Vegan?

dayzeerock

I avoid any food that says 'sugar' if it does not state it is beet sugar, evaporated cane sugar, or certified vegan,

So I really am curious what's the issue with sugar? Is regular ole Domino sugar treated with animal products somehow???

I'm not flaming, just looking for education 'cause I had never heard of "vegan sugar" ?

Sugar is manufactured using animal bones, so most vegans do not consider it something that is "vegan" unless the label says so.

I had to look that one up. I had no idea, although according to what I found from PETA it is only some sugar, but you can't tell if it was treated or not.

Interesting a "decolorizer"..... I also saw mention that the same bone char is used to filter water, so I guess some water filters (brita?? not sure?) could contain it also?? Ya learn something every day!

Yep, Brita Filters do use bone char in their filtration systems unfortunately :-(

IslasLorax

I avoid any food that says 'sugar' if it does not state it is beet sugar, evaporated cane sugar, or certified vegan,

So I really am curious what's the issue with sugar? Is regular ole Domino sugar treated with animal products somehow???

I'm not flaming, just looking for education 'cause I had never heard of "vegan sugar" ?

Sugar is manufactured using animal bones, so most vegans do not consider it something that is "vegan" unless the label says so.

I had to look that one up. I had no idea, although according to what I found from PETA it is only some sugar, but you can't tell if it was treated or not.

Nuts isn't it?? I avoid any refined sugar if it isn't labeled vegan - just to be safe.

Do you guys also try to buy vegan shoes? I love www.mooshoes.com - I spring cleaned all my old shoes right to goodwill!

DrBorkBork

Is there a big difference between raw lifestyle and vegan?

IslasLorax

There is a significant difference between RAW and Vegan, although RAW is always Vegan - Vegan is not Raw. RAW Vegans eat only (or at least 75%+,) food that is cooked at no temperature of 110 degrees F or higher (I believe it is 110 or around there). This cuts out a lot of the whole grains such as brown rice, quinoa, pasta, etc. This also makes it a bit more difficult to eat some of the harder veggies such as artichoke (which I love) and beans (a great source of fiber and protein). I was very interested in a RAW vegan lifestyle, but instead opted to focus on incorporating raw food into my diet instead of just cooking everything I ate.

Not to say that RAW Vegans are unhealthy, as I don't know many RAW vegans, but it is a bit more difficult to get some of the necessary nutrients just due to being so full without supplements, but not impossible.

There was this very sad story of a woman (who clearly was not following a safe diet anyways) feeding her children a RAW diet and they lost a ton of weight and ended up with serious health problems. This is likely because a child may not be able to eat the amount of food they would need in order to supply their body with enough energy, plus kids are often pickier. Unfortunately media made it out to be VEGANS are unhealthy, rather than RAW VEGANS (which are quite different) and NEGLECT caused this family to become very ill.

dayzeerock

Is there a big difference between raw lifestyle and vegan?

Well, they are two different things, so yes, it's a pretty big difference. Although one can be a raw vegan, which differs slightly from someone who is a raw foodist who eats raw fish and such. But just because you're vegan doesn't mean you have to eat raw also...I'd go hungry if that were the case!

pyro13g

No, from what I've read, unhealthy and requires careful supplementation.

DrBorkBork

Just curious. Thanks for answering my questions

ssernst

EW, I didn't know Brita used animal products...
I am a vegetarian who has gone vegan for a few months at a time. I'm ashamed that I've been eating dairy, I do believe that a vegan diet is the most healthy. I'm hoping the new movie- Forks Over Knives will open more eyes to the health benefits of a plant based diet. Would love some like-minded friends!

I know I should ignore @freerange, but I can't help but say that most of my family and friends are meat eaters. I'm not a hypocrite, I don't judge others who don't follow my beliefs. Most of my friends and family eat meat; my closest friend is a bowhunter. I'm not a pushy vegetarian, everyone has a right to their own beliefs. I'm not posting on meat eating threads criticizing them, and it would be nice to receive the same respect.

darkhorse43

I've been vegan for the last 15 years. I guess I follow the "as far as practical and possible" part of the definition. The great majority of my purchases are completely vegan. I generally cook at home with things that are completely vegan. What I'm not going to do is contact every company that has sugar or mono and diglycerides in their products to find out where they sourced them. That to me is not practical. I won't buy it if there is an absolutely vegan alternative but I'm not going to go to those lengths to determine absolute purity.

freerange

I know I should ignore @freerange, but I can't help but say that most of my family and friends are meat eaters. I'm not a hypocrite, I don't judge others who don't follow my beliefs. Most of my friends and family eat meat; my closest friend is a bowhunter. I'm not a pushy vegetarian, everyone has a right to their own beliefs. I'm not posting on meat eating threads criticizing them, and it would be nice to receive the same respect.

Well there you go, My niece is a veggie, does that give me any street cred.

I didn’t criticize anyone, gave my opinion as to why I’m not a vegan. Well to be accurate I didn’t criticize anyone that is a vegan for what they consider health reasons, those misguided political reasons I was being critical of,,,,, but for some strange reason no one has admitted to being vegan for those reason, but still got mad at me for stating my opinion.

IslasLorax

Is there a big difference between raw lifestyle and vegan?

Well, they are two different things, so yes, it's a pretty big difference. Although one can be a raw vegan, which differs slightly from someone who is a raw foodist who eats raw fish and such. But just because you're vegan doesn't mean you have to eat raw also...I'd go hungry if that were the case!

TOTALLY forgot about raw fish! So adjust my RAW Vegan to RAW Foodist & RAW Vegan Thanks

IslasLorax

I know I should ignore @freerange, but I can't help but say that most of my family and friends are meat eaters. I'm not a hypocrite, I don't judge others who don't follow my beliefs. Most of my friends and family eat meat; my closest friend is a bowhunter. I'm not a pushy vegetarian, everyone has a right to their own beliefs. I'm not posting on meat eating threads criticizing them, and it would be nice to receive the same respect.

Well there you go, My niece is a veggie, does that give me any street cred.

I didn’t criticize anyone, gave my opinion as to why I’m not a vegan. Well to be accurate I didn’t criticize anyone that is a vegan for what they consider health reasons, those misguided political reasons I was being critical of,,,,, but for some strange reason no one has admitted to being vegan for those reason, but still got mad at me for stating my opinion.

You did state that most people are vegan for political reason, and "Flame on..", clearly you knew what you were doing and you I imagine that you did this because you find it funny to get a roar out of people who have a lot of knowledge and compassion for that they do. Vegans who don't have knowledge about what they are eating or should eat are just as bad as anyone who thinks eating fried food is actual food, or that consuming it won't negatively affect their body.

Twylyght

I am not a vegan or a vegetarian. But I just wanted to post on this topic to say that I think it is great that you guys do what you feel is right and don't feel bullied into eating what you don't believe in. I also have had my share of experiences with vegetarians both who try to bully you into believing what they believe and ones that you all seem to be, they want to believe in what they believe in and leave others to do as they please. I agree completely with what someone else said...sorry I don't remember who it was...but everyone should be able to do what they feel is right without anybody getting involved for any reason other than to support!! Good luck to all of you and I wish you nothing but the best!!

arewethereyet

I locked the thread for a moment and deleted all offensive material (I hope) We can have a decent converstation with opposing views without calling others names.

Also, please remember reciprocation makes you an attacker.

4) Do not attack/slam/insult other users. The forums are here so that members can help support one another. Attacks or insults against each other takes away from the supportive atmosphere and will not be tolerated. You can discuss the message or topic, but not the messenger - NO EXCEPTIONS. If you are attacked by another user, and you reciprocate, YOU will also be subject to the same consequences. Defending yourself, defending a friend, etc. are NOT excuses. Violations of this rule are taken very seriously and may result in being banned without warning! If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all

Please adhere to the forum rules and respect others.

Arewethereyet
MFP Form Moderator

Grokette

There is a significant difference between RAW and Vegan, although RAW is always Vegan - Vegan is not Raw. RAW Vegans eat only (or at least 75%+,) food that is cooked at no temperature of 110 degrees F or higher (I believe it is 110 or around there). This cuts out a lot of the whole grains such as brown rice, quinoa, pasta, etc. This also makes it a bit more difficult to eat some of the harder veggies such as artichoke (which I love) and beans (a great source of fiber and protein). I was very interested in a RAW vegan lifestyle, but instead opted to focus on incorporating raw food into my diet instead of just cooking everything I ate.

Not to say that RAW Vegans are unhealthy, as I don't know many RAW vegans, but it is a bit more difficult to get some of the necessary nutrients just due to being so full without supplements, but not impossible.

There was this very sad story of a woman (who clearly was not following a safe diet anyways) feeding her children a RAW diet and they lost a ton of weight and ended up with serious health problems. This is likely because a child may not be able to eat the amount of food they would need in order to supply their body with enough energy, plus kids are often pickier. Unfortunately media made it out to be VEGANS are unhealthy, rather than RAW VEGANS (which are quite different) and NEGLECT caused this family to become very ill.

Raw is not always Vegan. I know raw foodists that eat molded meat and other raw fresh meats also - which quite grosses me out by the way.

There are also those that consume raw dairy also.

DrBorkBork

There are also those that consume raw dairy also.

Raw dairy is delicious. I really like the raw cheddar I get at Sunflower Market

pyro13g

I locked the thread for a moment and deleted all offensive material (I hope) We can have a decent converstation with opposing views without calling others names.

Also, please remember reciprocation makes you an attacker.

4) Do not attack/slam/insult other users. The forums are here so that members can help support one another. Attacks or insults against each other takes away from the supportive atmosphere and will not be tolerated. You can discuss the message or topic, but not the messenger - NO EXCEPTIONS. If you are attacked by another user, and you reciprocate, YOU will also be subject to the same consequences. Defending yourself, defending a friend, etc. are NOT excuses. Violations of this rule are taken very seriously and may result in being banned without warning! If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all

Please adhere to the forum rules and respect others.

Arewethereyet
MFP Form Moderator

You might want to remove some posts from http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/209055-palelo-support-group?page=16 where freerange suffered same attacks.

Moderators of these forums should get together with the sites leadership and add specific sections for people following the same nutrition and fitness programs. Make them pick one in each section, and don't let them post in other sections. Let them change groups once in a years time frame after letting them change once a month for a year. They should know where they want to be by then after exploring 12 options. Frankly, MFP is a free for all of counter productive BS in almost every thread except for where like minded participants gather. Every thread is an argument. Fix it!

Lock the I'm new here section to accept no replies. They will get PMs to join groups of like minded members. Give them links crafted to guide them where they feel they should start.

Ditch the chit chat forum. Want to chit chat, go somewhere else. I know it's popular to have a chit chat section, the campfire, the NSFW forums. But really, you have a social aspect on this site already, and if people want to sit around the campfire it's really easy to do so somewhere else or via your friends list.

Make lot's of sticky threads for as many things you can think of. Maybe even outside of the forums. An informational tab that provides off site links to information addressing all the repetitive questions. Allow moderators in the new locked down groups to add sticky posts relevant to the groups they moderate.

This is a very beneficial web presence. Organize it better and it will help more people, minimize repetitive BS arguments, and make moderation a lot easier and less time consuming.

erisfreenici

I know lots of people who are vegetarian and/or vegan and it works for a lot of them. When I was little, I lived on a farm and raising animals for food was part of it, I don't have a problem eating animals for food. I do think that the corporate farm mentality (both plant farmers and animal famers) need a hard look and people in this country need to think about whether or not they want to eat food from these places.

Anyway, I read an interesting article from a vegan blogger who had to quit being vegan... it's a good read:

http://voraciouseats.com/2010/11/19/a-vegan-no-more/

gbindy06

I have been a vegan for 1.5 years now and I am glad I made the decision. My reasons for being vegan are the following (not in any particular order): (1) It is good for my health, (2) it is good for the environment and (3) it is nice to animals. The more I learn about eating animal products, the more I feel I made the right decision. People sometimes suggest that being vegan is extreme. I don't feel it is extreme for me. So many things I do are bad for the environment (driving, trash, energy use), bad for my health (sitting in a chair most of the day, being exposed to toxins in the environment), and bad for animals (pollution, all those animals I ate in the past). Being vegan is a small contribution compared to that.

If you are interested in learning about being vegan, here are some good books to consider reading:
-China Study: lots and lots of good info, but not the most concise
-Skinny B**ch: Very entertaining and covers most important points concisely
-Eating Animals: Very informative and entertaining (and disturbing) book about the animal industry
-Kind Diet: good information and some recipies

Some things to consider:
-Being vegan doesn't guarantee that you will eat healthy, you still need to stay away from junk. From what I have read, you also need to take a vitamin B12 suppliment.
-Being vegan makes it easier to be healthy in direct ways (I think avoiding animal products is healthy). Even when I don't exercise I don't gain weight or fat.
-It is also healthy in indirect ways because it helps me avoid junk food (People at my office seem to bring junk to work every day. It is always someone's birthday or some holiday or someone being nice just decides to bring donuts. In the past it was hard to avoid all the junk, but now I don't have a problem avoiding it since it almost all non-vegan)
-Being vegan is a little hard at the beginning, but once you come up with some recipies, figure out where to shop and where to eat, it is not too bad

freerange

I have been a vegan for 1.5 years now and I am glad I made the decision. My reasons for being vegan are the following (not in any particular order): (1) It is good for my health, (2) it is good for the environment and (3) it is nice to animals. The more I learn about eating animal products, the more I feel I made the right decision. People sometimes suggest that being vegan is extreme. I don't feel it is extreme for me. So many things I do are bad for the environment (driving, trash, energy use), bad for my health (sitting in a chair most of the day, being exposed to toxins in the environment), and bad for animals (pollution, all those animals I ate in the past). Being vegan is a small contribution compared to that.

If you are interested in learning about being vegan, here are some good books to consider reading:
-China Study: lots and lots of good info, but not the most concise
-Skinny B**ch: Very entertaining and covers most important points concisely
-Eating Animals: Very informative and entertaining (and disturbing) book about the animal industry
-Kind Diet: good information and some recipies

Some things to consider:
-Being vegan doesn't guarantee that you will eat healthy, you still need to stay away from junk. From what I have read, you also need to take a vitamin B12 suppliment.
-Being vegan makes it easier to be healthy in direct ways (I think avoiding animal products is healthy). Even when I don't exercise I don't gain weight or fat.
-It is also healthy in indirect ways because it helps me avoid junk food (People at my office seem to bring junk to work every day. It is always someone's birthday or some holiday or someone being nice just decides to bring donuts. In the past it was hard to avoid all the junk, but now I don't have a problem avoiding it since it almost all non-vegan)
-Being vegan is a little hard at the beginning, but once you come up with some recipies, figure out where to shop and where to eat, it is not too bad

I know a lot of vegans "think" they are being good for the environment, check out this book it might give you at least a balanced look at the truth.

http://lierrekeith.com/vegmyth.htm