I'm feeling ranty, and it's only 8:15!
So, I was reading through the sites that Sheila posted, and then went off and researched veganism on my own, and I got a full-force smack-in-the-face reminder of why the whole vegan and raw food "movements" piss me off so irrationally.
THERE'S ABSOLUTELY NO MODERATION IN ANY OF IT. Now, let me clarify something. I totally understand not wanting to use any animal products because of political/economic/ecological reasons, but I can also see ways that work more with the ideas of Cradle-to-Cradle, and think outside the box rather than just banning something because its current, most-highly-publicized version is corrupt.
But I'm talking about the health benefits.
"The consumption of animal fats and proteins has been linked to heart disease, colon and lung cancer, osteoporosis, diabetes, kidney disease, hypertension, obesity, and a number of other debilitating conditions*. Cows' milk contains ideal amounts of fat and protein for young calves, but far too much for humans**. And eggs are higher in cholesterol than any other food, making them a leading contributor to cardiovascular disease***. The American Dietetic Association reports that vegetarian/vegan diets are associated with reduced risks for all of these conditions****."
*These diseases, with the exception of diabetes, hypertension, and obesity, are in many ways just part of being human. Living is linked to heart disease and cancer. Look into your family history--chances are, there's heart disease and/or cancer! Diabetes, hypertension, and obesity are not necessarily inextricably linked to meat, but to the over-consumption of it. Just like you'd get all of these problems if you ate too many nuts. And how about the fact that cinnamon and honey have been used to effectively curb osteoarthritis, and honey is one of those "evil" foods?
**And if any human drank as much cow's milk as a calf, they'd be in rather severe pain...so what it the percentages are higher, I don't see why that matters taking something into account that I like to call, oh, what was it again, MODERATION!
***No one's going to say that eating a five-egg omelet every morning is a good idea. But having eggs TWICE DAILY (which is certainly more than a lot of people I know would ever have a desire to eat) HAS been shown to have health benefits, and to not effect a person's lipid profile negatively. And where are you going to find that lutein which prevents macular degeneration in a vegan diet, hmm? And let's just TOTALLY IGNORE that saturated fat has a much higher impact on cholesterol than dietary cholesterol does, shall we?
****Key words being ARE ASSOCIATED WITH. I would argue that the vast majority of vegan health benefits can be explained by the fact that the type of person who would become vegan is also the type of person who would be very health-conscious, and exercise, consume lots of antioxidant-rich foods, not eat to fullness, and, arguably, keep their weight on the low side, all of which could explain the decreased chances of all the diseases they listed. I would not say that it's because of the lack of animal products, necessarily, but because of the abundance of fresh veggies and fruits--and of course if you eat more fruits and veggies you'll see health benefits!
I don't know. Chances are, I would go vegan, if their websites admitted all these things. "No, you will not get any lutein, or choline, or healthy amounts of sulphur, or any other nutrient specific to animal proteins. You will not be able to get all the amino acids in the same amounts, or be able to absorb all of them totally effectively. But for now, with the way the industries are currently, it's something that conscientious. And, c'mon, lots of fun and creative cooking with yummy fruits and veggies?"
I haven't found a vegan website yet that says to talk to your doctor before going vegan. And then there's raw foodism, which is even more extreme. IT'S BAD IN ONE CASE SO WE SHALL BAN ALL OF IT.
But that attitude is present even in veganism--high-fat, deep-fried meat is bad for you, so boiled chicken breast (with sweet plum marinade, yumyumyum) must be, too. The big industries abuse animals, so we should avoid all animal products ever instead of looking to support competitors that are humane. We're scared of doing something bad, so we're going to be less bad by refusing to consume any fish, any meat, any dairy. Instead of being closed-minded, and ignoring the benefits of "bad" foods, how about we celebrate how wonderful eggs are along with the health benefits of raw spinach?
I got a lot of my facts from "Eat This!," which does exactly what I am currently so fond of--instead of "banning" bad foods, it suggests good ones. It says that veganism is good, too, in moderation. And it also says where to get shrimp that are eco-friendly and guilt-free. It promotes "conscious eating"--think before you chew, and you'll be healthier.
Now I feel silly for reacting to veganism and raw foodism so immoderately. But, hey, I wanted to rant.
THERE'S ABSOLUTELY NO MODERATION IN ANY OF IT. Now, let me clarify something. I totally understand not wanting to use any animal products because of political/economic/ecological reasons, but I can also see ways that work more with the ideas of Cradle-to-Cradle, and think outside the box rather than just banning something because its current, most-highly-publicized version is corrupt.
But I'm talking about the health benefits.
"The consumption of animal fats and proteins has been linked to heart disease, colon and lung cancer, osteoporosis, diabetes, kidney disease, hypertension, obesity, and a number of other debilitating conditions*. Cows' milk contains ideal amounts of fat and protein for young calves, but far too much for humans**. And eggs are higher in cholesterol than any other food, making them a leading contributor to cardiovascular disease***. The American Dietetic Association reports that vegetarian/vegan diets are associated with reduced risks for all of these conditions****."
*These diseases, with the exception of diabetes, hypertension, and obesity, are in many ways just part of being human. Living is linked to heart disease and cancer. Look into your family history--chances are, there's heart disease and/or cancer! Diabetes, hypertension, and obesity are not necessarily inextricably linked to meat, but to the over-consumption of it. Just like you'd get all of these problems if you ate too many nuts. And how about the fact that cinnamon and honey have been used to effectively curb osteoarthritis, and honey is one of those "evil" foods?
**And if any human drank as much cow's milk as a calf, they'd be in rather severe pain...so what it the percentages are higher, I don't see why that matters taking something into account that I like to call, oh, what was it again, MODERATION!
***No one's going to say that eating a five-egg omelet every morning is a good idea. But having eggs TWICE DAILY (which is certainly more than a lot of people I know would ever have a desire to eat) HAS been shown to have health benefits, and to not effect a person's lipid profile negatively. And where are you going to find that lutein which prevents macular degeneration in a vegan diet, hmm? And let's just TOTALLY IGNORE that saturated fat has a much higher impact on cholesterol than dietary cholesterol does, shall we?
****Key words being ARE ASSOCIATED WITH. I would argue that the vast majority of vegan health benefits can be explained by the fact that the type of person who would become vegan is also the type of person who would be very health-conscious, and exercise, consume lots of antioxidant-rich foods, not eat to fullness, and, arguably, keep their weight on the low side, all of which could explain the decreased chances of all the diseases they listed. I would not say that it's because of the lack of animal products, necessarily, but because of the abundance of fresh veggies and fruits--and of course if you eat more fruits and veggies you'll see health benefits!
I don't know. Chances are, I would go vegan, if their websites admitted all these things. "No, you will not get any lutein, or choline, or healthy amounts of sulphur, or any other nutrient specific to animal proteins. You will not be able to get all the amino acids in the same amounts, or be able to absorb all of them totally effectively. But for now, with the way the industries are currently, it's something that conscientious. And, c'mon, lots of fun and creative cooking with yummy fruits and veggies?"
I haven't found a vegan website yet that says to talk to your doctor before going vegan. And then there's raw foodism, which is even more extreme. IT'S BAD IN ONE CASE SO WE SHALL BAN ALL OF IT.
But that attitude is present even in veganism--high-fat, deep-fried meat is bad for you, so boiled chicken breast (with sweet plum marinade, yumyumyum) must be, too. The big industries abuse animals, so we should avoid all animal products ever instead of looking to support competitors that are humane. We're scared of doing something bad, so we're going to be less bad by refusing to consume any fish, any meat, any dairy. Instead of being closed-minded, and ignoring the benefits of "bad" foods, how about we celebrate how wonderful eggs are along with the health benefits of raw spinach?
I got a lot of my facts from "Eat This!," which does exactly what I am currently so fond of--instead of "banning" bad foods, it suggests good ones. It says that veganism is good, too, in moderation. And it also says where to get shrimp that are eco-friendly and guilt-free. It promotes "conscious eating"--think before you chew, and you'll be healthier.
Now I feel silly for reacting to veganism and raw foodism so immoderately. But, hey, I wanted to rant.