I'm going to try to break this up into sections so that it's easier to read than a giant block of text looming over you. I know this starts out as kind of "off topic" considering the title, but if you're like me and have a more complete understanding of biology and environmental science you know that what we put into our bodies, or consume, daily has a dramatic effect on the environment.
Complaints about vegans and vegetarians:
I have no problem with the attempt to remove animal cruelty from your diet and, for many people, this change of diet is actually quite beneficial to their health, but too many people who choose this lifestyle choice are painfully ignorant about several key aspects about the human diet, nutritional needs, and even about the effects of picking specific foods to focus on.
One:
The human diet and nutritional needs require that humans consume protein and fats, as well as many key vitamins, minerals, and enzyme boosters to maintain a fully functioning, healthy metabolism. Too many vegans and vegetarians end up anemic, or malnourished because they lack the basic biological and nutritional knowledge to make the proper additions to their diet of plants. Before you make the choice to stick to a plants only diet make sure you know all of the nutritional information about your daily requirements and pick plants and supplements that will fulfill those requirements.
Some of the things that are missing in EVERYONE'S diets, not just vegans and vegetarians, are iodine, magnesium, chromium, potassium, vitamin B12, vitamin B1, healthy fats, and healthy protein. Traditional multivitamins DO NOT have high enough doses of most of your daily requirements; even though the bottle may say 100% of your daily value, the numbers the corporations who made your vitamins are working from are outdated and make the assumption that you will be getting more than enough of these vitamins from your food sources. This assumption is WRONG. For example, you would have to eat a FULL CUP of almonds a day to get enough magnesium to satisfy your daily requirement. If you've ever eaten too many nuts in one sitting you may know the kind of digestive pain that can cause as our bodies are not properly equipped to deal with that amount of fiber; it is far better for you to consume almonds in a liquified format so that your system can absorb them properly.
Two:
Soy is horrible for you. The myths and, sometimes flat out lies, that people have been spreading about the benefits of soy are outrageous. Certainly soy is far better for you than an overly processed, chemically enhanced cheeseburger, but it contains enzymes and chemicals that can have a dramatic effect on your metabolism. The only source of soy that is good for human consumption is traditionally made tofu. Any non-fermented soy product, including soy oil, is going to cause health problems if you consume it on a daily basis or even more than once or twice a week. Don't get me wrong, I love soy beans and I prefer to eat them lightly steamed, but I am also a biologist and I know the effects that can occur when you start adding into your diet chemicals and enzymes that hinder your body's natural processes.
One effect that has been studied from soy products is the introduction into the body of a chemical, naturally produced in soy plants, that can act, and often does act, just like the hormone estrogen. Adding this chemical into the diet of a male, or growing boy, can have adverse effects on his testosterone levels, causing developmental problems. This chemical also effects women, especially those who are sensitive to hormones, like myself.
I have to admit that the introduction of excess amounts of soy in my diet when I was in my late teens is probably one of the causes of my sudden development of ovarian cysts. Previously, when I had not had access to that much soy(my mother hates it), I had had no symptoms or any signs of ovarian problems. Since I cut the amount of soy in my diet to only occasional meals maybe once or twice a month and have done my best to introduce healthy supplements into my diet all of my symptoms and ovarian problems have completely gone away. Nothing my doctors had tried helped me, only a dietary change did. If I had been seeing a holistic doctor, they may have had the chance to actually monitor my metabolism(something the average doctor doesn't even think to do), and probably would have seen the hormonal and chemical changes my metabolism underwent as I changed my diet.
Three:
BUY LOCALLY GROWN PRODUCE. I cannot emphasize this enough. If you're a vegan or vegetarian and you're buying produce and foodstuffs that are imported you are not really helping yourself or the environment. First off, buying produce and food that has come from another country is adding to the pollution problem. These foods have to be shipped to our country and the methods used to do so are bad for the environment. Second, buying imported foods sends money to other countries where the environmental regulations are not as strict as they are here, serving to further fund practices that are horrible for the environment. Take Mexico for example, they still use pesticides that are illegal in the US. Yet, for some strange reason(probably profits), we still import produce from Mexico and pretend like it's ok. Never mind the birth defects, or the damage it is doing to the environment.
As a side note, something that really bothers me about big chain stores is when they take the produce they imported from Mexico, or got from farms that use pesticides and label it as organic just so that they can market it to more people and make more money. Be VERY careful about the produce you buy at a big chain grocery store, or better yet, buy your produce elsewhere, like at a farmer's market. Even better, grow it yourself! If you live in a good climate for it, you can save money and the environment by growing your own produce, pesticide free! If you want free fertilizer, start a compost and/or buy a couple of bunnies or(if you area allows it) a goat! The plus side to the goat is that you can get organic, cruelty free milk in your own back yard. Just keep in mind that these animals require vet care and that may make your fertilizer a bit more expensive, but at least you know that no chemicals have been added to your fertilizer!
That ends my segment about vegans and vegetarians. Please, do not treat your diet choice like a fashion accessory. Make the effort to do your research and to make responsible, well informed decisions about your food consumption.
I will post again on the subject of the environment, but now I get to go walk my puppy dogs in the beautiful spring air.:)
