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I don't think there is any reason to belittle or question people based on their diet choices. Of course some may wonder about a person's choices but that is not making fun of them or an attempt at putting people down. I think it is more a question of wanting to understand why some people choose one way and others another. What I have a problem with and I do see this often, is people who do choose a restricted diet and put others down for not eating the way they do. I have come across a few vegans and vegetarians that do give the impression that are just a little better or a little more knowlegable than those who do not agree with them. I cal them very self righteous.
It's difficult once your eyes have been opened to the horrible things that are done to animals just for someone's plate to NOT want to educate others. You want to shout from the rooftops and you want to horrible things to stop. Some people aren't very tactful about how they go about it, but Earthling Ed is a great example on how to do it correctly.
By the way, a vegan diet is not restrictive at all
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It's difficult once your eyes have been opened to the horrible things that are done to animals just for someone's plate to NOT want to educate others. You want to shout from the rooftops and you want to horrible things to stop. Some people aren't very tactful about how they go about it, but Earthling Ed is a great example on how to do it correctly.
By the way, a vegan diet is not restrictive at all
Oh come on: 1st; you know what I mean when I say restrictive; as for educating, most of us are aware of how badly some commercial meat suppliers treat animals, but what you are preaching is exactly what I am talking about. My degree happens to be in foods and nutrition and I may not understand a vegan's diet but I don't judge, nor do I lecture vegans on what is considered by many as a healthy diet.
I edited my mis-statement above about the impregnation/milk production. But I stand by my position, that a child being raised on all vegetables WILL not get their daily requirement of calcium and protein.
Unless the parent does like my sister did her 4 children, and mistreats them. She would put kale greens or spinach etc on their plate and if they did not eat it, she would make them stay at the table while the rest of us that were not served green stuff on our plates....went out to play. And every one of her 4 kids grew up with "personality issues".
And today 67 years later me and millions of other of old people that grew up while eating meat and drinking milk, are not dropping dead any faster or any slower...than vegans.
It sounds as though you may be putting your feelings about your sister's parenting deficiencies onto other vegans and vegetarians simply because they might have the same dietary philosophies, but not the same parenting philosophies.
Dietetically speaking, your estimation that children need meat in order to grow up to be healthy people is fallacious, and it's important to note that non-meat eaters do not only eat vegetables and are able to get the appropriate amount of protein and calcium.
Lastly, not eating meat would also not make one more prone to "personality issues".
Oh come on: 1st; you know what I mean when I say restrictive; as for educating, most of us are aware of how badly some commercial meat suppliers treat animals, but what you are preaching is exactly what I am talking about. My degree happens to be in foods and nutrition and I may not understand a vegan's diet but I don't judge, nor do I lecture vegans on what is considered by many as a healthy diet.
People know, but they don't know, and don't want to know. It's called cognitive dissonance. Even Ed says in his video that when he asks to show people slaughterhouse footage, they say "come on, I don't want to see that." Also, if people REALLY knew, they wouldn't fall for such things as "free range" and "cage free" and "humane slaughter."
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I get bashed by folks for not eating sugar, bread or carbs. Someone hinted that I have an eating disorder (normal weight here). I can only imagine the grief that vegetarians and vegans get. I greatly admire those who choose not to eat meat. I try to greatly limit my consumption but my spouse refuses to so I do eat meat once a week or so in moderate amounts. I eat a lot of eggs for protein. I am not quite ready to "go there" just yet.
I'm fortunate in that no one at work has ever questioned my dietary choices.
One of my co-worker's wife is vegan, so it's nothing new. We are all pretty much open minded at work. People respect my vegan choices and whenever we go out to eat, they usually try to pick somewhere that has vegan options. And in turn, I have never lectured people at work or anywhere else that eats animal products.
It was more about health for me than ethical reasons, but when I hear speakers like these, it does hit home to me that our personal choices have effects on other things in life.
Firstly, nice video! Ed embodies what the world, especially our nation right now needs more of, TOLERANCE. If you agree with it, listen and learn. If you don't agree with it, listen and civilly discuss openly to see where the other side comes from. If we respect others' points of view they will in turn respect ours.
I was a vegetarian from about 22 until I was 30. I then gravitated back to what I thought was a healthy traditional Western diet, until at age 59 I had an ER visit, where I became clinically dead for awhile. I was miraculously resuscitated thru a higher power and hard work by the ER staff. To show my gratitude for this gift of life, for several days I contemplated and researched the best diet I could have, being a survivor of heart disease. This lead me (and my wife) to becoming vegan. In the time since then, just over 2 years, we are still questioned as to why we would do such a thing, and told that we are extremists. We are often questioned about our lack of nutritional requirements by folks who truly know very little about theirs. Those one-sided discussions often lead to these same people aggressively defending their food choices without us questioning their choices at all. We don't preach to others about our choices, but if we are respectfully asked about our choices, we tell folks what we know and believe. There are no fellow vegans in our circles so I guess we stick out a bit at times, but we try to minimize any inconveniences by eating at home before social gatherings or sometimes packing up our meals with some to share. We must all learn to respect and tolerate each other a little better.
When I was vegetarian, I didn't get questioned at work. We had Muslims and Jews and SDA Christians and Jains and Hindus, etc., all with dietary restrictions. You don't say rude things to people about what they eat or don't eat in a multicultural environment.
My biggest encounter with stupid remarks was my FAMILY. Two sisters in particular. Even last November, at the lunch for my mother's 90th birthday, I could hear one of those sisters across the table say loudly to one of my brothers, "SO ARE YOU STILL EATING TORTURED AND SLAUGHTERED ANIMALS? BECAUSE I AM."
This was supposed to get at my daughter, who is vegan. At 27, she's a lot more mature than her 58-year-old aunt, because she just ignored the remarks and continued with the conversation she was having.
The other stupid remark I remember getting was from a priest of all people. He is a friend, and was once the priest at my church. He is now at another church and we were attending a movie night where food was provided. There was Italian food, lasagna or ziti or something, and I asked if there was any meat in it because I was vegetarian. A lady said yes, there was ground beef in the sauce. The priest looked at me and waved his hand over the food and then said, "There. Now there's not any meat in it so you can have it" and then he laughed and walked away. I thought that was pretty obnoxious, and I haven't felt as friendly toward him since then.
I don't think there is any reason to belittle or question people based on their diet choices. Of course some may wonder about a person's choices but that is not making fun of them or an attempt at putting people down. I think it is more a question of wanting to understand why some people choose one way and others another. What I have a problem with and I do see this often, is people who do choose a restricted diet and put others down for not eating the way they do. I have come across a few vegans and vegetarians that do give the impression that are just a little better or a little more knowlegable than those who do not agree with them. I cal them very self righteous.
I have found it more often to be the case that people who do eat meat feel the need to give people who don't a hard time.
In my view, the only technically valid argument against veganism is, supposedly, lack of vitamin B-12.
I didn't sit through that 20-minute video, did the speaker address that issue?
I have heard of nutritional yeast and supplements to overcome that supposed problem.
However, does anyone have an argument or evidence that the claim simply isn't true, that lack of vitamin B-12 is a myth, that it really doesn't matter, that plant-based foods do supply it, that the human body produces its own?
I tell people I am Vegan because its easy for them to understand and a quick one-word answer. However, I am currently enjoying the benefits of a whole grain plant-based diet. There seems to be a political side to the label 'Vegan' and Im not really exploring that right now. If any animals were harmed in the production and harvesting of the plants I eat, I am not making sure of before I purchase a plant. I am not putting my market manager through an inquisition, and to be quite frank - I'm just happy to have some organic non-GMO choices available.
My journey started as a way to reconcile myself with my personal spirituality (which I had pushed myself away from for reasons that will remain with me. I can say it was part of trying to let go of events that hurt me.) and on Ash Wednesday I decided I was not going to eat flesh - anyone's flesh - for the duration of Lent.
Instead of this leading to simulating some form of suffering (although I did kind of regret missing corned beef and cabbage for St Patrick's Day - a life long American tradition) I noticed positive changes.
My skin was softer, not so dry and more elastic. My cheeks were naturally self-rosy again. Out of no where I had energy that I hadn't experienced in a long time. By the time Lent had concluded I had also removed eggs and dairy from my diet and lost 25 pounds.
I did not suffer. I benefited. I decided to stick with it. Why change a good thing?
Quote:
Originally Posted by bale002
In my view, the only technically valid argument against veganism is, supposedly, lack of vitamin B-12.
I didn't sit through that 20-minute video, did the speaker address that issue?
I have heard of nutritional yeast and supplements to overcome that supposed problem.
However, does anyone have an argument or evidence that the claim simply isn't true, that lack of vitamin B-12 is a myth, that it really doesn't matter, that plant-based foods do supply it, that the human body produces its own?
Thanks.
Yes, a Doctor Greger said in a lecture that we used to get B-12, prior to the advent of chlorinated water supplies, naturally from the water we drank. We no longer do, thanks to chlorination. We also no longer get cholera, lol. Everyone has to supplement B-12.
Last edited by ComeCloser; 05-23-2019 at 04:45 AM..
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