Veganism

[Guest Pyre Vulpimorph]

CARNIVOROUS:  Meat, eggs, and/or milk are your preferred foods. Perhaps some potatoes or bread on the side.

OMNIVOROUS:  "Normal" diet.  Salads and vegetables are a large percent of your food, but meat is the key ingredient.

VEGITARIAN:  You abstain from all dead flesh.  Plants are your primary food, but you may eat eggs and/or dairy products.

AVERAGE VEGAN:  No animal products whatsoever, often not even honey.  You are a herbivore.

WHOLE-FOODS VEGAN:  The strictest diet.  No meat, no eggs, no milk, no honey.  No processed junk, either.  Whole grains, beans, nuts, veggies, and fruits are your friends.  Refined sugars and starches are your enemy.

OTHER:  Can't decide or change diets often

NOT TELLING:  You are a self-conscious eater.

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I'm still your "normal" eater, but my meat intake is very limited.  Over the past 8 months, I have become increasingly convinced of the medical and economical benefits of a whole-foods vegan diet.  I personally don't really care much about the emotions of farm animals (as many vegan recruiters play on), but I do care about my pocketbook.  Meat is @#$%! expensive, and so are hospitals.  And I'm tired of being overweight.  I can stuff myself silly with veggies, be full for 6 hours, and lose weight. 

It's funny, people still think veganism is a dangerous fad, when things like the Atkins Diet are floating around....  o_O

[Four-eyed Vulpine]

I eat anything, therefore I am omnivorous.  Ok, I eat any FOOD.  o_O

[Scott_Wolf]

CARNIVOROUS. RAWR. *sinks teeth into ham*

Of course I eat my veggies, but I love my meat, and simply can't get enough bread, eggs and milk.

[Sol-Ratcht Saporro]

I'm an insectvore. All I do is eat insects. And man, do they taste delissshhhhh....

*voted Omnivorous*

[EvolutionSFox]

Omni, sweet. 

[Guest Chiro-Chan]

Omnivorous. To be honest, I have developed a slight disliking for vegans, since most of them tend to be these preppy, pansy little teenage girls. Though it's not like I hate all vegans, since one of my freinds in band is a vegitarian.

[TakeWalker]

Omnivorous, like a normal human being. Unfortunately, my diet is anything but balanced, and I eat far too much in the way of pasta and bread. :D

[Mr. Krystal]

Right now, I tend to mostly eat meat with a bread and/or vegetable component. That's just because I'm mostly eating sandwiches or fast food. When I'm not cooking, however, it's a more "normal" meal.

I'm somewhere between CARNIVOROUS and OMNIVOROUS. Voted Carnivorous.

[Four-eyed Vulpine]

No offense or anything, but I don't see how these Vegans can survive.  I mean, you really need a balanced diet in order for your body to function properly.  A whole lot of just half the components won't cut it.

[Scott_Wolf]

I'm somewhere between CARNIVOROUS and OMNIVOROUS. Voted Carnivorous.

Yaaaay I'm not a loner.

[Mr. Krystal]

No offense or anything, but I don't see how these Vegans can survive.  I mean, you really need a balanced diet in order for your body to function properly.  A whole lot of just half the components won't cut it.

Lots of protien containing plants and specialized vitamins, I imagine.

[Fox P McCloud]

while some believe their veganism/vegetarianism to be honorable, it can ultimately be their downfall.

The vegans who "cheat" and eat fish (but no other meat) will probably be fine the rest of their lives, though, I wouldn't be surprised if they become sickly, at times (since their diet isn't balanced).  However, the strict vegans (no meat whatsoever), and the uber vegans (no animal products whatsoever), are the ones that'll end up getting bit in the butt. There's a special amino acid that's only found in meat; if you don't have it, eventually (not any time soon, but by your 20's-30's if you started being a vegan at a young age), your body will start deteriorating very rapidly, and thus, you will die a lot sooner. Not only that, but there are certain proteins that are only found in meat...and, when you get right down to it, replacing every meat product with a soy knockoff is dangerous (on top of which, it's not good for guys to eat a lot of soy, as it contains a lot of estrogen-like compounds XD *laughs*).

But anyway, aside from that, I'm somewhere between carnivorous and omnivorous too; I'm a picky fox, and I'm not too fond of very many vegetables (Though there's definitely some I really like)....I do however enjoy fruit. Still, what fox have you heard of that doesn't eat meat?

This fox also tends to like fast-food, though he knows it's not always good for him *snickers*.

[Guest Pyre Vulpimorph]

I'm sorry Fox P McCloud, but your science is inaccurate.  Plants have all the amino acids you need, but you do need to combine them properly.  Wheat bread and peanut butter, corn and peas, beans and rice; soy and quinoa, etc.

Plants also provide every single vitamin and mineral you will ever need, you just need to do your homework and read those ubiquitous "Nutrition Facts" labels to see what you need.  There are also vegitarian websites to help the dumb ones.

However, vegatarian diets are often lacking in two things, and its the fault of modern society, not veganism:

Omega-3 and B12

Omega-3 fatty acids, which meat eaters get from fish, are often difficult to obtain in non-coastal areas, for the lack of fish.  But Fish do not make Omega-3.  The micro-algae they eat (duh, a plant) does.  But micro-algae is impractical for humans.  But something else is: flax seed.  Whole ground flax seed, about one-quarter U.S. cup per day, provides all the Omega-3 a non-fish-eater will ever need.  Even ancient Greeks knew flax seeds were good for you.

Vitamin B12 is more problematic.  There is no plant that makes B12.  There is no animal that makes B12, either.  Vitamin B12 is manufactured by those billions of bacteria currently colonizing your large intestine.  However, in humans, our large intestines no not effectively absorb the B12 our bacteria produce.  Why?  I honestly don't know.  So, when a meat eater bites into a nice, juicy steak, s/he is eating B12 made you-know-where in the cow.  (eww, gross).  And in America, human waste is not a desirable fertilizer.  For this reason, vegans must supplement B12 in pills, which is made by bacteria anyway.

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My sample Vegan breakfast of Champions (which I eat, btw):

Quaker Oatmeal (1 cup rolled oats + water)

Calories: 300     Protien: 10     Fiber: 8

half cup Sun-Maid Raisins:

Calories: 260     Protien: 2      Fiber: 4

2 slices Kirkland Signature Whole Multigrain Bread:

Calories: 280     Protien: 12     Fiber: 10

quarter cup Kirkland Signature Organic Peanut Butter:

Calories: 400     Protien: 16     Fiber: 4

12 oz. Kirkland Signature Organic Soymilk (Vanilla):

Calories: 150     Protien: 10     Fiber: 1

12 oz. V8 vegatable juice:

Calories: 70      Protien: 3      Fiber: 3

Banana:

Calories: 100     Protien: 1     Fiber: 1

Total calories: 1560

Total protien: 54 grams

Total fiber: 31 grams

Well, that at least diffuses the argument, "vegans don't eat enough calories" or "vegans don't eat enough protien"

And that meal keep me full for 6-8 hours.  Not lying.

My dinner varies, but is mostly salad and veggies, plus my protein-plants.

My daily caloric intake averages 2500.

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EDIT: 

Vegitarians do not die sooner than non-veggies.  They match.  (because so many vegatarians don't know what they're doing.)

Soy-based mock-meat is not good for you in significant quantities.  That is true.

Soybeans do contain "estrogen-LIKE" compounds, but there is no evidence to suggest it has effeminizing properties on males.

Unlike andro....

Besides, who the @#$%! says meat and milk are required for a "balanced diet"?  Oh, that's right, the meat and milk industry does.... :P

[Four-eyed Vulpine]

So NO ONE should eat meat, is that what you're saying?

[Guest Pyre Vulpimorph]

So NO ONE should eat meat, is that what you're saying?

I'm not forcing anyone to give up their steak dinners, honey hams, and teriaki turkey breasts.  I'm just saying that eating plants is just cheaper and healthier than eating animals or their relating products.

Unfortunately, there is a lot of mythology surrounding veganism, both for and against.  Will you live to be 150? Of course not.  But is strict whole-foods veganism a recipie for suffering and deprevation? Of course not.

The advertisements for the meat, egg, and milk industries haven't helped anything either.

MEAT: "Beef: It's what's for dinner!"

EGG: "The incredible edible egg!

MILK: "Milk: It does the body good!" and "Got milk?!"

The drug industry doesn't really want the "natural American diet" to become unpopular either.  If people realize their carnivorous diet is what's accelerating heart disease and cancer to unprecedented levels, and switch to cheap and heathy veganism, then the pharmacutical companies' profits might take a hit.  Hospitals may admit that more fruits and vegatables are good for you, but remember that they are largely funded by the food and drud industries, so they won't say more.

The idea of meat and milk being unhealthy has been ridiculed throughout American history, but scientific studies as early as 1940 have suggested as much.  And scientists who supported that data literally put their careers on the line because of intense negative pressure.  Vegatarianism is not a new fad.  It has existed literally since the dawn of mankind, with only the elite being able to dine on animals.

[Four-eyed Vulpine]

Well, my argument is that meat is here on Earth for a reason.  If we didn't need to eat it, it wouldn't be here.

[Guest Pyre Vulpimorph]

Well, my argument is that meat is here on Earth for a reason.  If we didn't need to eat it, it wouldn't be here.

Gen 1:11-13

(11)  And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.

(12)  And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

(13)  And the evening and the morning were the third day.

Gen 1:29-31

(29)  And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.

(30)  And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, [glow=red,2,300]I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.[/glow]

(31)  And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

God made Adam and Eve vegan.

Then, of course, our first parents were remarkably stupid in how they handled their obedience to God.  They ate the stupid forbidden fruit.  Paradise was ruined.   

The earth became increasingly corrupt in following generations, and mankind became so horribly wicked, that God had not choice but to destroy the whole suface of the earth by water.

Gen 9:1-3

(1)  And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.

(2)  And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered.

(3)  Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; [glow=red,2,300]even as the green herb have I given you all things.[/glow]

With the earth devestated, God knew that Noah and his family, and the animals, would not be able to support themselves on plants alone.  So God gave man permission to eat flesh if his/her life depended on it.  And in parts of the world today, there are places you just can't grow anything.

Well, there's your Biblical Christian answer to "why meat exists".

[Mr. Krystal]

Discussing religion on the internet is a lot like discussing politics online in that they both tend to be problematic. I'm going to leave that previous post there, but I ask that no-one continue along that subject for fear of flaming and such. This isn't a warning, but an advisement.

[Guest Pyre Vulpimorph]

Discussing religion on the internet is a lot like discussing politics online in that they both tend to be problematic. I'm going to leave that previous post there, but I ask that no-one continue along that subject for fear of flaming and such. This isn't a warning, but an advisement.

Yes, yes, I know.  Volatile subject.  I wish humans were more mature, so such advisements were not necessary.

[Star Fox Runner]

This is starting to turn political so I'm going to put us back on subject, because I don't want this to get locked.

I'm an omnivore and a carnivore, but mostly carnivore. I don't eat as much fruits and veggies as I should, but when I do, its mainly green beans, corn, bananas, and peaches. I eat WAY too much pizza and pasta, but I still consider pizza to be the food of kings. I still need to quit being so picky and eat more veggies though, no matter how much I hate them.

[Four-eyed Vulpine]

I eat WAY too much pizza and pasta

You are DEFINITELY not alone on that one, buddy.    We're carb-hungry animals! 

But yeah, I should probably work on the veggie part of my diet some more.  But not to the point of veganism, of course.  I couldn't possibly handle that.