I think this is probably one of the biggest reasons why I'm overweight. I've tried to cook different recipes, and I've tried eating vegetables prepared a zillion different ways. I just find myself disgusted almost every time vegetables touch my mouth. It's not uncommon for me to flat out spit them out without even politely swallowing, because I find them to be that horrid. Does anyone know of any way for me to be able to better tolerate the taste of vegetables? I know not everyone enjoys them, but most people can at least tolerate them well enough to get them down.
What have you tried? Cooked? Raw?
I don't know what to tell you. I like the taste of vegetables (except brussel's sprouts and beets).
have you tried mixing them in with foods that you do like? replace half of your pasta with a vegetable that you do like. add them to rice or blend them into a fruit smoothie – it may sound weird, but blending in some romaine lettuce with a strawberry/banana smoothie will not add a veggie flavor, but it's a great way to start getting some more veggies. some veggies do have a very strong flavor, but one of the best things about our tastebuds is that we can teach them to like food. spitting out the veggies straight away doesn't give your tastebuds the chance to grow accostom to the taste. after a couple bites, your tastebuds adjust and the food will be come more toerable. eventually you will start to like the flavor veggies have to offer.
i've been vegan for over 4 years and it was the best decision i have ever made. i don't pretend to think that i will convince the world it is the best lifestyle for them, but i know that there are a lot more vegetables i eat now than i ever thought i would because i have learned to appreciate their different tastes.
good luck!! chef chole has some creat recipes on her website. you should definitely check them out.
I used to hate the taste and texture of kale. Now, I like it.
Check out the Paleo diet! I've been eating that way for over a year- I feel fantastic and maintaining my weight is a breeze. Something I love about it is that I don't limit fat at all, and that makes veggies much more palatable. You can roast brussels sprouts with bacon (I never liked em until I had them that way), have baked sweet potatoes with butter, etc. If you get the best quality meat and fats you can afford, and minimize your intake of grains (bread, pasta, rice, etc), sugars and processed oils (from corn, soy, canola) you can be fantastically healthy and you don't need to feel guilty about eating meat. If you're curious about learning more, check out marksdailyapple.com or robbwolf.com
Get that book Seifeld's wife wrote – Deceptively Delicious – it shows how incorporate fruit and veggies purees into your everyday recipes. It is really for kids and luckily I did not have to use it – my son loves veggies – but should work for everyone.
I didn't climb to the top of the food chain to eat carrots.
You did not climb to the top of the food chain.
We don't really have any predators so he most certainly is at the top of the food chain.
I love meat! Especially dogs, cats, human babies etc. I also love to kill deer. It's so much watching them die. Love it! Kill, kill, kill! Death, death, death!
Oh my, I am so, like, totally shocked at your post. You really make some statement there. Probably swayed a lot of people that that gem.
Could you please change your name – I do not want to be associated with you in that respect. How stupid can you get?
Would you like an arm or a leg? I'm terribly sorry,They have No Brains....Next.
Vegan diet is safer? Wow, that's an amazing statement considering that over twenty people have died recently from listeria contamination in MELONS, which, last time I checked anyway, had nothing to do with raw meat. Then there was the E.coli contaminated spinach or sprouts in Germany (not meat either) which killed 39 people and sickened thousands more. Want some salad with cut melon on the side?
The healthiest diet is a balanced one. Veganism = extremism.
You left out the infant that was killed when his parents tried to keep him to a vegan diet because they thought it would be healthier for him.
People doing any diet wrong is not an indictment of the diet.
Sure! Look at the Dr. Robert Atkins, diet godfather. Keeled over from a heart attack just from driving by a McDonald's.
Hey Andrew, those outbreaks are due to the fertilizer used to grow those veggies - which is sourced from factory farming. If a plant-based fertilizer were used, ecoli wouldn't be an issue with veggie crops.
Ok, so I hardly ever comment on these things but I figured, "What the heck?" I'll give it a try"
Soooo....there are very few human pathogens that are associated (truly associated) with plants. Very few....a HUGE majority of human food borne pathogens arise from animal wastes or animal biproducts. If you list off any of the common food-borne pathogens (Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella enterica, Capylobactor jejuni to name some of the most common ones in the US) and maybe did a little research (or...idk...even Wikipedia it if you aren't into the whole process of looking up scientific journals or organism reports) you will find this out. Soooo...just because you have a, say, cantaloupe, with some Listeria on it does not mean that the Listeria prefers cantaloupe as its natural host...
That is why these produce are "contaminated"....they are contaminated with fecal runoff/fertilizer/other animal product....Why do you think that you are supposed to keep meat and veggies separate when you cook? It's not to protect the stead from the deadly E. coli...it's to protect your veggies from whatever may be growing in your steak. Most of these common pathogens are designed to grow in mammals and have adapted to that environment...something that harms a human normally isn't going to go after the carrots in your garden unless they are put there along with something else that came from a mammal...
Ok...I think that's about it (Oh, ps...I do eat meat...so you don't have to worry about me being "high and mighty" as some close-minded individuals seem to attribute to an entire class of people because of their dietary choices)
Every one has individual needs. Macro nutrient profiles and nutrient intake are relative to ones lifestyle and physiology at the time. Looking into how the persons digestion, sleep cycles, job, exercise or lack of, stress, and other toxicity levels currently or previously are affecting them is key. With that said, I am making statements based on my experience over 10 years and science that no one here seems to be much aware of. First, it doesn't matter what you take in as much as what you absorb. Just because something has protein in it doesn't mean you are getting it, or that it's enough. If you aren't able to digest, you don't get it. People always talk about feeling "better" on this or that diet. Here's a question I always ask when someone comes to me in poor health (we don't know what we don't know), " Is it the fact that you went vegan the reason you "feel better", or is it the fact that you stopped eating McDonalds 10 a week"? Also, people often stress themselves more with inefficient diets. This causes stress reactions in part due to blood sugar destabilization. At that point, the body has an adrenal reaction in an attempt to maintain energy and function. Do you know what adrenalin does? Makes you feel great. Energetic, sharp, alert, and since people often are starving themselves in one form or another on diets in general, the lose weight. Nutrition is always discussed from the outside in, ("soy has plenty of protein"), but never do lay people think about whether or not physiology (internal) accepts the external. I can only speak of My EXPERIENCE, but from my assessments, which aren't basic and look deeper into physiology, I only see vegetarians/vegans with numerous "internal" complications ranging from physiological to psychological. Don't forget the emotional aspects of food as it has direct effects on our sense of well being and happiness, just look into whether you are happy because of you are balanced, or because you are spiking adrenalin and cortisol all day.
Also as veg's plainly announce, it is the killing of animals that can't be dealt with most often. So, that means it has nothing to do with nutrition and everything to do with accepting life and death. The fact that all this talk about what is healthier goes on seems to be over ridden by the former. I always have discussions with former vegan clients who IMO projected their victimization issues onto the "helpless animal".
You are basing your senseless diatribe on so many falsehoods. For one thing, most vegetarians are NOT concerned about the 'killing of animals' as you claim. We are interested more in our health and eating things that make our bodies feel better. Anyone who has cats cannot be squeamish about killing because cats are forever dragging in, disemboweling and leaving the remains of various other critters. Moreover you have to feed dead animals to your cats if you want them to be healthy (whether you feed them raw or from a can). Many of us wear leather. No problem. Many of us have no intrinsic problem with hunting (when it's for meat and not just a rack so that the carcass is wasted). Many of us have had to put down beloved pets and horses. Vegetarianism is only about "not killing" for a subset of the large population of vegetarians. Rather than making up a bunch of crap why don't you research stuff before posting such ridiculous nonsense and trying to make it sound intelligent and educated. It just looks foolish and bigoted and ignorant.
Not sure your statement is correct, Charlotte – most vegetarians I know do not eat meat b/c of cruelty to the animals. I stopped eating it in the past for that reason also (still ate fish, so not a vegetarian). Health benefits are a great bonus, but not the drive for many.
Wow nutrition coach. Sounds like you didn't have a day of biochem in undergrad...
How can you tell you are talking to a vegan?
Oh, don't worry, they'll tell you. Repeatedly!
How can you tell you are talking to an idiot?
Oh, don't worry, they'll tell you. Repeatedly!
both of you deserve a high-five.
Dear Vegans,
People wouldn't hate you so much if you didn't shout from the highest mountain every 3 seconds that you are a better human because of how you "evolved" into eating like a tart.
People wouldn't hate you so much if you didn't shout from the highest mountain every 3 seconds that you are a better human because of how you "evolved" into collecting social security checks when you're against socialist big government.
Jesus loves you
Amazingly right on. I love the voice of reason!
You'll never notice the ones that don't. Unless you work at some sort of vegan-centric establishment or have tons of vegan friends It's highly unlikely that you realize who most of the vegans you interact with everyday.
Touche' Paul. The vast population of them are completely invisible to those who fear them, because they don't shout it from the mountaintop. They just mind their own business and enjoy sharing their recipes with any who are interested. What amazes me is that all these anti-vegan retards have bothered to read the article (nobody forced them to) and then they feel like they just must bash veganism and vegans. People only behave this way when they are frightened. This says a lot more about these vegan-bashers than it says about vegans!
As we go flying past seven billion people on the planet it is clear that the western animal product centered diet is not only unsustainable but unhealthy. Sustainabiliy requires a minimalist impact on the world and eating plants is the way to be really "green".
So for all of the right wing extremist people out there that are saying humans evolved eating meat and it is a necessary part of our diet, does that mean that you now believe for the sake of this conversation that evolution does exist and are putting behind the idea of creationism???
Why must creationism and evolution be mutually exclusive?
Your first sentence tells us all we need to know about you; ANYONE who eats meat is a "right-wing extremist". I eat meat, I like Vegan, I love vegetables...in fact, I am am cooking some Vegan gluten-free muffins for a friend today. So, where do I fit in your prejudiced world?
Regrettably, i'm throwing my hat into this shit show. The article is not an attack at your lifestyle, Simply giving a perspective to an idea that you may have never thought of or could have been given some miss information. This isn't like what political party your affiliated with. Just and Idea don't assume, don't be a puppet if you don't like Vegan food move on.
Before I was vegan it was an article like this one that got me interested to read more about a plant based lifestyle. Reading some of the ridiculous comments just make me sick..
It's not the comments making you sick, it's your diet.
100% agree broski... i never would have thought about veganism if it weren't for reading a random article that intrigued me to research more.
i've never been healthier, happier, more energized, etc.
it's just an idea, peeps. i'm well aware that most of you will never try it, but if it inspires one person to look into the potential benefits for them, it's worth it.
the reson why were the smartest animal is because of a diet of fish in early man that supported brain growth
and kill to eat is not wrong think of all the plants that died to feed humans
like my mom says "everything in moderation
Well in that case, grizzly bears should be of Einstein intelligence with all of the fish they eat.
maybe an extinct type of fish smart one that was early man
I love my veggies... absolutely love them. That being said, I also like my animal protein choices. To each their own. I don't force my food choices down other people's throats and I expect the same courtesy. An omnivorous lifestyle that is rich in fruits and veggies with lean protein choices can lead to living a very healthy lifestyle. If you prepare most of these foods yourself and don't buy into the prepackaged and processed crap, you can live a very healthy lifestyle. I know people who are vegans and people who are vegetarians and I am happy to get recipes from them. Do I like all of them? NO! There are some dishes that to me.. just taste horrible. It should be noted that many societies that exist on meatless diets often do consume animal products by way of eggs and milk products. Many middle eastern countries eat very little meat but eat a lot of milk based products i.e. yogurt etc.
It doesn't hurt to expand your palate a little and experience new flavors but just because I choose to eat meat doesn't make me a bad person or unhealthy....
The point is that meat is not a "protein choice" it's a dead animal. You can use whatever intellectual sounding euphemism you like, but at the end, that's what it is. Then again, you're a mother of 3, so not much more can be expected of you than procreating and stuffing your face and those of your kids (sorry, I meant reproductive choices).
Your foul langauge will not help your cause in promoting a vegan diet.
It is clearly a protein choice
ADULT STEM CELLS CURE'S AIDS / HIV and A NUMBER OF OTHER THINGS BUT WHY????? IS AMERICA BEING HELD BACK FROM THE MAJOR LEAP IN MEDICINE DOES AMERICA WANT TOO KILL YOU ??????? OTHER COUNTRIES MAKING MAJOR LEAPS INTO MEDICINE BUT AMERICA IS STILL IN THE STONE AGE WHY????? WHO BENEFITS THE FDA BIG CORPORATIONS .......???
If by the stone age you mean "easily at the forefront of modern medical research" then yeah.
i agree. i am a veggie, primarily vegan, and i don't force my choices on anyone. i don't see it as being a moral issue, but a dietary one. i have been doing this for over 32 years, so i take all these warnings of impending doom with a large dose of salt
Oh it's even a bigger MORAL issue due to the amount of pollution caused by producing all of this MEAT. Not to mention the amount of resources (water, grain) it takes to raise cattle, chicken etc. if anything it IS a moral issue.
I hang around a lot of people. Some are veggies and some are vegans. None of them have ever tried to convert me or made me feel somehow bad for my eating chicken and fish.
I do have a serious question: How is a vegan diet for diabetics?
Hey Rick, just wanted to thank you for taking the time to reply to/correct all the ignorant people.
You are an idiot...it isn't saying that you are unhealthy if you eat meat. Stop being defensive..
Animal – you are disgusting. Yes, she has 3 kids and I am sure she lives her life for them and most likely is much less selfish then you are (and sounds much smarter). And about her procreating choices – at least there will be someone to pay for YOUR medicare when her kids go to work.
Vegan diets are not for everyone. I've tried it for about 3 years and it was good for awhile. Then I started intense workouts and for some reason I was not getting the necessary energy and repair. Also, it was becoming very expensive, I had to eat allot of food for my daily calories. Went back to eating fish and chicken and imediately I was more productive with the workouts and my food bill was better. if you live between a low to moderate life style these food lifestyles works and have great benefits. However, I'm not convince all meat should be eliminated for everyone.
If you are eating staples like beans, rice, in season fruits/veggies, makeing meals in bulk and then freezing meals ,a vegan diet is actually very cheap. You can eat a healthy vegan diet for 4 dollars a day but it does require some effort in the food preparation and meal planning.Eating specialty vegan foods is expensive but not necessary on a balanced vegan diet. Most people (vegan or not) can become deficient if they arent eating a balanced diet but vegans need to be more aware of their intake. It is possible you were not getting enough b-12/b-6 in your diet. Did you take supplements?
There is your problem right there. Any diet that *requires* you to take vitamin supplements is obviously not a healthy and balanced one.
If you have to take supplements, then you aren't getting what you need naturally from your diet.
I tried the vegetarian thing for a few years, but simply missed the taste of meat. I too was very physically active and found the diet lacking without consuming huge amounts of food, that simply were difficult to manage a budget for, let alone the time it took to prepare the meals so that they weren't so boring or lack flavor.
Many of my friends are vegetarian stil though, and I still enjoy many meals with them. However, after working in the industry for over 20 years, I must say, that the vegetarians seem to last ok, but the Vegans become very unhealthy over the long term. In their 50's, they all look to be in their 80's and are very emaciated and skeletonlike. They say they feel fine, but sadly, they look sickly. I don't know a single lifer vegan that lived past 60 and all have skeletal issues/bone density problems. I only knew 1 man past 50 who was a vegan his whole life.
Maybe that is just an American problem though, with a lack of choices and more radical views of not wanting to take any pills or supplements either (origins unknown?) by many strict vegans. -or at least the ones I have come in contact with all these years.
It was meat, fish, dairy, and eggs that fed early man's brains to evolve to be larger and more complex. Obviously we are an omnivorous species. However, all in moderation. Meat should be a side item, not the main course, in our diet.
Most western countries eat far too much meat in their diet and the earth won't be able to sustain the production of cattle to support the increasing amount of meat now starting to appear in the diets of the developing world.
I don't like to eat meat, I love fruit and veggies. Unfortunately, I live in NorthEast where they tend to be so expensive. I wish I could eat 90%of my diet fruit and veggies but who can afford at least $1 an apple comparing to fifty cents a can of tuna, or $2.5/lb a pound of meat. How can you ask a family to get fed with expensive healthy food if the prices are so high?
Why don't meat eaters kill their own animals & eat it raw? Because they are pussays.
Nice spelling. Even as a vegan, I still respect hunters and those who forage for their own meat. Yes, I agree that if the modern man were forced to hunt for their meat, most would be vegetarian if not vegan. That's why I respect hunters that much more.
Plenty of people have no trouble harvesting eggs or getting milk from cattle. So being vegan is more of an extreme. Fishing is not so tough either. If peopel lived in areas that would permit hunting, they would. But most of hte population lives in cities and can't exactly run around the neighborhood shooting at ??? to get dinner.
I *DO* kill some of my own meat.
And I *DO* eat some of my meat raw (sashimi, steak carpaccio, etc.)
Nothing compares to a big plate of turnips and tofu. A little oil, a little spice and it tastes just like meat.
Tofu is tasteless by definition. To add any flavor to eat, one must add spices. And by the way if you try mask the flavor to compare to meat, you are cheating yourself, just get a lean pork chop or steak. There are 2 types of people – one eats meat, the other eats in denial...
Have you ever eaten meat? Or is your memory that bad? Sorry, but that concoction tastes nothing like real meat.
Unless maybe the person that used to cook the meat you ate was a horrible cook. Very overcooked meat can be pretty bland.
Safer you say? Tell that to all the people who have died after eating tainted lettuce, cantaloupes and spinach. LOL
for the third time... Factory farms are the reason deadly bacteria gets into fruit and vegetable crops e.coli originates in animals and then spills into water that is used to irrigate vegetables and sprouts.
Have a cheesburger and calm the **** down.
@LogicalHypothesis..... then explain the numerous outbreaks on family run farms back in the old days before commercialization. The truth of the matter is, certain outbreaks occur naturally in nature from different sources:Rats, Deer, Wild boar, squirrels, racoons etc.
DUDE....SHE IS SMOKING HOT....LOT HOTTER THAN MEAT EAT CHICK....I WILL DO HER ANY MINUTE...CHECK OUT HER BEAUTY....MIND BLOWING....
Meat production causes vegetables to become contaminated... and you blame the vegetables? That's lolz-tastic.
I like sausage
I eat vegetarian when possible. Recipes like these are too much. You have to go out to get all the ingredients (30 mins, and a decent amount of $$), prepare the meal (45 mins), eat (15 mins), clean up all the different dishes (15 mins), so you are spending about 1:45 hours on one meal. That can't happen. And that's without thinking about the amino acids and nutrients in the dish.
You can call in an order for Chinese or a sub, spend 5-10 minutes picking it up and it's like $8. That's the problem with veganism right now IMO, it consumes your life. Yeah it's terrible that people strip animals for whatever they want and leave them suffering in the process, but when you start worrying about buying vegan soap, vegan vitamins, vegan deodorants, it's just too much. We need vegan fast food joints around every corner, and for the culture to respond in general.
My hats off to anyone who eats vegan or vegetarian, everyone should do it, or at least reduce meat consumption.
I agree with you!
it's called planning...doing the right thing is rarely easy
Well if you set aside one day every two weeks you can prepare meals in bulk and freeze them. I dont eat specialty vegan foods more then once a week. It save a ton of money to stick to the bulk isle at my health food store. For a family of four we spend 400 a month on food including raw almond milk twice a day.
I make a pot of rice (usually a wild rice blend, or brown) or quinoa, and a bean/or legume pot, and eat them throughout the week. 4 days worth of lunches for about $10
I agree. Right now I'm munching on some lentils and brown rice I made in bulk Sunday. Probably costs $7 total for 12 heaping meals. Hummus in bulk works great too.
Many of these recipes involve beans (and often vegan recipes involve tofu). What happens if you do not like beans or tofu!?
then head to your nearest McDonald's drive through!
You're a lot of fuking help.
I would suggest trying tofu cooked another way, suggest as baked. It's much firmer and more flavorful than plain tofu straight out of the package.
How about falafel? While made out of garbanzo beans, it is wonderful either baked or fried.
google "vegan recipes" and see if something appeals to you
I'm a moderate meat eater :3
But I agree that we need fruits and veggies in our diets more so than we think. Besides, these are pretty sustainable food than meat. A nice balance would do.
Why do some animal-$ucking carnivores feel so threatened whenever there's an article about vegetarianism? –Try it, you might just like it.
–Otherwise, go $uck a horse or whatever else you find yummy - just don't blame us when you get cancer.
Not sure if trolling or just stupid.
Plenty of vegetarians and vegans get cancer too.
I'd rather not...thanks though
"You can't substitute convenience," saith my incisors.
I don't eat vegan as a lifestyle, but I cook vegan frequently and it's very tasty. I personally like the taste of meat, but feel like we consume too much of it. So I do "weekday vegetarian." People who think you can't eat vegan and be healthy usually don't have a very balanced diet no matter what they eat. Many of those beautiful sculpted bodies you see on TV are vegan.
I just wanted to thank you for eating meat in moderation. Wish more people were like this.
You know what's funny – I always hear about meat eaters attacking vegans for vegetarians for pushing their lifestyle on them. I have to say – I get waaaaaay more isht & harrassment from meat eaters for my choices than I've EVER doled out to anyone. As soon as someone finds out that you chose to refrain from eating animals it's a free for all. How do you get protein? Oh I could never do that?! Oh don't you know we're supposed to eat meat? You must be ill and weak.
Give if a rest carnivores – you people are sometimes pretty vicious to us leaf munchers.
Othorexic nutballs, if you ask me. Veganism is extremism, and the lack of proper animal protein makes for very pasty faced, scrawny, iron depleted, crazy people. If eating meat is so wrong, tell the animal rights people to go watch a tiger get its lunch.
Absurd.
If you knew anything about protein you would know that your body breaks them down into amino acids and it doesnt matter where those amino acids came from, just that they are all there
I've been on a vegan diet for about three years. While I don't have any moral objection to hunting or eating animals, I've followed the diet purely because the scientific data makes a very strong case for it. I was pre hypertensive and had moderately high cholesterol prior to changing my diet. Within 3-4 months of changing I was well within normal levels and my energy level has never been better. I think it's a big mistake to label all vegans as some sort of animal rights hippies. While that may be true for some, a growing number are following the lifestyle simply due to science.
That's funny Joe, Chloe Coscarelli is wicked hot! I'm always amazed at the level of work you vegan-haters put into your "research" to expose veganism. And why? The real truth is that the average meat eating American is deficient in calcium, fiber, magnesium, vitamin C, vitamin E, iodine, etc. etc.
Eating meat is not wrong, but the way most humans acquire meat is. Animal cruelty is so pervasive and inhumane in not just the meat industry, but also in the dairy and egg industries that people turn to veganism for this very reason. I bet that if more people knew where their meat came from there'd be more vegans. While it can be more difficult to get your nutrition in a vegan diet, it's far from impossible.
Joe: Undoubtedly, you are the picture of health
It is no longer a question of tastes. The planet will soon not be able to sustain intensive meat production. The amount of grain & water required to raise just one animal could be given directly to humans and feed many many more than the small meat portions gleaned from the animal. I'm a vegetarian and don't want for anything. If you eat meat at least cut back your consumption. Americans eat too much protein which promotes colon cancer. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_vegetarianism
I will eat vegan, as a side dish to my steak
First of all I think we need to establish some ground rules here based upon verifiable science. These 3 rules should begin to propagate around the world before the rest of sane world falls prey to these largely US-oriented wacky diet and health misconceptions:
1. Eating cholesterol in food has not been proven translate to cholesterol problems in your body and now largely is discredited as a theory. The liver produces the vast majority of cholesterol and we simply don't know why some produce too much LDL.
2. There has been no conclusive evidence that saturated fat is the enemy in our battles with obesity, diabetes and coronary heart disease. Some believe that it was really bad science from the 1950s (see http://chriskresser.com/the-saturated-fat-myth-debunked-in-two-minutes-and-thirty-five-seconds).
3. I would tend to agree with the comments here regarding we humans and our omnivorous nature.
Latest science is pointing to a new bogeyman- he is made up of overindulgence (calorically), excessive sugar consumption spiking GI AND finally, new-fashioned inactivity.
Sheesh, can we start to drop the cut out the fat stuff yet?!
Sadly, you are the one who is out of date with science. Try getting your information from researchers and not from people trying to sell you some crazy diet. The proof is very conclusive – animal products are harmful. They are also cruel.
Eating and pooping out an animal is kinda gross.
Well said.
Not as much as eating and not pooping it out
I am a human I am an omnivore, which means I eat anything whether it is meat, plant, fungus, or liquid, and gas. Stop fighting over this way is the best to eat or that way and remember you were created to eat anything, it's about the habits you have that lead to danger or health.
I'm 44 years old and for about 3 or 4 years have been on Nexium, Zocor and Niaspan. Nexium for Gastroespophogeal Reflux Disease and Zocor and Niaspan for literally off the chart bad cholesterol and very low "good" cholesterol.
I ate a lot of fast food, didn't exercise much and in 3 years it caught up with me. I had always been physically fit until I got married and got a sales job where I traveled every day.
I've started to go more vegetarian with my diet and am back to exercising again. We've been propagandized by Big Food, aka Big Agriculture to believe that we NEED meat at every meal. It's bull, pun intended! I have so much more energy on my plant based diet compared to the garbage I'd been putting into my body.
There are way more negatives about eating meat than there are veggies. Just take a look at the Chinese. Even with a country swimming in pollution, there are much fewer cases of cancer, diabetes, and other disease compared to the USA. Also, you hardly see a fat Chinaman unless they've adopted a western lifestyle and eating habits.
My mother died of complications due to colon cancer (spread to her lungs and eventually her brain) at age 85 and my father has Alzheimer's at age 91.
I want to be able to be functional and cancer free at their age and I think a plant based diet is key. I will probably still eat fish though.
I was a vegan for 4 years in my late 20's. Everyone said I looked 21 up unitl I turned 34. At that time I took a high stress job & started eating fast/junk food and meat. My health had plummeted, I was hospitalized for kidney problems, I missed more work due to illness than ever. I started eating vegan again (for 3 months). My blood pressure is down, my liver enzymes are normal and I sleep better than I have in a long time. The hormones they put in animals is passed onto us when we eat it, same with dairy. My body is way too allergic to it DAILY to risk eating it. After watching the video on raccoon dogs & fake uggs production in China, I never turned back & won't! My two 12 year old St. Bernards eat a primarily vegetarian diet and to this day are energetic and healthy. 12 years old is unheard of for a St. Bernard. It's about feeling good daily, because an accident could take you at any moment. Feeling good now is what counts.
You don't technically need meat to live, but it is the best and most easily obtainable source of complete proteins (not to mention the most flavorful). Without meat you have to get those complete proteins from plants, and very few plants provide what the body needs. Hence the reason humans evolved eating both plant and animal.
You would have gotten the same results had you simply eliminated processed foods from your diet. Meat and fat is not the enemy! Sugar and refined vegetable oils are what's killing us.
EXACTLY!
You said "Chinaman" LMAO
To all the meat eaters complaining... articles like this are so like minded people can share ideas. It's not meant to force our ideas upon anyone. If you're offended, you must love being a hater of things that no one invited you to look at. If you are so happy why be so offense? Usually offensive people do so because they are trying to prove something that doesn't exist. Move along. No one cares about you, we just want the recipes.
Really? Then why is the name of the article Give Vegan Cooking A Chance. I don't need some retard leftie libtards telling me what to think, thank you very much. But since I disagree with you I must be stoooooooopid, right?
Maggie: Google "Chilean Lentil Dal". Tasty lentil dish.
Bread Crumbs aren't vegan. They have dried egg in them. Also normal dinner rolls? Really? NOT VEGAN! If your going to write an article being holier than thou selling out your diet, you might want to make sure your at least following the rules of your diet!
Home made bread is made of wheat & water (or other chemicals if it's store bought & processed). Look at the labels. Have you ever made your own bread? If you did you'd know this.
I buy breadcrumbs all the time that are vegan many dont have animal products. check the labels. and its also very easy to make your own. also-hundreds of dinner rolls out there that don't contain eggs.
I've never seen bread that contains eggs. It's a common misconception.
You can make bread crumbs with out dried egg. Or other animal products.
I make foccacia (sp?) bread out of flour, salt, olive oil and yeast and it is awesome. You can definitely make bread without animal products. You just have to buy carefully or make your own.
Who the heck makes bread with eggs?
This is a really dangerous diet. I have seen people suffer in the hospital because of their vegan diets. The skin suffers and degrades. Certain organs cannot handle the lack of animal protein. It makes not sense that this diet would be for humans. Plus, there is no need to supplement if you AREN'T VEGAN. Whenever I meet a vegan I feel sorry for them. They will never be healthy. They will never be happy.
I believe you need a lot more research
what you're saying is just literally not true! i work in a hospital, and do you know what i see every single day?! diabetes. high blood pressure. high cholesterol. heart disease. these are diseases that result in large part from people living sedentary lifestyles and beating their bodies silly with saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium, all of which are usually (or in the case of cholesterol, ONLY) found in animal products and fast food! vegetarians and vegans have been proven to have lower incidences of heart disease, intestinal diseases, and cancer. and those are scientific facts, not just random opinions that i decided to type into a comment box (which seems to be your approach). educate yourself before you go blabbing on about something you know NOTHING about!
(and this is all not to mention that animal-based diets result in heinous environmental damage and ridiculous cruelty to animals. or do all of you meat eaters just literally not care, as long as it tastes good? heaven forbid your taste buds make a sacrifice. the poor animals and our environment can go down the drain.)
Nuh uh...
I am sure that there are cases like this, however, vegans have to make an efforts to replace proteins, not just stop eating meats. It requires work and planning and research. When I did not eat meat I noticed some changes also that disappeared immediately upon eating a little bit of meat again. But I just cut out meat for 2 years cold turkey and did not really replace proteins.
It is not that much work
Are you sure you are not one of the meat industry lobbyists?
That is completely incorrect. You get a complete protein set from a legume/grain combo for example-beans and rice, corn and peas, lentils and coucous. Why do you think these combos show up so much in the world. There are many places in the world where veganism is common. You can do it and be healthy, you just have to be a little mindful. And I think we could all use that. (and no I'm NOT vegan, or vegetarian.)
It's funny how absolutely incensed people become at the mere suggestion of not eating dead animals. I run marathons, have impecable skin thank you very much, and am in the "1%" of American earners [no trailer parks for me]. Yes, I am a vegan. If you eat a varied diet rich in whole grains, vegetables, legumes, and nuts you will not be nutrient deficient. In fact, you'll try dishes you never even knew existed and they will be delicious. You will have a lower risk of all the diseases that plague this country and I guarantee your health care costs will plummet. I'm 5'2", weigh 115 pounds and my cholesterol is 135. I exercise 6 days a week and chase after three small children. I haven't needed antibiotics in years. Best of all, I can feed myself and my family and feel good about what I put in their mouths- good, wholesome, nutrient-rich food and you know what, I didn't have to kill anything to do it.
"The choice-obsessed modern West is probably more accommodating to individuals who choose to eat differently than any culture has ever been, but ironically, the utterly unselective omnivore – "I'm easy; I'll eat anything" – can appear more socially sensitive than the individual who tries to eat in a way that is good for society. Food choices are determined by many factors, but reason (even consciousness) is generally not one of them." – Jonathan Safran Foer, Eating Animals. So I say Mr. Smith,don't bother being "sad" for us, because we are very confident in our choices. Your protests say more about the choices you make for yourself, than it does about us.
"Not healthy"? Hah. That's hilarious.
My diet is entirely plant based and I've run 18 marathons. How about you?
You can ramble on until you're blue in the face, but at the end of the day, the scientific evidence will show that a plant-based diet is leaps and bounds healthier than an animal-based one.
You do what you want... just don't parade misinformation around as fact.
I am sure you have seen dozens, if not hundreds, of people suffering in the hospital from their veganism. You are an incredible blowhard.
You are an amusing little troll, but a troll nevertheless
I went vegan for 6 months around the time of the Susan Powter books. I enlisted the help of a couple of vegan friends and a dietician to be sure I was doing things right. 6 months later, I was only 5 lbs lighter ( I needed to lose weight ), I was sleepy during the day at work ( was called in several times about it ) had a stash of snacks and brought my lunch daily, was hungry ALL THE TIME, my nails were thin, bendy, and peeling, my hair falling out and thinning, and was shocked to find that my blood pressure and cholesterol rose, get this, *not eating saturated fat.*
My GP sent me to an endocrinologist to cure me of my 'fad,' and found out I'm not cut out for veganism. He took more blood work after 6 weeks of a modified form of eating that resembles South Beach but was 15 years before that book. My cholesterol was back down, my bp stabilized much lower, my nails stopped peeling in layers, and my hair was shiny again and growing back in.
No. Matter. What. Not all humans are cut out to go vegan. I just hope it didn' aggravate any heart disease that I might have due to familial tendencies.
thank you for sharing your personal experiences, which directly suggest that veganism IS NOT for everyone and should NOT be promoted that way.
It sounds like you were doing it to lose weight and not as a lifestyle change. Sorry, but it can be done correctly. You were avoiding all fats I'm guessing? That's a mistake many people make. Your body is designed to crave fat, so if you go cold turkey, you'll be miserable and you'll likely crave it no matter what you eat. Sorry you had trouble, but just based on the fact that you also bought into the "south beach diet fad" (or something similar) indicates what the real problem may have been.
Yes do join us vegans it is a very delicious rewarding lifestyle. I have got a great squash and mixed vegetable green tomato stew with a slice of organic whole grain bread. The bread is a rare treat, normally I won't touch it. Have some!
Eating only veggies is just as stupid as eating only meat.
damn hippies. learn to restrict your diet and enjoy a little bit of everything.
Yea, but how's your health. Every doctor I know would advise against this very very unreasonable abuse of the human body.
then you must not know very many doctors, there are a lot of doctor out there suggesting this sort of diet for patients that are dying of the diseases that meat based diets cause.
I am amazed at the lack of education, the lack of people unwilling to read the facts and see for themselves what the truth really is. Some of the healthiest people I know are vegans, some of the most unhealthy people I know are meat eaters.....
Been vegetarian for almost 20 years and have been creeping toward veganism for awhile only to be blocked by the Great Wall of Cheese.
It can be constipating like that :)
While I don't suggest everyone can or should be a vegan, I will suggest that its immature to say you hate vegetables. Maybe its the way they are prepared. Maybe its because some people refuse to grow up and eat healthier to begin with.
Fact is unless meat is grass raised and slaughtered in a humane (quick) manner you probably are consuming meat from animals fed GMO grains. And lets not forget unbiased medical studies have shown that Seventh Day Adventists here in the states are the healthiest and most are vegetarian. Vitamin D can be had by spending 10 minutes in the sunshine, or eat foods like certain mushrooms, non GMO soy products,orange juice fortified with vitamin D and ready-to-eat cereals.
If you don't like Chloe, fine. But no need to be mean and nasty.
i love vegan dishes, and i also love meat. suggesting that any single diet is good for an entire population is dangerous. some people thrive on vegan diets while many others suffer from chronic health issues caused by this limited diet. today's debates on health should focus more on 1) avoiding processed food like it's the plague and 2) consuming the highest-quality food sources you can get your hands on. if this means eating less meat, for example, so be it. but meat is not a sin, industrialized food and agriculture is.
Well said!
So...I am 6'1" 256 lbs. with a 8.22 BFI. My cholesterol averages around 91ish. I take in over 200 grams of protein a day...guess where that protein comes from...you guessed it...meat, LOTS of meat. My metabolism requires me to take in over 5000 calories a day, yet, according to several commentators here, meat slows your digestion and clogs arteries....hmmmm could it simply be that being logical and eating intelligently is the best choice? A lean organic chicken breast has, on average, 25 grams of protein and only 1 gram of fat. (Yes you do need fat in your diet.) Lean cube steak can have as much as 30 grams of protein and 3 grams of fat. Yes I am sure there are sources of vegetation out there that are just as good, but how can you say that this is bad?
Just think about all the living beings that died to feed your fat a**
You are a very bad person!
You obviously also exercise a lot. An important variable you fail to mention...
You mean all those delicious living beings!
hmmm could it be that not every person is the same, that not everyone has the same metabolism? We are not all born with metabolisms that will burn everything you eat, so I find it pretty ignorant for you to say that it is a matter of people being smart about what they eat.
By the way my husband had a metabolism like that, enjoy it while it lasts because eventually that 5000 calories you are so used to eating will make you one of the weak, lacking willpower people that you speak of, and will have you in the cardiologists office, when it does I hope you think about the callous foolish remarks you have posted here.
it is a proven fact that veganism works for people, so why do so many people spend so much time attacking it? If it saves lives that would otherwise have been ended by heart disease, diabetes and other diseases then what can possibly be so wrong about it that people feel the need to be rude?
6'1" and 256 lbs. is pretty overweight. Maybe if you cut out the meat fats, you would lose that excess weight. Also, if you are taking in 5,000 calories a day, you are taking in at least twice your daily required caloric intake. You need a reality check.
For those of you who think eating meet is good, you'll need to watch a little sneak peek of a docu/film called 'Dont Eat Me'. It really makes you wonder if what we are doing to animals is wrong!
I Love Soylent Green,a medium rare steak and The NRA.
Why do vegans and vegetarians have to treat what they like to eat as a religion? Do vegans and vegetarians like it when extremists Christians preach about how much better they are now that they have found Jesus and try to convince them of the same? If not, then leave us alone and stop proselytizing! In the meantime, I'll have my steak medium rare please! This is no different than people who try to convert you to their religion!
I know right? How about give being an omnivore a try.... Instead of forcing people to become herbavores, focus on getting them to eat healthier. I'm sorry but I don't want to eat tofu for protein. I love steak, seafood, pork, and poultry.
I know right? How about give being an omnivore a try.... Instead of forcing people to become herbivores, focus on getting them to eat healthier. I'm sorry but I don't want to eat tofu for protein. I love steak, seafood, pork, and poultry.
yeah, um, it's an article on a certain type of food, located in a section of cnn called eatocracy. No one is preaching, someone is simply giving out information.
In fact, it's meat eaters like you who right away start going in defensive mode. I guarantee you the first comment in response to this article was by a defensive meat eater. I haven't looked yet, but the comments are all mainly defensive meat eaters saying the same thing. "stop preaching to us!!" Who the hell is preaching?? Get a grip and move on...
like wise, meat eaters being rude and obnoxious to vegans, commenting on vegan articles how much you love your juicy meat will simply lead to more childish back and forth. everyone grow up...
Nobody is forcing you to do anything. it suggest that such a diet is healthier if you use it intellegently (it is definitely an effort) AND also reduces animal suffering. If this suggestion makes some people consider eating less meat – great.
I dont think anybody is preaching, I think they are just sharing their opinion, one might just as simply ask why is that meat eaters get so defensive about it, and treat vegans like they are hippies, weirdos and crazy people. We all have the right to make our own choices and to share our own feeling about them. I find it very suspect when someone gets really defensive about another persons right to speak out.
Agreed. Sadly people who don't have good self-esteem view other's POV as threatening their existence/way of life. It makes it very hard to have civil conversations with them.
Hah, I know! Like when those wacky vegetarians have their chili cook-offs, barbecue competitions, hotdog eating contests, and tailgate pig roasts? It's totally like they're part of some cult or something!
For some it is part of their religion – my Indian friends are vegetarian (but not vegan) – they will consume animal products – milk, cheese – things that do not kill the animal, but will not eat eggs or anything that causes death, or so that was how it has been explained to me. These folks generally don't preach the attitude or get self-righteous and I cook to their dietary restrictions when I have them as guests because I have a wide range of vegetarian receipes. I think it is unfortunate that the vegan attitudes get so out of control (I don't see it so much with vegetarians) and it ruins credibility. I tend to not eat a lot of meat (simply don't care for some of it – poultry for example), but I do enjoy fish and dairy in moderation and love fruits and veggies, and life goes on – to each his own. I don't know why people get so bent about what others choose or do not choose to eat!!
Maybe you haven't realized that you clicked on a link that was for vegans/ vegetarians. You chose to be here. No one forced you to read it.
No one talks about the cost of being vegan or going organic. For many people they cannot afford to. Something is wrong when potato chips cost less than strawberries. I would love to go organic but I cannot afford to. I discussed this with a coworker at work. I pay $200 for groceries. If I went organic my costs would triple. It is cheaper for poor people to get the buffet at KFC for $5.00 and eat a whole days worth of calories in one meal than prepare food themselves. Almost all the people who have organic diets or are vegan are upper middle class or rich. Us average citizens can not afford vegan cosmetics or organic apples. No one wants to discuss the economic implications of going organic or going vegan. No one wants to admit they can have the lifestyle they want because they can afford to.
This is an excellent point. Is it not an arrogance to insist that your food be organic when so many people would want to just have enough food? Should you not sacrifice and then give the money you save to help others less fortunate than you?
Furthermore, in much of America, in the winter, much of your vegan diet has to be flown or shipped in from all over the world.
Jennifer, I stopped eating meat a few years ago, and it has saved me money. Grains and veggies cost less than meat. When I go to a restaurant with meat-eating friends, my check is always lower. I apply the money I save not eating meat to selectively buying organic. You can find a list of the "dirty dozen" fruits and veggies that contain the highest number of pesticides. You're right that junk food is cheap, and for those at a subsistence level, it may make sense for them, but for those of us who have the luxury of time and money to cook at home, a meat-free diet is doable. Over time, a vegan diet will probably pay for itself in reduced medical bills.
I eat frozen fruits in the winter, modern age and all.
Cost of being organic – I understand. My 4 year old primarily eats organic/natural. Buy on sales and freeze, buy cheaper kinds of meat – and in adult case – eat less. Lots of store carry their own organic brands that are cheaper and go on sale occasionally. look at which fruits/vegies are OK to eat not organic and which ones are super toxic – and use your judgement. I will not buy not organic peaches, apples, celery, but will buy melons and broccoli. Check out your farmers market – it is cheaper then a supermarket and quality does not compare.
Cost of being a vegan – what are the costs that are so expensive? One would use a lot of grains (cheap) and not use any meat?
I am not sure about your area, but where I live farmers markets are not cheaper than the supermarkets. Most everything is on average 100-200% more than it would be at Aldi or bakers. As for quality, I don't notice a difference.
The farmers markets in my area are not cheap either – they are crazy expensive. Fortunately I have a grocery store somewhat nearby that has a fabulous produce department – it's a small local chain and I don't know how they do it! Prices are good and the variety is amazing.
I live in L.A. and our farmers market are pretty cheap. I don't spend more then $40/week for the family of 3. Even organic produce is mostly $2/pound. After eating their produce it is hard to go back to the rubber vegies and fruits of regular supermarkets – I do feel the difference.
I look at it from a very different perspective, I am not rich not even close, I dont even have health insurance, but to me medicine is food. Buying cheap food doesnt make any sense. IF food I buy over taxes the health care system whether I pay the bill or the insurance does it amounts to the same thing. THe cost of health care for those that die because of diet related illnesses is far more than the cost of being vegan or organic.
Sadly if you shop around you can get a lot of organic foods for not much more than regular foods, you just have to know how to shop smart, certainly not triple the price.
I dont always eat organic, but then I also grow a lot of my own food too, :) I do what I can afford, and I know that I am investing in my health that because of my family history I can either spend money on food or I can spend it on medicines, I know where I would rather spend it.
True, but my wife & I have sacrificed other things to make our diet more rich in organic foods. No, it shouldn't be this way. I highly recommend every see the film FOOD INC to gain a better understanding of how the American food supply is manipulated & controlled by large corporations.
Mankind is the perfect omnivore. Humans need meat. Look up the enzyme "carntine" on Wikipedia. If you skip meat, make sure you're taking your vitamins or you're going to flake out – that's what's wrong with most vegans/vegetarians. They need carnitine.
Oh yeah...carnitine. That's the stuff of which the University of Maryland Medical Center says, "Your body makes it in the liver and kidneys and...can make all the carnitine it needs." No mention of needing to eat dead animals, and they don't seem to indicate that anyone will "flake out," whatever that means.
I could do vegetarianism but absolutely not veganism. My friend is vegan and the stuff he eats sucks, he cant even do most vinaigrettes because they have parmesean, just olive oil and vinegar which is nasty. I need cheese and butter to get by on a vegetarian diet. To do anything remotely good that is vegan you need extremely complicated recipes, just look at that ingredient list, I cant afford that.
Cutting out meat is one thing but cutting out fats is overboard.
not at all true....you have no idea what your are talking about
there are a lot of really good foods that are vegan, and you dont have to do without all fat. I can make a vegan thousand island dressing that is very good and reasonably low in fat.
These are so many of the misconceptions that people never take the time to really investigate, there is a lot of good food out there that does not have meat or dairy in it.
Who said anything about cutting out fats?
For every animal you don't eat, I'm going to eat three.
Your movement is now moot. Please surrender your peace signs and puka beads to the nearest bacon processing plant.
That's fine. I'll live longer.
My grandmother was 100 this year and ate meat her entire life. What she didn't do is smoke or drink.
awesome and when you die of heart disease I will be still kicking and veganism will be stronger than ever. Peace signs and beads..... awe come on, do you have any idea how many grandmas who knit have chosen this diet so they can be healthier and keep up with their grandkids?
Peace signs? Are you attempting to equate veganism with a political philosophy?
Yep. They're saying all vegans are hippies.
I know better, but this isn't about me. ;)
Linda McCarthy and Steve Jobs were vegans what do they have in common? Both died in their 50s. Not so healthy is it? Plenty of celebrities quit veganism recenty due to health problems. Still healthy? Answer: NO F-ING WAY!
Two famous vegans died in their 50s, and you equate that with veganism being unhealthy? That's one of the dumbest arguments I've ever heard. You might as well claim that having five letters in your first name is unhealthy.
Yeah totally... I knew a guy who bought a used car once. Ten years later? BAM! Herpes.
Ok, that made me laugh out loud. Thanks .... and I'll never buy a used car again. :)
John Belush and Chris Farley were comics who died at 33. What else did they have in common? Neither was vegan. Still like that argument, Tesla?
Linda McCarney was not vegan. If her cookbooks are any indication, her diet included large quantities of cheese, milk and eggs. Steve Jobs's cancer was likely caused or triggered by environmental factors such as second-hand smoke. Cigarette smoking is highly correlated with pancreatic cancer, and although Jobs didn't smoke, his parents did and both died of lung cancer. If anything, Jobs's diet helped him live years beyond what is typical for pancreatic cancer.
Anyone familiar with how alcoholism changes an alcoholic's brain into believing he can drink tonight– even when he wakes up in the morning convinced he shouldn't– will surely understand how fat does the exact same thing and has the same relationship between the enzymes in our stomaches and the neurons in our brains.
If you're saying things like– Humans need meat. Then guess what... you're addicted to fat. The science showing how bad saturated fat is for our bodies is irrefutable.
: applauds :
By that logic, if you say humans need vegetables, then you're addicted to vegetables.
I don't know if you knew this or not, but meat does not equal fat.
Everything in moderation. Saturated fat is bad, yes, but in small amounts isn't going to kill you. Someone whose diet consists of mostly foods high in saturated fat would be unhealthy, just as someone who drinks mostly soda/alcohol/etc would be unhealthy.
Actually, you got that logic wrong because you have no evidence to back your claim. He backed up his logic with scientific study. No scientific studies have shown that fruits and vegetables cause health problems.
Can not the same sort of self-hypnosis argument be made about the vegan who derives his sense of self-worth from his exotic diet and who identifies himself through his diet?
this would be assuming that every vegan does so, and that is not the case. There are plenty of us out there that just want to enjoy being healthy and experiencing everything that life has to offer without being tired and out of breath all the time.
Meat is just too damn good. Typically, the cuter the animal, the tastier it is, i.e. veal and lamb chops.
Went vegan for two days...worst two days of my existence. I concede it's a healthier lifestyle, but what's the point of living to be 100 if you're miserable every fkcuing day?
It's not the fact of living longer, it's having a better quality of life. I'd rather give myself a good chance of not having to go through open heart surgery, or other painful procedures than eat a greasy hamburger. Besides, vegan food is delicious once you get the hang of it. I admit I ate like crap for the first few weeks while I adjusted to the change. Now I cook better and more interesting food than I ever did as a meat eater.
There's little correlation between fat intake and cholesterol. It's much more genetic. A highschool classmate of mine had a father who had multiple bypasses. By the time the son was born, the family had already converted to a virtually fat-free diet. The son probably ate, in his lifetime, only a few grams of fat. I refer to him in the past tense because he had his first bypass at age 35-ish and is now dead from coronary obstruction. His younger brother is only a few years behind him taking every drug and observing a strict diet.
Had a vegan co-worker for a while, went to eat with her a few times at vegan "restaurants". I put the quotation marks there because I dont see how you can call a place a restaurant when EVERYTHING served tastes like cardboard! Vegetarian is bad enough...at least you can still use wheat, butter, and cheese. Vegan? BLEHHH! God awful tasteless garbage. Oh, and guess what? Vegan co-worker was written a prescription by her doctor...FOR CHICKEN! Vegan=NOT HEALTHY!
John: You may have made a insightful argument. To a 4th grader. But, have what you want. We are all terminal here, anyway.
you really got to give it more than two days, your body is likely addicted to the junk foods you eat, you will find that as you eat the diet, provided you have done your research and found good recipes that you can enjoy making and eating and not just rabbit food that is not the only thing vegans eat even if people think it is, if you give it two or three weeks you will find that you begin to enjoy the food and not miss the stuff you were eating before.
This steak I'm eating right now is so good.
That might be a little bit funny if we were all 8 years old. Good for you.
are you kidding me?
Personally, I have nothing against eating meat. I don't think it's cruel. How the animals are raised and treated may be cruel, but that's where you make better choices as to whose meat you're going to eat. With that said, I've been noticing that my body doesn't want meat anymore. When I eat meat, I feel like a lead balloon – sluggish. My body has actually been craving fruits, veggies, legumes, grains, nuts and seeds. In my case, I'm going vegan because I feel much better eating that way. I don't think people vegans and vegetarians should be shoving their lifestyle down anyone's throats, though. Do what's right for you and let other people alone. Some vegans are so far overboard that it crosses the line into animal worship.
Jack: I have been a vegetarian for 32 years, primarily vegan. It is not a moral choice to me, it is a dietary choice.
Uh...no! There was not a single thing mentioned that I would eat so what's the point? I love my veggies but not all veggies. Therein lies the problem. I especially hate mushrooms...yuck! Maybe she won a food contest for her vegan cooking but I doubt she could ever come up with enough to convert me.
No.
- weren't the last outbreaks of Listeria, salmonela in Melons & Spinach? Ha! sticking with my safe eggs....
As I stated earlier – Factory farms are the reason deadly bacteria gets into fruit and vegetable crops e.coli originates in animals and then spills into water that is used to irrigate vegetables and sprouts.
Yeah bacteria gets on produce...when it's contaminated by animal products and animals.
seriously these diseases originate from the meat farming industry, not from plants
4 – FOUR – cups of SUGAR???? – you call this healthy? what a joke....
No, one cup of sugar, and 3 cups of POWDERED sugar. It's delicious.
Oh – no doubt delicious – but you gonna die of diabetes before any of the meat eaters do....
It's the same scam as "Non-fat" yogurt – just check the 45 grams of sugar and you'll see why it's so good... veggies are good – you don't need to tempt us with 'Vegan" cupcakes that pack so much sugar it defeats the whole point.
Agreed.
Yeah, it's called a FROSTED CUPCAKE. It's not like that's a staple of the vegan diet. You don't think you ingest that kind of sugar when you eat a normal cupcake? Don't be ridiculous.
I agree that much sugar is not healthy, but when you eat meat and sugar and all the fat, guess what? You are going to die even faster. I do not eat that much sugar, I do have treats from time to time but not every day. Most people just eat whatever and dont look at the sugar and fat and other crap in it.
Vegan desserts are no healthier than non-vegan desserts, with the exception, perhaps, of not containing cholesterol. I don't think anyone said dessert = healthy. It's a TREAT, vegans don't live on cupcakes. Look up a non-vegan cupcake recipe, they are also loaded with sugar (and 3 cups of powdered sugar for frosting is pretty standard regardless of the recipe).
I lived at fast food joints until 20 years ago when I finally stopped and realized what an 'Animal Loving' Hypocrite I was being. Haven't had meat in 21 years and am very physically fit at 200 lbs with a 32 inch waist. Vegetarian/Vegan is the diet of the future, as there won't be any means left to raise animals for meat and not deplete what resources, (water, land, crops) will be needed for humans to survive . The arguments presented on this board by those who only care about that '5 minute flavor buzz' and not consider 'what it is' they're actually eating, (muscle, tendons, nerves, blood) from an animal unnecessarily tortured and slaughter all just to satisfy that: 'Juice blast', just don't hold water. And sadly, on these type topics, they always draws the 'Jethros' who succeed at showing everyone just how immature and unintelligent they are by posting pro-carnivore taunts. Everyone who chooses to eat meat should at least tour a slaughterhouse for only one hour to see if their '5 minute' high is something they can really justify and condone.
I couldn't have said it better myself.
I have done the slaughterhouse tour (as a kid) – my father was a butcher. I've also seen him dress deer and other animals for friends who hunt. Not a factor in deciding whether or not to eat meat. I choose to eat very little meat due to the potential for health problems, but I enjoy meat from time to time because I like the taste. To each his own, whatever you or I or the next guy chooses to eat is their own business.
Humans are omnivores. Humans have genetic disposition for animal protein. Doesn't mean you have to eat animals, but your dietary needs are such that not all essential animo acids are found in sufficient quantities in fruits, vegetables, and legumes. Fact. End of discussion.
Who da fock made you grand poobah of debates and discourse? Go back to your basement and get a grip on your holier-than-thou att!tude.
The next time I have a nice, juicy steak I'll dedicate it to all the people out there who are missing out. Enjoy your protuberous roots, nerds!
By all means. But before you do that, why not dedicate your meal to the being who missed out at having a normal happy life.
Why do people like you who eat meat always express angry at people who don't? Maybe the meat makes you aggressive and close minded?
It's not all meat eaters, Bill. Just blowhards like upChucko
Nerds, Chucko? Gosh, are you threatened by other's dietary choices?
One word: Incisors.
That's three words
If vegetables tasted like steak I would be a vegetarian. Unfortunity, most of them make me gag. Green beans only, please.
I love it when people celebrate their utter closed-mindedness when it comes to food. I don't care if you go vegan or not, but to celebrate your complete ignorance of the delicious world of food... well, that's just sad. Enjoy your bacon and white bread as your taste buds die.
*Applause*
Not one comment here on the fact that veganism is the compassionate choice, because it makes it unnecessary to kill living creatures. It is more compassionate to let other animals live, because no one needs to eat meat – in fact, we are far healthier not eating meat. This is why many doctors choose a vegan diet – they know it's the healthy choice. Pigs, cows and chickens have a right to live out their full life span, not to be tortured in some factory farm and then slaughtered in the most terrifying ways. Yes, that is how most of the meat you eat is produced. Veganism avoids suffering – it's the better, more compassionate choice for everyone, and a healthier diet for you.
Word.
I'll concede the point about compassion, but I don't think it's healthier. There are junk food vegans and there are healthy-eating non-vegans.
There are also unhealthy omnivores. What's your point?
Dp: I agree. And the same vice versa. Calling your diet something doesn't make it healthy.
and there are also healthy eating vegans as well ;) dont forget about us.
I am not a vegitarian, but very well put!
What about the rights of the plants to live? Why is it ok to kill and eat a living plant, but not a living animal?
If we had been intended to eat only vegetables and greenery, our eyes would be on the sides of our heads, and we would have a ruminant style of digestive track.
You can't reason with the unreasonable.
Do you seriously, in your heart of hearts, believe that there's no difference between the suffering of cognizant animals and the harvesting of plants? Seriously?
We do have a ruminant style digestive track – much longer than most carnivores which means the meat stays around and rots inside you for a long time.
Griff, boorah!
NormalVegan, you may want to see your IT guru about having your sense of humor re-installed.
R, all food "rots" in your digestive tract. It's also referred to as breaking down. Annnnnnd then you p00p.
You are scientifically incorrect. Animal protein has been essential to the human diet for millennia, and nothing is going to change that. Look up "essential amino acids" and get educated on the composition of a healthy human diet, and why certain amino acids are necessary for human development. Then realize that these amino acids are not found in fruits, vegetables, or legumes in sufficient quantity.
Does this mean you have to eat animals to get these amino acids? No, but if you don't get these aminos in your diet, your body will take them from your own muscles and organs. Fact.
I'd suggest you use a whey powder supplement (preferably hydrolyzed) as these contain the highest amounts of essential amino acids.
@Bill – it is you who are scientifically incorrect. There are many other ways to get essential amino acids, that do not involve eating meat. Before you cite "science," check your facts.
Cows are domesticated animals and would die a lot worse deaths by wolves and other predators and would suffer immensely without humans milking them. There is no way they could survive in the wild.
Cows would not exist at all if humans weren't producing and consuming them, and I firmly believe they'd be better off not existing. What kind of existence is it, to be subjugated from birth to death, if not also horrifically tortured? Compassion aside, if there were no cows on earth, there's be so much more room (and fuel) to grow food (for humans).
perhaps it is because they are domesticated animals
Yes they may die in ONE night because of wolves but I bet it beats the hell out of standing knee deep in shit for 6 months being force fed a diet of corn while your inner organs go to hell... All of that while being stuck in a confined space while being poked and proded..... Yeah IM sure the ONE night of wolves would be soooo much worse
Milking cows in factory farms are often chained to a milking machine their entire lives, exhausted from being constantly milked to the point where they cannot even stand, and then die at a very young age due to this exploitation. Milking cows on factory farms commonly die at age 4 or 5 because of the way they are treated, whereas a normal cow lifespan is about 20. The milking cows, once dead, are then shipped off to make hamburger meat. The days of cows grazing on the pasture are gone. I would have no issue with farms milking cows if they did so in a way that was not absolute torture. Most cows never see the outdoors, never get to graze on a pasture, and die a young death from exhaustion after a miserable existence. Oh, and their babies are taken away from them at birth and stuck in dark crates, to be fattened and killed after a few months for "veal." That is the reality of factory farming, where your milk comes from.
Plants are alive too, and they're farmed at the highest density just like animals. What is really repulsive to people is that the thing they're killing to survive reminds them too much of themselves. If plants had eyes and made noise it would be a different story. Fact is that something must die to support the top of the food chain
I'm compassionate to my family, friends, community and my country. I eat meat and no amount of trying to guilt me out of it won't work. Ever. Just enjoy your meat free life and don't worry about what I eat.
meat: i agree. even though i am (primarily) vegan, i truly don't care what other's eat. i wish all the best in their dietary choices
nobody is truly worried about what you eat, but that does not change our right to a voice and opinion, I still would like to know why so many meat eaters are so defensive about that. :D
I think that a lot of people would give up meat after visiting a slaughter house...
I eat meat, afterall I am an onmivore. The human body requires meat protein for normal organ function. Despite her political agenda, Lierre Keith's ailments from years of being a vegetarian are very real. I eat 100% grass fed beef and 0% grain, as well as consume pasture raised eggs and chickens who are NOT vegetarian fed. I will continue to follow Robb Wolf's Paleo Diet Solution. My blood and lipid panel over the past 3 years PROVE that I am on the right track.
Pictures of health and beauty? Take a look at the Crossfit athletes....health, beauty AND strength! And those folks eat meat, veggies and fruit!
I've been vegan for 2 years and my organs function just fine, my blood work is normal, my cuts heal, and my hair grows. Not sure how meat is needed for basic organ function? Plenty of cultures around the world live just fine without it. That's great if you like the paleo diet, but to don't make bold statements if you're not educated on the matter.
Bold statements that are backed up by solid research by Robb Wolf and the Paleo Diet Solution. Science, tried and true. I choose mine, you choose yours. Enjoy, Sarah. Bold statements that are also backed by my blood and lipid panels and my overall health. I cannot eat grains Sarah, I am celiac, nor do I care for more soy aka. estrogen, I have plenty thank you.
I find the comment about Celiac amusing, my son is celiac and so am I, we both eat very healthy on a vegan diet. My health and blood tests have never been better. Celiacs can eat some grains by the way, just not those that contain gluten or those that could be contaminated by gluten. My son is very very sensitive and cannot eat oatmeal and is often set off by going to a gluten free restaurant that has messed up. But aside from that fact there is the fact that one can eat vegan and grain free and still get a balanced diet. I know, because I do for the most part.
Wrong – the human body does not "require" meat to function – quite the opposite in fact. Meat is high in saturated fat that adversely affects many organs. You are better off getting protein from beans, lentils, tofu, brown rice etc. A well-balanced vegan diet is the healthiest choice for the human body.
I read and follow the Paleo Diet Solution. It is what most certainly works for me. Meat, poultry, fish, veggies, some fruit. little starch and no sugar. No processed foods. 100% grass fed, humanely raised beef and pasture raised poultry and eggs. Have never developed a taste for fish. It is an educated and informed choice that I made and am so much healthier as a result. Everyone has choices, to each their own.
Please do not act as if you are a licensed physician. If you are, state your credentials.
If you are citing studies, then cite. Other wise start your post off with IMO. (In my opinion)
I have been living meat free for 2 years now. I used to be on blood pressure medication. Changing my diet has led to stabilizing my BP.
Your post is invalid.
Licensed physician? I write in an educated manner and you assume I am a physician. Thanks for the insult! Physicians, in the U.S. aren't even required to take nutrition courses! Even when they do get some nutrition course study, they are only educated by what the USDA recommendations are. Both sad and scary, when you consider that food is the fuel for every function in the human body. This is what physicians know about nutrition (hence, I am better off without one) http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/16/health/16chen.html
Lierre Keith? You gotta be kidding me. She's been widely and thoroughly discredited. She gets so much wrong, misinterprets so much data and misrepresents so much anecdotal b.s., I'm surprised she even manages to spell "vegetarian" correctly. Please visit http://www.vegetarianmyth.com/ for all the info you need on her flimsy, anti-veg bandwagon-hopping joke of a book.
Did you read where I said she has a huge political agenda??? Regardless, her health issues, I believe, are a direct result of her years of eating vegan. That is all. I will check out your site if you check out Loren Codrain, Robb Wolff and The Paleo Diet.
Wendy: The body needs protein, not necessarily meat protein. I have been meatless for over 32 years, and I am not short on muscle
I second that! Paleo FTW! :)
My question is, now that vegan's are "mainstream", will all the self-righteous hipsters that are vegan to feel better than you switch to meat to stay ahead of the curve?
Are they really "mainstream," or has there just been a media champaign to try and make them look that way? What fraction of Americans (not to mention the world) are vegan?
Google finds one study that claims that 7.3Million Americans are Vegans; that study was done by Vegitarian Times. But, even if we accept that, the population of America is 311Million. So, that's about 2.3%. I would hardly call that "Main Stream."
A study conducted by the Vegan Resources Group found 2.3% of Americans are vegitarians, don't eat meat. But vegan is a small and somewhat extreme subset of vegitarian.
Vegan.com says that just one percent of Americans say they never eat meat. And, again, never eat meat is a lot broader than vegan.
In 2008, Time Magazine estimated that 3.2% of Americans are vegitarians. Again, vegitarian is a lot broader than vegan.
Even with these questionably-neutral sources, the numbers we're seeing are one or two percent. That is not "Main Stream." And I don't think - to borrow the terminology which is all the rage (pun intended) these days - that one percent should hold the 99% hostage.
If you want to go and try and live on some way-off-mainstream diet, fine. But don't think you should try to drag the 99% along with you.
Chuck, who is forcing you to eat vegetables? Give me their names. We'll hunt them down.
Dude, you're so, like 1997. Today's hipsters have bacon tattoos, for christ's sake. Nothing is less "hip" than compassion and responsibility.
I find it totally amusing the picture that is painted about vegans, I could not be farther from your stereotype, and I am only one of many that have been smart enough to see that eating vegan is a great way to be healthy and enjoy a life free of illness and disease. If you met one person that had cured their arthritis with diet, you would all think much differently of this topic.
To each their own. If someone chooses to be vegan, by all means feel free to do so. Personally, I like meat, particularly beef. Having said that, we do, as a country, eat too much of it. All we really need for a healthy diet, without the side effects of veganism, is 5, 4 ounce servings of meat a week. It would be cheaper too.
What exactly are the "side-effects of veganism" you speak of? I've been eating a plant-based diet for about a month and have lost 15 pounds and don't even miss the taste of meat. My body is functioning properly for the first time in my adult life and I feel fantastic. Would you call that a side-effect?
Southern: I agree with the "to each his own", but am curious as to these side effect you speak of
Actually, the author's comment that is blatantly incorrect is her notion that a vegan diet is necessarily safer from food-borne illnesses. This is not accurate. The on-going listeria outbreak, which has killed more than 23 people, was caused by contaminated cantaloupe. A recent outbreak of e-coli in Europe was traced to organic sprouts. And spinach was the cause of an outbreak of salmonella a few years ago. Sadly, the fertilizers often used to nurture crops, even organic ones, can contain disease-causing contaminants. While I don't disagree that meats and cheeses can spoil more quickly, the author is committing a huge disservice by suggesting that vegan diets are immune to or less likely to cause food-borne illnesses. This is simply untrue.
Factory farms are the reason deadly bacteria gets into fruit and vegetable crops e.coli originates in animals and then spills into water that is used to irrigate vegetables and sprouts.
The "Safety" argument just shows the level of desperation to find an argument.
I enjoy many vegan dishes, black bean tacos, a variety of soups, etc. But the antethesis she puts on eating meat is almost outrageous. Everything in moderation and be smart. Most veggies fail is because they try to become vegetarians without any knowledge of what their body needs for nutrients, and that deficiency causes health problems that cause them to revert back to meat. Taking suppliments is one way, but your body will always function better having attained them through natural means. Bottom line for me, I love a vegan dish, and I encourage others to try (they can be REALLY good), but I will never find a replacement for the carnivorous bliss that is Terry's Turf Club. Making me hungry...
BTW, CNN I would like to hear why this author became a vegan. Belief, choice, etc. Any story behind it.
Isn't belief a choice?
Combining vinegar and baking soda to make vegan cupcakes? Didn't she ever take high school chemistry?
"Anything you can do, I can do vegan" – I'd like a medium-rare ribeye steak and a baked potato loaded with sour cream and shredded cheddar cheese please. Some nice crisp tender veggies on the side would be lovely. If you can do that entire plate with the scent, flavor, texture and visual appeal while keeping it vegan you have a convert. Until then, try not to make claims you simply can't meet.
Yes, you can....there are many vegetarian meats... all natural wihtout having consuming the actual meat products
Stuart, that's all well and good 'til the doc tells you that you're allergic to soy or you're hypothyroid and have to avoid soy. That's when you have to start being creative.
Sounds yummy. Enjoy your heart attack. :)
There are potential health risks of the vegan diet as well. Most vegan dishes do not contain all of the necessary amino acids. You are missing key vitamins and minerals You can, with incredibly good planning, avoid that, but then, if I just eat meat 3-5 times a week, I don't need to stress over all that. Stress can kill too, you know!
Southern: MOST vegan diets? Perhaps most poorly planned ones
Too true if one ate like that all of the time – but occasionally? Further, I didn't specify a baked potato that could feed a family of four like you often get in restaurants. I prefer something more normal in size.
Nice thick hunk of craftily seasoned seitan, marinated and grilled to perfection, with perhaps a smidge of tomato paste in the mix for the perceived color and succulent "rare"-ness. Cheddar can be Daiya, or Sheese, depending on how dry or sharp you like your cheddar. And I've always found Tofutti sour cream to be a fit replacement for ye olde fermented baby-food-for-cows.
I'm going to make that this week. Thanks for the inspiration!
I'm going to have to look much of this up but I will do so. You've got me curious. If I believe it, I'll try it.... Thanks!
As to her Number 5–Fat Free dairy is also cholesterol free. I don't eat much meat because of cholesteral (no more than 2 servings/week), but I do enjoy dairy products such as fat free yogurt, fat free sour cream, fat free milk, etc. and I'm not giving them up. I eat and enjoy vegan dishes, but I also like animal products. Try a little fat free beef or chicken broth in your vegetable soup–it's good and compliments the natural flavors of the veggies and grains. My strongest opposition to being vegan is the attitude and propoganda distributed by a certain prominent vegan organization.
And I think if I was going to go all diet crazy, I'd go raw food.
Had to do that every once in awhile, traveled for work with a guy who was a raw foodist, and I'm just not picky. The raw beef was creepy at first, but then I got brave and tried it. Not half bad! (just know where you're getting it from). A couple hours later, I found that I had an IMMENSE craving for some more raw dead cow. I'd never do pork or chicken, but the beef was pretty good, if a little gristly. Lots of nuts and dried berries, and sushi! It's a diet that works well for rich people... and anyone who has to travel with them :P
Crazy, yes. Vegan-ism is deadly. I know this first hand. It should be abolished and made illegal. The human body cannot handle a complete lack of animal protein.
Deadly and should be made illegal?
that is laughable, why not just outlaw eating at all, since it can all kill you?
You really need to get your facts from more than one narrow minded source, when I think of all of the lives a vegan diet has saved I wonder how crazy someone must be to believe this LOL
For some reason what is not mentioned in articles about the vegan diet is that it can be dangerous. I was on a vegan diet for about 3 months when I started to feel really awful. I went to my doctor and found out that I was extremely low in vitamin D. My vitamin level dropped to 10, which apparently is a deficiency. I had to go on prescription vitamin D for three months and daily supplements after that. I am now on a vegetarian diet and hope that I can eventually stop taking the supplements.
Also, if you don't supplement, you can end up with pernicious anemia, and have to get B12 shots when your body stops being able to process the stuff.
Not sure. There are many generations of vegetarians in India that lived healthy. We depend on milk products to get B12. Vitamin D comes from sunlight. For both the things you dont need to harm anyone.
Yes, I depend on soy (coconut, hazelnut,rice...) milk to get B12, it's produced by bacteria and algae.
If you depend on milk, then you are not vegan.
In America, in this day and age where foods are flown and shipped to us from all over the world, were we can have any food on any day of the year, it is possible... possible... to eat a healthy vegan diet. But that is a very modern development and very unique to the western world.
This is in reply to Chuck.
You have obviously never been to India. I lived in Southern India for 14 months - the growing season is all year long - so you eat whatever is in season; and it's extremely easy there to eat a vegetarian or vegan diet - so it's not a luxury of the Western world to be a vegan - in fact for most of the world it's the opposite.
The best way to get vitamin D is from the sun. However, if you don't get enough sun, just replace cow's milk with soy milk, you will actually get more vitamin D than before. I also know several omnivores who are vitamin D deficient so a vegan diet does not necessarily equal a deficiency.
B12 is the only vitamin that doesn't come from plants, although that's how animals get it which is passed to us. That is the only vitamin that vegans need to supplement at all. Everything else is readily available.
"The best way to get vitamin D is from the sun." Also the best way to get skin cancer.
Not enough sun to get a sunburn. It's not rocket science people!
Wow, this is just insane. Too much vitamin D can be deadly. Just eat normally. Vegan-ism should be abolished and made illegal. It's very ignorant to think this is ok.
Mr. Smith: How do you propose making a diet illegal?
Why should a diet have to be dangerous? Vegan-ism should be abolished and made illegal. It's just the wrong thing for the human body. Never met a healthy vegan.
Mr. Smith: Perhaps you should try to keep up with vegan Scott Jurek in his next trail ultramarathon
you really should get out more, the fresh air and sun is good for the body
Fear is alive and well. There are no nutrients provided by animals that aren't provided by plants, unless you count cholesterol as a necessary nutrient...
Wrong. Look up vitamin B12.
I looked it up. It comes from a bacteria found commonly in algae. I looked up algae - it's not an animal. I looked up bacteria - it's also not an animal. Thanks for the tip!
In America, in this day and age where foods are flown and shipped to us from all over the world, were we can have any food on any day of the year, it is possible... possible... to eat a healthy vegan diet. But that is a very modern development and very unique to the western world.
We're just finishing up the Oktoberfest season. The traditional meal at Oktoberfest is pickled and canned vegitables and fruits, smoked and cured meats, potatos and root vegitables, and fermented beverages. These are foods that are ready to keep over the winter. It is only recently that we could get all of our foods in January from something other than a jar or can.
Even I, not that old, remember receiving an orange in my Christmas stocking each year. They were flown in from Florida, special, just for Christmas, one-per-person. By that time, it had been two or three months since we'd had much fresh fruit and would be two or three more until it was abundant again.
The year-round availablity of fresh vegitables and fruits and of the variety of fruits and vegitables we have from all over the world that we in America enjoy today is a very new thing.
I also wonder if it isn't the ultimate arrogance and the ultimate exploitation for us to insist on having the world's harvests brought to our stores on refrigerated ships and planes just so that we can eat an esoteric diet which some people think might differentially improve our lifespan?
I could probably give up on all meat – with the exception of ribs slathered in bbq sauce. If somewhere in the vegansphere someone can create a food product that perfectly mimics this, I'll stop eating them.
Morningstar riblets! Try them...they are in the frozen section of most grocery stores.
I'd say do that and keep your riblets! (or try the MorningStar)
I gave it a chance while in the throes of an eating disorder as a way to disguise my issue. I found it very expensive if I didn't want to be a pastaterian. I did find a great pumpkin muffin recipe though. Now that I have a much smaller problem, I'm back to delicious animals. I don't mind vegan food and when done well it can be great, but it's usually pretty meh. Not to mention most vegans I've met are unbelievably self righteous and obnoxious. Besides, it messed with one of my fashion rules. I require myself to be willing to eat all the same animals I'm willing to wear (I find it disrespectful and wasteful not to use the whole animal) so for a while there I had to put up with poor quality pleather and I couldn't even wear silk!
Been vegan for 25 years, am slim, fit and healthy. It is true that some people do not thrive on a vegan diet but that is no reason not to try it. Everyone is different, let your body be your laboratory. You will lose weight, feel great and maybe even get a date!
Being vegan does not mean slim. I wish it is so. :) I am vegan for last 17 years. I am not slim. Unless one controls the quantity it does not make difference.
I must concede, Arjun is right... Not that I'm exactly overweight, per se, but I'm certainly not "slim." Exercise and lots of regular activity = slimness, but there's plenty of delicious animal-free junk food out there. I wouldn't even say that I eat a whole of junk food either, although I have been getting pretty lazy the past couple years, and I've got the spare tire to prove it. Been vegan for around 7 or 8 years, though, and been lovin' every minute of it.
I agree that being vegan does not necessarily mean being thin. I am not a vegan, but I am primarily so (veggie for 32+ years). I am a gym rat and an ultramaratoner.
There are some great vegan recipes out there to be sure, but humans didn't evolve to be strict herbivores. We are omnivores and we need meat for health. Not as much as exists in the current S. A. D. but some.
Really people, all things in moderation. Just because chocolate/wine/meat/veggies/pick your poison can be good for you doesn't mean that you eat that at the exclusion of all else.
A very common sense post.
Pete: While I agree with most of your post, I disagree that we need meat for health.
The main reason I won't go vegan is the militant attitude of vegan organizations such as PETA. As to her Number 5–Fat Free dairy is also cholesterol free. I don't eat much meat because of cholesteral (no more than 2 servings/week), but I do enjoy dairy products such as ff yogurt, ff sour cream, ff milk, etc. and I'm not giving them up. I eat and enjoy vegan dishes, but I also like animal products. Try a little ff beef or chicken broth in your vegetable soup–it's good and compliments the natural flavors of the veggies and grains.
Just be careful with all that ff eating – which I'm taking to mean "fat-free". To offset the bland flavors in fat-free products, the manufacturers frequently add more sugar. I gave up all those fat-free products due a family history of diabetes. Be careful my friend.
Vegetarianism is one thing. That's a choice of diet. Veganism is a lifestyle, sometimes as far as a cult, mostly lived by self righteous hippies who look down on anyone who thinks differently than they do. So I return the favor. Vegans suck. Vegetarians, even very strict ones, are usually cool though.
"We taught this lion to eat tofu!"
(scrawny lion):"cough"
You got that from Futurama, the episode with the "Poppers". Kudos to you.
First of all, no one is imposing plant-based eating on you. If you want to clog your arteries, go ahead.
Why do you assume we care what you eat?
I suggest you look up any book by Dr. Dean Ornish or Dr. Caldwell Esselsyn and learn how to avoid cardiovascular disease.
Plant-based diets aren't a cult. It's a lifestyle decision based on documented science.
You just proved the point that vegans are self righteous! "If you want to clog your arteries, go ahead. I'm so much better than you because I don't eat dead animals."
Veganism can be a choice of diet every bit a much as Vegetariamism
I'm all for reducing meat consumption, but this author is full of crap. As much as I agree with points one through 4, #5 is wrong and misleading. I just checked wikipedia, which referenced articles from the American Chemical Society and the FDA both state the vegetables do contain varying levels (although much less than animal-based food) of cholesterol. In addition, cholesterol is produced in the body naturally, so to act as if removing it from your diet will cure the need for some individuals to take medication such as lipitor to control their levels is also a pipe-dream. So pretty mcuh even if our author has a pretty face, she has no idea how to fact-check. Awesome – but not to fear, I might fact check the recipes for sliders anyway.
#4 Says vegan cupcakes rock.....you obviously have not had a good vegan cupcake.
A liver is required to make cholesterol. If you can show me a vegetable with a liver, then I'll give you a million dollars.
Also, take some time to learn about cholesterol. There are two different kinds, one which is good for you and one which is bad for you. Animal fats are converted into LDL cholesterol which is the bad kind and plant fats turn into HDL cholesterol which is great for you. Look it up. Interesting stuff...
Actually, within LDL, there are large, fluffy particles which are benign, and small, dense, particles which are probably of more concern. High VLDL is a symptom of inflammation, and is often associated with high carb diets. Dropping animal products seems to lead to a drop in HDL, and low HDL is a risk factor in heart disease. Check out Robb Wolf or Gary Taubes for more info; I'm by no means an expert ;) In short, it's not as simple as LDL=bad/ meat raises cholesterol=bad
You're confusing saturated fat with cholesterol. Cholesterol comes ONLY from animal-based diets, not plants.
I don't know that I could ever fully quit eating animal products and call myself a vegan or vegetarian. However, I have started cooking vegan meals a few nights of the week at home to cut out all of the fat. Delicious stir frys, soups, etc... I think most people could use a little less meat and cheese in their diet.
Awesome, thank you!
Bravo! I'm with you on that.
A really interesting and rowdy 5@5.
If we aren't supposed to eat animals, then why are they made out of tasty meat?!?
Humans are made out of "tasty meat" also. Lucky you.
Agreed. Take recipe No. 1 for Mexicali Sliders and replace "bean" patties (and the associated gas) with a nice angus meat patty and voila...you get all the flavor this crackpot refers to AND the flavor of beef to top it off. THAT'S a winning combination! Besides, the people of Mexicali would be shuddering if they knew their name was being used in the context of a vegan dish.
Especially bacon. Why does it have be so good?!
she is a pretty lady!! :) :)
Pretty lady who doesn't know how to fact check! See my comment on cholesterol in vegan foods.
... Wiki is not the best place to check facts. Yes our bodies produce cholesterol, as do other animals, which is why animal products contain cholesterol. I'm not a doctor and I wouldn't tell someone to stop taking their medication, but eating vegan will reduce the cholesterol in your body which is a major concern for MANY Americans.
No, I will not give veganism a chance. My ancestors didn't fight their way to the top of the food chain so I can eat Tofurky for Thanksgiving.
My, how open-minded you are. It's worth noting that your ancestors didn't confine thousands of disease- and drug-addled animals to small lots where they suffer, pollute the groundwater and everything else, or stuff a dozen birds into tiny cages, or keep animals smarter than human toddlers so confined they lose their minds, etc etc. They also didn't erode and deplete the earth's topsoil to grow unnatural feed for said animals through fossil-fuel fertilizers.... No, it wasn't your ancestors, or at least not your distant ones, just you and the past few generations that have made it so that some consideration of Tofurkey for Thanksgiving is in order. My advice: consider Field Roast instead. Way tastier.
Good for you llia.....no use trying anything new.
There are wonderful vegetarian and vegan dishes out there, I've even enjoyed a raw menu my wife made, but i'm a carnivore and no way that will change. Like anything else, moderation and awareness...
In REPLY to TRUTH you are an A-HOLE I bet your arteries are all clogged with PLAQUE.. Bill Clinton WAS a GREAT President. Go eat a gressy burger....................
All Bill was a great l@y. That's all he was.
What's a gressy burger?
I don't know any healthy or healthy looking vegans. Most vegans usually convert back to normal diets when the health fails.
Did you miss the big photo at the top of this article? I'd say she's the epitome of health and beauty... and a vegan. You don't see images of vegans being associated with articles depicting unhealthy habits such as the consumption of meat and dairy that lead to our nations top health problems. Read a book you ignorant goon.
For most vegans, they are very healthy, but it really depends on your body type. I live with vegetarians (not vegans) and have had to change my diet back to more meat/veggies due to some health issues. I wasn't eating a lot of carbs (still in normal weight range too), but none is better than some for me, and never had meat around to snack on. I also see my veggie family members crave bacon and other high fat meats. We replace a lot of fat with veggie fat, but obviously their body is craving it for a reason.
And never in a billion years would I give up cheese.
Too busy focusing on vegans' frail hair with split-ends, jaundiced skin color and bad skin to see their true beauty. Hi, I'm Photoshop, use me to airbrush beauty into your photo – what rock have you been living under Tony? BTW, if vegan food is so AMAZING, why did their leading magazine secretly use photos of meat dishes? Where are the food photos for this article? SHE MAY BE SMILING NOW, BUT SHE CRIES WHEN SHE EATS.
I have never met a healthy vegan. They are always so pale and thin as if they are FBA. The lack of animal proteins is so evident in a human diet. The photo above is CLEARLY not a vegan who will survive. I have first hand experience with this diet and how much time I spent with my vegan friends in the ER. It's not a pretty sight when your body starts to break down and decay right before your eyes. Supplements are NOT the answer. This "diet" must be abolished.
@ArchimedesOnAPlate
Frail hair? Jaundiced skin? What about a vegan diet denotes a vitamin c deficiency?
Also, I'm a professional graphic designer, have been for years. I'm well aware of Photoshop's capabilities and common uses in the world. Funny thing about Photoshop, it doesn't work on video… weird I know. Look up a video of the lovely Chloe and you'll se the's in no way malnourished or jaundiced.
What rock have I been living under? None, I live in a world where I've been vegan for close to a decade. I also live in a world where I was a meat eater for 20 years… so unlike you I have a wealth of knowledge on both sides of the fence. I lead an extremely happy and healthy life with a plethora of healthy and happy vegan friends. It's an unfortunate truth, however, that I also live in a world where people like you make up blatant lies and spew misinformation into the world about a lifestyle that you're obtusely ignorant about in order to justify your unwillingness and fear of accepting a reality other than your own.
VegNews used a photo of meat because when you're up against a deadline with no photography resources available, using stock photography is a common practice in the design field. Unfortunately there is no vegan friendly stock photo site.
Come back when you actually have some experience with the lifestyle you're preaching against instead of making malformed assumptions… it's obvious to anyone who knows anything about veganism that you're as ignorant as the day is long.
Achimedes: Frail hair with split end, jaundiced skin color and bad skin? You are beyond idiocy.
Mr. Smith....tell me, how do you proposes banning a diet? Go home and get your shinebox, boy
Uhmm...veganism helped correct my gastroenteritis, ulcers, and acne...I also have more energy....soooo....
Keep up with vegan ultramarathon champion Scott Jurek and see how well you keep up gagger
Sorry, I won't give Veganism a chance. Humans evolved eating meat, and thus we require the nutrients provided by meat. I won't let my body be deprived of nutrients by not eating meat. Plus, meat tastes great!
- Happy Meat Eater
Ditto for me. Though my wife and I have started eating more vegetables and smaller meat proportions. We've both seen dramatic changes.
Digestion of meat requires acid which is secreted in stomach therefore you can't taste meat. Your are tasting the flavoring.
OK, that's just dumb or a lie – you choose. Digestion *starts* with saliva, but finishes with chewing, swallowing, and then let the stomach and intestines finish it off. And the saliva takes time. Lots of flavor in plain, cooked, meat.
Humans are also evolving because of the current population boom, thus the popularity in veganism. It's far more sustainable. We don't have to go hunt our food anymore. We have various sources of protein,vitamins, amino acids that we can get from vegetables, fruits,grains, and legumes. Get with the times man. Evolve or become extinct.
I whole-heartedly agree. We don't even have the teeth for vegan-ism. It's just so wrong for the human body. For me, meeting a vegan has the same impact of meeting someone who has full blown AIDS. I feel very sorry for them. They don't have to die. It's so sad.
Don't have the teeth? Are you suggesting biting into a corn cob or apple is *less* difficult than biting into a chicken cutlet?
Mr. Smith: Equating veganism with full blown AIDS? You are either joshing or an idiot
Did you seriously just equate a dietary and lifestyle choice with a terrible disease? It's very easy for you and the other brainless people on this comment thread to hide behind a witty avatar and denounce something without giving it an ounce of rational thought.
If your compelling argument against veganism is that human teeth are not evolved for a vegan diet, you really must be talking out of the wrong end of your body. If we were all of a sudden reduced back to the age of the caveman, do you think you'd be able to just take a big chunk out of a cow, chicken, deer, etc.? This is also assuming that you've somehow caught and killed the animal you're about to eat with your chompers designed for animal consumption.
It's so depressing to read comments on any article, much less something that you're passionate about, be reduced to petty name-calling and false accusations. I urge you to at least consider both sides of EVERY argument before sticking your extremely uninformed opinion into the world.
Everyone has to die, Mr. Smith
Don't listen to Ferris, Mr. Smith. I urge you to take a gallon of KY jelly and a fresh pineapple and make it a weekend.
Right. Humans also kept slaves, poured mercury into their orifices, and thought smoking was a perfectly good idea.
Old practices -really- tell us what is 'correct', don't they?
Sounds like a wild weekend!
I wanna party with you!
"What do former President Bill Clinton, Russell Simmons and Ellen DeGeneres have in common?"
I know! I know! *raises hand enthusiastically*
– All three are liberal stooges.
I'm willing to bet they all have a smaller wasteline than you...and a higher IQ...more money...better looks...don't live in a trailer...
So what you're saying is, that if I change to a vegan diet, I'll gain intelligence, wealth, beauty, AND the ability to remain immune to trailer parks?
Why is it that most of the vegans I know are ugly, poor, disgusting, sickly-looking hippies that can't afford a refrigerator box to sleep in, let alone a trailer?
There are always exceptions to the rule. But for the most part, you're all self-righteous jerk-offs that push your beliefs on to everyone else.
Alex: Talking like a mouthy little B is not helping you make your point.
Haha, stupid troll. Thank you for a beautifully written article, Chloe. I love that there's such a lovely, charismatic representative for the vegan lifestyle breaking into the mainstream!
Let the ignorant, protein deficiency comments commence:
LOL!!! So true. 2 cups of beans a day, 1/2 cup almonds, not to mention the quinoa various veggies full of protein, grains, tofu,etc....I'd say I get too much protein. :p
Agreed! Great article!
그 충돌 것입니다,하지만 난 아직 여기 블로그 편집자 마조 생각합니다.
개고기 냠냠냠~ I like to eat animals, I don't care what other people eat because I am not them. The president can eat saw dust, would you want to start eating sawdust? Probably would, "OMG lady gaga loves to eat caterpillars everyone!! Hurry before they turn into butterflies!"
위대한수령김일성동지혁명사상만세!
조선민주주의인민공화국만세!
위대한수령김일성동지혁명사상으로더욱철저히무장하자
세계적인핵보유국을일떠세우신절 세의령장김정일장군만세!