Why I am not a vegan

[Monica]

Quickly posting this here as I need to sleep but don't want to forget -

a link I found recently (via fbk) and find it very thought provoking...

couple of quick points about me:

cruelty to animals bothers me so much if I see photos or footage of it I feel either homicidal or suicidal (literally)...
I used to belong to an anti-vivisection activist group and 'animal liberation'
I was vegetarian for 10 years (2 of which I was vegan)...

- yet because of very ill health I returned to omnivorous eating (slowly) over about 10 years - although not so much for the last few years (currently eat meat/chicken/fish a few times a year -usually when cooked for a communal meal (& by someone else) ..)
...the rest of the time I'm mostly veg (lacto/ovo)


http://theconversation.com/ordering-the-...hands-4659

I can relate. I went back to eating animals for a couple of years, about 15 years ago, when I was very sick. It was very hard for me but I did it because I was desperate.

In my case, it didn't help at all. My problems had nothing to do with being vegetarian.

Many people who wish to be vegetarians for spiritual or ethical reasons have had problems with their health. It was commonly thought that eating meat would solve those problems; ergo, they must 'need meat.'

Thankfully, the pioneers who have paved the way before us have figured it out. Usually, it's simply a case of one of these 4 common issues:

1. They aren't supplementing with B12.

2. They aren't eating enough calories.

3. They aren't getting enough Omega 3 EFA's.

4. They aren't taking metabolic typing into consideration.

Metabolic typing is when some people thrive on high carbs (grains and fruits) and low protein/low fat, whereas others thrive on lower carbs and higher protein/fat. Either one can easily be accomplished with a vegan diet, but the ratio of carbs to protein/fat is different.

This discussion between the Paleo top guy and the raw vegan top guy explains.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9As-uy1V13Q (if this link quits working, do a youtube search for 'Cousens Mercola debate'.) Dr. Cousens claims a 100% success rate for people who wish to be vegans, by simply adding superfoods to their diet and making an adjustment to the ratio.

Regarding animals killed during harvesting of plants, there is no question that the incidental killing of rodents is an issue that needs to be resolved. The real blame for that is the corporate farming model, characterized by chemical pesticides, large harvesting machinery, and monoculture. (and now we can add GMOs to the list!) That in itself is an obscenity. But it doesn't justify intentionally raising animals for slaughter, raping them, and eating them. 

But yes, clearly the farming of vegetables needs to be overhauled as well.

In the meantime, shopping at farmers' markets whenever possible, and buying organic, is the simple solution to avoid incidental killing of rodents.

An important point to be aware of, also, is that most of the plants thusly harvested are used to feed livestock, not humans. So being vegan means fewer rodents killed. No matter how you slice it, being vegan means less death and destruction.