What I thought a Vegan was

[RAINRA]

I have come a long way to being Vegan. I think once I was aware it was quick but reaching that awareness took me 30 years. As most of you probably had to deal with, is family, friends and work and social gatherings. I think that this is just the toughest part of being vegan. Not eating or wearing meat seems a whole lot easier than having a family filled with unresearched questions about health and nutrition and strong emotions in which the idea seems extremist or of a loonatic.

"As my brother quoted to me over the phone. " Animals are not people what the heck are you saying they are what we eat and there not people so stop comparing them. Since we can kill them, because our intelligence has evolved us to create weapons to hunt, we eat them." For most people to understand human relationships with animals is mainly for food. I never really had any pets growing up. I never even had a relationship with an animal. My father gave most of pets away when we moved.

 

Trying to break that doctrine, to say hey your gonna have to give up that meat for veggies many cringe at the idea and even knowing that animals are killed for food they choose to ignore it. It only makes sense to me that influencial people who have the right image in many cases can make someone think maybe what that one person is doing is the right way because they look strong and healthy.

 

I see where I was and where I am now. I thought a hippie was a Vegan. Why? well skinny, hippie like and uncleansy person who would should out the animals are our friends. I know what hippies are cause I had a few in my high school in Vermont. I don't think there is anything wrong with hippies. I think many are great. Just that it might push people to think in a different direction.

 

I remember my brother even stating I hate vegetarians the idea is so stupid. I spent most of my life moving and hearing my brothers ignorance did not really bother me. He was my best friend not only a brother growing up.

 

I now know that this image although may occur it not the underlying Vegan. We need more people who are fit, who are ripped and are strong to be out there spreading the word as many of you are doing in this forum. Part of the views that I got about vegans were from vegetarians. I really did not know the difference. There are many unhealthy vegetarians, like meat eaters. I don't know any vegans first had but the vegerians that I have seen and known fall into a unhealthy category. Much eat the refined sugar and of course cheese (not vegan) is a good part of their diet. Even when I had seen some videos of Vegan Activists I saw images of just really lean people who look like they have not eaten in days. Now overweight is not what I am refering to either. I know Vegans just like meat eaters come in all shape and sizes but as outside perspective I just connected it with frail. I know how hard it is to maintain weight if your not paying attention for some people. Unfortunately image and perception is what is convincing the world. If someone thin and speaks out most people see that as malnourished although obviously not true and he or she will be ignored even if what they are saying is true. But to the meat eating world that is the perception. If a vegan roled into to his job looking like Arnold did in Conan no one would question where do you get your protein?

 

Veganism and athletics I think is still pretty new and many out there have the wrong perception of us. So this is why I think athletes like Robert have can be even more influencial when talking about Veganism as normal and ok to follow that lifestyle.

 

- These just some of my thoughts on the subject. Maybe I am way off and I would be glad to hear someone elses opinion. I would be curious to know if you think that physical image has a lot to do with influencing and changing people over to accept veganism and possibly convert?

 

I still have a long road ahead to be convincing physically but I guess the animal cause does push me to work harder to reach my goals.

[DaN]

Yes I agree.Everyone I know said when I went veagn, "Dan you are gonna have to give up weight lifting because you will be weak"

 

When I was a vegetarian which was for many years, people thought that was why I was skinny.Infact it was my metabolism, & I have always been skinny.

 

Now as a weight lifting vegan I am getting big.And I look great, I dont mean that in a arrogant way but I mean my skin is so much healthier, my body looks so fit, I am so fit.

 

Peoples have no way of attacking my vegan diet now because there is nothing negative, like skinniness or weakness, or looking ill they can use against me.In fact most people I meet now that are meat eaters openly admit I must be fitter than them.

 

I am winning my own personal battle against prejudice.I am proving people wrong about veganism.

 

I feel it is our duty to do that aswell, if we really want to help.Because the fact is, at worldwide population vegan levels, we havnt even scratched the surface.Animals are still suffering on a mass scale.But every person we convert saves however many animals they would have eaten in their life.Our appearance can help change peoples diet choices, and we are literally saving hundreds of lives by what we do.

 

That is why I thank Robert for opening this forum.It has literally changed my life, as I was not a complete vegan before this.He has had a huge impact on so many people & therefore by extension animals.

 

ROCK ON!!!

[medman]

This is one of the reasons I'm so glad to have found this forum. Vegan fitness enthusiasts make the greatest ambassadors in my opinion, because they demonstrate that people's baseless "Well you can't be an athlete on that kind of diet" statements are a load of crap.

 

And RAINRA, trying to explain your compassion for animals to people who have none is basically futile. If they see animal cruelty as being ok, their perspective is obviously fundamentally different and opinions are slow to change. That's why, if someone asks me about my reasons for going vegan, I emphasize the health & environmental sides of it. Ethics surrounding the treatment of animals are all opinion and perspective-based. Health and environmental arguments are fact-based. They can argue that the treatment of veal calves is fine because "we're smarter" or "man has dominion over animals" or whatever type of argument they want, but they can't argue that eliminating dietary cholesterol and almost all saturated fats doesn't reduce the risk of heart disease, for example.

[DaN]

Medman, that is a great point I hadnt really thought of.I always have concentrated on the moral side of it because that is why I became vegan.The health for me was a lucky side effect.In fact I must admit, even if it was proven that Veganism was actually unhealthy I would still do it!

 

But I can see what you have said makes great sense! I look forward to applying it next time im asked about my diet - cheers buddy!

[medman]

Medman, that is a great point I hadnt really thought of.I always have concentrated on the moral side of it because that is why I became vegan.The health for me was a lucky side effect.In fact I must admit, even if it was proven that Veganism was actually unhealthy I would still do it!

 

But I can see what you have said makes great sense! I look forward to applying it next time im asked about my diet - cheers buddy!

 

I hope it helps! I have a family of animal lovers; my brothers, mother and myself have all worked in wildlife rehabilitation at some point. We're all vegan, and the treatment of animals was definitely one of the big reasons for the switch we made. I just can't expect most people to understand the way we see things. So sticking to the facts is usually more effective. However, you still get people who "believe" that without eating meat, you will be unhealthy. So it's still sometimes impossible to get through to them...

 

Here's one way I like to put it, that seems to get through. Take a look at the advice any doctor tells someone when they are at high risk of heart disease, or if they have already had a heart attack: Try to reduce your cholesterol. Avoid saturated fats in dairy and red meat and pork. This is essentially saying "cut out animal products from your diet". People often try substituting leaner animal products - skim milk, non-fat yogurt, chicken instead of beef - but even the conservative medical opinion is that reducing these components of your diet helps reduce your risk of heart disease. Veganism goes all the way and eliminates cholesterol, and usually all but eliminates saturated fats. A prescribed vegan diet was even more effective than Lipitor for lowering cholesterol in patients with high HDL levels in a study a few years ago.

[medman]

You can also throw in this:

 

Position of the American Dietetic Association and Dietitians of Canada: vegetarian diets.

Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research. 2003 Summer;64(2):62-81.

 

It is the position of the American Dietetic Association and Dietitians of Canada that appropriately planned vegetarian diets are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. Approximately 2.5% of adults in the United States and 4% of adults in Canada follow vegetarian diets. A vegetarian diet is defined as one that does not include meat, fish, or fowl. Interest in vegetarianism appears to be increasing, with many restaurants and college foodservices offering vegetarian meals routinely. Substantial growth in sales of foods attractive to vegetarians has occurred and these foods appear in many supermarkets. This position paper reviews the current scientific data related to key nutrients for vegetarians including protein, iron, zinc, calcium, vitamin D, riboflavin, vitamin B-12, vitamin A, n-3 fatty acids, and iodine. A vegetarian, including vegan, diet can meet current recommendations for all of these nutrients. In some cases, use of fortified foods or supplements can be helpful in meeting recommendations for individual nutrients. Well-planned vegan and other types of vegetarian diets are appropriate for all stages of the life-cycle including during pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, and adolescence. Vegetarian diets offer a number of nutritional benefits including lower levels of saturated fat, cholesterol, and animal protein as well as higher levels of carbohydrates, fibre, magnesium, potassium, folate, antioxidants such as vitamins C and E, and phytochemicals. Vegetarians have been reported to have lower body mass indices than non-vegetarians, as well as lower rates of death from ischemic heart disease, lower blood cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure, and lower rates of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and prostate and colon cancer.

[hilary wright]

It's interesting that vegan food is much more accepted and readily avaliable than it was 25 years ago, but that skinny, sickly image still accepted by the uninformed. Go figure . . .

[medman]

It's interesting that vegan food is much more accepted and readily avaliable than it was 25 years ago, but that skinny, sickly image still accepted by the uninformed. Go figure . . .

 

I think it's because every person knew at least one pale anemic girl in high school who was a vegetarian/vegan.

[hilary wright]

It's interesting that vegan food is much more accepted and readily avaliable than it was 25 years ago, but that skinny, sickly image still accepted by the uninformed. Go figure . . .

 

I think it's because every person knew at least one pale anemic girl in high school who was a vegetarian/vegan.

Hey, Medman, you're on a roll!!

[medman]

Hey, Medman, you're on a roll!!

 

haha, thanks

[DaN]

 

Thats so true!