The Mainstreaming of Vegan Diets

Reader Comments
Back to article

The most important reason to go vegan is to separate yourself from the exploitation of animals. They are here in their own right, not for us to kill, abuse, rape, molest, etc. By going vegan you will spare the lives and stop the suffering of over 100 animals every year.
Going vegan is also one of, if not the best thing you can do for the planet, which means even more animals are helped through reduced deforestation, pollution, etc.
You may request a free Vegan Starter Pack from Action for Animals at www.VeganStarterPack.com
In addition to recipes and nutrition info, the pack includes information on how animals suffer for meat, dairy, eggs, and seafood, how meat eating affects the environment, the myth of "free-range," what's wrong with leather and wool, and even some free stickers. It is available in the United States, Australia, and Canada.

Dave Bemel of WA 5:00PM December 29, 2011

Animal protein, especially casein, require calcium to neutralize the acidosis that develop when excess amino acids are broken down for energy. This requires much of the calcium that comes in milk. Meat is a poor source of calcium. Thus the net calcium availability is not what it would appear. People in many countries consume zero dairy and yet they have healthier bones, with a much lowered osteoporosis rate than the US rate. Cows milk is healthy for an unweaned calf, and in fact is perfectly tailored to its needs. Last time I looked I was not an unweaned calf.

Papparocket of OH 12:24AM December 29, 2011

This is very important information and highly useful to me as a vegan. It almost leaves you feeling like you need to be a nutritionist to be a vegan, but truthfully, everyone needs to place more importance and focus on their nutritional sources and maintenance.

Teri' Smith of IL 9:26PM December 28, 2011

Its actually easy and delicious to be mostly or totally vegan. It is cheaper and way more healthy to eat this way too. Why not? Check out http://www.pcrm.org/
for more info and great recipes.

Emily of CO 8:58PM December 28, 2011

More articles like this & you will build a healthier following beyond Time & your competitors. May I suggest a series on optimal health thru nutrition & diet. Best

Kurtis Kunesh of HI 8:42PM December 28, 2011

A healthy bowel function without laxatives and other prescribed poison is psyllium.
It is a husk from a plant.
Fantastic in that it does not produce side effects or discomfort that can be dangerous,eliminating toxins,allowing natural elimination without straining or upsetting the stomach.It absorbs water so as it can pass easily through the colon/intestines.$4 a packet from health shops= a months supply.
I would thoroughly recommend this.
The product metamucil has a small amount of psyllium in it but they add other things like artificial sweeteners charging a considerable amount for a 2 week supply.
Hopefully people will wise up and discover the truly amazing benefits of daily usage of psyllium. Taken with fruit juice or water or on cereals... wonderful stuff.

Carla 7:27PM December 28, 2011

I never thought I would see the words Vegan and Mainstream in the same headline. I am thrilled! As a former host of a radio show called Go Vegan Texas! I advocated a cruelty free diet, for years, not only for health reasons, but ethical ones, ie not taking the life of an animal who wants to live as much as we do. So many people shared their stories on the air about the remarkable health benefits they enjoyed, after giving up the SAD.Standard American Diet, advocated by the MAD, Meat and Dairy industries. They became less dependent on drugs and pain killers and discovered a whole new world of plant based foods that were healthy and delicious. Maybe we should call Vegan, the GLAD, the Greatest Living Animal-free Diet.

Janice Blue of TX 5:33PM December 28, 2011

Please note that there are sources of marine omega 3 fats. There are supplements that are made from algae. Also, I believe that seaweed foods such as nori contain marine omega 3. The big bonus of vegan sourced marine omega 3 is that it contains very low amounts of mercury, dioxin, furans, PCBs and other nasty chemicals that are very concentrated in fish fat.

Dr. Tushar Mehta of CA 5:00PM December 28, 2011

Decent article, but in a follow-up article I'd like to see in depth discussion of all the other aspects of the plant centered diets, such as its ability to prevent and reverse common western diseases, its massively reduced impact on the environment, the amount of resources used to raise animals to eat them, etc. Some comparisons of disease and longevity in vegetarian cultures (Abkhasia, Vilcabamba, Hunza, and the oldest generation of Okinawans) versus America/westernized countries would also be very interesting.

D Stickney of CO 4:50PM December 28, 2011