veganism: so many younger friends of mine have committed to this lifestyle and don't understand a thing about nutrition. one ended up in a hospital because her brain was starving and she woke up freaking out and didn't even know her name. also, these so-called vegans will drink beer which is filtered by a process that would include animal byproducts, not to mention that the process of refining useless, bleached sugar also involves animal byproducts. i don't see a lot of "vegans" cutting out beer and refined sugars from their diets! it seems as though with my generation, to eat like a stuck up snob is fashionable. someone please knock me out|||Had a chat about this one with somebody in 1st-year university; he said it seemed very much a social thing on his campus -- veganism was more 'lifestyle' than dietary practice, and gets you a new circle of friends. I've been entirely vegetarian since birth, and have to apologise about that all the time now thanks to that sort of thing being trendy: no, I don't mind at all if you eat meat, etc, etc... It does get extremely weird. See, for example: http://www.vegancats.com/|||I think people are just into it because we are such an image obsessed society and because it's just one of those things that "everyone" is doing right now. They'll get over it.|||I know there must be some that are absolutely committed to it. And that's okay. But to me it seems like a difficult lifestyle to keep up with. So I believe for most people it's just a passing phase.|||You have no idea what you are talking about. Go eat a cow and enjoy your high cholesterol cheese. By the way when you go crazy of MAD COW DISEASE ( which it sounds like you have) don't ***** to me. Now leave while I enjoy my nice dinner that didnt support in the killing of animals. Want more? Go to www.SpiderQueenSkylar.blogspot.com|||It may be "IN" right now but it is not a fad. It is centuries old. Adam & Eve did not eat flesh. Many religions do not condone living creatures.|||Its not a fad anymore....although some people may just jump on the bandwagon without knowledge. However there are people who are more educated and are thinking outside the box....not just listening to the authorities without questioning/researching.... Vegetarianism is a lifestyle change...its healthier for our bodies and promotes self healing... Check out McDougall, Robbins, Furman... I am a vegan. I eat no meat/animal protein. I also avoid all processed foods and refined sugar. But I eat things that give me the vitamins I need, like fruits, vegetables and beans. Good luck.|||Veganism is just one of the things that people do so that they can feel superior to other people.|||Well, beer isn't good for you anyway. It is smart for them to do that, vegan or not. Vegan isn't a fad, if it is, this is one long fad. I have been a vegetarian for over 15 years. It is how I want to live my life, and it is how your friends want to live their lives. I am sure you are just thinking about their best interests, but what you are saying is very rude. If her brain is starving, then she isn't eating right. Just being a vegan or vegetarian isn't going to starve your brain. You have to know what you are doing and eat correct meal plans.|||why is being an idiot so endemic on the internet? Some beers and sugars truly are vegan. A starving brain? As long as you are breathing and don't have massive brain damage your brain is not starving. Maybe you should meet some real vegans....|||It does seem to be a trendy thing, although it has been around for years. Unfortunatly, it is being seen by some as a fad, so health isn't a huge consideration when opting for a vegan lifestyle, when t really has to be. You're right in pointing out the beer and sugar thing. When really looking into it, unless a person grows their own food with non-animal related fertilizers, you can't be a true vegan in every sense of the word. Many who opt for a vegan lifestyle and just putting an effort towards cruelty free living as much as possible, and it does become difficult to weed out everything. Not many years ago, vegetarians didn't seem too common, and it was hard to find good vegetarian alternatives in stores. This has sort of evolved into the mainstream, just as veganism now. For some yes, it's a fad, and for others it's a lifestyle.|||Not all beers are processed with animals... Budwieser, my fav, is a vegan beer. Refined sugar is hard to avoid. Veganism isn't 100%... it's just not possible in this current society, so we strive to come as close to 100% as we can get. It's not a fad, and we don't do it to feel superior. Well, I'm sure some vegans do, but not all of them. I'm vegan simply because killing animals when I have no need to is wrong.|||I had a friend in high school who decided to be a vegetarian. When I asked him why, he couldn't tell me. It wasn't because of his love of animals, wasn't a health choice. It was just something he wanted to do. So whatever.... People are idiotic. They want to do what celebrities are doing, what other people say they should do. Instead of listening to their own bodies, and eating the way human beings have for thousands upon thousands of years (NOT including sugary junk).|||Maybe new Vegans/ Vegetarians are not confident in answering the question because they are immediately labelled as idiots/ softies or stuck up snobs. I committed to this lifestyle some 22 years ago because I had a moment of not wanting to see animals killed. I did exactly the same as the young friend who ended up in hospital because I did not eat the right combinations. However, this was in a very large proportion due to the fact that my mother refused to accept that is what I wanted and therefore refused to let me buy or cook any replacement for meat. I returned to meat eating out of necessity but started to really research the topic. Three years later, with no mum to thwart me I returned to the vegetarian lifestyle, having found out all about the different styles of farming and knowing I did not want to eat an animal that had spent it's entire life in a small cage with a grid in the bottom to catch the droppings. I also felt it would be a healthier lifestyle for me and so it has proved. I used to get colds all the time, now I very rarely do. I have bags more energy and feel good about my opinion and my lifestyle. So perhaps, if you stopped jumping on those youngsters who are just starting out with this lifestyle and quietly point them in the direction of nutrition, they can get to know what it entails and make an informed decision about the lifestyle they finally choose. I have no problem with people choosing to eat meat, why do they have such a hangup about me choosing not to?|||Gladly...your friends don't know what they are doing. They really need to get educated on what to eat so they don't get sick...it's really really easy to give up flesh and get healthy. http://www.all-creatures.org/articles/ar鈥?/a> http://www.brown.edu/Student