Saturday, December 27, 2014

Veganism Is a Philosophy and Why I Had to Eat Butter for Two Days

The decision to be a vegan is based on philosophy, ideals, and beliefs.  It's a carefully calculated decision, not an instinct.  In the spring and summer of 2011, I experimented with my diet.  I ate a vegetarian diet for a while (maybe around 2 months) and then a vegan diet for two months.  One day, I had the most intense craving for butter.  I mean, I HAD to eat butter.  There was no stopping me.  I had to eat butter on crackers for two days in order to satisfy my intense craving.  Does that sound normal to you?  Well, it doesn't to me.  My body was screaming for animal fat.  

That's almost when my vegan experiment ended, but I pushed it a little longer.  Then one day, I was driving home and got the most intense craving for meat.  I drove right passed my home and straight to Whole Foods in total desperation to eat meat.  This was not a mental idea, this was my body feeling an overwhelming need, an instinct.  I had planned on getting a piece of steak to cook at home, but when I got into the store, I went to straight to the hot foods bar, piled chicken and meat into a container, got in my car and ate those bad boys like a starving person who had not eaten food in a month!  I could not shovel that animal protein into my mouth fast enough.  Does that sound normal to you?  Well, it doesn't to me.  That's because there is nothing normal about eating a vegan diet.  I have never had such intense cravings and a desperation to eat butter and meat like that in my life.

The body is intelligent and will find a way to get what it needs if you listen to it.

There are no healthy human vegan populations in the world and there never have been.  I know many former vegans and vegetarians who got very sick on those diets and when they changed their diets to an omnivorous diet, they healed.  You can find numerous personal stories like that on the internet and also just by talking to former vegans and vegetarians.  

Here's an article about 5 brain nutrients found only in meat, fish and eggs, not plants:
http://authoritynutrition.com/5-brain-nutrients-in-meat-fish-eggs/

Eating is an instinct.  Eating animal foods is normal for humans and has been since we were created.  Contriving your diet based on philosophy and mental constructs to something that has not been a part of humans' dietary history can have dangerous, detrimental effects on physical, mental and emotional health and wellbeing.

I am deeply compassionate about the reasons people choose to be vegan.  I understand that animals are mistreated in factory farming and production.  It disturbs me more than I can say.  I buy animal foods from local farms where they treat the animals well.  Of course, not all my food is bought there, but I do what I can.  Animal rights is an enormous issue about which I care very much, but I also know what being healthy entails and in my opinion that includes a diet which includes animal foods.  The animal rights issues on this planet need to be addressed, but in my opinion being vegan is not the answer. 

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