veganism: I'm not for nor against vegetarians or vegans. I have heard plenty of vegetarians preach over and over again the many reasons why vegetarian or veagan is better, and I've heard them out. Now I want to know some fact on how it can be bad, healthwise and economically. Thanks!|||I must take issue with Roxanne. It is nearly impossible to get the full sequence of essential amino acids derived from protein from an all vegetable diet. We were MEANT and DESIGNED to eat meat. Also, Americans do NOT "eat too much protein." I've seen those scare stories, and they are false. They may eat too much FAT, which comes along with meat. They definitely eat to much CARB. None of that would even be a problem, however, if most people weren't sedentary. Yes, people who sit on their butts eat too much protein, fat, and carbs - in other words, they EAT TOO DAMN MUCH, and don't do anything with all that food energy. I work out regularly (weight training) and to maintain my workout and reach my goals, I had to INCREASE my daily intake of protein, fat, and carbs. And if I didn't eat meat, I wouldn't get the amino acids I need to build and maintain muscle. Yes, I know there are vegetarian body builders. But they are very rare, and those guys have to take massive amounts of supplements. (I also imagine they take large amounts of other, more dubious substances as well...). EAT RED MEAT, IT'S GOOD FOR YOU. Love Jack|||some vegetarians don't get enough protein or other nutrients (that you get from meat, eggs, etc) so you might want to take supplements.|||miss protein|||The biggest risk is to make sure you are getting all of the needed protien and minerals that would otherwise be taken in by meat and dairy products. But I know people who eat a careful veg. diet and it can be done in a healthy way. So like almost anything if done correctly, there is probably no major health risk. Economically, I doubt it would have much impact because I don't believe you would ever get the masses to eat veg. For one just like eating sweets that are bad for you there is a taste that the larger majority enjoy. And pleasure is what most people are about one way or another right? So doubtful it could ever have a serious econ impact.|||I turned vege aout 5 years ago and due to lack of proper vitamins and protein gotten before from meat Iended up with eyes that were hyper sensitive to the sun.|||Getting protein is difficult. Vegetable proteins are only half proteins so it takes two veggies to get one protein and that if the are the correct couplet. To get all the enzymes and flovoniods as well as vitamins and micro-nutrients, you have to eat a lot of a wide variety of veggies prepared correctly. It's all a big hassle. There is a reason we became omnivores. It wasn't until we became meat eaters that our brains began to develop.|||Vegan here! The only real downside is that you need to take a multi-vitamin for B-12 and possibly calcium supplements if you're not eating soy products. There's PLENTY of calcium in broccoli, soy, almounds, and fortified foods, but you can never be too careful. Responding to a previous post, no protein supplement is necessary. Most Americans get TOO MUCH protein. I run wonderfully on about 40 grams a day (and I workout!) from veggies and whole grains. It's actually kind of sad when even vegetarians get too much protein since too much can reallllly damage your kidneys, especially if you're not getting enough water. It can also be a problem when people think, "I'm a vegetarian, so that must mean I'll be healthy no matter what I eat" then all they eat is veggie junk food like french fries, crackers, soy burgers, etc. Isolated soy protein can also be a small problem. If you're incorperating soy to compensate for protein (not really necessary, again), go for fermented products like tofu, temari, and tempeh. But the best protein source, though, is beans. They have a lot of fiber and complex carbs, too! And it's GOOD for the environment. Many vegans become so to help their Green Goodess, as well as their health and the animals.|||Well, the fact you can't eat all those tasty animals seems to be the main reason in my opinion ;)