Hey, this is my first post. I'd just like to clear some stuff up about vegan nutrition. It is a widely known fact, and a fact that all major dietetic associations, that a vegan diet is suitable for any stage in life. You are right that the only one we have to worry about is B12, but this can be supplemented, and is a better source than from animal flesh anyway because it is guaranteed. Omega-3 occurs in flax seeds and some leafy greens, although flax seeds are the best source. Fish get their omega 3 from eating sea algae, so it makes sense to get omega 3 from a plant source, not to mention the fact that our waters are so polluted that eating fish is probably as damaging to your health as it is good for your health. You assesment of protein is an outdated notion from the 1970's. Protein should be the least of anyones worries, just eat a varied diet and you will get enough. People who eat animal flesh and reproductive excretions should be more worried about getting too much protein! There is an excellent book on vegan nutrition by Vesanto Melina called "Becoming Vegan" in case anyone is intersted, which looks doubtful considering the kind of responses on this thread. I think most of us on here would agree with this statement: It is wrong to inflict unnecessary suffering on animals. This is what the entire flawed animal welfare organisations are based on. So with that here's a hypoethetical: Say you are walking down the street one day and you come across a man who is blow torching a dog. You stop, horrified, and ask him why he is torturing the poor dog. His reply: "Because I enjoy doing it!". No other reason but his enjoyment is why the dog is suffering. Am I right in saying you would find his actions morally indefensible? In fact you would probably think, like the majority of society, that he should be locked up or at least sent for psychiatric help. So why would you be horrified by this? If you have a companion animal, say a dog, you are aware that he or she has feelings, needs, mood swings, a desire for love and most of all the capacity to feel pain. If you stand on your dogs tail by accident, he or she will yelp in agony and probably run away to avoid further pain. So how is a cow, a pig or a chicken any different? We have created groups of animals that have nothing to do with intelligence: one group is for eating, the other is for loving. Yet it has been shown that humans don't NEED any animal products to live, in fact they can live even better without animal products. So, what is the reason for your continued consumption of animals?
