A Vegan Diet is Not Healthy

April 12, 2012

I’m mentally preparing myself for this one. Because it’s inevitable I’ll receive at least a few heated comments on this post. But that’s the cool thing – you can say whatever you’d like in your comment, the same way I can post whatever I’d like on my blog. So just keep that in mind if you don’t agree with what I have to say. And do try to be at least semi-courteous. You may or may not want to speak your thoughts to my face, but do remember that we are all people here, not just some nameless, faceless computer bots with gravatars.

So veganism. Generally defined as a diet and lifestyle which includes no animal products or animal by-products whatsoever. No meat, dairy, eggs, honey, etc.

I want to make two main points here about why I believe a vegan diet is not a healthy one long term. I’m not here to debate the ethics or morality of eating animals. Full disclosure: I am an omnivore. I eat meat. And I don’t believe it is cruel to do so. But that’s because I also believe all animals should be raised in an environment conducive to their health and well-being, i.e. not CAFO operations or battery cages.

I don’t believe a vegan diet or lifestyle is ecologically sustainable, either. If you want to delve more into that, I highly recommend reading Folks, This Ain’t Normal by Polyface farmer Joel Salatin. Life changing book.

So point number one about a vegan diet:

If You Don’t Do it Right, Don’t Do it at All

Did you notice that cheese puffs or white bread aren’t animal products? Do you know some vegans or vegetarians who are more like carb-etarians or junk-ans? Just because you don’t eat red meat or cow’s milk doesn’t mean you are automatically healthier. (By the way, the vast majority of all those ‘scientific’ studies that say red meat causes cancer were done using CAFO beef. Of course animals kept in confinement standing knee deep in their own poop, and being pumped full of hormones and antibiotics, and being fed a completely abnormal diet of corn and candy wrappers will produce some nasty meat that can absolutely cause disease in your body. Same thing goes for pasteurized cow’s milk. But I digress . . . )

Here’s the deal – when done right, a vegan diet makes a fantastic detox diet in the short term. Scads of people have switched from a junk food diet of processed and fast food, replaced it with a vegan diet full of raw vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, and legumes and have seen their health improve drastically. All those foods are incredibly healthy superfoods! And the vast majority of people in the Western world would do well to abide by that sort of a diet for a few weeks or months.

But (and this brings me to my next point) a long-term vegan diet is not a wise way to go. Many people (like John Nicholson) find their health deteriorating at a rapid rate when following a vegan diet.

A Vegan Diet is Not Nourishing

This is so fascinating to me. Did you know that without plenty of healthy fats in your diet, you are not able to assimilate and absorb the nutrients in fruits and vegetables? This means you can eat kale and bell peppers until you are green in the face, but if you’re not consuming enough healthy saturated fat, it’s like you didn’t even need to bother.

And where do you find these healthy fats? Sure, you get them from coconut, avocado, almonds, and olive oil, but these sources are not always in season, not always convenient to purchase in your area, and are not always present in your diet in a high enough quantity on a given day to meet your body’s requirements to function properly. After all, 60% of your brain and nervous system are made of fat. We need fat for proper brain function, nerve signal transmission, and hormone balance!

But butter from grass-fed, pastured cows is rich in saturated fats, vitamin A, buytric acid, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA – a powerful cancer fighter), and lauric acid. Grass-fed, pastured beef itself is also rich in these same nutrients, as well as being a fantastic source of protein, amino acids, and vitamin B12 – which vegans must take as a supplement (a required nutrient our bodies don’t create – we must get it from animal sources).

Omnivores Healthier Than Vegetarians in Indigenous Cultures

I read an awesome anecdote about my main man Weston A. Price over on The Healthy Home Economist’s blog (she wrote a great article about how 75% of vegetarians return to eating meat). The study Price documented is very telling about how a vegetarian or vegan diet is unsuited for humans. Here she is in her words:

Dr. Price traveled the world in the 1920′s and 1930′s visiting 14 isolated cultures in the process. During this adventure which he documented in great detail with amazing pictures in his masterpiece Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, Dr. Price concluded that while the diets of these natives varied widely, nutrient dense animal foods high in the fat soluble vitamins A, D, and K (also known as Activator X) were the common denominator. Consumption of these animal foods were revered in these communities as they bestowed vibrant health, ease of fertility, healthy children, and high resistance to chronic and infectious disease.

This discovery was a disappointment to Dr. Price who had expected to find the vegetarian cultures to be the healthiest cultures of all. But, the vegetarian cultures he examined displayed more degeneration than the omnivore cultures which surprised him given that these vegetarian cultures did indeed have superior health than the Americans of his day.

A sad commentary on the state of health in the Western world with our plastic, packaged, chemical-filled foods, but a true insight into the path to optimal health – it includes animal foods!

If you are looking for quality sources of sustainably raised beef & dairy, check your local farmer’s market (find one near you on the Local Harvest website) or have it shipped to your door from Beyond Organic.

I also want to highlight an absolutely beautiful, almost poetic look at this topic from Kristen of Food Renegade. Her post, Why I’m Not a Vegan, spoke volumes to me about this issue. I think you’ll find it well worth reading.

What has been your experience with a vegan or vegetarian diet?

This post is linked to Simple Lives Thursday, Fight Back Friday, Sunday School

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Marcus Vernon
September 24, 2012 at 11:46 am

Thank You
Dylan
September 26, 2012 at 11:51 pm

I agree with you Lori. As I said people say we can go vegan because of all these “wonderfully new supplements we have”. So if we can do that, then we can go food-less. We can make a supplement for lettuce,we can make a supplement for carrots and peaches. So you vegans are saying supplements for meats, then I’m saying supplements for everything. That isn’t logical of you saying don’t eat meat there’s supplements if you don’t consider vegetables having supplements. So eventually if we do supplements for everything we can all be anorexic people with barely a metabolism and energy to do things. Meat does provide excellent energy throughout the day. The Marines who are healthier then all of you vegans, they eat meat. They’re healthier, they’ll be healthier then you ever will unless you’re someone who works out and lifts weights everyday. Even the Japanese eat meat, they have KOBE beef, which is healthy. Kobe cows are fed wine and massaged everyday.
Dylan
September 26, 2012 at 11:53 pm

There’s meat supplements, and there can be vegetable supplements. So how about we all not eat at all and only drink water and take pills for our nutrients. Oh wait that can give you a seizure, I do know a guy who only drank water and little vegetables and he had a seizure because of the ratio of water/food. I don’t know how that happened.
Jer
September 27, 2012 at 3:28 am

im a vegan not because of health or self righteousness but because of basic respect for life…if you feel your life is more important than another then eating meat will never be a question…so when you say eating meat is good for YOUR health and YOUR well being it makes perfect sense…im of the opinion that the cow probably enjoys and needs her flesh much more than you do…cause you know…its part of her body n all…i think it comes down to a sense of entitlement that most human beings have…but if people had to slaughter their own animals im sure there would be a lot more vegans out there…look into its eyes as you slit its throat…im just sayin,,,
Tony
September 27, 2012 at 9:33 am

I eat a lot of fruit, legumes & vegetables, but I am really partial to veal & lamb? Both taste really great and you are missing out by leaving them out your diet. Hey though, each to their own. i just dont want any vegan/vegetarian preaching at me. as for the post above….Jer. stop being so dramatic most animals are killed humanely.
Dylan
September 27, 2012 at 5:37 pm

Like I said the Marine Corps eat meat and they are extremely healthy. Meat is great for bosh building too.
1. Dylan
  September 27, 2012 at 5:38 pm
  
  Body*.
Anonymous
October 1, 2012 at 2:59 pm

I am going to enjoy a nice steak after this
1. Darlene
  April 5, 2013 at 6:18 pm
  
  I second that thought! Medium rare for me!
Nicole
October 1, 2012 at 5:28 pm

“Did you notice that cheese puffs or white bread aren’t animal products? Do you know some vegans or vegetarians who are more like carb-etarians or junk-ans? Just because you don’t eat red meat or cow’s milk doesn’t mean you are automatically healthier.”

That is not a valid point whatsoever. Omnivores eat those same cheese puffs and white bread (And um, since when are CHEESE puffs not made of animal products?), so this really has nothing to do with veganism, and everything about cheese puffs/white bread/junk food.

“And where do you find these healthy fats? Sure, you get them from coconut, avocado, almonds, and olive oil, but these sources are not always in season, not always convenient to purchase in your area, and are not always present in your diet in a high enough quantity on a given day to meet your body’s requirements to function properly.”

Again, this is situational. I’m pretty sure you can always get nuts & olive oil all year round, and I’ve never had a problem getting the other two either.

“…and vitamin B12 – which vegans must take as a supplement (a required nutrient our bodies don’t create – we must get it from animal sources).”

Ever heard of nutritional yeast? Didn’t think so.

This “article” clearly didn’t even involve any actual research, only the ramblings and false information of some meat eater trying to justify their shitty behavior.
JasonMChicago
October 2, 2012 at 10:04 pm

I’m beating a chronic condition. I was really, really sick… and I agree I think a vegan diet is ONLY good for a short term detox.

Although others with my condition did go vegan for their treatment cycle I did not. I needed the Essential Fatty Acids, B12, egg protein, etc. I needed these wonderful things. I got my eggs from a local pasture-raised farm and took lots of good quality oils. I took B12 supplements and need A LOT of those.

I think we all need some good quality mixture of food. I do not know the archeological history (we have canine teeth so we must eat meat) or the political/socio-economical… I do know the nutritional. I needed good quality nutrition to get back on my feet.
Nathan
October 3, 2012 at 7:58 pm

Everyone one here should watch the documentary “Fat head” imdb it!
sharon
October 5, 2012 at 1:45 am

Just be honest and say you don’t care about other animals, and you love the taste of meat and milk. Really I don’t understand why most of the human race think they are the only beings that count – animals feel fear and pain too.
1. Lisa
  October 9, 2012 at 1:40 pm
  
  Then we really need to give those lions, tigers and bears a good stern talking to! Their sense of humanity is severly lacking. Don’t they know that gazelles feel fear and pain, too? I’m being facetious here, but in all honesty, our EARTH is dependent on the circle of life. I think cows would much rather be HUMANELY slaughtered than chased down by a pack of dogs and eaten alive. Yet, teeth are the only tools available to wild dogs. So, do you suggest that for their species to survive, they should live off of supplements to spare the innocent creatures the fear and pain necessary to feed them? This is not a make believe world where mice pull thorns from a lion’s paw and they become lifelong friends.
  1. Liz
    November 16, 2012 at 8:32 pm
    
    You are very stupid.
    1. Lions, bears, tigers, etc are CARNIVORES they NEED to eat meat. Human beings are Omnivores, we don’t only need to eat meat.
    2. I would much rather take my chances and be in a large cattle herd with a predator than knowing that I am going to be beaten, tortured, and slaughtered.
    3. A lion hunting and eating a gazelle in nature is part of the circle of life. Humans forcing raising animals to kill them in little tight spaces, injecting them with hormones, beating them, torturing them, is NOT natural.
    4. There is no such thing as humane slaugher.
Drea
October 7, 2012 at 8:56 pm

Thanks for posting this! My health failed dramatically after years of vegetarianism and veganism (yes, I was a healthy, balanced, organic eating vegan who took their omega 3’s and sub-lingual B12 supplements!) I suffered many of the common ailments you hear from long-term vegans, muscle spasms, leaky gut, spinal disc degenerative disease, joint pain, inflammation, no energy, etc. (Lierre Keith, the author of The Vegetarian Myth, actually has similar health conditions to mine)
Finally my naturopathic doctor put me on a paleo diet, and it’s been a miracle. My symptoms are nearly gone, and I went from almost crippled (in my 20s), to being so healthy that I can actually study dance again.
I know that many vegans reading this will dismiss it as having either nothing to do with my diet, or that I must have been doing the diet “wrong.” But I urge open-mindedness. These are serious negative side-effects that severely impact people’s lives. I almost lost the ability to walk, and 10 years of my life were filled with pain and disability. It was totally preventable, and this kind of thing shouldn’t happen to anyone.
I ate what I thought was really healthy, and supplemented, but my discovered I was dangerously deficient in key nutrients like B12, magnesium, and Vitamin D. Taking vitamins didn’t solve it. I had to eat the real deal in it’s most nutrient-rich form.

I am obsessed with studying nutrition since this happened to me, and here are some great resources for anyone else who’s interested in learning more:
http://www.amazon.com/Perfect-Health-Diet-Youthful-Vitality/dp/0982720904/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=63DFOB3LT9SY&coliid=IYH1Q8336MPPM

http://chriskresser.com/9-steps-to-perfect-health-2-nourish-your-body

http://chriskresser.com/b12-deficiency-a-silent-epidemic-with-serious-consequences

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/cholesterol/#axzz26V8GkS00

The best of health to all!
1. kimbo
  October 12, 2012 at 10:52 pm
  
  what were you deficient in?
Charlotte
October 9, 2012 at 10:43 pm

I’m an omnivore and you still didn’t convince me.

Weston A. Price is a disputed source, since he was a dentist, not a nutritionist, was he not? You can do your own research about that. Secondly, vitamin B12 can be found in the bacteria which we now wash from produce and yeast spreads, like marmite. Also, I don’t know anywhere in the U.S., at least, where olive oil or other nutritious oils aren’t available year-round.

Vitamin A is easily found in vegetables in the form of beta-carotene. Even better: you can’t over-dose on it, like you can on animal sources of vitamin A because when your body has had enough, it simply stops converting the beta-carotene and flushes it out.

Vitamin D comes from the sun, and KALE has more Vitamin K than any animal source. If you meant Vitamin K2 (which you should have said if that was your point, since you sound uneducated on the subject), it can be synthesized by your own intestinal bacteria and found in fermented food products like natto (bacteria, yet again, though I’ve gotta admit, natto is a lot like…um…toe cheese).

Your arguments about junk food are irrelevant. No freakin’ duh people who eat JUNK food are unhealthy.

BUT MOST OF ALL: DEBUNKING VEGANISM DOESN’T SAY ANYTHING ABOUT VEGETARIANISM, YET YOU MADE THE CONNECTION AS THOUGH THEY WERE THE SAME THING.
kimbo
October 12, 2012 at 10:50 pm

I almost respected this website until i saw this post, ignorant and nothing to back up your claims, no real scientific research, people get so insecure about their diets they have to bash other peoples. Anyone can eat anything they want, and then see how their body responds. Do meat, dairy, eggs and processed foods cause many chronic degenerative diseases, YES. Does a nutrient rich raw/cooked vegan diet with no processed foods, shitty sugars, not cooking oils at the wrong temperature or junk food, act as a preventive for these diseases, YES. And you can lose weight, your skin can clear up, you’ll have more energy, and your body won’t have meat rotting in it for days. Also who cares what other people are doing, what a stupid headline. do you even have a degree or something to show your studies. also if you’re so into it why don’t you hunt down your own food, milk your own cow, or drink some breast milk from something pregnant.
1. Suzie Q
  November 29, 2012 at 8:29 pm
  
  So. That’s all I have to say to you. All you are reading is myths. Do you get your information from PETA or something? Let me guess, you’re a supporter.
kimbo
October 12, 2012 at 10:58 pm

I don’t mean to sound harsh but I feel like this post is very much attacking a diet you actually don’t know anything about. Everyone is different and our bodies all need different things, you should respect that.
Melanie
October 16, 2012 at 3:32 am

Hi there,

I really like your blog in general, but sometimes you’re a bit iffy with the science.

Coconut oil is a fabulous oil, as I’m sure you know because you talk about it a lot, and is the perfect thing to have with veggies which totally wipes out point #2 that you make.

The other thing that confuses me about your blog is that you tend to mention sugar is not healthy a lot, and then go on to use honey and fruit juice in your recipes. Fructose is the enemy, not sugar, and honey is just as bad as sugar. Which, given the research you look like you do, I kind of thought you’d know.

I hope this doesn’t come across as an attack, it’s not meant to be and I know you are a human being and that you mean well, but I think if you are going to come out with a big bold statement that something isn’t healthy, you need to make sure you’ve checked your facts first. He who casts the first stone, and all that.

PS – I’m not vegan, I’m not even vegetarian. I like meat. But I just don’t agree with your post. Except for the first point. :)
Bryan
October 17, 2012 at 6:34 am

It’s funny how all these people think veganism is good for them… Let’s start with facts:

Humans have front facing eyes closely spaced together…. just like most predators not like prey animals… Predators are designed to eat some level of meat… Its natures design and to ignore it is silly.

Do you have canine teeth? Most Humans are born with canine teeth… Dang predator sign number two…

Ok now let’s get to the heart of the matter.. How many herbivores are thought to be highly intelligent animals? Not many herbivores are considered brainy… The simple fact is meat contains roughly six times more energy for your brain than any vegetable… A vegan diet may well lower IQ due to decreased energy levels. Extended veganism might even have permanent ill effects on the brain.

Now lets address the hate directed towards meat: Plants are every bit as alive as animals. Plants contribute to higher levels of gas output when consumed… (see cows) and likely in vegans does the same thing… so the responsible thing to do is to eat meat and fart less thus pollute the planet less. Plants clean the air and you dolts are eating the solution and not the problem..

We have created a world insulated from death…and no animal death should be taken lightly but it is a natural part of life.

Lastly this lunacy about honey being bad; name one other foodstuff that can last for thousands of years and simply be heated and consumed as if it was fresh? It has antibacterial properties and in its raw and unheated form contains all sorts of materials collected from plants… Honey has had little scientific research done on it… It may well be one of the best foods for you… the research simply hasn’t been done. Some ancient Egyptian text show that honey was used to treat battlefield wounds and some even claim that wounds treated with honey have reduce scarring.
Mars
October 18, 2012 at 5:57 pm

I’m not here to discuss the different arguments made in this article but only to say on behalf of myself and other vegans out there, some of us weren’t even dwelling on the health aspect of things when we turned vegan. I for one was focused on the fact that I no longer want to contribute to the slaughtering of animals whom I respected and recognized were a part of nature..animals that feel pain and suffering. I also do not believe we should be eating dead things. Living food for the living body.
Miranda Fawn
October 18, 2012 at 6:35 pm

Hi Lori :)
So I am sitting here reading your blog and really enjoying it, so happy that I stumbled across it! I just washed off the Honey Face Mask and applied the Coconut oil and I am GLOWING. I feel so purty ;)
I am also making a shopping list and about to hop on my beach cruiser to the grocery store (I live in Maui now, from San Francisco). Thanks to your positive fun blog I am realizing that I spend waaay to much on beauty products… viewing my bathroom shelf with my trillions of bottles and containers of lotions, toners, hair products etc. I am faced with the pathetic reality that I could probably have been making payments in a pretty nice car, etc. Haha. Yes 90% of my products are organic and natural, but jeesh.
So first on my shopping list is Apple Cider Vinager. I have done the honey mask in the past, and thank you sooo much for the coconut oil reminder, but have always been curious about ACV, have heard so many great beneficial qualities it has and thanks to your informative words I will be trying it today. And I just busted out my blender that has been collecting dust to make that slushie. I have been drinking way to much iced coffee with too much cream and sugar. Not cool. So soeaking of cool, this has inspired me to start making some healthy, yummy & refreshing drinks that will cool me off in this tropical heat. And *also* speaking of cool, I am sorry that you have to deal with all these very NOT cool comments. Funny (yeah hilarious right), you create a sweet, funny, positive and informative site and there are people out there that seem to want to argue just for the sake of argument.
Miranda Fawn
October 18, 2012 at 8:18 pm

Uh oh, I promised myself I would not even feed into the negativity of so many of these posts but, after reading Bryan’s I just cannot help myself.
Hi Brian,
You seem very convinced on your opinion. And that is perfectly fine to have one. However, it is good to understand other opinions/view points, and, being a smart Man I am sure that you will not mind if I give you some information that you may not be aware of.
And let me begin by stating that I am not Vegan, nor am I even Vegetarian. I was Vegetarian for over 10 years, Vegan for barely 1 year. For me, and I am fully aware that everyone is different, but during this time I felt and looked my best. I had so much energy, my body, my skin, hair; the whole package was really in top shape. Now, the first few months I was sluggish, irritable, the list goes on… But that was because I dove into the lifestyle with zero knowledge. I basically ate all the same crap as before, but cut out the meat, let’s just say a lot of cream based pasta, cheese sandwiches, French fries… I would have been better of just eating meat, for sure. But then I began to educate myself on the Vegetarian “life-style”, I say life-style as it pretty much is. You must plan and prepare and be very aware of good food combinations. Then I added more living fruits and veggies and felt great. When I began to start eating animal meat again was when I was in Europe. See, this, is a huge issue and as to why many opt to go Veggie. Sure the suffering and killing of animals is a sensitive subject to some, but, our Countries Meat Industry is disgusting to say the least. Not to even get into the fact that these animals are pumped with hormones (hello 8 yr old girls getting their periods) and other horrible for the living being to digest. And yes, out meat factories do ruin the environment. There are tons of books, videos etc. at your finger tips to read into. Moderation is also the key, when deciding to eat meat it is of course best to do it in smaller portions and have it organic, grass fed, all of that. Heck, for nothing else it TASTES SOOO MUCH BETTER. You claim that we are meant to eat meat, yet many would argue that our digestive systems to not in fact work for meat. It tends to stay in your intestines and rot, hence our many causes of Cancer. And as far as our teeth, no they are not meant to eat meat. Chewing carrots, nuts and grains yes. If we were true Carnivores wouldn’t our teeth be pointy and sharp to kill in the animal kingdom like the rest.
But most importantly is your (excuse me if I am about to offend you here but :) nonsense about dumb people?!!
At this point, because I have a long day ahead of me and because I truly do hate to argue (oh that was the WORSE about being a vegetarian/vegan…ALL of the people constantly wanting to argue and give me a really hard time. It really didn’t make very much since as I would never push my belief system on others. Now if they asked, sure let’s have a conversation. But the nagging and hassling was draining to say the least. There is a misconception about Vegetarians being self-righteous and pushing their lifestyle on you. TRUST me; at least in my 10 plus years plus, and also in all my vegetarians’ friends’ life, it is sooo the OPPOSTE.
Well anyways please take a look:

“Our task must be to free ourselves . . . by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty.”
“Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances of survival for life on earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet.”
Albert Einstein, physicist, Nobel Prize 1921

“Non-violence leads to the highest ethics, which is the goal of all evolution. Until we stop harming all other living beings, we are still savages.”
Thomas Edison, inventor

Many historic Olympians have chosen to keep a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle or they have chosen to change from a diet that included meats for protein into one that was rich in proteins found from vegetarian sources. These are our top 10 historic vegetarian and vegan Olympians:

*Charlene Wong*
Charlene Wong, a four-time silver medalist at the Canadian Figure Skating Championships, is a vegetarian.

*Carl Lewis*
Carl Lewis is probably the most well known, historic vegan Olympian in the world or at least the U.S. He won 10 Olympic medals, 9 of which were gold. His Olympic career ran from 1979 to 1996. He wrote an introduction for Jannequin Bennett in her book “Very Vegetarian” saying, “It’s a myth that muscles, strength and endurance require the consumption of large quantities of animal-based foods. This myth began before anyone even talked about protein.” He ended his introduction with, “Your body is your temple. If you nourish it properly, it will be good to you and you will increase its longevity.”
an athlete who also competed in the 1988 Winter Olympics.

*Ronda Rousey*

Ronda Rousey was the first U.S. woman to earn an Olympic medal in judo in 2008.
She became an MMA fighter in August of 2010 and is currently the Strikeforce women’s bantemweight champion and #1 ranked 135-pound female MMA fighter in the world.

*Surya Bonaly*

Surya Bonaly is another competitive spirit who has participated in the Olympic events on numerous occasions but has never one an Olympic medal. She has, however, been a three-time World Championship silver medalist, a five-time European Champion, and a nine-time French National Champion for professional figure skating.

She is a vegetarian and PETA activist. She has participated in both English and French PETA ads calling for an end to Canadian seal hunts and an end to the fur industry.

*Chris Campbell*
Chris Campbell is a world champion and Olympic bronze medalist wrestler. He is a pure vegetarian and one of the oldest men to win an Olympic medal –At the age of 37, he won the bronze medal for the 1992 Olympic team in Barcelona, Spain.
According to Seattle Times, Campbell is a very unique individual, “He practices Zen and dabbles in poetry. He’s a vegetarian who likes nothing better than tofu stroganoff. He leg-presses 700 pounds, meditates, and quotes everything from The Sermon On the Mount to The Teachings of Budda.”

*Hannah Teter*
This list may seem filled with wrestlers, runners and figure skaters but there are vegetarians in other aspects of the Olympic games. Hannah Teter for instance is a vegetarian and also a gold and silver Olympic medalist for snowboarding.
She told the Huffington Post in 2010, “I feel stronger than I’ve ever been, mentally, physically, and emotionally. My plant-based diet has opened up more doors to being an athlete. It’s a whole other level that I’m elevating to. I stopped eating animals about a year ago, and it’s a new life. I feel like a new person, a new athlete.”
*Bode Miller*
Bode millar has been a vegetarian since birth. He has won five medals in the Winter Olympics for different ski disciplines. His diet has not really changed since he now owns his own organic farm similar to the one he had growing up.
He told Vegetarian Star in 2010, “We grew our own produce. It was all organic.” His organic farm is in New Hampshire. He is an advocate for sustainable food, farming and living.

*Edwin Moses*
Edwin Moses was a force to be reckoned with in the track and field arena. He won gold medals in the 400m hurdles at the 1976 and 1984 Olympics. He won 107 consecutive finals in 122 consecutive races and set the world record in his event four times.
Moses is a confirmed vegetarian, humanitarian and advocate for peace. He has been chairman of Laureus World Sports Academy since 2000 and promotes the use of sports as a tool for social change around the world.

*Debbi Lawrence*

Debbi Lawrence has been a three-time Olympian and holds the world record for the women’s 5K racewalk event. She believes that her success as an athlete is largely due to hard work and a vegetarian diet. She was sponsored by Aim for Herbs, an all natural herbal supplement distributor.
She opened up to Paul Eiler’s in 2010 about her relationship with the sponsor, “I’ve concentrated on natural products because they’re so important to my success. Imagine someone who walks 12½ miles as fast as they can not having the right shoes. Chances are they wouldn’t last half the race. The same is true for the right nutrition. You can’t just fill a blender with whatever’s in season. You have to be very careful about what you eat, and you have to take supplements to help fill in the gaps. Of course, supplements are wise for everyone, whether you’re a vegetarian or not. But athletes, especially world-class, competitive athletes, have to be careful about what supplements they take. The wrong ones can do as much, if not more, harm as not taking any at all.”

*Murray Rose*
Murray Rose passed away at the age of 73 of leukemia but he is fondly remembered as one of the worlds most historic vegan athletes. He was Australia’s Olympic swimming star. He had set 15 world records and won six Olympic medals, including four golds, which made him a sports legend and hero in Australia.
During Rose’s long career he ate a vegan diet and followed a vegan lifestyle. In 1958 he told Groucho Marx on the radio program “You Bet Your Life” that his gold medals in 1956 could be attributed to his veganism.
1. Dara
  December 18, 2012 at 8:39 am
  
  Gorillas, giraffes, elephants, horses, goats, parrots, cows…
  Albert Einstein was kinda smart.
  Those are all extremely intelligent.
  
  Also, I have an IQ of 162, and history proves that those with high IQ’s have always opted for the vegetarian/vegan diet because well, it just makes sense. I have been vegan since I was 9, that is almost 17 years and my body has flourished.
  
  Every body is different, but I don’t think that every body NEEDS meat or dairy. If we were forced to live off a plant based diet, humans would not die off. We aren’t lions.
  If you eat healthy foods, not shit foods like sweets, fries, and stuff your face with refined flour or sugar items, it’s extremely healthy.
  
  Also, vitamin B is not derived from animals, it’s derived from the Earth, but since we wash our fruits and veggies before we eat them, we wash it off, thus not acquiring any.
  Meat eaters do not take supplaments because they don’t think that they have to. In truth, everyone should because everyone lacks at least 3 essential vitamins, no matter what your diet is.
  
  And if we WERE in fact meant to eat meat, like predators, why do we cook it? You don’t see wolves and tigers sitting around a campfire BBQing their meal. If you’re going with the ”we’re biologically engineered meat eaters”, then do it right, and put down the Big Mac. Catch your food and eat it raw. Cooking meats is a leading factor in strokes, heart attack, heart disease, and cancers.
  True, meat just rots in the stomach, accumulating gas and developing holes in your guts.
  Nice, huh?
  
  I’m not saying that eating meat is horrible, I stopped because I love animals, now it’s just my lifestyle.
  But don’t go and say that veganism is not healthy in the long run without having experienced it for more than 2 years.
  It’s common sense.
Miranda Fawn
October 18, 2012 at 8:23 pm

So in short, sorry to take over this whole page :(!!! Just thought I would point out some very healthy Vegans and Vegetarians: Olympic Medalists AND just a couple smart ones: Albert Einstein and Thomas Edison.
Of course the list goes on. And on, and on and on. But it is good to see other and all view points and perspectives. Okay, *now* I will go shopping and pick up some of your suggestions Lori ;)
Love and Peace.
Catherine
October 21, 2012 at 6:02 am

This is just another example of how exhaustive labeling is.

I eat what I feel is right for my body. I don’t eat meat, but I don’t label myself as ‘vegetarian’.

I don’t eat meat for ethical reasons, but as I said, I don’t believe in labeling myself as anything. I don’t believe it’s ethically right to take a life just so I can have food, when there are so many other options out there.

I eat lots of pulses, organic vegetables, organic eggs, etc.

Health-wise, I think that BOTH vegan and omnivorous diets can be healthy, depending on WHAT you are eating. Vegans who eat a balanced range of fresh vegetables, nuts and pulses, tofu/soy beans and cereals WILL be healthy. However, if they survive on meat substitutes, french fries and bread, they won’t be. Likewise, if meat-eaters survive on organic and free range meat, organic eggs, plenty of vegetables, pulses and grains, they too will be healthy. However if they survive on hamburgers, fries and hot dogs, they won’t.

It’s not the diet or lifestyle that makes you unhealthy – it’s what you take FROM the diet.

I firmly believe that part of the resistance to veganism comes from the stereotype of what a vegan is – an emaciated, political activist who will stop at nothing to prove their point, being extremely annoying in the meantime. However, out of the ‘vegans’ I know, only one fits the stereotype.

Why the hell do people have to put a label on everything!? I actually think that people would be more open to a plant-based lifestyle if there wasn’t so many labels and stereotypes surrounding it.
Felicity Lynch
October 22, 2012 at 9:33 am

I think healthy is based on whether or not the diet it’s balanced or not, rather than vegan or meat-eater. An unbalanced vegan diet is unhealthy compared to a balanced omnivore diet and vice versa. You can be health on either diets as long as you make sure your chosen diet is balanced. In order to be healthy on a meat diet, you need to avoid processed rubbish and factory farmed meat, which is full of hormones, anti-biotic and other harmful rubbish and just like the vegans make sure you’re getting all the nutrients you need. Balance is key.

As for studies that claim vegan or vegetarian is healthier lets not forget, that after animal rights, health is one of the biggest reasons people claim for being one, so are also less likely to smoke, eat a huge amount of processed rubbish, and other high risk factors for disease making it a little bias. Also as for the fact that Asian cultures have lower rates of diseases, they also have some of the lowest rates of obesity.
Mirna
October 22, 2012 at 11:25 am

Question 1: If you don’t like CAFO or Factory Farms, what meat do you eat? If you are not a hunter, how do you avoid this? If you are buying from the grocery store, you are buying factory farm meat and there is nothing natural about it. A domestic animal is a pet – you care for it (feed it and provide shelter) and then you kill it. Why not eat your dog? I’m not saying you should, I’m just wondering why you don’t…it’s the same thing…only it’s not your “dog” you are eating, just someone else’s (the factory farmer). I just got tired of paying so much money for grass-fed beef that was still slaughtered in the same factory slaughterhouse as all the sick and diseased animals. I am saving money and my health (Bad cholesterol comes from animal products ONLY) buy not eating meat.

Fact: Early cave people were mostly vegans (hair samples prove it) who only ate meat (small amounts) from the remains of big cat prey…spears were more for protection (long pole to keep the dangerous animal far from clawing distance) than hunting as humans are slow and weak in comparison to other animals. This is why humans COOK meat. Unlike natural scavengers, we are the only omnivores that cannot eat meat raw without getting sick. Cooking meat is an unnatural adaptation from lack of food (vegetation) during the last Ice Age. This was how humans survived, but survival food is not healthy, it will just “get you by”. Cows can eat fish (and do through factory farm feed) but it doesn’t mean it is healthy for them. Just because you can eat it, it doesn’t mean you should.

Question 2: If you don’t think eating vegetation is sustainable, how is feeding farm animals sustainable? I didn’t realize this until I tried to have my own family farm. Of the 4 pounds of vegetation I feed my cow, only 1 pound will be produced as meat…I’d say that is a loss of food since I eat vegetation too. Why own an herbivore when I can be one and feed myself instead? This is why farmers who keep animals have to exploit them. Otherwise they wouldn’t make enough money to keep them. To get milk, your cow must be pregnant and then you have to kill or get rid of the milk guzzling calf if you plan on having any for yourself. Milk is for babies and as a woman, I would never want to take milk from a baby for my own selfish consumption (Kale has more digestible calcium than milk – how do you think birds get calcium for laying eggs – not from cannibalizing other eggs like the industry will tell you). :(
Back to sustainability – This analogy will help – A vegan driving a hummer creates less emissions than an omnivore riding a bike to work. All transportation combined (cars, trains, planes, etc.) amounts to 13% of emissions created in the US. Livestock alone creates 18% of emissions in the US.

Do it right: Junk food is junk food. I think everyone understands that. Vegan cake is still cake, it just means I can be cruelty-free on my birthday. :)

Healthy Fats: Yes, put unsaturated fats like oil (& vinegar) on your salad with no shame…but better still, use a nut or seed butter (like almond butter) to make a good-fat dressing plus nutrients and fiber. The “Fat Free” craze is all wrong. There is good fat (whole plant foods) and bad fat (man-made saturated and animal fats) – good protein (plant, cancer reducing) and bad protein (animal, cancer promoting) – good carbs (whole grain) and bad carbs (refined, white or bleached) and so on… everyone can agree that saturated fats (all in a solid state) are BAD (stiffen arteries, etc.) for you regardless of where it comes from (margarine is man-made and just as bad as animal fat).

As far as the human studies on diet go, “The China Study” has the most data and the “cleanest” data (no industry influences). The study clearly shows that plant-based is best – hands down. YES, cancer is curable with a vegan diet (nutricionfacts.org). Besides, I eat the same as any other “healthy” person…I just don’t eat animals. Plants have all the nutrients (and more) that meat has without the cholesterol and parasites. The only thing meat can boast is protein, but even that is the cancer promoting kind, plus hormones, plus other contaminations. Any excess protein is expelled through the urine if not used and only 6% protein from your diet is actually needed (or humanity would not have survived this long). Animal products are very high in protein and will over work your filter organs. So long as you are not starving, you will ingest plenty of protein on a plant diet…this is why “consuming others” (meat-eating) is a SURVIVAL tactic.

Hell, in a survival situation, I would cannibalize, but that doesn’t mean I should eat people on a regular basis. Even omnivores are B12 deficient (I know a few personally) because B12 is a bacterium that people used to ingest in well water and from eating root vegetables (soil with B12 in it). Thanks to our modern ways, our water is treated and our soil is poisoned so doctors recommend that everyone check their B12 levels. The meat industry is actually required to fortify meat with B12 and soy milk is too. B12 deficiency is a modern problem; not an antiquity one.

I was not born vegan. Like many, I became vegan because I no longer trust the food supply and I have seen overwhelming evidence that meat is not healthy for humans and it is far from humane. I think we are here on this Earth to be shepherds (to care and nurture), not conquistadors.
Veronica
October 25, 2012 at 1:09 pm

I totally agree!! I was vegan for 1,5 years. I’ve lost a lot of weight! I looked scary thin! Though I was eating all the time! My breasts, my ass.. my womanly curves disapperared.. I was freezing in the winter like hell. My skin got very dry. I was sleepy all the time. It was several years ago. I eat now everything, all kinds of food! Junk food not, and I try to buy organic, local products, when possible, but I am not freakin’ out if I can’t. :) I look good, feel good, I am healthy now.
Vegan diet is NOT nourishing, not healthy in the long run!!! NOT!! I speak from my own experience.
1. Liz
  March 23, 2013 at 5:26 pm
  
  What the hell where you eating? Let me guess “salads, fruits, blah blah blah”… Have some chips, french fries, almond/ soy milk, nuts, or some soy meat. Jeez woman learn to eat…
  1. Liz
    March 23, 2013 at 5:29 pm
    
    This article is biased and so is everybody’s comments. Can everybody just shut the f up… you’re not gonna change anybody’s mind because everybody is convinced that they already have the answer. Damn…
    1. Liz
      March 23, 2013 at 5:34 pm
      
      Seriously. Everybody’s bloody annoying.