Meat Eating v Plant-Based (video, balanced spiritual take in my opinion)

[Diana]

There is one thing that should not be underestimated when going vegan. You have to properly inform yourself. There are important things to be aware of beyond stuff like B12. If that is done with intent, you can spend your whole life healthily on veganism.

I know you mean well Patrick  but this idea comes off as rather a scare tactic in my opinion. And the following comments are not aimed at you, but are general.

Firstly, let me make a distinction between vegan and plant-based. Plant-based just means the diet consists of plants only, with no animals (including fish) or animal by-products. Vegan means your diet is plant-based, but in addition to that, you endeavor to not support the use of animals for any purpose such as leather products and entertainment (rodeos, circuses, etc.).

The truth is that our societal notions of what is healthy are twisted and skewed for so many reasons. The biggest is the meat and dairy industry, which has been driving the information for many decades for profit. I could go on with this idea of driving information but we get into "conspiracies" of which there are many in this case, and I will avoid that for now. But I will say that the advertising campaign of meat and dairy being good for humans has been brainwashing people for a very long time.

B-12 is in soil, and if we didn't wash our vegetables, we would get it. We wash our vegetables, so we take supplements. That's about it. Other than that I can absolutely assure everyone here that a plant-based diet is very healthy. Of course, in any diet, to be healthy, one needs to eat whole foods, not processed junk. It is illogical to think that vegans must be extra careful, while omnivores do not. Do omnivores carefully plan out their meals to make sure they get everything they need? Does it make sense that because one eats meat (dead carcasses) that they are good to go with all the minerals and nutrients the body needs? It is proven over and over again that meat and dairy contribute to disease. No one ever proved that eating vegetables contributes to disease.

I am living proof that eating a plant-based diet is healthy. I am not the only one however. There are countless examples to be found on the Internet. And when looking at the (US at least) population, and seeing the amount of overweight unhealthy people (including children) who eat meat and dairy, it is worth considering that a plant-based diet is a wise choice. I will also say that children who are fed nonorganic meat are consuming the growth hormones in the meat, and therefore grow bigger, fatter, and mature earlier sexually; and in addition consume the hormones produced from fear and terror, in the form of protein chains.

This is to say nothing of the health of this planet, and compassion for other life forms, namely animals, who have a central nervous system and feel pain, terror, resist being slaughtered, scream and mourn when their offspring are taken from them (cows and pigs), and more atrocities no one wants to think about. The very lame excuse that plants have feelings too, seems to be a popular justification for these atrocities. Plants do not have a central nervous system, and while they may have an instinct for survival, they offer themselves for food to us (along with a list of other reasons why they are are a good and compassionate choice for food).

It is true that factory-farmed plants are not ideal either. But to say factory-farmed plant crops is equal to factory-farmed animals, without going into the horror of it, just seems blind to me. If you don't think so, visit a slaughterhouse.

I know there are those who feel they must consume animal food. I don't agree, but I don't decide things for others. On the other hand, I will advocate for our brothers and sisters of the animal kingdom because they have no voice with which to do so.