Dilemma of Conflicting Information

[Mystican]

I've been going through something of a mental and moral crisis the past couple of hours. I'm a bit confused and not a little torn. Here's the problem:

I'm the sort of person that likes to learn all he can, about almost everything. Obviously, that takes time, so I have to pick and choose. Lately, I've been reading a *lot* about vegetarianism and veganism, ever since I decided to go completely vegan in the earlier part of this year.

Where applicable, I also like to learn what I can about both sides of an issue, to keep myself properly educated, well-informed, and able to make better decisions. ... Today wasn't the first time I've taken a look at sites talking about the "dangers" of veg*nism, but it was the first time I've done so somewhat extensively, and with a better knowledge of the arguments *for* veg*nism under my belt.

After reading about things like the health risks of soy (at sites like http://www.soyonlineservice.co.nz/ and http://www.mercola.com/article/soy/index.htm ) and the supposed problems associated with strict veg*nism (at sites like http://www.mercola.com/article/Diet/former_vegan.htm and http://www.beyondveg.org/ ), I'm feeling myself in a major dilemma. On the one hand, I want to be healthy and live a long, energetic life, and on the other hand, I want to avoid taking the lives of others (this being also partially inspired by my Buddhist-like spiritual beliefs) and avoid contributing to the suffering of animals treated like commodities for human consumption. (I also spent a good bit of time today at http://www.factoryfarming.com/ , which increased my resolve for ethically-founded veganism, if nothing else.)

I don't want a healthy diet and lifestyle and these things to be mutually exclusive, and I don't think they should have to be. I'm not that worried about soy. If indeed there are dangers related to excessive soy consumption, I can just decrease the amount of it that I eat and try to find alternatives. What *does* concern me is being able to stay truly healthy while still strictly avoiding animal products. (Reading and learning more about how closely connected the dairy and egg industries are to the veal/beef and poultry industries, respectively, makes me know that I couldn't be lacto-ovo and still feel that I wasn't contributing to animal abuse as a whole. Not to mention that I'm pretty sure I'm lactose-intolerant and that my digestive system has always reacted badly after I've eaten eggs.)

Does anyone have advice for how to deal with all the conflicting information out there? Certainly, I'm not about to return to a S.A.D., but neither do I really want to return to eating even small amounts of animal-derived products. ... :( Nor do I want to feel like a fanatic, obsessing constantly over food and health to the point where it takes all my time and drives all the other pleasures and interests out of life.

If anyone could provide me with unbiased, reliable, and informative resources on vegan nutrition that don't resort to talk of ideals and that are based on well-founded nutritional research, I would be very, very appreciative.

Also, one other thing, I've been looking for a vegan mutlivitamin that does *not* contain iron, but I haven't been able to find one. (I have thalassemia minor, and have to avoid taking in large amounts of iron.) If anyone knows of such a multivitamin, and where I can order it, please let me know.

Sorry for the length of this post. My mind's had a stressful last few hours.

Thanks,
Erik

[Erin Pavlina]

I totally understand your dilemma of reading conflicting information. I, too, have read the Mercola information and felt he was presupposing that most people on a vegan diet still won't eat properly, and that therefore it isn't healthy. And he'd be right. But if you properly plan a vegan diet, skip the vegan junk food, and make whole grains and whole foods the significant part of your diet, you're going to be okay.

You can be vegan and eat white flour and vegan donuts and ice cream and you won't be healthy. Or, you can be vegan and eat whole grains, legumes, fresh organic fruits and veggies, seeds and nut butters, etc. and you will be healthy.

Whenever I am presented with conflicting information here's what I do: I ask myself, "Who is getting the results I want to have? How did they do it?"

If you look at people who eat an omnivorous diet, you'll see heart disease and cancer taking virtually all of them.

If you look at people who have spent their lives on a healthy, well planned vegan diet you will find the number one cause of death to be murder/accident/suicide. They don't die of diseases until they are really really old.

That tells me that a vegan diet is healthier than an omnivorous one. I also look at my own experience. I am so much healthier now as a vegan, there's just no way I would ever go back to poisoning my body. The evidence I've found is in my entire body.

Dr. Mercola is not vegan, nor has he ever tried going vegan as far as I know. Therefore, to me, he can research all he wants, but if he hasn't tried it, he really doesn't know what he's missing.

That said, I think a lot of the information on the Mercola website is extremely useful and valid. I just think he's made some false assumptions on the vegan thing, and therefore has come to an erroneous conclusion.

[yemenmocha]

Erik,

I have been a vegan for almost 3 years and have found myself in your dilemma, though I sometimes lean towards lacto-ovo-vegetarianism for other reasons (as a preferable position to take, but yet I don't quite make the switch).

One way to deal with the conflicting information is to have a mostly vegan diet but then consume some dairy or egg prodcuts occasionally. The vegetarian diet is more established as a healthy diet in the literature compared to the vegan one, and you wouldn't be stressed all the time. Try to buy those products that are known to be genuinely free range/organic, etc.

But what about the ethical component? Sure, maybe it would feel better to know that you're not contributing at all to animal suffering and so for that reason you'll want to refrain from buying eggs/dairy entirely. My response to this sticky issue has several parts:

1. If there really is conflicting information over the vegan diet, having some of the lacto-ovo products is insurance against that possible conflict. If things turn out to not be problematic then you haven't consume that much lacto-ovo products anyway, so your impact is very minimal. If there is a problem with the vegan diet, you've escaped that and probably kept yourself in the clear, health wise.

2. Lacto-ovo diets are much much easier to follow and hence there's usually not an associated feeling of fanatacism. This practical component is very important. Do you want to be a long term person who (overall) makes a significant step towards the reduction of animal suffering? Or someone who is unable to make up is mind on the isssue, constantly worrying about it, etc.?

3. Consider other people. I assume that many of us who are vegans are vegetarians made that decision based on ethical reasons, and we genuinely want OTHER people to make that change in their lives as well. The overall reduction of animal suffering is what counts as the most important; not our own self-righteous feeling of knowing that we are not among the people with blood on our hands. Which diet do you think is, realistically, going to set an example that other people will actually consider? For the most part in my experience being vegan is seen as radical, extreme, and simply unattainable by most people. They might give you a nod of approval and say that's great for you, but they can't think even for a second that being a vegan is a viable option for them. Vegetarianism, on the other hand, often does not have this association. People don't view you as radical and extreme, and vegetarianism is a more realistic option for more people.

In short, it might be better to adopt a lifestyle that is actually successful at bringing about more change in other people's diets, rather than adopting one that is very lofty and ideal yet unlikely to effect the habits of others. Remember, on our own, we're not very effective - the meat industry losing one consumer won't change a thing. It's our ability to bring about changes in others that counts, and if that must first happen by bringing larger numbers of people to lacto-ovo vegetarianism first then so be it.

-Aaron

[sophie]

As far as the soy issue goes (and I am aware of the conflicting information), it sort of freaked me out a bit when my daughter was weaning, because I'd read about girls getting early periods because of excessive soy consumption, and the daughter of someone I knew had been on soy for about a year (she was 2) and had started to grow breast tissue. That freaked me out! So as a result, we decided to limit soy consumption so that it wasn't a huge part of our diet. We do get soy milk, but only 2 litres a week for our family of 4. My daughter turned out to be soy intolerant anyway, and she drinks rice milk. We get tofu every so often, and occasionally soy yogurt, but these things are not staples of our diet. I believe that there is not one food which should be eaten in excess, everything in moderation. And we are living proof that a family can eat very well and be very healthy on a vegan diet which is not based on soy, but on a variety of foods.

[Vegcoalition]

Hi, Erik!

Jeez, I know how frustrating it is researching this topic that's so near and dear to our hearts--and stomachs!

My background: I became a lacto-veg back in the '70's, and recently cut out dairy to go vegan. However, my research of the topic led me to Dr. John McDougall's work. Remarkable stuff, impressive patient histories.

He began as a regular doctor working on plantations in Hawaii, caring for a few generations of Oriental patients. He noticed that the older generation was in great health, and their diet consisted of grains and veggies. As younger generations adopted more of the S.A.D. diet, their health progressively declined. Now he's got a thriving clinic going, where he recommeds a plant-based diet (vegan actually) of legumes, whole grains, veggies, and fruits, plus low-fat.

Once I went low-fat with my diet, but still ate PLENTY
of different vegan foods, I felt better than I ever had, and I'm 49!
WOW! My thinking is clearer and more grounded and I'm experiencing greater vitality and energy.

The trick seems to be:
1. eating a decent amount (no need to eat lightly...plant foods are "calorie dilute," as opposed to animal foods which are "calorie dense" ),
2. aim for complex carbs (whole grains, whole fruit) over simple carbs (simple sugars)
3. go low-fat (keep those arteries clean!)

So you're eating healthy, hearty, low-fat meals. Raw food and fasting seems to get some folks in trouble, but McDougall's approach seems to work for everyone. Check out his website (drmcdougall.com, I think). He also has a fabulous set of videos and several good books. His patient stories and recipes are terrific.

Hope this helps! Food should be tasty, easy, fast and fun. It should sometimes be an adventure and a celebration! However, it should never be something that hurts animals or hurts us....McDougall's plan seems to have it all. ENJOY!

[flippernturtle]

McDougall's plan I just ordered two of his books.. I have been to his web site and it is pretty amazing. I can not wait to learn more about it. I believe the that you should have things that a processed and come premade in moderation. To much of any of those things is not good. I also think you need to make sure you are getting your trace minerals and other supplements. I know that in America peoples diets suck... So make sure you are getting everything that you need and you should be alright. My doctor has talked with me a lot about my diet and he seem to think it is going great.