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Some Common Misconceptions about Veganism
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December 18th, 2009Hot TopicsI want to start by thanking all of you who responded to the vegan blogs. I learned a lot about veganism from reading your comments, and I admit that I have had a change of heart regarding certain issues. The most important thing that I have learned, however, is that both the vegan and the non-vegan world harbor misconceptions about each other that can create animosity.
I think the non-vegan world often views the vegan diet as lacking the proper nutrition. From my research and many of your comments I have learned that that is not the case. A person can live a very healthy life without eating beef, poultry, dairy, and fish. The nuts, seeds, sea weeds, whole grains, and various fortified juices and other products can provide vegans a healthy and nutritious diet. The second misconception that many harbor regarding veganism is that food items are so limited that vegans must be missing out (particularly children). I now see that this is not necessarily the case. I still don’t believe a celiac child should be forced into a vegan lifestyle, but clearly if the child is a willing participant she will do well both socially and physically, and she will learn what it is to live a life based on her ideals.
But vegans harbor certain misconceptions about the non-vegan community as well. From your responses I got the sense that you think that people who are not eating exclusively vegan are stuffing their faces with processed junk food, red meat, and other cholesterol raising, heart disease inducing foods. That is clearly not the case. My children snack on yogurts, cottage cheese, fresh ice cream (not the processed kind), as well as vegetables, and fruit. They are not overweight (not even close), their cholesterol is fine, and they don’t suffer from stomach problems.
I am glad that we have had the opportunity to air out our views on these issues, and I hope that in so doing both sides have gained better a perspective on each other.
Tags: celiac, nutritious diet, stomach problems, vegan community, vegan lifestyle
6 Responses to “Some Common Misconceptions about Veganism”
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Maggie
This has been a great debate! Thanks to everyone for being honest and open. Motherhood is full of difficult decisions and at the end of the day, we’re the ones who have to put our heads on our pillows knowing we’ve done the right thing for our family.
There are two sides to this debate (ie one could say that as a meat eater, you’re forcing or imposing that lifestyle on your children). I’m not a vegan but I have learned so so so much about veganism, vegetarianism, and healthy eating from Colleen Patrick-Goudreau’s podcasts. You can download them for FREE at iTunes under the Fitness and Nutrition category.
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Krista
As a former vegan I can say that I personally know just as many vegans who eat processed junk as non-vegans. (Remember, Cracker Jacks and Swedish Fish are vegan. http://www.peta.org/accidentallyVegan/VeganShoppingQS-Snacks.asp?Category=Snacks)
Just like a gluten free diet, a vegan diet can be nutritious and have variety. It all come down to how much work and/or time and/or money you are willing to invest. It sounded to me like the father in this situation was not willing to put in the time his wife needed from him to help figure out meals that could appease everyone, whether for medical or ideological reasons. Otherwise, his wife wouldn’t feel compelled to ask a stranger for advice.
I still stand behind my statement that I think it is selfish of the father to put his wife in this situation, but will add “without helping in the meal planning.”
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Krista
Well, I see that I messed the link up, so here it is again. http://www.peta.org/accidentallyVegan/VeganShoppingQS-Snacks.asp?Category=Snacks
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I find that my son, who can’t eat gluten or dairy, often naturally loads up on meat and eggs. I presume this is to get adequate protein. But high fiber diets aren’t healthy for children, because they run the risk of malabsorption… so doesn’t that pose a problem for a child’s diet without animal products and gluten?
In any case, we generally make a meal for everyone and those who can eat dairy products can add that to their plate. (We keep a GF house). I don’t see why this woman couldn’t offer her child side dishes with animal products…
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Anaquita
I think those who at least initially, work with a dietician, and do their homework, and happy, healthy, and thriving on a vegan diet. I still stand that mother nature intended us to be meat eaters, but doesn’t mean I don’t think vegans can be healthy as well.
My thing is when those who don’t do their homework, eat a load of vegan junk food, and don’t ensure that they get a nutritionally balanced diet, proper vitamins, etc, they suffer. And if they have kids they impose their improperly implemented vegan diet on, their children suffer as well. And from the sounds of things, the woman you talked too, had no idea what to do, and the husband certainly wasn’t any help. His daughter is suffering. So unless he wants to help do the proper homework, so his daughter will thrive, then he should make his own meals.
I also agree vegans and vegetarians have serious mis-information on meat eaters as well. It doesn’t help that both sides have a slew of improper, contradictory information to be found. PETA, I personally feel, purposely puts out a lot of false information on meat eaters, and their health. Like their stance on cheese and rennet. They point out how it used to be made. Now you have to go to a place that has traditonal european style cheese for animal rennet produced cheese. Most is made with vegetable or microbal rennet these days. Especially in the US. PETA though neglects to point this out. I have other issues with PETA themselves (not vegans in general, so if you’re vegan please don’t take it wrong), but this isn’t the place to discuss them.
I myself do eat meat. Not a lot, but some. I go for organic, grass fed, free range. I try to go to places where I can meet the farmers and butchers themselves and know the animals were truly free range, and humanely treated. Mostly poultry and fish, and even then I don’t cook it every night. Mostly once, maybe twice a week. Some meat, I feel is good. Lots and lots, not as much. Mind you this is a personal preference.
And I go for organic milks, cheeses (made with vegetable rennet), eggs (again free range, and without hormones, etc) and I go for it all as locally as possible, to support local farmers, and producers.
I also do my best to have a mostly whole foods diet, (in season, locally if possible) with organic products. (Monsanto is evil, and GMO’s are scary to me)
I don’t do well with large amounts of soy, and most soy in the US is genetically modified as well. What little I consume (and in Japan they consume far less than we do) is the organic version from asia, and fermented (like miso) to remove a lot of the negative attributes to soy. Even the ancient chinese knew unfermented soy really wasn’t good for you.
In response to me going gluten free, and eating a far healthier diet, I’ve slowly been loosing weight, and mine, and my child’s health has been improving. We’re healthier despite eating some meat. Though I eat only a little red meat.
Though I pointed that out to a vegan friend once, and she was so irritable, from not properly getting balanced nutrition she freaked out, took it as an attack on veganism, when it wasn’t, and no longer talks to me.
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Susan
My family was put on the Vegan diet by a diabetes specialist dietitian recommended by a diabetes specialist. The Vegan diet can reverse diabetes and heart problems if you can stay on the diet. Dr. Neal Barnard has done experiments with the diet and has found it healthy and less limited than the conventional diets for diabetes and heart problems. Your specialist Know about it but say “My patients can not give up meat”. So they patch them up and watch them die.
Since the possibility that one will have the same medical problems that their parent then I hope the children would go on it. My daughter is a gluten free celiac with milk and egg allergies to start with so giving up meat was the only ting she had to give up to be vegan.
Animal rights had nothing to do with the diet and living a longer healthy life was the reasons we are vegan. Our dietitian is a gluten free celiac and has been vegan for years but eats meat when the choice is meat or gluten.
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