veganism: I know a vegan, and she started yapping off about how meats will kill you, how milk is horrible for you, and how processed food is terrible, she also said that meats are more toxic than plants when they are made, they are not cleaned. Can someone please give me reasons why normal diet is good (specific details), and at least a few flaws in the vegan diet, i feel so stupid right now :/|||Go to the websites of the Mayo Clinic, The American Heart Association, The American Dietetic Association and even the The Cancer Society. All of these groups/organizations are far more credible and unbiased when it comes to health and nutrition and all include meat/dairy/eggs (the basic no-no of a vegan diet) in their recommended overall healthy diets/meal plans and shopping guides. The responses of the vegans/vegetarians are typical self serving stereotypes by the fanatics that imply just because someone is vegan/vegetarian, they are automatically healthy as if they took some sort magic pill. Being a vegan/vegetarian is the end all purpose of their lives, nothing else matters. You are alive so obviously meat and milk hasn't killed you. Billions of other people eat meat and none of them develop cancer, heart disease, diabetes etc (these diseases are all part of the vegan mantra against meat) Milk has been around for more then ten thousand years. Billions of people have consumed milk regularly without ill effects. Vegan and vegetarian propaganda speak against the the product because they object to the process by which it is obtained. (Militant/Activist) Vegans in particular oppose the use of animals (calling it exploitation) but have been largely ignored so they are trying a different tack, mainly by demonizing milk. The hypocrisy against animal "exploitation" is highlighted however by vegans insisting their pets are not called "pets" but "animal companions" as if a simple name change means anything. More toxic than plants? First that is not true. The most poisonous foods are plants. In fact most poisons are derived from plants. The most contaminated foods (10out of 12) are in fact plant foods. Of the last five big food recalls and health advisories (meaning foods contaminated to the point of not being for consumption even for animals), 4 were plant foods (the last one being the egg scare a few months back) the only stupid thing you did was to ask this in this section where most vegans know hack sh*t about nutrition or food science beyond what they read of their favorite sites. Notice how you vegan friend and the other posters sound almost identical. That's what happens when you get your information from the same biased source. How much you wanna bet a "vegan biologist" will answer with obscure websites and "studies" that have been proved wrong before.|||She is absolutely correct. Unfortunately she is also being a complete bore by preaching about it, but she will get over that side of it once she's matured as a vegan. Sorry I can't say anything in defence of your so-called "normal" diet other than to say that the human body can cope with (and benefit from) SMALL quantities of animal flesh, not the three meaty meals a day that most wealthy westerners eat. However, it is the production methods of that meat that makes veg*ns choose the more humane option, as the human body can function just as well on a plant-only diet.|||Normal balanced diet according to the food pyramid is still the best for health. Yes of course eating only meat will lead to many diseases like heart attacks, high blood pressure and diabetes. However, eating only vegetables and fruits is also very bad. One lacks protein needed for muscle growth. It can result in low blood pressure as well as hair loss. Without proper proteins, one lacks fatty acids such as those from fish that actually repairs muscle damage and prevent heart diseases. Every single diet in the end turns out to be a fad. The only thing that has yet to fail is a balanced diet with whole grains, fruits, vegetables and meat. As for her argument on how processed food is terrible I agree. However, you can easily replace unhealthy processed burger quality meat with organic steaks, free range chicken, etc.|||A plant-based diet does offer health benefits over an omnivorous one. That's the consensus of the nutritional field. Sorry.|||Meat and milk won't kill you (as long as you don't eat 10 lbs. of meat and drink 7 gallons of milk every day). However, processed foods are terrible for your health. But to answer your question, there are no good arguments against veganism, because veganism is the practice of eliminating the use of non-human animal products. And there's nothing wrong with practicing such philosophy. Oh, and also, there's no such thing as a "normal diet."|||Why argue at all? You are not going to be able to argue against veganism. It is just as healthy as any other well balanced diet. You best option is to tell her to leave you alone. I would simply tell her that you respect her right to choose her diet, and she should respect yours. Tell her if she continues to bring it up, then you are not going to speak with her for the moment, as you do not want to criticize her and make her uncomfortable, the way she is doing to you. There is no need to make up flaws, or even argue why you should be able to eat meat(it should not matter, your choices are no one else's business).|||As I learn more and more about veganism I really have to try to contain myself. Like your friend I want to spread the word to my friends. I want to say "you know the main ingredient in that hot dog is cancer, right?" I don't engage in those discussions however because it just makes us appear obnoxious and yappy as you say. So have some patience with your passionate vegan friend who just wants you to live longer. It seems as though a lot of meat eaters want to make arguments against a plant based lifestyle but the truth is vegans get enough protein, b12, fatty acids and all that. Vegans still have fun. And contrary to what some say if we were meant to consume meat the way some do we would have large canine teeth and shorter intestinal tracts. A lifestyle that is healthy, less cruel and better for the planet, why would you want to argue against that?|||sorry man vegan is healthier....you can be an ahole and argue plants are living organisms too (people tell me that it's annoying but makes you think) meat is made in a unsanitary way....you can say eating meat is good because of protein but that's week i mean beans have protein...hmm im vegetarian gonna go vegan but I hate when people are like that I mean eating meat is how we survived back then...but see that was back then now is now and if I don't have to eat an animal and still be healthier than ever doing it ;)) hmm a bad thing about being vegan is that you have to be so cautious like you can't wear fur or leather or use animal tested products and stuff .... a good thing about a normal diet may be that you can be very healthy and still eat meat as long as you balance it....to much of something, ANYTHING, may be bad for you! even water.... a bad thing about being vegan is sometimes your body can't take it and you have to be injected with proteins you need and other nutrients you lack in....than again a lot of fruits and veggies is one of the most healthiest things you may do!|||A vegan diet does not provide the human body with all the amino acids it requires for proper muscle health.This is why you never see a vegan that isn't scrawny.If we were meant to eat nothing but plants and nuts we would not have teeth designed to rip flesh and we would still have a functioning appendix and third molars(wisdom teeth). Processed food is terrible but a nice steak or slab of ribs isn't "processed" any more than her tofu.Plants grow in dirt and use manure for fertilizer...I hope she washes her veggies when she gets them home...I have never found a lump of excrement on my pork roast and I understand those pickers don't have time to run to a port-a-potty every time. You can't convince them nor should you try.|||"The body needs protein, the brain needs fat" your diet severely limits both. I don't agree with this argument, but this is the best place for you to start. You can also attack the social life she is giving up to be healthier. .... but when you realize she has a great body and perfect skin, you will always know its the veganism.|||educate yourself first 1) she's right about huge factory farms which don't care about animals and their health at all, they only care about profits. take a tour of a huge modern pig-farming operation, or dairy-farming operation, or chicken-farming operation, or egg-producing operation, or cattle-farming operation. take a tour of the slaughterhouse operations. then decide if you still want to ask this question, or how you might want to rephrase it. 2) if you decide to eat meat or dairy, source it from someone who cares as much about animals as they do about profits. source it from farmers who raise organic meat and dairy in humane conditions.|||balance is good you're both right. meats give protein and curves! milk can be good but i believe i read somewhere it can raise high blood pressure( i know, because even though i have normal blood pressure, it gave me a headache, no lie! processed food is bad, but her restriction to food is horibble beacuse people lose nutrients that are from these foods then spend money on supplements to get those nutrients.|||Uuhhhmmm...... still thinking..... ....hmm.....nope...... .Ooh, ooh I know I know....oh it's gone. I'd really really love to help, it's not that I don't want to help you out, because I do. I love helping and I can feel your stupidity, I really can, Gosh, it's so hard, your position, I'd so love to give you some kind of help, something, some assistance.....let me think....carry two , over one, times pie, equals backlot carrier five...no, that's southern hemisphere only....uhhhh....see I'd love to help, and please don't think I don't want to help, because I do, really, I do. I DO. I do I do I do I do I do I do I DOOOO. It's just that, and please don't take this the wrong way, and it's not because I don't wish I had something to help you out with, but it's just that, and I'm so terribly sorry to say it, I can't really thing of anything to give you that would help, even if I wanted to, which I do, I really do. SO, and I said already but I'll say again. I really would like to help, But I can't bring myself to. Because I just can't shake anything off the tree of truth your friend ( and I do think it's terribly nice of you to have a friend that you obviously have different opinions from- it shows you're an incredibly big person) hath shaken. And shaken she hath, that tree of enlightenment, and all truth hath fallen assunder. She telleth the truth, forsooth.|||No, you don't need a good argument! You are going to convince her of NOTHING! Her mind is made up....what YOU need to do, is your own research and find out if a normal diet is good for YOU or NOT. You aren't stupid, but you got baited by a vegan who is passionate about being vegan...and she was ARMED WITH INFORMATION!|||"1) Her diet is better - she is correct." NOWHERE does it say that she eats well. Vegetarian isn't synonymous with eating healthy. Vegans can eat healthy, but some of them don't. All it means is that you eat no meat. And, Jesus Christ, you vegetarians are like wolves. You attack any comment that doesn't agree with your opinion, flame them, thumb them down, report it, etc. Why do you guys take it so personally? If you are allowed to have an opinion, why can't we?|||I'm a vegetarian, and there is nothing wrong with being vegetarian, but she's lucky she is living America where she can eat the way she wants to, and you can eat the way you want to, too. Anyone can make healthy eating choices with or without meat in their diet.|||wikipedia has information on veganism at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veganism|||1) Her diet is better - she is correct. 2) She is being incredibly obnoxious. That's the worst thing about vegans. Fortunately, not all of them are obnoxious.|||cows, chickens, fish, pork and the latter were put here by GOD to eat......why not eat meat then its our source of protein and calcium. Also she is missing out on ice cream :D|||Sorry your friend is right champ. A vegetarian lifestyle is more healthy. Your friend is smarter than you.|||She's right|||Uuhhhmmm......|||The "flaw" in her diet is that it's incomplete. Someone who cuts out all animal products must take supplements for a lot of minerals and vitamins they're missing. B12 is the biggie. VeganHealth.org says supplement for B12. The Vegan Society say supplement for B12. VRG says supplement for B12. TheVeganRD.com says: "Vegans do need supplements or fortified foods, and admitting that a vegan diet is not automatically pure perfection is way better than getting sick. Here, then, are supplements (or fortified foods) that vegans need: All vegans: Vitamin B12. You can鈥檛 get enough by eating unwashed organic produce or mushrooms grown in B12-rich soil. The recommended dose is 25 to 100 micrograms per day or 1,000 micrograms 2-3 times per week. If you have not been taking B12 for a while, start out with 2,000 micrograms daily for several weeks. Or get a blood test to see where you are and whether you might need a more therapeutic dose..." You can get B12 in pills, injections or eat manufactured B12 that's been added to highly processed foods. But it's not naturally found in ANY plant food. http://www.theveganrd.com/2010/11/recomm鈥?/a> Jack Norris, a VEGAN registered dietitian, BTW, recommends vegans and some vegetarians also supplement for iodine (if they eat soy products), vitamin D, calcium, zinc, B2, B6 and take a DHA supplement. Take time to read his site. Along with theveganRD, he's pretty upfront about the shortcomings of the vegan diet. But his answer is just pop another pill! http://www.veganhealth.org/ And if your friend eats fake soy burgers, hot dogs, mayo, etc., she's eating about the most highly processed food available! Too much soy can be dangerous to your health: http://thyroid.about.com/cs/soyinfo/a/so鈥?/a>|||Sure, Here you go: Dairy fat, saturated animal fat, and cancer risk. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20574鈥?/a> There's substantial evidence that replacing red meat with fish, poultry, beans, or nuts, could help prevent heart disease, and that lowering red meat can lower the risk of diabetes. Processed meats, especially, have been most strongly linked with cardiovascular disease and diabetes, at least in part due to their high added sodium content. http://www.dietandcancerreport.org/ World Cancer Research Fund, American Institute for Cancer Research. Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity, and the Prevention of Cancer: a Global Perspective. Washington DC: AICR, 2007. A major World Cancer Research Fund report on cancer prevention recommends consuming less than 18 ounces a week of red meat and avoiding processed meats (such as hot dogs, bacon, or ham) to lower the risk of colon cancer. One concern about the high-protein diet craze has been that eating diets high in protein and fat, and low in carbohydrate, would harm the heart. In fact, it is possible that eating more protein, especially vegetable protein, while cutting back on easily digested carbohydrates may benefit the heart. A 20-year prospective study of 82,802 women found that those who ate low-carbohydrate diets that were high in vegetable sources of fat or protein had a 30 percent lower risk of heart disease, compared to women who ate high-carbohydrate, low-fat diets. But women who ate low-carbohydrate diets that were high in animal fats or proteins did not have a reduced risk of heart disease. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query鈥?/a> Digesting protein releases acids that the body usually neutralizes with calcium and other buffering agents in the blood. Eating lots of protein, such as the amounts recommended in the so-called low-carb or no-carb diets, takes lots of calcium. Some of this may be pulled from bone. Following a high-protein diet for a few weeks probably won't have much effect on bone strength. Doing it for a long time, though could weaken bone. In the Nurses' Health Study, for example, women who ate more than 95 grams of protein a day were 20 percent more likely to have broken a wrist over a 12-year period when compared with those who ate an average amount of protein (less than 68 grams a day). But this area of research is still controversial, and findings have not been consistent. Some studies suggest increasing protein increases risk of fractures; others associate high-protein diets with increased bone -mineral density. T http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query鈥?/a> http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20713鈥?/a> http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19662鈥?/a> Milk is good source of pesticides, blood, mucus, pus, estrogen, progesterones, IGF or growth hormones,antibiotic residues, and FECAL BACTERIA!! Milk benefits bone health? lol To assume that osteoporosis is due to calcium deficiency is like assuming that cows ''need'' to be milked to feed people in order to live. To assume that height is due to drinking cow milk instead of genetics, regular exercising, and a well-balanced diet is stupid! Bone loss and deteriorating bone tissue that take place in osteoporosis are due not to calcium deficiency but rather to its destruction. It's not that our bodies don't get enough calcium, rather that they excrete too much of what they already have. In the U.S. today, 44 million individuals are estimated to already have the disease and almost 34 million more are estimated to have low bone density, placing them at increased risk for osteoporosis and broken bones. Osteoporosis is a major public health threat which afflicts 55% of Americans aged 50 and above. Fragility fractures of ribs are also common in Western men. 1 in 3 British women have osteoporosis. Milk builds/protects bones? Yet, in countries such as India, Japan, and Peru where average daily calcium intake is as low as 300 milligrams per day (less than a third of the U.S. recommendation for adults, ages 19 to 50), the incidence of bone fractures is quite low. Yet in countries where dairy is high/common, the rate of osteoporosis highest.|||Being a vegan is more healthy for you (Supposedly) but much more less fun.|||Normal diet is good because you DO enjoy nice meat and she doesn't! Too bad for her lol|||Kinda tough dealing with someone who has been brainwashed, isn't it?