Unlike most people, we are fortunate enough to know each animal that we eat personally while they are alive. We are fully aware of exactly what they are fed, how they are treated and slaughtered. Most people can’t say the same. They really haven’t a clue as to what they are ingesting or how the animals they eat are kept, fed and slaughtered.

The growth of the agri-food corporations has led to high density animal production that is not only inhumane but is also responsible for contributing to climate change. Obesity is pandemic in North American adults and children. Moreover, vegetable and fruit consumption in North America is very low. IMO any movement towards increasing fruit and vegetable consumption and cutting down on eating factory farmed meats and fish will be a blessing to our planet.

I certainly hope that people will click through the links I provided to the articles on vitamins and minerals and that they will take the time to learn enough to balance their nutritional intake properly.

For the past 30 years we have heard (and later laughed) at those who have adamantly stated. “You cannot have a balanced diet unless you eat meat.”

This is not true. Provided one learns how to properly combine foods and supplement correctly eating meat is not a necessity.

‘This false conclusion was drawn before we discovered the body’s protein recycling mechanism and its ability to “complete” any amino acid mix from our bodies amino acid pool, no matter what the amino acid composition of a meal consumed.’

This statement you made is not true. The reason we call certain amino acids ‘essential’ is because they cannot be manufactured by the body and -must- be ingested in the diet. Proteins aren’t ’stored’ in our body as such and there is a constant turnover. Most people will be in nitrogen balance with the exception of growing kids/teens and those who are recovering from injury, for example. If you are missing an essential amino acid, your body does not have a pool to simply draw from to replace that missing essential amino acid! I wish! :)

Also, a vegan diet -must- supplement with B12. There is no bioavailable source of B12 from plant foods. At one time, it was thought that spirulina B12 was useful but studies showed that this is not metabolically useful. The fact that B12 can only be gained from animal sources and because it is a required micronutrient means that vegan diets must supplement B12.

At the same time, I think that the emphasis on whole foods and vegetables/fruits that vegan diets tend to have is wonderful and it’s one that everyone can learn from, whether they eat animal products or not. In terms of raw, you actually -lose- valuable nutrients with raw foods because of the fiber, which binds nutrients to some extent. Very lightly steamed vegetables are superior to raw if you’re looking at it from a health perspective. Yet, anything that gets people eating vegetables is great, whether it’s cooked, raw or just a bit steamed! :) Myself, I think that a balanced and varied diet that incorporates all food groups is ideal but I respect that we each have our own ideas about what is ‘healthy.’