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.

Interested in Trying Raw Foods?

I know raw food seems like a strange topic for a cooking blog, but hey, raw-foodies gotta eat too, right?  I like to throw these in now and then, as while I'm not a raw-foodist by any means, I do believe that most people in our society could stand to eat more raw foods from a health standpoint. Raw foods contain enzymes and vitamins that cooked foods often do not - and these are things our bodies need! I Image via Wikipediathink it's great to try new and healthy ways of eating, so this article mentions ways to incorporate more raw foods into your diet, without going strictly raw, which would be a monumental step for many of us.

Eating raw, even just part of the time, can have great health benefits. Are you interested in trying a raw food diet, but don’t think you can do it all the time? You don’t have to, certainly not to start. Many of us are conditioned to think of food as reward and comfort. We look forward to the end of the day, having dinner with our families, or going out to dinner with friends.

Try eating raw foods throughout the day instead. If you go to work every day, take carrots, apples, grapes or dried fruit with you to munch on. If you usually go out to lunch during the day, try to go places where you can get a salad. If you pack a lunch, include sprouts and fruit with it. If you’re like many people, those fast food lunches make you want to crawl under your desk and take a nap in the Image via Wikipediaafternoon! They make you sluggish and tired. A lighter lunch of raw foods can keep you energized throughout the day.

The business culture is different these days, and there’s less of a routine than there used to be with a morning “coffee break” and then “lunch hour” and an afternoon “break.” That routine doesn’t work for a lot of people any more, but you can still get hungry during the day. By taking a variety of raw foods with you to work, you can munch periodically during the day. Sometimes it’s better to eat to avoid getting hungry. If we let ourselves go too long until we get ravenous, that’s when it’s easier to make poor food choices. Eating raw foods periodically throughout the day also keeps your metabolism humming along, and keeps your blood sugar at steady levels.