Vegans are the brunt of attacks over what is essentially an ethical decision to refrain from participating in the practices that lead to suffering and ultimately death for our palates. In less than one month, a Chinese University is again being reported on for attacking vegans for their diet, citing research that argues the vegan community is at risk. Ironically, the reports – this study was first reported in mid-March – continue to avoid the actual findings, instead picking and choosing what portions of Duo Li's research into nutrition for Zheijang University suited their needs of attacking vegan lifestyle. It is yet another attempt to portray vegans as radical, fringe people who submit themselves to a diet that is unhealthy. UPI, a leading news agency, wrote in its article that “vegans tend to have elevated blood levels of homocysteine and decreased levels of high-density lipoprotein, the ‘good' form of cholesterol, which are both risk factors for heart disease,” citing Li. The article continues: “The study, published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, concluded there is a strong scientific basis for vegetarians and vegans to increase their dietary omega-3 fatty acids — found in oily fish, walnuts and other nuts — and vitamin B12 — found in seafood, eggs and fortified milk.” They obviously did not read what else Li said. According to the British vegan organization Viva, “vegans, like everyone else, can have low vitamin B12 levels and it has been suggested that eating enriched foods or supplements would be desirable but the review stated that vitamin B12 deficiency is uncommon.” The ongoing campaign in the mainstream media against vegans is not surprising. The dairy industry is massive and continues to formulate our understanding of milk. They have established and almost brainwashed us to believe that we need dairy products. The meat industry has also been a major culprit, arguing that in order to be healthy, one must eat another animal's flesh. Iron, these companies argue, must be an important part of one's diet, and add that meat is the best source for iron intake. It is no surprise that these institutions are also advertisers and investors for much of the research and are a major source of funding for our newspapers. Another part of the uphill battle the true experts face on a daily basis when discussing our food choices. Certainly, with all the meat around, it may be “easier” to get these vitamins, but the error in the argument is that this is simply not true – for healthy and conscious eaters, at least. Anyone who fails to eat a balanced diet can quickly become malnourished. This is fact, whether one is a meat-eater or not. Let's just break down these three essential nutrients. B12 is actually a naturally occuring vitamin in our bodies. If we are healthy and eat well, no problem, our body produces enough B12 to serve our purposes, not to mention the fortified means one can have artificial B12 in ones diet, including breakfast cereals. One down. Vitamin D is often fortified in many foods, including non-dairy milk products such as soy milk. One can also simply walk outside, including on cloudy days, and get the daily does. Two down. Iron. This is one of the most well established myths of a vegan diet: they don't get iron. I find it extremely annoying that meat eaters continuously argue that vegans don't get enough iron and are at risk of anemia. It's pretty easy to search online for reputable sources that discuss iron intake and what foods contain how much iron. Spinach, lentils and broccoli all contain vast superior amounts of iron than, say, a sirloin steak. According to the Vegetarian Resource Group, it would take 1,700 calories of sirloin steak to equal the amount of iron in 100 calories of spinach. So much for that argument. The China Study – conducted over 20 years by Oxford University, Cornell University and The Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine – has shown that meat consumption has put Americans on, literally, a deadly path. The study details the connection between nutrition, heart disease, diabetes and cancer. “People who ate the most animal based foods got the most chronic diseases … people who ate the most plant-based foods were the healthiest and tended to avoid chronic diseases. These results could not be ignored,” said Dr. T. Colin Campbell, an author of the study and a respected nutritionist. The media must do its homework on health and food issues. They continue to rely on resources that are outdated, report misunderstandings. It would be unacceptable for a reporter to not do any background work, or speak to another expert if they were reporting on other issues. Why is it so different when it comes to vegans. BM
