onions and garlic=not vegan???

[alexis]

I saw this topic on a local vegan forum I went to...the people there were saying that onions and garlic are not considered vegan...and there was some stuff about foods from the allum? family being harsh on our digestive systems...just wanted to know what you guys think...

[Casey]

I haven’t heard of anyone saying that onions and garlic are not vegan (because they most definitely are), but there are prohibitions against them in certain types of veg*n diets for spiritual reasons. Some people (e.g. Buddhists) believe that onions and garlic (and leeks, scallions and chives) are not good for internal balance and harmony because they disturb the mind, making it hard to achieve clarity and focus during meditation, and they also act as an aphrodisiac.

Actually, there is a story about someone trying to trick a strict vegetarian monk into eating meat, he saw through the trick and threw the food containing the meat onto the ground and the next morning garlic and onion had grown from where he threw the meat – maybe that’s where the people saying garlic and onions are not vegan are making the connection? Anyway, if you’re not of that particular spiritual or religious tradition, then garlic and onions are very much vegan and very, very good for you – they contain anticancer properties, reduce risk factors associated with heart disease and improve immune function.

I also read somewhere that some people say that garlic and onions are acidic and that’s why they’re bad for you - the body needs to be more alkaline to be healthy. But I’ve never seen any studies that show that garlic and onions are really that acidic or that they disrupt the blood’s pH balance so much that it would be detrimental to health. Given all the proven health benefits, particularly of garlic, I’m inclined to disregard the acidity argument. Personally I use onion and garlic in just about everything I can and I’ve never suffered any ill-effects. I know some people who say they have digestive problems after eating food with garlic, but since all these people are meat-eaters I wonder if there isn’t something else going on besides the garlic?