Diets

© 2007 Clove Garden

Overview

The basic rule is: No harm to nor even inconveniencing of animals. Not in diet nor lifestyle nor even in the packaging things come in. That means no animal products whatever including leather, wool, feathers, eggs, fish, silk, honey (insects are animals too), milk or anything that has been tested on animals - anything at all.

As you can see this requires a major adjustment of lifestyle and an almost obsessive attention to everything in one's local environment. It is also going to annoy and inconvenience the people around you and severely restrict your social opportunities so be prepared for that. If you wish to call yourself a vegan you do need to go the whole way. If you don't, real vegans will despise you and you've already pissed off everyone else so you'll have no friends at all.

If you've thought through these factors and are still committed to being a vegan, then by all means go for it. Be aware that in some extreme cases the social isolation can lead to involvement in underground PETA direct action, vandalism, arson and prison. Good luck to you.

B12     Of all the classes and types of vegetarians who are actually getting enough food, only strict vegans face a serious deficiency problem - lack of vitamin B12 (cobalamin). B12 is produced by soil bacteria which are consumed by herbivorous animals along with the plants they eat. Humans normally get their B12 from eating animal products (meat & dairy), but this is not allowed for vegans.

Severe B12 deficiency results in nervous system damage and severe anemia. Most at risk of severe deficiency are long term strict vegans who reject supplements and breast fed infants of vegan mothers. Less severe deficiency can result in heart disease and complications during pregnancy.

The short take is that vegans need to consume adequate B12 supplements. Many vegans resist this, denying there is a problem and pointing out that causes other than veganism are much more common in B12 deficiency. This is a lame excuse, not a reason - swallow your pride and take your vitamins.

Raw Foods Vegan This form combines the nutrition problems of both the raw foods diet and veganism, and usually includes a level of idealism that rejects supplements and other "unnatural". See the Raw Foods Page for further information.

Failure to Thrive     Most people leaving the Standard American Diet for a vegan diet feel their health much improved, but a very significant number who have been vegans for some years eventually encounter a "failure to thrive" problem. This is manifested as general lassitude, being continually hungry, poor sleep, low libido, alienation and mental deterioration among other symptoms. This problem is particularly common among raw food vegans and frutarians but the condition is relieved by re-introducing some animal foods into the diet.

Other issues     Other nutrition and health considerations are the same as for general vegetarians described on my Vegetarian Page.

Links

• 1 - Vegan Society - large information and advocacy site.
• 2 - Vegan Action - an advocate site.
• 3 - Vitamin B12 - Beyondvegetarianism.
• 4 - PETA.
• 5 - Failure to thrive. - Beyondvegetarianism.