Devout vegans defend dietary differences
Commentary
Kate Bissinger
Issue date: 4/15/10 Section: Opinion
"So what don't you eat?" Perplexed looks earnestly begging for the answer to this question fill the lives of devout vegans everywhere. Veganism, though not a religion, is grounded on a firm set of beliefs. It is commonly referred to as the extreme form of vegetarianism. You could call it that. Though, I refer to it as an informed, conscientious dietary plan.
Let's face it most vegans have done their research. You cannot expect someone to give up all foods made with animal products cold-turkey, no pun intended, without a clear understanding of why they can no longer consume these cuisines.
Not only do most vegans believe it is unhealthy and, in some cases, immoral to consume a dead animal carcass, they also believe the same goes for anything else made from an animal.
Yes, this means no dairy if you are a vegan. It may seem crazy that people would actually choose not to take delight in cheese, milk and ice cream. But let's go all the way back to the beginning and take a closer look at dairy products.
When we were babies most of us drank our mother's milk. During this time we more than tripled our birth weight, going from about an eight-pound newborn to a 25 to 30 pound toddler. Breast milk is meant to fatten.
Now let's look at a cow. Their milk is designed to turn a 90-pound calf, over the course of about two years, into a 2,000-pound cow. Milk is so fattening, it keeps all four of a calf's stomachs fully satisfied.
This period from tiny baby to toddler is one of the largest growth spurts in an animal's life. And milk is what nature designed to do the deed.
Not only are we the only species to continue drinking milk into adulthood, but also we are the only species that drinks the milk of another species.
Is there something about a cow's milk that is miraculously perfect for human consumption? The answer to this question is simply, no.
Many people would react in horror at the suggestions of trying some gorilla milk on cereal or substituting cows' milk for cats' milk in a truffle recipe.
Let's face it most vegans have done their research. You cannot expect someone to give up all foods made with animal products cold-turkey, no pun intended, without a clear understanding of why they can no longer consume these cuisines.
Not only do most vegans believe it is unhealthy and, in some cases, immoral to consume a dead animal carcass, they also believe the same goes for anything else made from an animal.
Yes, this means no dairy if you are a vegan. It may seem crazy that people would actually choose not to take delight in cheese, milk and ice cream. But let's go all the way back to the beginning and take a closer look at dairy products.
When we were babies most of us drank our mother's milk. During this time we more than tripled our birth weight, going from about an eight-pound newborn to a 25 to 30 pound toddler. Breast milk is meant to fatten.
Now let's look at a cow. Their milk is designed to turn a 90-pound calf, over the course of about two years, into a 2,000-pound cow. Milk is so fattening, it keeps all four of a calf's stomachs fully satisfied.
This period from tiny baby to toddler is one of the largest growth spurts in an animal's life. And milk is what nature designed to do the deed.
Not only are we the only species to continue drinking milk into adulthood, but also we are the only species that drinks the milk of another species.
Is there something about a cow's milk that is miraculously perfect for human consumption? The answer to this question is simply, no.
Many people would react in horror at the suggestions of trying some gorilla milk on cereal or substituting cows' milk for cats' milk in a truffle recipe.
Viewing Comments 1 - 3 of 3
TanyaLasagna
posted 4/15/10 @ 12:59 PM CST
Thanks for writing about this; so many of our nation's health problems are ones that people voluntarily *give themselves* through food choices... Humans are just not made to process a bunch of animal gunk. (Continued…)
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