Oh I know, you're shocked there's a vegan not shouting how everyone should be vegan. Shocker.
But hold on a minute: I do actually think it's ideal for everyone to go vegan... outside of people with eating disorders, soy and other allergies, or people without adequate access to nutrient-rich vegan foods, such as those living in food deserts.
I'm not going to argue with every neanderthal in the comments who are going to jeer: "Blaaah but I like ma steak bloody, blaaaah." Shut up. Eat beans. Love yourself.
Anyway, the actual reason I'm writing this... journal? Article? Is because I am personally sick and tired of the online community making veganism out to be this "fix-all" diet that people hop on when they want to lose weight or "cure" various health problems.
True fact: veganism DOES have health benefits as it reduces the risk for some forms of cancer and is overall deemed to be better for your digestion. Assuming you eat a more whole, plant-based diet, this can result in better health, sure, but if we're being honest, most studies show that ANY whole-food diet can be healthy. Including one that contains meat, fish, and dairy.
So, no. If you want to lose a shit ton of weight, veganism isn't the cure. Cutting out highly processed, crap foods is what causes people to lose weight (in conjunction with exercise). This thought process leads people to eat crazy vegan diets like "raw foods" where people eat nothing but 50 bananas and 12 dates and call it a "smoothie."
Veganism isn't a weight loss diet. Veganism isn't a "cleanse." Veganism isn't going to repair a bad relationship with food.
Veganism is an ethical choice intended to help reduce animal suffering and the impact of global warming by means of hopefully eliminating the extremely toxic world of animal agriculture.
Period.
In saying, I'm not telling you not to try veganism. I'm not saying veganism only belongs to an elite group of people - I'm saying that hopping on veganism like a trendy diet, only to come to the conclusion that it's "bad," "unhealthy," and "restrictive," is not the fault of veganism. It's the fault of a strange culture that makes it out to be something that isn't and then blaming it for our own personal failures.
Next time you think about going vegan, consider some of the ethical reasons as to why people choose to be that way. I listed the resources below.
Peace you veggie hating scum bags.
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