Anti-vegan views

I also read an anti-vegan book, The Vegetarian Myth, Lierre Keith.  The only thing I agreed with in principle is that current agricultural practices are largely destructive to the environment.  I sympathize with her health problems but honestly feel that she may be an extremist nut that lacks common sense and has simply transferred that fanaticism to some “miracle” paleo diet.  The author says she finally had it with being a vegan when she was offered a kale leaf for dinner.  I don’t think she has a very good grasp on nutrition and she sounds like she surrounded herself with anorexics and based her dietary habits on their example. 

 

Some people do not thrive on a vegetarian/ vegan diet -  there are so many reasons for this.  The first step is to include a very wide variety of nutrient dense foods. French fries and beer may be vegan , but no one is going to thrive on this for very long.   But let’s assume somebody eats a good vegan diet and still feels exhausted, the next step would be consulting a doctor to monitor vitamin, mineral levels etc.  It may be necessary to supplement with B12, omega 3 from walnuts and flaxseeds, and if this doesn’t help, then there may be genetic reasons why a person is unable to thrive on a plant based diet and (IMHO) re-introducing animal foods may become necessary.  I think it’s ridiculous that the author of The Vegetarian Myth continued being a vegan for 20 years while her health deteriorated and did not take any sensible actions to investigate and rectify the problems. 

The actual main issue that I have with this book is how she turns the ethics of animal cruelty on its head using flawed and inconsistent logic simply to back up her own personal choice to eat meat.  She “grew up” and realized that killing was a part of life because it happens in nature and therefore accepting the desire to kill for meat is just part of being a healthy and sensible adult human.  This fails on many levels: 

First, humans, unlike carnivores, can thrive and be fully healthy on plant based diets.  This gives us the ability to make a conscious, ethical choice about taking life that lions do not have.  Making lifestyle choices based on ethics and not instinct IS part of our evolutionary adaptation.  Vegetarians and vegans are not childish utopians (maybe the writer’s friends were) in denial of the cycle of life and nature.  If an individual ascertains that eating meat is unnecessary because they now have access to a large quantity and range of plant foods that their ancestors may not have had, then why should they continue to inflict harm when it is no longer necessary? 

The idea that we should do what is instinctive or traditional for humans also conflicts with the writers’ other values including gender equality and social justice. It is not ‘natural’ for animals to choose not to mate, yet she promotes having no children.  Alpha male primates use physical strength to dominate females in the group, yet obviously she stands against male dominance in human societies.  It would be so counterproductive to say that we should “grow up and get with the program” and accept these things because gorillas do it, yet she oddly takes that view concerning animal rights and welfare.  Her ethics about when to accept ‘nature’ are very selective. The point I am trying to make here is that we as humans have evolved to the point of making ethical choices about how we structure our society and choosing not to kill or enslave animals for our personal consumption is very much in line with all other ideas of social justice.  There is nothing particularly “unnatural” or childish about it.  

This book would have been more sensible if it focused on various case histories and reasons for failure to thrive on vegetarian or vegan diets and how to move towards ethical and environmentally sustainable meat production rather than grasping at straws to attack ethical vegetarianism.  

  This does lead to the next point.  What about “carnivorous’ humans who are unable to thrive on a plant based diet or human populations who live in a tough environment that does not produce enough plant foods?  It is a fact that not all people can make the choice to be vegan – some people live in deserts or in arctic tundra where most of the year there is nothing to eat but animal flesh.   

The cultures that have honored and venerated animals and nature most are hunting cultures. They tend to see the animal as their Mother, provider, Deity, Brother, Sister etc.  A person who gets most of their nutrition, clothing and shelter from an animal is bound to have a very sacred and personal relationship with this being.  There wasn’t a significant difference between groups of human predators hunting down an antelope and a pride of lionesses doing the same.  This is vastly different from the way modern people have turned animals into commodities for personal gratification in the machinery of production and consumption.  Animal factory farming.  The cruelty, slavery and torture in this modern way of rearing animals is what appalls most animal lovers and ethical human beings.   

There are ethical meat eaters out there who are actively trying to change our terribly cruel, unhealthy and unsustainable meat industries and to explore compassionate alternatives that allow animals to have free and natural lives.   There are also vegans who are trying to change the destructive forms of modern agriculture that are swallowing eco systems whole and destroying bio-diversity and soil fertility to create mock soy meat for your vegan plate.  Ethical vegetarianism is a more complex issue that extends beyond just “not eating meat”.

There is a lot of better reading material out there than the “Vegetarian Myth” for people who are exploring the pros and cons veganism.   If you want more sensible information and prefer not to be beaten over the head with whimsical arguments (and male bashing), try a site like:  http://www.beyondveg.com.

There are so many studies that support BOTH veganism and meat eating.  For me, it comes down to personal choice, applying ethics as much as possible in whatever choice you make and being your own experiment.  I know that I stopped eating meat and never looked back and I'm in better health and shape than most of my meat eating friends. 

Be sensible, eat well and take any necessary supplements.  If you continue to stay in great health after many years, then it’s right for you.  Many people are healthy and long lived on vegan diets.   If you feel sick even if eating very well and taking the necessary supplements… for crying out loud… stop it and explore other options.  Use common sense.  Remember that this is YOUR choice. You are not the follower of a cult.  Make intelligent, informed choices and observe observe observe and for F’s sake… try to respect other people’s choices.

Stay healthy and happy.

Fasting for health?

Inspired by Dr Fuhrman’s book “Eat To Live”, I decided to read his other book, Fasting and Eating for Health.  I started to feel very excited about the therapeutic and regenerative possibilities with fasting.  I am familiar with fasting but mainly from the spiritual perspective but this book delved deeper into the health aspects of fasting. 

   

To summarize the practice of fasting for health:   The theory is, that after WATER fasting, consuming ZERO calories (no juices, green drinks etc), the body goes into true ketosis within 48 hours for women and 72 hours for men.  This means that after a day or two of utilizing muscle tissue to make glucose for fuel, the body senses what is happening and starts to conserve its lean muscle by going into protein sparing mode and using fats to fuel the body and ketones from these fats to fuel the brain.  After around 3 days of fasting, the body is in a process of autolyzing (eating itself) by breaking down “needless tissue such as fat, tumors, blood vessel plaque, and other nonessential and diseased tissues, while conserving essential tissues” in this way, diseased  tissue and toxic materials stored in our fat are released into the “circulation for elimination”. 

 Dr Fuhrman advocates pure water fasting over juice fasting and ketogenic diets like high protein diets because they allow fully for this deep cleansing and elimination and because “the human organism responds to the fasting state by attempting to maximally conserve its muscle and lean body tissue.  With severely restrictive diets, like juice fasts, the body does lose weight, but the brain and other organs do not subsist mainly on ketones.  Therefore, proportionately to weight lost, juice fasts and severely restrictive diets cause us to lost more lean tissue and less fatty tissue than do total (water) fasts. 

 When the reserves are exhausted, the body moves into starvation mode and starts to feed off the lean muscle or healthy tissue but before this stage, true hunger kicks in and the fast must be stopped.  According to Dr Fuhrman, it takes the average person 40-70 days to go through their body’s reserves.

A clean, pink tongue with no white coating and the return of sweet smelling breath are considered indicators of a complete cleanse but the fast must be stopped once true hunger sets in, even if the tongue is still coated and the cleansing or healing is not complete.  The return of true hunger would indicate either that there has been too much loss of lean muscle (especially in the case of very overweight people) or that reserves are close to exhausted. 

It is also important to ease out of the fast gently by gradually increasing foods over a period of days or weeks (depending on the length of the fast).  The appetite is ravenous once the fast is broken and uncontrolled eating will negate the benefits of fasting.  The post fast period is supposed to be the most difficult. It takes 4-6 weeks for the metabolism to get to normal.  Overeating with a slow metabolism can be a disaster.  The digestive system will be receptive and easily assimilate all nutrients from food.  This is the most ideal stage to introduce a low calorie, nutrient dense way of eating.

I have to add here that Dr Fuhrman recommends that long term fasting (over 3 days) be done under medical supervision. 

  

Pre-existing health conditions can make fasting dangerous for some individuals.

It is really important to do the research before considering such an extreme activity as there are some conditions in which fasting is contraindicated.

Another informative, if rather dated, resource on fasting is Herbert M Shelton’s “The Science and Fine Art of Fasting.”

  

This is something that I am considering quite seriously. Any fasters out there? What were your experiences? Has anyone actually healed a medical condition through fasting? 

Going Vegan 2

My commitment to veganism was fuelled by reading various books – The China Study by T Colin Campbell, 80-10-10 by Doug Graham and Eat to Live by Joel Fuhrmann.  

  

The China Study finally got me off the B12 fence and convinced me that veganism with occasional B12 supplements is still a healthier choice than consuming animal fats.  80-10-10 was an interesting read and even though I don’t subscribe to the hypothesis that humans are “frugivores”, I was convinced that I need to increase my fruit and greens intake (not anywhere close to 80% though) and to decrease fat intake but not to as low as 10%.   

I spoke to many raw vegans and was impressed by how healthy most of the long termers look.  In search of the holy grail to optimal health, I also read David Wolfe’s Sunfood Diet Success System and explored raw veganism as a lifestyle choice.  Again, I came away with the opinion that going 100% raw is great for cleansing and healing but for a lifestyle choice, increasing raw foods to comprise 40-60% of my diet is a more realistic goal for me. I am really looking forward to diving into vegan cooking.  It will mean giving up or greatly reducing my two favorite food groups – cheese and wine.  

I enjoyed Joel Fuhrmann’s eat to Live, it made the most sense to me, and seemed to be based in sound nutrition and to continue where The China Study left off.  I suppose it is radical compared to the USDA pyramid but it sounds perfectly balanced and complete to me. 

Fuhrmann advocates unlimited amounts of dark, leafy greens, soft raw vegetables, steamed vegetables, a decent amount of fruits, some beans legumes and pulses (cooked), a modest serving of starchy vegetables and unrefined, whole grains (cooked) and a small serving of seeds and nuts.

I have a preference for real, whole foods.  I don’t want to spend my time in health food stores buying exotic, expensive, obscure ingredients. I don’t mind taking the time to check out a green grocer, outside market and buying real, wholesome farm fresh stuff.  So any vegan cookbooks with too many recipes containing things like egg substitute etc got thrown out.  Also, I’m not big into soya, tofu and overly processed foods.  So, one of my challenges is to make great tastes with real food and not pour miso or soy sauce into everything. It doesn't have to taste or look like faux meat to taste great.

 Good ingredients, good tastes, great health.

Going vegan

I have been interested in health and nutrition for a long time.  I became a vegetarian at 13 but that was more about animal rights and my spiritual path rather than for health reasons.  I have never been convinced that meat and animal foods were necessary for human health, even though people tried to bully me into eating my meat as a kid.  I knew too many lifelong vegetarians, vegans, Jains and a wide assortment of people who were healthier than my meat eating diabetic, heart troubled relatives with their self righteous opinions on superior nutrition.  Fortunately, over the years, vegetarianism has become main-stream and books like The China Study made me jump up in glee. 

I must interject at this point that I respect everyone’s right to eat whatever feels healthy to them.  I do believe that there are environmentally responsible and humane ways of meeting the meat requirements of those who need it and that it is worthwhile to reform the meat industry to these standards of quality and ethics.  Similarly, I also believe that agriculture also needs major overhauls, think GMOs, broad scale pesticides, chemical fertilizers, soil degradation etc.  Many vegan foods such as soy, corn and wheat among others are also grown in ways that are extremely detrimental to the environment and by extension, to biodiversity and animal life.  I stress here vegetarianism is a personal choice based on my belief that a plant based diet is healthier for most humans and as a stand against animal cruelty.   With that disclaimer… let’s move on…

I have dabbled with veganism on and off over the years but it never stuck.  I always felt wonderful and healthy on it but the social awkwardness didn’t seem worth it.  You get to be one of those people who go out or go to a friend’s house and quiz them about ‘hidden’ ingredients.  Is there any whey in the veggie stock you used to make this dish?  And you have to cook all your own meals, prepare your own condiments and sauces to avoid the paranoia.  When you’re young and busy…who has the time?  But I haven’t honestly tried being vegan again for about 5 years so maybe the world has changed to accommodate it better.  Now that I’m older (36), I’m starting to think that great health is worth some social awkwardness. I enjoy cooking, gardening and farming...  things I absolutely had no time for in years past. So, becoming vegan is sounding more attractive to me.

I have been reading about raw veganism and completed a few short “detoxes”- they were blissful.  I am a little worried that becoming a raw vegan may lead to complete social isolation - carrying apples and carrots in your bag, being asked if you are anorexic or a member of some weird cult.  Getting so marginalized that eventually, you have to run off and live in a forest with other raw vegans, fruitarians and the like… While living a more natural and simple life definitely appeals to me, I think that a life based around dietary choices is actually quite limiting.  The freedom of being able to travel and live anywhere, socialize with all sorts of people, have a large assortment of good friends from rabid meat eaters to enlightened breatharians and everything in between is something that I do appreciate.  I don’t want my dietary choices to limit my experiences in life or shut others out.   In any case, I don’t want to create a self identity that is based around food or food activism. I believe that we are all more than what we eat.  

http://www.vegansouls.com/top-vegan-dishes

I want to enjoy being a vegan – to eat good, healthy tasty food.  I want to explore world cuisines and discover new veggies, fruits, tastes and flavors.  

I’m hoping that you wonderful vegans around the world will free to get in touch with me, share links for blogs, recipes, vegan restaurants,  personal experiences and anything that will help.  I also hope that as I become a more seasoned vegan, you can hit me up for tips and any support (non medical) that you need.

So..the journey begins