This story has the stench of bullcrap, but let’s play along. British sites began pushing these alleged quotes from Angelina Jolie a few days ago, and they’re making my eye twitch. Angelina “recently told reporters” that she used to be a vegan…? When, exactly? Way back in the 1990s when she was still doing drugs? That’s not really being a vegan, Angelina, that’s having an drug-related eating disorder. Of course she wasn’t eating meat or dairy – she wasn’t eating ANYTHING. Anyway, the quotes are all about how she used to be vegan and now she loves some meat:
Angelina Jolie, who recently came under fire for looking scary-skinny at the Berlin premiere of Salt, says her diet and beauty secret is red meat.
“I joke that a big, juicy steak is my beauty secret,” Jolie, 35, recently told reporters. “But seriously, I love red meat. I was a vegan for a long time, and it nearly killed me. I found I was not getting enough nutrition.”
Meanwhile, partner Brad Pitt is allegedly unhappy with Angelina’s meat addiction, and prefers their children eat a vegetarian diet.
“Brad hates seeing the children eating meat and he’s annoyed with how much red meat Angelina has,” a source told a British tabloid in 2009.
Ironically, Angelina followed a high-carb, low-protein diet and ate 5-6 small meals every day while training for Salt, for which she did many of her own stunts.
A sequel is reportedly in the works, for which Jolie is again expected to train three hours a day learning the martial arts Muay Thai and Krav Maga.
“I love doing action,” Jolie gushes. “I love to punch things, jump off things and shoot, so I’m lucky I got the job.”
To date, Salt has grossed $217.6 million since its July 23 U.S. release. Meanwhile, the Oscar winner is set to direct, producer and write a love story set during the Bosnian War.
“The film focuses on a Serbian man and a Bosnian woman who meet on the eve of the war and the effect the war has on their relationship,” says a rep.
Jolie wrote the screenplay for the movie, which will star local actors of various ethnicities from the region of the former Yugoslavia.
[From The Improper]
The whole “Brad is a vegetarian” angle was already dismissed last year when that particular story came out – Brad has at times cut meat out of his diet, but he and Angelina are both very happily meat-eaters at this time. I love a good steak too (in moderation!), so I have nothing to say about this story other than I seriously doubt Angelina was ever a vegan.
Angelina Jolie on August 17, 2010 and August 27, 2010. Credit: Fame.
Well, River Phoenix (remember him?) was a vegan and he died from a drug overdose. Sometimes vegans/veggies can be a little silly. Over the years, I’ve known dozens of people who won’t touch red meat “because I can’t harm animals” but they thought nothing of harming themselves by smoking pot, injecting/sniffing drugs or drinking anything with alcohol. I used to just shake my head and continue eating my hamburger, medium well, with jack cheese and fried onions!! (I’ve never done drugs or drank alcohol, by the way.)
So, anyway, this “story” sounds like something someone wrote by gathering up various snips and drabs of interviews Angelina has given either recently or years ago. Brad Pitt is not a vegetarian and I seriously doubt he cares if his children eat meat. If he did care, why did he drive them to McDonalds those times we saw them there? This is just silly and it’s out of the European rags so I’ll just ignore this.
P.S.: Good to see “Salt” is doing so well worldwide. I’m thinking it will hit the $250M mark before going to DVD/pay per view, etc. So, another hit for Angelina!!!
She may have tried it at one point, but I doubt she ever was one for any length of time. There always has to be “something” said about her…
Oh, this sounds just like misinformation.
I can expect people saying that a vegan diet is against human nature.
I give Angelina (or the bs writer) and advice:
go to a nutritionist, his job is also prescribing people a balanced vegetarian diet, you dumb f*ck.
Heroine addiction is now being referred to as Veganism? Good to know.
I think it’s possible. I know a lot of regular people who try being a vegetarian, then vegan for a while. I tried being vegan very briefly, it was practically impossible to keep up. That was after being vegetarian for a bit. I wasn’t very good at it – too many carbs I think. I gained like 20 pounds as a vegetarian. I didn’t do it for health reasons, wanted to not eat animals, but just couldn’t keep it going.
I think Angelina confused Veganism with Anorexia…
jc26: why did you gain 20 pounds? What happened?
Morgs you spelled heroin wrong, love. Also Angie wasn’t an addict. Angie just tried the stuff.
Uhhhhhh This is grade A bullsh*t. That doesn’t even sound like Angelina. They certainly don’t restrict their children’s diet since they have gone to McDonald’s on more than one occasion. This Improper article is garbage.
Angelina said recently that she isn’t afraid of spiders and has eaten some.
So she is not a veggan. She eats meat, even spiders meat…something i personally wouldn’t be able to do.
what a load of crap. people know that brad doesn’t like the kids eating meat how exactly?
I can’t be vegetarian or vegan. Especially vegan. I would literally starve, because I’m insanely picky and there’s a limit to what I’ll eat. Texture is also a problem with me…sometimes I’ll like the taste of a food, but the texture makes me want to throw up (like collard greens, oh god, vomit). So yeah, hot dogs, chicken, steak, white fish (no crab or shrimp or lobster), and cheeseburgers are pretty big in my diet.
Also, vegans can’t eat cheese. WTF, I would die. Cheese is like 60% of what I eat.
So, veganism didn’t almost kill her, eating like crap almost killed her. I know a ton of vegans, and probably 90% of them eat better than anyone else I know. They take the time to prepare nutritious, balanced meals, and eat fruit and veggies for snacks. Don’t PBJs every day and call yourself vegan… call yourself a college student.
Oh my god. I have always liked her until now. If you know anything at al, you know that meat is extremely unhealthy! As well as dairy. If you have a brain and eat a well rounded diet, you will be the healthiest you have ever been. It is people like this that give veganism a bad name. If you aren’t healthy on a vegan diet and don’t feel satisfied, then you aren’t doing it right. I agree with Courtney H…
the authors of ‘skinny bitch’ are gonna have a bitch-fit over this sh%t!
according to them, being vegan is about eating delicious, healthy ‘non-animal’ choices full of protein…not, starving yourself.
brad’s problem is more likely that he doesn’t want his kids loaded up on crappy processed fast foods that will possibly lead to avoidable illnesses in the future.
i smell ‘trou-ble’. 🙂
I attempted veganism. Didn’t work for me. I am a vegetarian, though.
Ditto Ally,
I’m tired of people saying (telling me) that vegetarian (and vegan) diet is unhealthy, etc.
I for one eat dairy, I can’t actually live without milk, cheese or eggs, but I buy them from local farmers, to avoid being part of the destructive massive production, that is extremely violent and had no respect for the animals, nor for the environment in general.
I’m not against people who eat meat (as long as that meat does not come from that above-mentioned massive production), so why do them need to wreck my head and judge me? This (annoying people) happens because of articles like this and ignorance.
Edit: there’s a book written by Jonathan Safran Foer “Eating animals”, in which he discusses this issue (slaughterhouses conditions, “food” given to the animals, food infections, etc: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eating_Animals). It must be an interesting and painful reading, I’m going to buy this book.
This, just like their supposed breakup stories, sounds like utter BS. My son tried to cut out all meat and after a couple of years he gave up when he grew weak. If you aren’t good at preparing vegetarian meals, then it’s not for you.
I like meat but definitely not red meat. Just the thought of consuming it makes me want to gag.
This sounds like crap.
Vegetarian can be very healthy, when done right. And yes, you can gain weight on a vegetarian diet. Straight up don’t understand how vegan is healthy. I’m not saying Angelina’s analysis is right though. And meat can be healthy; it all depends on the health of the cow. Buy organic if you can find it.
I agree with Solveig: Go see a nutritionist, moron. If you start a new diet and start feeling horrible and have millions of dollars, go see a nutritionist.
I wouldn’t be surprised if she tried veganism-she seems like the type to try just about anything-but didn’t like it because it required a form of discipline that she also seems to lack.
Hey hey hey Ms Lewis… let’s not appear silly by claiming that pot causes harm, for we all must know that it does not!
Yeah, mmkay, drugs are bad, mmkay, but… weed ain’t no killer. Nobody smokes a bowl and goes out to rob their neighbor. That just doesn’t happen.
Now, of course there are people who can take anything to a dangerous extreme, and that does happen with some marijuana smokers. But generally speaking, and I think science backs me up on this, weed is not harmful.
Also, flexitarian all the way!
I eat 98% vegetarian and will have the odd cheeseburger or turkey bacon every once in a while. It’s nice to have the option to eat a burger or BLT if I want, but frankly I can’t stomach meat every day (or every week !). For me, I eat meat maybe once a month (and I feel vaguely guilty about it, but whatever.)
The issue, I feel, in the U.S. is that people simply eat too much meat. The diet here is very meat-centric and most meals are focused around a huge meat portion with very little or no veggies. That is simply unhealthy to an extreme!
You can gain weight as a vegetarian because you aren’t eating what makes you feel satisfied even if you are full. When I was in middle school my family went on a sugar-free diet for a year and my mom gained 25 pounds. She kept trying to fill up the sugar cravings with bread bread bread. Once she could eat 10 m&ms instead of 10 pieces of toast, it all melted back off. There are ways to fix it and eat in a more balanced way that won’t do that to you, but it’s about retraining your brain, your tongue and your stomach. It can be tough! I’ve gone on and off meat for years at a stretch, and it’s easier to replace the craving for a hamburger with a Little Debbie instead of a salad.
I stopped eating meat and my digestion has never been better.
I was a vegan and it made me very ill. I was losing hair, anemic, and a host of other ailments. I also gained 25 pounds. It turns out that I have an endocrine disorder and the best diet is low carbohydrate.
I don’t eat a lot of red meat but I stick to fish, chicken, or turkey.
i’ve always wanted know what angelina’s daily/weekly diet looks like. she is so skinny. apparently during interviews she often orders steak, salads and red wine. when she was with billy bob, rolling stone reported they just kind of picked all day on teensy bits of food but never ate full meals. who knows what the story is now?
Just give me my meat!
I saw the film Earthlings two years ago and I’ve been a vegetarian ever since and I’m very healthy. You can watch Earthlings here: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6361872964130308142#
Any diet choice can be unhealthy if you don’t use common sense and for special diets, do a little research. I’ve been a vegetarian for 40 plus years, I’m lean and healthy as a horse.
As a completely uninformed observer (imo), AJ seems to do everything to the extreme. The vegan diet is something that must be carefully monitored. That said, you can eat satisfying and delicious meals that won’t over load you with carbs if you are at all creative in the kitchen.
As for Pitt, he’s said in the past that he loves steaks and meat so the story is probably BS.
@frankly bread has sugar in it so that may have been why she had the cravings and gained the weight. The combination of wheat and sugar is what makes some foods compulsively addictive for some people. Speaking from personal experience
@ Ally
Right, so having a brain and calling dairy as extremely unhealthy as meat?? Yeah, I don’t think so! Just out of curiosity, what are your views on eating fish? Is fish bad for the health too?
It’s not what you eat, it’s how much of it you eat. That’s how I see things. Too much of one thing or none of another is not healthy. And frustration is not very good for the soul either.
Yeah, I didn’t have the discipline nor the cooking time that being vegan requires. But I have been vegetarian for about fifteen years and I’m really healthy. I eat dairy, but I use local small output sources for most of my products.
@LBees :
“weed ain’t no killer. Nobody smokes a bowl and goes out to rob their neighbor”
nope, but they do raid the fridge though! Sure gets the appetite going and usually the less healthier the food the better 😀
Another non story.
I ve been a straight up gluttonous carnivore nearly all my life. i mean, except for crude carots, i was never able to eat anything but meat, at noon, evening, all around., meat, meat, meat !!! people used to tell me that i look like a panther and eat meat like those wild cats, always with some pure satisfaction in the eyes in front of meat…lol.
To the point that my mum used to tell me as a little girl that i will never be able to find a husband because i didn’t want to eat vegetables, soup at school…they forced me once at school when i was caught passing my soup plate to my neighbour who just finished hers and i threw up…I had a repuslion to most vegetables for a long time.
I am a meat person. It’s juicy well done steak, mayonnaise, , italian or south african wine. Juicy meat cooked a la italian or french all the time.
That regimen didn’t have the effect on my silouhette onE may think it will bring. I was always rated as being underweight according the standard norms. I always had the model type look long frame without doing some diet and eating like a man. Alawys asked by the doctior as a teen to get more weight but as soon as he saw my siblings and what i was eating, it was like ok, its genetically slim but even if you’re lucky : cut the candies, the meat, add vegetables because even if you have a great metabolsim your eating habits with ultimately give you cholesterol even when you look slender, your blood my have a great index of bad cholesterol.
I had to turn 22 to know the taste of tomatoes and salads for the very first time while vacationning in Portugal.
I am still a meat person but I eat more vegetables, i mean the few i tolerate…i still have my slender long frame but have cut a little bit my candies, chocolate bar and all of those pastries daily consumption…. but it’s hard.
I got very stressed if i don’t bite into meat two days in a row. I need meat and chocolate. I am addicted to those two elements.
My nephew is on a vegetarian diet since my brother and his wife are major vegetarian diet – he is 4 years old and weighs 37 pounds – is this a normal weight for a dude of 4 years of age?
@nnn,
“I am a meat person. It’s juicy well done steak, mayonnaise, , italian or south african wine. Juicy meat cooked a la italian or french all the time. ”
Gosh, you just made my mouth water!!!
There’s this new restaurant near here that I want to try : french bread, platter of all sorts of cheese, platter of all sorts of meat (rosette, chorizo, serrano…etc) and delicious red wine!
😀
I was a vegetarian for five years. I was anemic and underweight for most of that time. The thing is, if you are young, busy and poor it is very hard to keep up a special diet. I eat poultry and fish now, but try to keep the poultry to a minimum.
Organic chicken is great if you can find or afford it, but there are plenty of times when I am out and about and need to eat something and simply don’t have the choice. The kebob guy on the corner does not have an organic option, and I don’t have the money or time to eat some place that does.
I’m lactose intolerant, and am allergic to a lot of great vegetarian foods (like avacado, for one). So, just finding any diet that gets me all my dietary needs without giving me bathroom problems, or causing me to break out in hives, is a challenge.
Even though I sympathize with where vegans and vegetarians are coming from, I do wish some of them would tone down their attitudes on the subject. Not everyone can keep those diets up, and no one should be made to feel guilty if they are among those that can’t.
I had a friend who became a raw foodist a couple years ago, and became the most miserable person to be around for the entire duration of her time on the diet. She used to tell me things all the time like “well, you’re a vegetarian. Doesn’t it bother you when people won’t accept that? Don’t you just want to tell them how stupid they are for eating meat?” and I would just roll my eyes and walk away.
Truthfully, I never had a problem with people accepting me and my dietary choices, because I usually never advertised them. However, I have been harassed to the point of infuriation by my vegan and raw foodist friends about how I could’ve taken things further. I’ve spent more time being bullied by them than by meat eaters!
My point is, what you eat is a personal choice and I don’t think anyone should call anyone else a moron if they don’t want to devote all of that effort into going to a nutritionist and sticking to a diet that requires so much work. Everyone should be able to enjoy life, and if for some people that means eating a steak, I say pass the A1 sauce and be merry. Just don’t eat anything to excess and you’ll be fine!
I’m vegan. I’m not skinny. I don’t use drugs. I’m not deficient in any nutrients. I eat plenty of calories.
Stuffing one’s colon with steak and cheese is not healthy…but the comments here would indicate most of you think broccoli and whole grains cause starvation and death.
/eye roll
Angelina was likely never vegan. I don’t recall ever reading a single thing where she said she was.
…and I don’t even know what to say about “most vegans are silly and use drugs.” Seriously?
That’s the dumbest thing I’ve seen in a week (and that’s saying something).
What the fuck ever. I’m sick of celebrities claiming bullshit like this.
Big juicy steak my ass. She eats that and then nothing for 3 days.
Fuck you.
nnn, you almost made me puke (no offense, I’m vegetarian) LOL
And your story reminds me of my childhood and the times I used to eat meat without knowing that meat=dead animal (hey, I was 5 yo). LOL
My mum use to cook meat with white wine, olives and potatoes and I loved it. Once I knew that that thing my mum called meat was actually a rabbit, I refused to eat meat for almost two weeks, my mum was desperate and unnerved ’cause of my attempts to be a vegetarian. Unfortunately she overcame and I had to eat meat until my growth stopped. Those were sad days, LOL.
@DetriotGirl, you make a good point, but consider that loads of people eat meat EVERYDAY. This is firstly unhealthy, secondly is ruthless, thirdly is not exactly environment friendly.
My mother is a vegetarian, so I grew up eating very little meat. Vegetarianism is a great lifestyle choice, but you have to plan. You can’t just cut out the meat, which I find a lot of people do. Alternatively, you can’t replace the meat with massive amounts of cheese (which is what my mom did, and subsequently gained a lot of weight). It’s also a little tricky in social situations, although people are getting better and better. I don’t eat very much meat (maybe once or twice a week), but strangely the one thing I always crave is red meat. I could easily give up chicken, but it would hurt a lot to give up hamburger or steak.
@kiki: I can’t speak for jc126, but I do know of “vegetarians” in my family who also gained weight after cutting out meat. What happened was that when they cut out meat, they tried to substitute it with garbage like pasta and rice, cheese pizzas…all sorts of processed crap. Sugar consumption seemed to really increase, as well.
However, in order to be a vegetarian, you have to eat VEGETABLES and the Standard American Diet does not have nearly enough fresh fruits and vegetables, hence people continue to gain weight from eating the garbage they continually do.
lol sorry Soveig…i can’t help i am a panther…will always be.
I grew up very poor and I just happy to have something to eat. I though being a vegan or vegetarian was for rich people.
@Detroit girl, I agree..I have friends that act and talk crazy–aggressive about MY food choices.
Its a personal choice bottom-line.
I eat some meat- mostly organic, I do not eat fast foods and haven’t for yrs.
I do not eat sugar (for the last yr) and very fews carbs–but I’m still not good enough because I’m not vegan or vegetarian..
geesh give it a break!
yeah, my friend’s sister turned vegetarian and “green” and she has gained over 25 lbs in the last 2 yrs.
we secretly laugh at her, because she pushes it down out throats constantly.
I’m sure she is eating take-out fries and all kinds of junk–but god forbid “organic chicken or fish”..
This stupid story served the purpose it was intended.. put up any stupid rumor about this woman so that people can go on and on about her weight and “drug” problem.
Really. There are hundreds upon hundreds of other celebs but why is it always necessary to post any and every stupid rumor about Angelina.. I get it is a slow news day, but I don’t see every rumor about other celebs posted as fact..
but I guess when there is not news News about Angie will do.
Crap about her life 10-15 years ago like it was yesterday.. Really leave the woman alone and talk about some other people.
Can she just get a break for one weekend. Everyday there is some stupid story out about her. just stupid.
Heroin is a vegetable?
…and I don’t even know what to say about “most vegans are silly and use drugs.” Seriously?
***************
Where was this said?
Anyway, I am so glad I’m not a holier than thou vegetarian. It’s just my eating choice, I feel that I am healthier for it, but my husband is a carnivore. I deal with it and don’t try to “convert” him, I just make sure that he gets good quality vegetables and veggie protein in his diet whenever possible.
Nutritionist is a b-s term; any fool can call themselves that. If you need some help enough that you want to pay them for it, see a dietitian. Dietitians are the ones that are accredited and registered.
Kaiser, thanks so much for posting this!!! Don’t know or care if its true, but I’m going to pass it on to my vegan, half starved niece who loooves Angie! Maybe it will help her! Thanks again!
“I’m going to pass it on to my vegan, half starved niece”
Are you implying that because your niece is vegan it’s causing her to under-eat? I don’t know anything about your niece, but I’ve known people who couldn’t maintain veganism, and I also know a family who have done it well for the past 20 years. It’s all in how you do it.
For the commenter who asked about their 37 pound, 4 yr old vegitarian nephew, don’t look at the weight, look at the overall health. My son is 4 1/2, not a vegitarian, and is 31.5 pounds. He’s super healthy, just short. His 7 year old sister is 35 pounds. Again, healthy and short.
If your niece is half-starved, it isn’t because she’s vegan. It’s because she doesn’t eat.
Yes, she is definitely not eating enough, not enough protein and fats anyway. She is now a size 00 (double zero, not just zero) and everywhere we go, she can’t eat anything…it has mayo, or butter, or something else not vegan. And yes, I do try to pack her vegan stuff and spent a fortune this summer on vegan food for her, but the nutrition just isn’t there, not for a growing child anyway. Vegetarian food is everywhere here in socal, but not vegan. Also, I take her blood sugar once a week and its high. She’s getting too many carbs, not enough protein and fats. Also hasn’t started her period yet, and she is 15. I know a couple of middled aged people who do well on their vegan diets, but they both say it takes a lot of work (lots of dried beans & legumes to prepare) and knowledge. My niece is doing this becuz a rock band she likes recommends it on their website. If she were a vegetarian, as opposed to a vegan, she would be getting more protein and fat, which is critical for her at this time in her life.
Oh, and Liana #48, I was paraphrasing from Comment #1.
I freely admit that the vegan community has more than its share of holier-than-thou types, but I’m not one of them, and all I want is to eat the way I choose to eat in peace and for mainstream diet people who stuff their bodies with meat and dairy and eggs (and I never attack people in person for doing so…EVER) to keep their ill-informed nutritional advice away from me and my dinner plate.
The vegan diet has solved a lot of my medical problems. It has been a miracle for my health and quality of life. It’s not about being thin. I’m not thin. It’s not about being hungry…and celebrities who need to sit and have a sandwich so they don’t pass out before noon have nothing in common with me or any other health-minded vegan.
Jane, a lot of teenage vegans suffer because they don’t inform themselves beforehand or learn how to cook meals and use what’s available.
It is a HUGE transition to make, and a lot of youthful people spring that change on an unprepared family with attitude and without proper respect or responsibility taken for how much work goes into learning how to totally change the way they eat in a society where vegan diet is NOT the norm.
I totally sympathize with what I know you must deal with trying to get her to eat healthy meals and get enough to sustain herself.
I mean…I have a vegan blog with lots of recipes on it (we’ve been doing this less than a year, so I’m just coming out of the “learning to cook again” phase). If you are interested, look me up at the 1:29 Project. I have a lot of stuff on there about how to cook with normal food. No lotus root or agave nectar or anything like that in my home.
I truly get where you’re coming from. I hope you get it all worked out.
I should add that slimness does run in my family, we’re all tall, long limbed and slim. When I was her age I was a size 3. But my niece has def been starving her bod this summer. Has a fraction of the energy she had last year and dark circles under her eyes. My bro is taking her to a Dr. He is frantic about her. I did my best to help her to understand what her body needs, but don’t think forcing her to eat would help. I bought flax seed oil for her also.
@Jane: Your niece needs help. She’s clearly anorexic and ruining her health. Good luck.
In response to whoever asked, forgot the name, I found that a vegetarian/vegan diet was too many carbs in relation to protein, and I just don’t feel “right” eating lots of carbs. Not sick, but bloated. And if I switched to more non-starchy veggies, less beans/grains/bread, then I was starving and would eat too much cheese. I can’t stomach things like tabbouleh, or rice dishes. Tabbouleh makes me feel sick, rice and such doesn’t satisfy.
But I do like certain vegetarian meals still, and make an effort to eat things like homemade lentil soup or black bean soup. A bean/legume and veggies is a nice veg meal, and so healthful.
Thanks Aspen & Cheyenne! 🙂
Aspen: By saying people “stuff” their bodies with meat dairy and eggs, you are using judgmental, holier-than-thou language. Like you couldn’t stuff yourself with vegan foods.
Not everything that is vegan is healthy and following a vegan diet isn’t necessarily healthy for everyone. McDonald’s french fries are vegan.
For some people, their “ill-informed” diet is just what is right for them. A vegan diet ended up being healthy for you. It isn’t for other people.
I like my meats-I’m 24, never had high or low blood pressure, never had any real health problems. I don’t regularly take any prescriptions. I don’t need any supplements.
I eat a nice, med-rare steak maybe once a week and eat chicken and shellfish almost every day-prepared typically with olive oil or boiled with herbs. I don’t eat it every meal though-usually just once a day for dinner.
I must admit though that I’m not a sugar person. I don’t particularly like sweet things-I prefer salt as my vice item as opposed to sugar so I often skip dessert and I don’t have a lot of sweet things in the house.
So the point is that I am perfectly healthy eating my meats. You are perfectly healthy eating your vegan items. There is nothing wrong with either of our choices.
I don’t use that language when talking with people in person, and I don’t typically use that language even in impersonal settings like the internet except when responding, in kind, to snotty language from omnivores…as I was in this case.
I disagree that there is nothing wrong with eating omnivorously (obviously, or I wouldn’t be vegan), but I don’t openly say that unless someone asks my opinion or–as here–I am provoked into talking about it with strangers who do the dismissive “vegans don’t eat protein and become anorexic” schtick. Not you…the original commenter who was, indeed, ill-informed…and the standard American diet IS inferior to mine in every conceivable way. You won’t find a doctor anywhere in the world who will disagree with me on that point.
Clearly, you don’t eat the standard American diet. I responded not to you or anyone else who eats meat. My activism doesn’t take a hostile bent. I responded, saucy tone and all, to commenter #1…and only to her (except the advice I gave Jane later on because I’ve seen what she’s going through with her niece before).
I’m a vegan for ethical reasons. The health benefits were just the surprise icing on the cake. I don’t condemn anyone for eating animal products, but there is hard science and a host of ethical and environmental reasons why eating industry-farmed animal products is a bad idea.
If you hunt/fish wild game for yourself or buy all your meat, eggs, and dairy from co-op or Amish farms where the animals are raised without chemicals on foods they would eat in nature, and if those animals are slaughtered outside the industrial complex without the morality issues that complex presents or the mutant strains of e coli bacteria that kill children and infect vegetable crops from the runoff, and if you consume your animal products in moderate enough quantities to reduce the risk they present of developing a multitude of cancers…then , yes, you are and will likely remain perfectly healthy and justified in eating your meats.
It’s not holier than thou and it’s not hostile. I used to make fun of vegetarians. I thought they were all hippies and idiots and model/celebrity self-righteous wannabes. It’s not snobbery that I speak from. It’s education. I’ve read and watched and researched, now, for 10 years. I love a good steak as much as anyone, and I could seriously eat an entire pound of cheese. I don’t because I learned the ramifications of doing so.
My point?
I’m not a snob about being vegan…truly (though because of this exchange we’ve had you’ll probably not believe me /shrug). I just take umbrage when I see vegans all lumped together with anorexic teenagers who want to look like Angelina or impress their favorite band members who just cut a PETA poster. There is SO much more to it than that, and there is SO much at stake in today’s American farming/food industry.
Vegetarian and vegan diets can be very helthy if they’re doing in the right way: a weight gain/loss is normal at the beginning of every diets, just because your body suffers a “shock” when you cut off something you eat often. Some people can be vegetarian without any problems, other can’t.
Plus, usually vegan people are very careful about what they eat! Fruits, vegetable, rice, all is cooked in particular ways, no processed food, etc…is a “natural” life style.
But I really don’t understand why people outside Italy (where I live) always said pasta and rice are unhealthy, heavy, give bloat: ehy, you can eat pasta everyday without any problems! Vegan people here do this and they’re grateful for it, because is a wonderful dish!
Oh, and Liana #48, I was paraphrasing from Comment #1.
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Excuse me!! I made the first comment and it had nothing to do with vegans being “silly.” I was talking about River Phoenix who was a drug addict who injected drugs but thought eating meat was wrong and I said that was silly. Try reading before you condemn people for responding to a post. And get off your high horse. I personally could care less what you eat or don’t eat. It makes no difference in my life but you sound like a pompous piece of sh!t!!
Also, I didn’t think this post was going to be about vegans and vegetarians but about yet another untrue story about Angelina Jolie. Guess it didn’t turn out that way.
Whatever happened to eating a meat and vegetables diet? Why is everyone so exclusive to one or another?
Anyway, the quotes didn’t even sound like Jolie. It’s all a bunch of crap. But that’s not what the THREAD is about, obviously.
McDonald’s fries are not vegan. They have milk and beef flavoring on them.
I too call BS on this story. I also say, who cares! However, I love a good conversation about veg and vegan eaters.
ITA with the posters who have said that it’s all about what you do with your diet. There are people who do better wit meat, without meat, completely vegan, whatever. Eat what you please and leave others alone, I say. If someone is interested in becoming a vegetarian or vegan they will ask you about it or look it up on their own. Live and let live.
I’ve got several vegan friends. I was under the impression that vegans, unlike vegetarians, are those who not only cut out meat from their diets, but ALL ANIMAL BYPRODUCTS. My friend had to get special toothpaste to avoid certain companies that use animal byproducts. She had expensive shoes that came from manufacturers that don’t process leather. She wouldn’t ride in cars with leather seats or use clothing that contained wool or other animal fibers. People: vegans are not just vegetarians. True vegans, that is. Angie wears too much leather to have ever been vegan. But yet, I don’t believe she eats meat, either. She doesn’t seem to eat anything.
I am a vegan and life is great.
You know I have never treated any meat eater the way I have been treated. They need to torment me and describe in detail how they love the butchered animal. What ever – do what you want. But in order to eat meat in full disclosure, why don’t you catch the documentary on HBO -Death on a Factory Farm. As the TV guide described it – if this does not move you in some way – you have no soul.
Hi Jane16, for what it’s worth when I was around the same age as your niece I decided to be vegetarian – this was a euphemism for “give me something else I cannot eat please because I am a complete anna!” I couldn’t be hassled for not eating because I *couldn’t* eat it! And everyone (meaning me) was happy! I’m not surprised your brother is freaking – and good luck to him and you all. Relaying my personal experience helps for nought but I just wanted to say that (ref buying flax seeds) I know it sounds dumb, but when people (ie my Mother) went out of their way to buy me special foods I sort of felt beholden to eat them so at least for me your tactic helped. Hopefully it does for you too. Secondly, on the off chance your neice is anything like me, the ‘band she likes promotes ..’ thing could well just be a euphemism like my ‘social stand’ was so I think it’s great that you guys are trying to help and taking her to a Doc. I think you’ve made that mental leap anyways – you sound like you’re doing the best you can with a hard thing and best wishes.
Also – I usually find your comments funny (when they are supposed to be I mean). First comment = didn’t disappoint, nice ;o)
She trained for Salt? I seriously could not tell :-/
Great posts and a good debate about various ways of eating although some of you sounded like your blood sugar might have been a bit low when you posted. Kind of bitchy. Go eat a powerbar or something.
“If you hunt/fish wild game for yourself or buy all your meat, eggs, and dairy from co-op or Amish farms where the animals are raised without chemicals on foods they would eat in nature,”
Yeah, in my area there are no Amish (that’s where we bought eggs when I lived up north). But we do have a monastery and the monks raised chickens for generations and had a very nice egg farm. It was lovely.
Then along came PETA. Ruined it for everyone. The monks lost a good source of revenue, not to mention decades of tradition because some crackpot nutjobs decided they have the right to tell others how to live their lives.
@70
She trained because there is no way she could have get that flat tummy so fast after a pregnancy with twins and a C section.
She began SALT 7 months after the twins birth. There is no way she could have done it without training after that belly she had.
St. Angie Ho didn’t say veganism is unhealthy – she said her vegan diet was unhealthy. Why does everyone (in general) care what other people eat? It doesn’t matter to me if one eats meat or not. All that matters is your diet is healthy and balanced (i simply cannot live without cheeseburgers, baby back ribs or rib eye steaks, all in moderation).
Thanks for your blog Aspen, while not a vegan, (or vegetarian for that matter) I do try to cook vegan as much as possible because it’s better for the planet. I look forward to going through your blog some more.
Some of the healthiest, fittest, most energetic people I know are vegan….it’s 2010 people, let’s get informed – it can be very healthy and maintainable for people if that’s what they choose.
As for the Jolie-Pitt’s ever being vegetarian – there are many photos of them, kids and all, holding McDonalds bags etc, so i doubt it.
There is no arguing that humans are omnivores. Our teeth, eyes and digestive tracts are all those of animals who are built to eat both meat and plant material (similar to the bear). Our eyes face forward (predator) we have canine teeth (albeit small ones) and a long digestive tract that handles meat well.
However, I have no trouble with anyone who chooses to eat otherwise at all, as long as they don’t get preachy or snotty about it, or try to extol it as somehow ‘healthier’ for humans. It’s a personal choice! 🙂
Being a vegan doesn’t just require one abstains from meat. S/he also needs to have vitamin and mineral supplements plus frequent check-ups. Being vegan isn’t “natural”.
This being said, I consciously choose to eat the fewest amount of red meat and farmed products I can. So I eat a lot of game and organic meat. On top of that, milk, dairy and eggs are my favorite source of proteins.
At risk of pestering: being a vegan means you need iron and calcium supplements (at minimum). So it’s not a DIY thingy.
Being vegan isn’t natural? Um, early foragers were vegan. It’s not shocking to me to read that most of those who have tried and failed at veganism did it wrong. If you’re eating a lot of carbs, you’re doing it wrong. But then, that’s why most Americans are obese — they don’t know how to properly feed themselves.
At risk of pestering: being a vegan means you need iron and calcium supplements (at minimum). So it’s not a DIY thingy.
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Why would you have to take supplements? Kale, broccoli and other dark, leafy greens all have calcium and iron. Also, there are plenty of iron-rich grains that also qualify as vegan. My best friend is vegan and doesn’t take any supplements and doesn’t appear to have any health issues.
Also, she is very very passionate about animal rights but is never preachy about being vegan.
However, I have no trouble with anyone who chooses to eat otherwise at all, as long as they don’t get preachy or snotty about it, or try to extol it as somehow ‘healthier’ for humans. It’s a personal choice!
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Exactly. Preaching doesn’t often get one converts.
ITA with @Apsen. Respectfully. Each person has the right to make their own diet choices and ethical choices. But my choices are much like yours Aspen so thanks for posting that.
Aspen you are awesome. VEGAN isn’t a horrible thing my vegan freinds are the best cooks and make the best meals,and processed meat is killing our country.
The story is pure B.S. by the way because A.J. has bragged about eating live bugs and such.
Been a vegetarian for 19 years. My husband came over to the dark side 5 years ago. We don’t do drugs and don’t consider ourselves to be silly. I have a few veg/vegan friends but most are meat eaters. No one else in my family is a veg. Over the years I’ve been taunted by people for being a veg but I just laugh it off. People think its funny to dangle meat in front of me and say don’t you miss this? SO ANNOYING. I’ve had all sorts of tests for life insurance and my #s are off the charts great. Same for my husband.
I feel great, still fit into size 2, I still get carded at almost 40. I think it has a lot to do with my lifestyle.
I’m Jewish so there’s a lot I don’t eat,, including pork and rock-badger (I don’t actually know what that is, but Leviticus says it’s unclean and also sounds terrible. How would you even cook rock-badger? What, would you stew it?) That being said, steak tastes GOOD. I don’t care how bad it is for me. I say let the bad, delicious shit I eat kill me before global warming or terrorism or politics or financial ruin does. I hope I die with a nice New York strip in my mouth. That would rule.
It’s just downright rude to try to tease a veg person with a piece of meat. How obnoxious. @@
@Aspen,
You are vegan because of Its ethics? I hate to tell you this, but every product out there kills animals in one way or another. Even vegetable and fruit farms kill cute rabbits and gophers and other wildlife that eat their produce. Even when using harvesting machinery they probably kill a few animals.
If you are going to be a vegan or what not that’s fine… It’s your right. But don’t use the ethics argument because it’s a load of bull… You contribute to the killing of animals in one way or another.
Also, just a side note, does anyone else get a kick out of vegans who don’t realize that their shoes are leather or the comforter and or pillow they are using is down?
@k: Early humans ate whatever they could get their hands on and didn’t kill them. Early humans were all about plant matter and such but there is pretty conclusive evidence that they ate frogs, bird eggs, and small game when they could catch them. There is also evidence that certain early groups of humans might have been scavengers, taking meat from prey animals which were killed by larger predators.
I used to have IBS, and for ME, giving up all dairy and staying away from wheat, corn, pork, sugar and potatoes has done wonders for my digestion.
It is very important to learn about sugar, especially High Fructose Corn Syrup. Know what HFCS is in, and avoid it like the plague, people. This stuff is addictive and is dangerous to your health.
Drink water and do not drink sugary drinks or artificial sweetener, or you will eventually have a problem.
No, I don’t “get a kick out of” vegans who don’t realize there are animal byproducts in some of their belongings. Why would that be funny?
And while animals die as a result of nearly every human activity, I don’t fault people who are ethical vegs at ALL for what they’re trying to do, if that’s how they feel. Even if one can’t totally avoid being peripherally involved in the deaths of animals, at least they’re doing what they can to minimize that. It’s not a load of bull. People do the best they can.
My God, Crashie, we actually agree on something. *Heavens fall*
I totally agree, anyone who wants to veg out, go right ahead. But don’t lecture me or call me immoral because I love eating meat and fish.
This story is BS about Brad . Brad said in an interview how he loves steaks and how he grills burgers and steaks on the weekend
jc26: why did you gain 20 pounds? What happened?
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I have a friend who gained 30 pounds after becoming a Veg. She made for not eating meats, eating to much starch, and other non-meat base foods,,
To California Surfer: The average weight and height of a 4-year-old boy is 35-37 pounds and 37 inches tall.
I found this by Googling the question “What is average weight of a 4-year-old?”
I was a vegetarian for a year and found it difficult to get enough calories without eating a lot of cheese and other high-fat things like butter and oil.
How does one eat vegan without eating a lot of carbohydrates? And if it’s natural, where is the vitamin B12 in vegan foods?
i don’t think it was veganism that hurt her health, i think it was not eating and doing lots of drugs… duh.
i have been a vegetarian for 20+ years. i stopped eating pork after reading “charlotte’s web” and continued on, although i do eat shrimp about twice a year. anyway, i was a vegan for 6 years, and i am as healthy as an ox. my checkups are always great, my skin is very clear, my hair & nails are strong and i hardly ever get sick. why? because i drink lots of water, don’t smoke, and i avoid fast food, and processed food in general, because even processed veggie food is not good for you. all these “cleanses” and the bullshit diets of the month (the caveman diet vs. the zone vs. the atkins diet!) crack me up. just money making schemes aimed at peoeple looking for a quick fix. i’ve never “dieted” and i’ve never done a cleanse. it isn’t that difficult to get all your nutrients from a veggie/vegan diet, or any diet, as long as you are eating fresh, balanced food that isn’t deepfried or smothered in salt. moderation…duh.
Cooked vegan diet nearly killed me too – I think it’s one of the unhealthiest diets imaginable, because it’s usually made up of heavily processed foods which are supposed to be ‘natural’.
Unprocessed raw vegan diet is a whole other thing though and I’ve never felt better than after my 4 years on it.
I have to throw this in here: There is no possible way to get enough B12 in your diet being a pure vegan. Early foragers ate insects and small rodents and birds as well as plant material.
Yes, I am aware of Red Star Yeast. But they suppliment the Yeast with B12. There are animal sources of supplimental B12 vitamin and there are manufactured sources.
Than shes an idiot. You can absolutely get the proper nutrition you need without eating any meat or fish. And she has access to the best vegan cooks & nutritionists in the world so this is a big fat lame excuse!
She obviously feels gulity about eating red meat and supporting the torture of animals so has to make excuse that being a vegan nearly killed her. Such an unintelligent statement & such a cop out.
Im sure it wasnt the man-processed heroin she was doing – NOOOOO.
“But don’t use the ethics argument because it’s a load of bull… You contribute to the killing of animals in one way or another.”
It’s not entirely bull though. While you’re right that harvesting kills a lot of animals in the process, the problem with eating meat is that it’s an inefficient food source. Sorry I don’t have time to look up the actual stats, but the idea is that if a cow feeds, say, 20 people, the plant life from the field that that cow grazed on can feed 50. So yes, animals do die, but it is more ethical for us to eat more plant sources so that all 2 billion of us can eat.
(I’m not a vegetarian, btw, but I do try to reduce my meat consumption)
Ms. Lewis, pot does not damage your body. Please educate yourself.
@Me: If you smoke it, it does.
“There is no possible way to get enough B12 in your diet being a pure vegan. ”
sorry, that is simply untrue. B12 is available in nutritional yeast, miso, tempeh, soy milk, and various dark leafy greens, as well as supplements. meat eaters take vitamin supplements too, not just veggies, but i don’t hear them being called unhealthy for it. BTW, my B12 levels (along with iron) are fine, and i take no supplements at all.
Here is a follow up to my B12 post: A list of ingredients to nutritional yeast. Red Star suppliments with B12 that is harvested from cow gut microorganisms btw. I did some extensive research a few years ago.
Red Star Nutrional Yeast.
Ingredients: Inactive dry yeast, niacin (B3), thiamin hydrochloride (B1), riboflavin (B2), pyridoxine hydrochloride (B6), Vitamin B12. Labeled as being processed in a facility that processes soy, wheat, milk, and egg. Click here for our statement on labels of this type.
http://www.veganstore.com/index.html?stocknumber=235
‘Vitamin B12 is a member of the vitamin B complex. It contains cobalt, and so is also known as cobalamin. It is exclusively synthesised by bacteria and is found primarily in meat, eggs and dairy products. There has been considerable research into proposed plant sources of vitamin B12. Fermented soya products, seaweeds, and algae such as spirulina have all been suggested as containing significant B12. However, the present consensus is that any B12 present in plant foods is likely to be unavailable to humans and so these foods should not be relied upon as safe sources. ‘
http://www.vegsoc.org/info/b12.html
Me: You should do so yourself. Inhaling any type of smoke damages soft tissues-i.e. anything in your mouth, nose, esophagus and lungs.
I CANT STAND HER BANGS!!!
i just had to get that off my chest.
Most vegans need to take a B12 supplement. That is a known FACT! Not such a bad tradeoff for upholding the ethics of veganism.
Anyway: what DOES Angie eat? What is her daily diet? Does ANYone know?
I am curious.
for every study that shows vegetarians are languishing from lack of B12 there is one that states the opposite. such as this:
“Vitamin B-12 has been found in significant amounts in many plant foods, some of which are bananas, dates, greens, peanuts, and particularly sprouts and raw sunflower seeds. Vitamin B-12 is manufactured by micro-organisms, making it possible to obtain B-12 from certain seeds and nuts, and from soybeans.” New England Journal of Medicine, 1978.
or this:
“Studies have found excellent B-12 levels for tested vegans (people who eat plant foods only), who eat all, or most, of their food fresh and unheated. Vitamin B-12 is water soluble, and therefore best obtained in raw foods. Additionally, studies have demonstrated that Vitamin B-12 is heat sensitive and normal cooking can destroy as much as 89% of it. High consumption levels of fat and protein, refined foods and tobacco increase the need for B-12, while at the same time interfering with the synthesis and absorption of B-12.” Loma Linda University, 1989.
so if it is “impossible” to get enough B12 through a vegan/vegetairan diet, than why have i never been deficient in B12? or iron or protein either? i haven’t eaten meat in years and only reintroduced small amounts of dairy into my diet a few years ago. if it’s possible for me why wouldn’t it be possible for others? that is just silly. a crappy diet is a crappy diet, no matter what you eat.
My only quibble regarding B12 was that somebody said it was natural to eat a vegan diet; I think it’s totally fine to supplement with B12 and be a vegan. I just don’t think it’s totally “natural” in that you could be a vegan and have sufficient B12 WITHOUT supplementing, which is what somebody earlier seemed to be implying when they said early humans were vegans.
You are cherry picking from out dated research original kate. I would guess that you are probably not deficient because you have used enough supplimented nutritional yeast to supply you with the B12 you need. Just because you don’t ‘suppliment’ doesn’t mean the foods you eat as a vegan aren’t themselves supplimented, as you can clearly see from the link on nutritional yeast that I posted.
B12 that is absorbable by humans is found only in animals and bacteria. I would imagine that if one ate plenty of raw food that was not overly washed, one could get enough B12 as there are plenty of microorganisms in the soil that can supply B12. But it’s not in the plants themselves. Sorry.
Original kate, for your health’s sake, you might want to read this information:
http://www.veganhealth.org/b12/plant
Smells like patchouli and bean curd in here.
“Original kate, for your health’s sake, you might want to read this information”
um, i think i’ll stick with my doctor’s assessment of my health, which is excellent. your fascination with my diet is getting creepy, so i’m outta here.
original kate, show me where I’ve assessed your health, and maybe you’ll have made a point. Other than that, you’ve just proven yourself out of arguements without the grace to admit when you’re wrong.
Don’t let the doorknob hit you.
“original kate, show me where I’ve assessed your health”
um…ok:
“I would guess that you are probably not deficient because you have used enough supplimented nutritional yeast to supply you with the B12 you need. ”
crash, will that work for you? and when was i out of arguments? i supplied valid medical studies that you didn’t like beccause they didn’t fit your theory, so you decided to make guesses about my health. sorry, that is personal and kind of creepy. you seem very outraged by vegetarianism, and for some reason decided to take it out on me.
now i really am done.
“Being vegan isn’t natural? Um, early foragers were vegan.”
What history books have YOU been reading??? There are three schools of thought (sort of): early humans were hunters, OR gatherers, OR a mixture of hunters and gatherers. I’ll give you one go at guessing which two theories have been widely discredited by historians, archaeologists and biologists alike.
Even if there were pure “gathering” times (and of course, you have falsely assumed they only foraged plants), it wouldnt have been a choice. It would have been due to the food available at the time, and times with little protein sources would have been pretty desperate.
Maybe instead of worrying about whether or not Americans are capable of feeding themselves you should reflect on your own capacity to educate yourself.
original kate, I made an educated guess based on what you had chosen to share about your diet choices and what is known about the bio-availablity of various sources of “B-12” to the human digestive tract. I’m sorry to you chose to take it personally and flounce off in a huff. Oh, but wait! You didn’t flounce off! You chose to stay and hurl even more insults! Why in the heck are you so angry? Because I care that you know humans need B12 and that it is not available from plant sources? OK… (BTW, I am a research biologist, so if you are going to get into a war with me on citations, you are going to need to do a heck of a lot better than that). 😉
My very real concern is vegans who do not realize the limitations of the vegan diet for humans, and do damage to their children. It is well documented that that occurs. Having a child myself, THAT bothers me.
And a final link about B12. It requires an animal’s metabolism to produce it. There is a very good description of it at Wikipedia, including pseudo-B12 which is what spirulina produces.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin_B12
I will agree that ideally, one should vaporize ;-).
Starving yourself and being vegan are two very different things Angelina.
This old argument? The article pretty much is a non-story as Kaiser pointed out. I’m pretty sure Angelina has never claimed to be a vegan. In fact I can’t remember her ever talking about her diet at all. Anywho, I say eat what you like – in moderation. It’s all about personal choice. If veganism works for you whether for dietary or moral reasons then people should respect that. Likewise vegetarians and vegans should respect the choices of people who choose to eat meat. There’s a lot of miseducation out there on both sides of the debate, pushed by people who want everyone else to conform to their way of thinking/eating. It ain’t gonna happen. You can’t make people embrace something they don’t want to. My approach to eating is simple. Know my body, (I’m lactose intolerant) eat well-portioned balanced meals and I try to get lots of fresh air and excercise. The end.
@ crash – i did not intend for our discussion to flare, and i am sorry it did.
i didn’t mean to flounce off – i just got tired of being hounded by the B12 police. i did not “hurl insults” at you. however, you are like a dog with the proverbial bone – why did you keep singling me out? other posters could make their comments, but not me; you continued to chase me down the the thread, ranting about B12. you told me i was “wrong” because you didn’t like the sources i cited, and then called me graceless after making “educated guesses” about my diet/health that i felt were very intrusive.
also, i didn’t realize we were in a “citation war.” i thought it was a discussion. there are studies (new ones as well) that support a vegetarian diet, crash, and you know there are, just like i know there are ones that don’t. if you choose not to read them then what’s the point of me citing them anyway? your mind is already made up: i’m wrong. ok…i get it.
also, you contradicted yourself: first you said it was “impossible” to get all the B12 needed and then you backstepped and said i was getting the B12 but only through nutritional yeast. so which is it – am i getting it or not? as a researcher you should know to check your facts before making assumptions: i am NOT a vegan (as i stated in my OP) and i do not eat nutritional yeast, because it smells like socks. i was only including it in a list of potential B12 sources, but you grabbed it and ran without asking any questions.
i am not pushing any sort of vegan agenda – in my OP i stated moderation and balance, so i’m not sure why you seemed hellbent on following me with nutrional yeast links. but, i am getting my recommended vitmains (except D, which i supplement because i live seattle) and nutrients. i am healthier than a lot of my friends who eat meat – so how is this explained? i guess every doctor i have ever had is just wrong. and after all, i am not a biology researcher, just a gal with a masters in english literature.
i don’t like bad feelings on CB, and it seems very important for you to be right, so you can be right.
now i must get back to languishing on my divan, lamenting my lack of vitamins and nutrients 😉
Well original kate, you were the one who said I was completely wrong by stating that it was impossible to be totally vegan (eat no animal products or by products) and get the B12 you need, because B12 suppliments are garnered from animals. And then you got mad when I started trying to dialogue with your critique of my post. Not quite sure why that got turned into me hounding you, but ok.
I backed my position up with plenty of research – you with two snippets from two papers.
When it comes to science and especially nutrition, correct answers are important.
Okay…I would think that using suppliments that come primarily from animals, i.e.: B12, would kind of void the whole “vegan” lifestyle.
You are probably healthier than your friends simply because you follow a diet and watch what you eat, something most people simply do not do at all. Most people have no idea how much of certain vitamins they consume in a day, or how many they may lack – something vegans have to be very conscientious of. Mystery solved?
original kate, I just would like to add that I really enjoy your posts as a whole, and I don’t want any bad feelings either. I’m sorry if you felt singled out or badgered by me.
Here’s some sound advice from a wise vegan:
http://laurabruno.wordpress.com/2009/10/17/4-mistakes-people-make-when-going-vegan/
And let’s get off the attack/defend roller coaster, people! There’s no reason for anyone ever to get upset by what anyone else chooses to eat or not to eat. This is the planet of free will, after all. We all get to eat what we want, if we are lucky enough to have access to food options in the first place.
As a vegan, I can assure you this attention whore knows as much about being vegan as she does about parenting.
what a fvcking moron! being a vegan can be very healthy and good for the planet. way to go and say something so stupid angelina! i agree, using drugs and not eating is not the vegan lifestyle. what a friggin idiot.
I was a devoted vegan for two years, I broke my heel bone in two places barely jogging . Doc says blood platelets ate low to, plus vitamin d. I’m f—ing scared! My immune system is so low I can’t be around public! I’ve been out of work, ect, ect, the only way the docs say I can get better is by changing diet. By other means…. I’m grossed out! Don’t want to eat meat. I ate so friggin healthy, took vitamins. I am not happy about this. I love animals, just looking at my beautiful parakeet:(.. Cry, cry.. How can I eat another being… I’d rather die, I’m not selfish!