SsilverR said:
I don't even mean ovo-lacto vegetarian, I'm talking PURE vegan.
Vegans consume neither the animal or the products of any animal with a face, meaning that things like milk, eggs and even honey are off the list.
A lot of vegans don't make a "face" distinction. Similarly, there's constant debate over things like honey. Also, a lot of people argue that "consuming animal products" should apply to all forms of consumption, so no more leather belts.
SsilverR said:
Apparently, there are quite alot of health benifits that come with going full vegan and i was wondering if anyone else here would do it (I just recently decided to do it for personal reasons) or is already living the vegan lifestyle.
It's not a very good thing to do for health reasons. It's better than the typically horrible diet of most western people, but avoiding animal products doesn't make you magically healthier. In fact, it makes getting a few select vitamins extremely difficult for some people (most people don't have to worry much beyond being sure to eat leafy greens and some beans). Some people don't absord certain nutrients as well from plants or supplements and a vegan diet can be extremely dangerous to them. Additionally, for people with a very fast metabolism, it can be difficult to get enough fat to burn (a good friend of mine was ordered by his doctor to stop as he was losing too much weight despite eating like a pig at every meal).
The most you get in terms of evidence for any health benefit is the testimonies of people who "just feel better" or evidence from people who had extremely unhealthy diets before going vegan.
SsilverR said:
Do you even think humans should become (ok i REALLY don't want to use the word "Vegan" again) herbivores? since our very physiology dictates that we're omnivores and meat to some people is literally the only lifeline.
I think a "we evolved as omnivores" argument is a bit silly. Should we stop treating diseases whenever they're "natural"? Should be avoid vision correction because the very physiology of some humans dictates that they have bad vision?
SsilverR said:
Personally i feel privileged to be in a society that gives me the option to live whatever lifestyle i want, and although i now personally believe that humans may reach a point where everyone has these options and perhaps should reduce or fully stop meat consumption, not only for overall health but also for the sake of overall ethics.
Again, the "overall health" argument is simply untrue for the most part. It's not an unhealthy diet for most people (which beats the typical diet of most people), but it isn't somehow extra healthy. A vegan diet is pretty reasonable for moral reasons, both regarding the treatment of animals and the environmental impact of large-scale animal husbandry, so stick to your moral guns - you don't need to prop up your argument by appealing to how healthy the diet is.
Myself: I am not myself vegan, though I was for a brief period. I also live in Santa Cruz, one of the vegan capitals of the universe.
