Why I'm Not A Vegan - Part 2

Last week I shared the first reason why I don't believe a strictly vegan diet is healthy for humans. But there are other reasons besides health that I don't subscribe to the vegan philosophy. And let me clarify here - I have nothing against your choice if you choose to follow a vegan diet. That is a personal choice and it's up to you. Some people may do just fine on a completely plant-derived diet, but others may find it difficult, or may even face daunting and frightening health challenges - such as the personal story that formerly adamant vegan blogger Tasha shares on her blog. For those who have similar experiences when trying to adhere strictly to the code of veganism, I feel indignant on their behalf when I hear vegans trying to make them feel bad about going back to eating meat - and many do.

Being a vegan or vegetarian is a personal choice - and that's fine if that's what you want to do. But please don't try to make others feel as though they're committing a mortal sin by not eating the way that you do. It's not even so much the vegan diet that I have an issue with - it's more the extremist creed that I find some vegans spout and try to force on others constantly. That's why I'm writing this blog series - to shed some light on the other side, so those who may have considered going vegan or vegetarian, but felt they were "too weak" to give up animal products and consistently feel guilty about it, or those who actually were vegan but gave it up due to health problems or other issues, can see that there's more than one side to the issue, and that maybe it's not the ONLY way to true health after all, and can enjoy eating a healthy and balanced diet guilt-free, even if it includes animal products.

Which brings me to Reason #2 (directed at those adamant and proselytizing uber-vegans).

Reason #2: It's Hypocritical.

vegan cheese (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Okay, so you're a vegan. You think eating meat is bad for you, and that humans weren't designed to eat meat, and can't digest it properly. You say eating animal products makes the body acidic and promotes disease. You subscribe to the (now debunked) theory that animal fat is evil, and makes you fat and sick. You explain to everyone you meet that eating a plant-derived diet is the only way to go, and that it has "cured" you from such and such ailment (diabetes, obesity, etc.), and that you are now on the path to everlasting true health, because you're eating the diet that we were all meant to eat since time began.

So answer me one question:

Why do you drink Diet Coke????

The first time I saw a professed and staunch vegan drink a can of diet soda I just about fell over. He had been preaching for months about how unhealthy it is to eat meat or any animal-derived food (even vitamin supplements), and then he brazenly pops the top on a can of chemicals, and downs it without blinking an eye.

Not only that, but he regularly pushes people to try his favorite vegan "cheese" - made from hydrogenated oils, artificial flavorings, and various fillers/thickeners/gums, etc., "ice cream" - made from sugary soy-derived dairy substitute processed who knows how, and various other artificially flavored, colored, and preserved "foods" which are completely foreign to the human body - simply because they contain no animal products, so they're "better for you."

Up until this point, I had given the vegan idea some thought - not that I really was sold on it, but I did explore some of the research, and listened to some of the "experts" on why humans aren't meant to eat meat, etc.  But I'm kind of a health nut - and one of the most important things - if not THE main thing I've learned over the years is, if a food doesn't occur in nature (at least in some form), it's not something we should be eating. And the closer we can eat it to the form it does appear in in nature, in most cases, the better it is for us.

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

So when I saw an adamant vegan eating total junk, which our bodies certainly were never meant to ingest (tell me where in a fruit or vegetable can you find propylene glycol? how about aspartame?  Red #5?), for me that completely changed the tune, and I had to step back and go - wait a minute....  Why are these completely artificial things okay to eat, while whole, natural foods like eggs and meat are not??

Of course, not all vegans eat this way. I'm sure there are some who eat strictly organic fruits and vegetables, beans, whole grains, and minimally processed foods, and who avoid sugar, white flour, and diet soda. I just haven't met one yet....  But I'm sure they're out there.  And one day I may meet one and thoughtfully listen to their views on health.

But until then, don't tell me humans weren't meant to eat meat, but it's okay to have processed vegetable oil "cheese" flavored with chemicals to taste like cheddar on your soy veggie burger. Don't tell me whole raw milk acidifies the body, while you drink Diet Coke (one of the most acidic "foods" in existence) on a regular basis.  Don't try to convince me that eating animal fat makes you fat, while you stuff yourself with vegan bread made with white flour and sugar, which most people now know are the true reasons for this country's epidemic of obesity.

Just keep it to yourself, and I'll keep enjoying my organic, grass-fed beef (or venison), bright orange egg yolks packed with Omega 3's from pastured hens, and creamy yellow whole raw milk from cows eating what they were made to eat (grass), ALONG with my fresh organic vegetables and locally grown ripe fruits.

Feel free to post your dissenting views below. :-)  Remember to check out Part 1 if you missed it. And check back next week for Part 3 in which I will discuss the impact on the environment of raising food for a strictly plant-derived diet, without the input of animals, and wrap up with a few concluding remarks.