Another worthy link via Facebook: A Vegan No More. It's an honest and eloquent testimony to the truth that there is no one-size-fits-all solution to the questions of health, nutrition, and morality. It's long, but worth reading through, whatever your current feelings on the issue.
I don't wish to give offense to any of my vegan readers and friends, but I do challenge the unspoken assumption in certain circles that, even if you aren't a vegan or vegetarian, you should aspire to be; that avoiding animal products is a superior choice for health, morality, and sustainability. I used to feel this way, even after giving up on strict vegetarianism, but for the last five years or so I've been a dedicated and proud omnivore. Whatever honestly works best for you...
Though I never had a health crisis in my nearly-vegan days that precipitated a doctor's visit (but if I had had insurance at the time, who knows?), I can definitely relate to Tasha's experiences: hunger despite an overfull stomach, bloating, fatigue, and depression. I don't know how I could manage my current routine of work and family on such a diet. Speaking just for myself, a few ounces of meat or fish, or a couple of eggs fried in butter, lard, or palm kernel oil makes up for a whole heap of starch, fiber, beans, and greens. I still love my rice and veggies, but don't feel a need to stuff myself to satisfy my hunger. Your mileage may vary.
Where food and agriculture intersect with politics, ecology, and community.
Thanx muchly for posting that - good article.
ReplyDeleteAside from the level of militant judgmentalism I've encountered from the majority of hardcore vegans I've met, what I find dismaying about the practice is the idea that the same diet will work for everyone. That's simply not accurate. I can digest fibrous veg and acidic fruits easily but pork gives me problems. The Better Half has trouble with really starchy stuff and some dairy. My friend can't do tomatoes, broccoli, spinach, or corn. And that doesn't even get into actual food allergies . . .
Possum, true enough. There are who argue that we aren't that different, but it doesn't take much difference in allergen tolerance, in digestion, in metabolism, indeed in attitude, to make a big difference in what we are able to utilize for food without complication. After all, everything that we think of as food is another living organism trying to live and not be eaten. Plants, being stationary, are much more likely to use chemistry for this purpose. It may be possible for everyone to be vegan after fine-tuning which foods work for them and which don't, but getting sustenance shouldn't take that much work.
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