Plant based eating and veganism

Why does everything have to be all or nothing? I respect pescatarians, vegetarians and vegan, and that is their choice,

As far as the rest of us go then there is a very good case to be made for cutting meat especially, right down to a minimum and upping vegetable intake.

marlow, I've been told by a vegan vet where I work that ruminants generate B12 in their rumen which is before the stomach, so by the time their food reaches the point at which B12 is absorbed, they have already generated it. With guinea pigs and other animals, they eat their poo which contains B12, which their stomachs generated but too late in the digestive process to be absorbed the first time around!

Humans also generate B12 but too late to be absorbed, and since we don't eat our own poo, it's essential that B12 is added to the diet, through fortified foods and/or supplements.

I think it all depends on which research you find and where you get it from. Apparently there is no evidence for example, that dairy is good for your bones or prevents osteoporosis. In fact, even if you are not lactose intolerant, many people lack the enzyme to properly digest cow's milk and so have many digestive problems. There is a multitude of articles from reputable sources that give information on studies being made. Dr. Michael Greger, for one, has written an amazing book on the effects of meat and dairy and cites heart disease, diabetes and various cancers as being caused by the ingestion of both meat and dairy. As far as Vitamin D is concerned (and also B12) where would one think the cows got it from in the first place? Plants. So its good to cut out the middle man and save billions of lives. Hope that helps!

Thanks marlowlady! As I understand it, the only thing which vegans can't get naturally is vit B12. On one occasion I visited the vegan soc HQ for my job, and they both took algae supplements to get it.

There's a general shortage of vit D in this country as we don't get enough sun to generate it naturally; as far as I know there's no problem with having Vit D supplements, irrespective of diet.

Good news ! There are some good cheeses out there but it's definitely trial and error. I got over the craving of cheese easily once I found out it contains caseomorphine, an addictive substance that is designed by nature to bring the calf back to its mother. Now I hardly ever eat it. Hope you find a nice one to try soon

I don’t think it’s healthy to abstain from dairy unless you have a proven lactose intolerance. Dairy products are rich in Vitamin D which is increasingly being considered as having a key role in preventing or slowing the onset of many conditions which plague modern life.

Great idea. I've tried myself but found it v. difficult to find good vegan cheese, buut I believe there's more available now so will try again, thatnk you for the prompt!