veganism: I know a ton of people are going to write things like "meat is freakin sweet, just eat steak!" I'm seriously looking though for intelligent answers. I know for myself the pros, but I wanted more info on the cons that could be encountered, even with a vegan who is particular about being healthy, and eating a good balance of foods. I've heared that too much soy can effect the thyroid gland, for info on this would be great as well. Thanks!|||Its not normal to be vegan. Humans are omnivorous beings. Its ok if you don't eat animal - based products because you don't like them, but its not okay to do that just because you want a "cruelty-free" world. That will NEVER happen. Violence and predation has been around ever since the earth was created. It won't just cease because everyone has suddenly become a vegan. Besides, how is milking a cow to get milk for other dairy products being cruel? Vegans also need to take vitamins to make up for what their food doesn't contain. This means you are consuming tons of chemicals, instead of the natural nutrients. This is NOT good for your body at all. It's like being hooked up to a machine, being fed artificially. And if you think that's good for your health, try reading a few books on this subject.|||Many years ago loads of people wre cannibals..thank God that's mostly over. Changing your diet to vegan is a great idea, many people will follow your example and start thinking about how their ways are creating so much suffering in the world. Their are NO cons, my best friend (37) is a vegan and well he looks 23. The only inconvenience is that your options are limited if you want to dine out..but keep on asking and insisting that they cater for you. Vegetarians did that and lately you can find a vegetarian option at almost every restaurant.|||A bull is vegetarian is very strong! and I may say it never gets sick. Hare Krisna devotes are vegetarian and some of then are obese. I see no cons.|||I know many people who have contemplated this very question, and, although some research shows that meat can be unhealthy for certain people, it also shows that meat can be incredibly healthy for certain people. Much depends upon your blood type and the types of food your body requires. Side note: One of my closest friends was vegan, and after 20 years of vegan lifestyle, and as a last ditch attempt to rid herself of headaches that lasted over a year, had to incorporate meat into her diet once again. Her headaches subsided. There's got to be more to eating meat than just the obvious.|||vegans do not like to kill to survive.|||while I do think to much soy is no good (like to much of anything is no good), I think you should consider what type of soy you are eating. the soy that is effecting people negatively is GMO soy products and processed products (tofurkey!!). If you look how the Japanese consume soy (whom have eaten it for thousands of years) they eat minimally processed (edamame(sp?), tofu) or fermented soy (miso, shoyu(soy sauce), tempeh) I think when you Look at tried and true diets the results can point you to the answer. I also think that some vegans eat so much prossesed foods and "fake meats" that they don't eat as many veggies, beans and whole grains as healthy vegans were once known to consume. I'm a vegan and I think the con that annoys me is eating over people's houses that just don't get it or eating out with people and/or at a restaurant that just don't get it. Like when you ask if they have anything vegetarian and they offer you fish!!|||i'm actually vegetarian myself, and i know that by just being vegetarian you need to take a few vitamins to be healthy so by being vegan i suppose you're REALLY depriving your body of the vitamins it needs daily.|||CONS You won't be part of the pack. You do not have to eat soy. I am allergic to it. Of course that means I don't do fake meat as most a soy/wheat based. I eat real God made food.|||There are none.|||my daughter has been drinking soy since she was born and she's completely healthy.|||Alysson - Why shouldn't we eat meat if we don't want to be responsible for the torturing and killing of animals? We may never have a cruelty free world but that doesn't mean we should contribute to it. I don't eat meat because I love animals and don't feel right eating a once living and beutiful creature. Cons are Anemia and not getting enough calcium. In order to have a well rounded diet you need to eat a variety of things so that you won't become Anemic and keep strong bones. I reccomend Organic Valley Soy Milk (especialy chocolate!) because it's vitamin and calcium fortified. It's hard to get everything (I know from experience) so one needs to eat plenty of protein from different sources... but you really don't need as much as the FDA says, trust me! Dizziness and light headedness also comes with anemia and can be fixed by either eating some protein (non-animal kind) or whole grains. So the cons can be avoided, but they are most common.|||Not too many restaurants serving your needs|||You really will need to watch your vitamins and make sure you're getting enough. I had a friend go vegan who needed to re-incorporate meat products into her diet to return her menstrual cycle to something approaching normal and bring her energy level back up. Another concern may be social: it's tough to find something to eat that fits your dietary choice at most places you might congregate with friends. What is available may not be very satisfying or it may not meet your body's nutritional needs.|||i think they were a prison rock band from vegas in the early 60's.i'm not sure ,though. you might want to do a little further checking on that.|||there are no cons|||The con of being vegetarian is that if you do not add enough protein to your diet you could start loosing your hair.|||A vegan diet, if very carefully planned, can be as healthy as a good meat eating diet, but no more so. Any benefits come from eating a wide range of fruit and veg and being health conscious as vegans have to be, not not eating meat, and can thus be got without depriving yourself. An uncarefully planned vegan diet can be terribly unhealthy. 60% of vegans have some level of B12 deficiency. This can cause many things from hair loss to mood swings to general unhealthiness. Also you miss out on meat, which isn't unhealthy, quite the oppsite. It is well established that eating meat improves the quality of nutrition, strengthens the immune system, promotes normal growth and development, is beneficial for day-to-day health, energy and well-being, and helps ensure optimal learning and academic performance. A long term study found that children who eat more meat are less likely to have deficiencies than those who eat little or no meat. Kids who don鈥檛 eat meat 鈥?and especially if they restrict other foods, as many girls are doing 鈥?are more likely to feel tired, apathetic, unable to concentrate, are sick more often, more frequently depressed, and are the most likely to be malnourished and have stunted growth. Meat and other animal-source foods are the building blocks of healthy growth that have made America鈥檚 and Europe's youngsters among the tallest, strongest and healthiest in the world. Meat is an important source of quality nutrients, heme iron, protein, zinc and B-complex vitamins. It provides high-quality protein important for kids鈥?healthy growth and development. The iron in meat (heme iron) is of high quality and well absorbed by the body, unlike nonheme iron from plants which is not well absorbed. More than 90 percent of iron consumed may be wasted when taken without some heme iron from animal sources. Substances found to inhibit nonheme iron absorption include phytates in cereals, nuts and legumes, and polyphenolics in vegetables. Symptoms of iron deficiency include fatigue, headache, irritability and decreased work performance. For young children, it can lead to impairment in general intelligence, language, motor performance and school readiness. Girls especially need iron after puberty due to blood losses, or if pregnant. Yet studies show 75 percent of teenage girls get less iron than recommended. Meat, poultry and eggs are also good sources of absorbable zinc, a trace mineral vital for strengthening the immune system and normal growth. Deficiencies link to decreased attention, poorer problem solving and short-term memory, weakened immune system, and the inability to fight infection. While nuts and legumes contain zinc, plant fibre contains phytates that bind it into a nonabsorbable compound. All of these things can be got from supplements, but our body isn't adapted to getting it in such an unnatural form, and so isn't as good for the body as if it were obtained naturally through meat or other animal products. Research consistently shows that real foods in a balanced diet are far superior to trying to make up deficiencies with supplements.