Jen and I are spending a few days in New Jersey. When we arrived we had a present awaiting us: Becoming Vegan

This book is one of the best resources for the vegetarian-going-vegan, long-time vegan, and any person who takes even a remote interest in their health and well-being (and the health and well-being of their friends and family).

Buy this book! I cannot state it more clearly: it's cogent, full of facts - decimating, as it does, our collective assumptions about diet and nutrition (And protein, oh the protein!) -and very, very accessible.

Here are some "fun" facts:

The % of calves that never suckle from their mothers' udders is 50% - never.  (Thanks to the dairy and veal industries for this.)

Male chicks (from laying hens) killed per year by suffocating, gas, or grinding in the U.S.: 200 million. (Oh, so that's what happens to the baby boy chickens. It's like reverse China.)

Pigs with pneumonia at the time of slaughter: 70 %. (Pneumonia's fun isn't it? Maybe those PETA videos about farming conditions aren't the result of "selective editing" after all.)

Proportion of all antibiotics that are used in animal agriculture: 40 %.  

How about some more numbers:

10-40% of calories in most plant foods are derived from protein. Therefore, by consuming enough calories from well-balanced vegan foods, it's easy to get more than enough protein. (Get out! I guess vegans and vegetarians do actually eat protein. They're human after all.)

B-12 is a bacteria that also lives on plants, not some crazy vitamin that only (and naturally) occurs in animals. That's interesting, and easily remedied then.

Animal protein raises blood cholesterol levels, while plant protein lowers it. (Not to mention the saturated fats our fat society loves so much.)

All essential amino acids (you know, the building blocks of protein) are derived from plants. If you get any from eating nonhuman body parts that means that the animal ate a plant (or ate another animal who ate a plant)!  

One medium egg provides 5.5 g protein, so someone who needs 50 g of protein (that would be most of us) would have to eat 9 eggs each day to meet their entire need for protein. Versus 1 1/4 cups - ya, that's right! - of extra firm tofu. (So much for the egg-as-"gold standard"-for-protein-quality myth.)

This could go on forever. For the vegan athlete, the young and old alike, everything you need (and everything you don't need!) is stated succinctly on each and every page of this book.   

A man sits comfortably eating a cheesy-bacon-chicken sandwich in either an isolated car or a hotel room off the beaten path - the type of place one visits when they are sleeping with someone who isn't their husband or wife. There he sits devouring decomposing chickens when a large bull forces himself into the room - or bashes himself into the parked car - with a rage in his eyes reminiscent of the stereotypical "scorned wife." 

His anger is the result of jealousy of course: This man, how dare he, chose another nonhuman to kill because he/she tastes good, which seemingly doesn't allow the bull to fulfill his life's ambition to be that piece of rotting flesh in our bellies. And he's not happy about it. Breathing is overrated when compared to suffering and death for our gastronomical pleasure, right? 

"Chicken so good it will make you cheat on beef," as the commercial says.      

I overheard a conversation the other day between three people. They were having a discussion about what they were going to eat, some kind of Italian sandwich shop was mentioned, and for some reason (I couldn't hear why the conversation was re-directed) one of the individuals mentioned that his daughter was a vegetarian (or going vegetarian). Sure enough, the counter-insights were on, followed by some dietary advice.

The situation was as follows: The father of the vegetarian or soon-to-be vegetarian stood fast defending his daughters choice (he seemed to imply that he was also considering giving up flesh), while the other two individuals expressed their sincere concern for his daughters' health stemming from her (and his I suppose?) poor choice.

A: "Well, you know, vegetarians have to be very concerned about their health."

B: "Like protein?"

A: "Yes, protein, but not only protein; they generally lack nutrients essential for energy and muscle health. There also seems to be a problem with vitamin absorption...But yes mainly protein."

B: "She seems to be doing well. But thanks."

A: "Blah, bliggity blah, blah, blah, blah."

I sat there wondering to myself, here they were discussing what food they were going to eat later (e.g., Italian meats and cheese) without a single mention about what foods may lead to hypertension, obesity, heart disease, diabetes and all those other health issues that plague nations of omnivores.

Neither of these two individuals now overly concerned about health and diet suggested that whatever they eat, they should reduce the overall amount of meat being consumed (to, essentially, three pieces of meat that are about the size of your palm per week) because evidence has been compiled recently which suggests that over-consumption of meat leads to various forms of cancer; or dairy and its correlated cancer risks. These now enlightened individuals didn't argue that they must make sure to eat their vegetables, fruits, grains and legumes (you know, those foods that compose the bulk of the "food pyramid"), while avoiding large amounts of meat and dairy (you know, those boxes up there with candy). Indeed, I didn't hear either of them mention to this man whose daughters' choice now interested them so greatly, that they had most likely allready consumed their allotment of meat for the week - by Tuesday - and they, therefore, ought to avoid eating anymore flesh.

It seems to me that there are unstated assumptions in these conversations we vegans and vegetarians constantly have with omnivores.

One, omnivores such as these two individuals seem to be implying that not being a vegan or vegetarian is all that one must do to avoid having health problems. Hence the lack of concern for their own diets and food choices, and their over-concern for the vegetarian. The assumption is obvious: being a vegetarian brings with it health issues whereas being an omnivore seems to not warrant any concern. Therefore, why have a little inner reflection - it's not necessary to turn all that anxiety and unease over food options upon the choices being made daily by themselves and the greater majority in our society.

This assumption is sound insofar as people are not dying from colon cancer and cholesterol related illnesses that seem to directly result from the consumption of flesh. This is plausible (?) or maybe it's an embarrassingly stupid assumption.

Another assumption is being suggested by the paternalistic tone of the advice. There seems to be a presumption that those going vegetarian don't consider the alleged health issues that confront them; therefore, individuals such as those two at the table are there to fill in the parental gap and offer their service. This type of gall is frustrating for any somewhat autonomous individual and we shouldn't be worried about letting those stand-in mothers know how we feel.

I think, however, what underlies it all is defensiveness disguised as care. We vegans and vegetarians are made aware everyday that our very presence causes irrational defensiveness on the part of omnivores because, well, I don't know. We make them feel uncomfortable, which, in keeping with our status as a minority group, is easily countered by challenges to our choices on various fronts: ethics, freedom, health. On each of these fronts, fortunately, not for us but for the billions of nonhumans we unnecessarily torture and kill annually, we have readily available (and correct) responses. Let's respond indeed; the time must pass when we allow these assumptions and false concerns to go unchallenged.

Vegans make non-vegans feel uncomfortable. There it is, isn't it? You feel this inside therefore out comes the same tired old arguments (excuses?) for the benefits of being an omnivore - or more accurately, not being a vegan. You may not even know that your sympathy is false, a disguise, a not-so-clever front. But it is.        

We have the upper hand because I think it's only appropriate that individuals such as the two paternalists mentioned above turn their consideration inward and figure out why we are increasingly the fattest and most unhealthy nation on this planet. All while meat industries continue their reign as one of the most prolific lobbying groups in Washington, D.C. and McDonalds convinces parents that cheeseburgers, french fries cooked in saturated flesh fat, apple slices (?), and a large coke is actually a well-balanced meal.

Please, hold your concern and, since you are apparently so concerned about health, consider your own choices and save the stereotypes and misinformed advice.  

Will be crossposted @ Vegan Soapbox

"A "right" is a moral principle that governs one's freedom of action in society...man is the only being capable of grasping such an abstraction, understanding his actions within a principled framework and adjusting his behavior so as not to violate the rights of others." 

"Unlike most mammals or other types of creatures, humans are not born with instinctual, inherited knowledge of how to survive. Rather, man's survival is achieved through reason, which allows him to integrate the facts of his surroundings and apply this knowledge to use and shape the natural world for his preservation and advancement."