veganism: Even the people saying veganism is hard are wrong. If you're a lazy person that doesn't like cooking, veganism will be "hard" because you have to stop being lazy...even still, I have no problem eating out at restaurants that don't cater to vegetarians/vegans, including diners! So this notion that veganism is hard or difficult is from very confused and apparently people so lazy that they won't read a menu. Veganism is easy and helped me cut my grocery bill by a whopping 66% and has improved my health. I was into bodybuilding as an omnivore, too, but I hold onto my gains longer with veganism! Easy, inexpensive, healthy...can't ask for more than that!|||Why would you come to a board that is meant to help out vegetarians and vegans asking for arguments against it? Makes no sense. Btw, to all the people saying its hard - its only as hard as you make it. If you tell yourself its hard, then it will be; if you tell yourself its easy, then it will be easy. And vegans know that nobody can be 100% vegan; but there's a difference between doing the best you can to reduce animal suffering and help the environment and not doing anything at all. There are no arguments against veganism. All the "arguments" come from those who are too ignorant to accept that veganism is actually an excellent way of living.|||The most compelling arguments I've heard is that vegan- ism is not sustainable. I do think it's true that's there's not enough vegetation to go around between a world full of vegan homsapiens and herbivore's. The other devil's advocate arguments I've accepted are that consumerists veganism isn't that environmentally friendly. Unless you're growing all your food permaculture style, or eating localvore, fossil fuel is being used to truck your stuff around and you're using just as much packaging as a person on a traditional diet. I'm not sure how long modern veganism would last in a depression since we're depending a lot on convenience. At some point we'd have to consider eggs and dairy. Then there's the argument that you can never truly be vegan unless you're a Buddhist monk or neoludite who is adverse to any form of technology containing the remains of deceased animals. Someone gave me a philosophical argument online that I couldn't refute. The only reason vegans can claim to be on high moral ground is because plants have not been proven to be sentiment. If you could prove otherwise then we'd have to find another reason besides the claim of compassion. As you can see I like a good argument. I've been a vegan for 7 years but I'm no longer sanctimonious about it.|||There is really only one-it is very hard, if not impossible. I'm not counting spurious arguments like we are made to eat animals because of our wickedly sharp fangs, or harvesting crops kills animals ( what does livestock eat? right, plant crops) or dumb arguments like because meat tastes so good or supplies nutrients unavailable through other foods. That's just ignorance. But it's not only difficult to avoid all animal byproducts or exploitation, it also takes a great deal of diligence and commitment just to plan your diet. I give big props to those even brave enough to try.|||It's impractical. However, it's hard to weigh practicality against morality. Also, to an extent it's impossible. In this progressive society many objects are made of animal products. Vegans have to qualify this by saying they aim to minimize their contribution to animal suffering.|||Karina said it best. I have been a vegan for 3 years and it is easy for me. I don't crave cheese. I don't crave milk. I don't crave meat. It is far easier to be a vegan then ever before. They have so many options available so there really is no excuse for not being vegan. I DO see factory farming as a concentration camp for animals. Why is it that some people can make this distinction and others can't? I don't know. People need to think about what they eat. What they wear. Question things. The concept of reducing suffering is one of the reasons I am vegan. Take it as you may.|||The only somewhat valid reasons to not be vegan are ignorance & selfishness. Regarding too many answers above, it is not difficult to be vegan at all. If you have the mindset that it is something that is difficult to do, then it ultimately will be just like anything. I've been vegan for over ten years & find it extremely easy.|||vegan, vegetarian or omnivore. all personal choices. not a reflection on anyone's character regardless of what anyone thinks. healthy, well balanced eating is what matters and morality and ethics should be at the head of the list. i personally have a problem with killing for sport. to me, that's disgraceful and truly sinful.|||There is no argument to be against a person's diet. You might as well write an essay about how you hate Jews and Kosher diets. It's wrong. To whine and snivel about what a person eats is pathetic, not to mention vulgar. It's become way too common to actually waste time making excuses for what you eat.|||Veganism is good for the enviroment. Veganism is cruelty free. Vegans have a longer lifespan than meat eaters and experience fewer diseases. Vegan food is healthy! Oh, you wanted arguments AGAINST veganism??? Sorry, I honestly can't think of a single one.. Peace.|||With the exception that it's very hard to do, there really aren't any valid arguments. Besides, any person with the will and dedication could committ to veganism regardless of how hard it is.|||I can't give you one. I'm a vegetarian and so happy. I have never been this healthy in my life! I also dropped 13 pounds in a little over a month! My doctor says I'm in great shape inside and out! So, I have no idea why people still eat meat now-a-days!|||It turns you self righteous and judgmental possibly causing you to alienate friends and family. But on the plus side you won't need to worry about self esteem issues with the free golden pedestal you get from the Vegan club.|||You need to what? I don't understand your English. And if you don't want to be a vegan,nobody is forcing you to become one. Not everybody is ready.|||Being a vegan means you can't eat meat eggs or dairy anymore. For me, that would absolutely suck.|||Assuming you are looking for *valid* arguments against Veganism, there are none.|||Its no good for lazy people who are not prepared to cook delicious food, they would be setting themselves up to fail.|||There are no arguments against veganism.|||IMO, there's only one valid, scientific argument against veganism: Humans require Vitamin B12 and it is not available in any plant foods. Today people who choose and can afford to take a handfull of pills every day can supplement, but that's a fairly new option for humans. So obviously it's not human's natural diet. There is no archaeological evidence of any ancient peoples who did not use/consume animal products. From a VEGAN site: --"B12 is generally found in all animal foods (except honey). Contrary to rumors, there are no reliable, unfortified plant sources of vitamin B12, including tempeh, seaweeds, and organic produce. The overwhelming consensus in the mainstream nutrition community, as well as among vegan health professionals, is that plant foods do not provide vitamin B12, and fortified foods or supplements are necessary for the optimal health of vegans, and even vegetarians in many cases. Luckily, vitamin B12 is made by bacterial fermentation such that it does not need to be obtained from animal products."-- How important is B12: --" B12 protects the nervous system. Without it, permanent damage can result (e.g., blindness, deafness, dementia). Fatigue, and tingling in the hands or feet, can be early signs of deficiency. Vitamin B12, like folate (aka folic acid), is needed to help red blood cells divide. In some cases, vegans may get so much folate that even with B12 deficiency, their blood cells continue to divide properly. In other cases, their blood cells will fail to divide properly and they will become fatigued and suffer from macrocytic (aka megaloblastic) anemia. Mild B12 Deficiency Homocysteine is a byproduct of protein metabolism. Elevated homocysteine levels are linked with increased risks of heart disease and stroke. From 1999 to 2003, there were many studies comparing the homocysteine levels of vegans and vegetarians who do not supplement their diet with vitamin B12 to those of non-vegetarians (more info). In every study, the vegans or vegetarians had higher homocysteine levels than the meat-eaters and in the range associated with heart disease and stroke."-- Here in the US people can eat what they want. They have a wide variety of foods from many countries available to them. The vegans who claim that not eating meat saves animal lives are wrong. It's common knowledge that animals die in the fields for their diet, too. And they ignore the environmental impact of shipping the fresh fruits, grains and veggies they eat year around from thousands of miles away. IMO, veganism is dying. Here's the site of a former vegen who interviews well-known vegans as they revert back to meat eating. These are not kids, 12 year olds who didn't "do" veganism right. They're educated, young adults who fell into veganism, got sick and had to consume animal products for their body's sake. Frankly, the more I read, the less I believe most humans can live a healthy, successful life on the vegan diet. http://letthemeatmeat.com/tagged/Ex-Vega鈥?/a> And this lady is making big waves in the internet vegan community: http://voraciouseats.com/2010/11/19/a-ve鈥?/a>|||I would hesitate to say that veganism needs to be argued against (it is an ethical position that takes animal suffering as a reason for not eating meat products--how is that possibly bad?) but rather adopted freely with caution. It requires much attention to getting all the adequate nutrients and this can be very difficult especially considering that veganism is a class-based eating culture that is almost exclusively upper middle class. Affording tempeh and seitan is not an option for many. Many vegans rely on extensive supplementation, powders etc. to make up the gaps in their diet. By the same token, meat eating should be approached with caution, too, obviously.|||It is against the bible and you are only creating a larger population of animals that will overcome humans. With more herbivores it is likely there will be more carnivores. Carnivores like meat and humans are meat. Also with veganism haunters loose their jobs. Then the humane killing hunters use gets overcome by inhumane slaughter houses. So basically you guys trying to protect the animals gets them killed. Also when you guys don't eat animals people get mad and eat more.|||There are no reliable plant sources of B-12. Vegans need to get supplements or eat artificially fortified food. Contrary to popular belief on these boards, it is actually worse for the environment. Runoff from fields has created a dead-zone the size of New Jersey in the Gulf of Mexico. Farming crops destroys topsoil faster than it can be created, even with crop rotation and summer-fallowing. It is not sustainable. Look up "Polyface Farm" for an example of a sustainable farm. It does not feed more people. A diet containing some meat actually uses less land than a vegan diet. (Pastured cattle are kept on land unfit for farming crops: too sandy, hilly, rocky, etc.) It's not healthier than a balanced omnivorous diet. The claims that it is compare vegans to "everyone else", and "everyone else" is usually eating crud. Just look in people's carts at the grocery store: full of processed food. Seventh Day Adventists are always brought up as an example, but to make an equal comparison, you need to compare to someone with a very similar diet, only differing in meat. That would be the Mormons. And the Mormons are actually healthier than the Seventh Day Adventists. Soy is actually unhealthy. The only soy humans should eat is fermented soy (tempeh, miso), not the tofu, soy milk, soy everything people eat. Soy actually acts similar to estrogen in the body. And a study by Dr. Lon R. White, a neuro-epidemiologist in Honolulu, concluded that eating tofu two or more times a week accelerates brain aging and diminishes cognitive ability. And soy isolfavones can block tyrosine kinase, an enzyme used by the area of the brain responsible for memory and learning. This is a problem for everyone eating lots of soy; vegans, vegetarians, even omnivores. Soy, like HFCS, is being put it everything now days. .|||- Doesn't support American industry - Faulty because its damn near impossible to go without some kind of product that uses animal parts - Millions of small creatures (rabbits, mice..) are killed by the harvesting of vegetables. - It goes against natures intent. We have sharp teeth for tearing meat. - It's dumb|||The only valid argument against veganism is that it is an extremely difficult lifestyle to adhere to completely. You have to be very vigilant with everything you buy, from the shoes on your feet, to which cereal you buy even down to the soaps you wash with.|||We're humans, our bodies need meat. Arguments against are nothing more than an attempt to back up a hip trend.