It’s very easy to get all of the nutrients you need from a vegan diet. I’ve been doing it for years now. And if you take a quick second to google “vegan athletes,” you’ll find many, many, many very fit and healthy humans-burly bodybuilders included. I’m personally more muscular now than I ever have been and I don’t even really think about the protein I’m getting anymore. I just try not to eat crap and it’s amazing what the body does when that happens. Also take a second to look at some fruitatarians.
Your invalid and moot point of setting the farm animals free is almost funny. I must say I’ve never heard that one before. Yes, if we all of a sudden set all of the farm animals free from their factory farms, many would cease to exist and their populations would dwindle dramatically. After that, we’d have so much more farm land to use for crops for human consumption, so many more resources being put towards crops for humans AND a much happier environment, as the pollution from animal agriculture would cut worldwide pollution by almost 20%. Wow, doesn’t that sound nice? Not to mention the fact that the animals would return to their normal sizes, as opposed to the hormone-filled, calorie-ridden monsters we’ve created who, many times, can’t even stand on their own two feet.
http://www.onegreenplanet.org/environment/facts-about-animal-agriculture-and-air-pollution/
I agree that protein is something that humans need, we’ve just been brainwashed into thinking that we need WAY more than we actually do to be healthy. And that amount is easily (and even accidentally and without trying) found in a plant-based diet.
Well, I actually did google vegan athletes, and EVERYTHING I found discussed the difficulty in getting enough protein. What resource are your reading that says humans don't need protein to grow or maintain muscle? Seriously, I would like to know. I've studied nutrition and health as a hobby for years, and what you are saying goes against just about everything I've read.
I just did a google search for "build muscle Vegan diet," and the first five search results all discuss how to get enough protein. I skimmed the articles, not read entirely, but they all address protein. Sure, they say most people overestimate protein needs, but none of them say you don't need protein. Here:
http://scrawnytobrawny.com/plant-muscle
https://www.bodybuilding.com/content/no-meat-muscle-4-rules-for-building-mass-on-vegetarian-diet.html
https://www.mensjournal.com/food-drink/8-best-muscle-building-foods-vegans-and-vegetarians/1-nuts/
https://nutriciously.com/vegan-muscle-building/
http://www.veganfoodandliving.com/15-top-tips-building-lean-muscle-vegan-diet/
As for vegan athletes, I admit there are some, and it is possible, but like I said very few athletes eat this way. As a percentage of athletes, very few eat this way, so giving a few, or even a thousand examples would still be very few. It isn't easy or cheap, a criticism which I notice you didn't bother to respond to.
I'm glad that you're getting good results from your diet, but I'm sure you realize there are way more people who are getting good results with diets that include meat. I mean, Paleo, Keto, and just plain old meathead bodybuilders can get great results simply by watching their macros and exercising properly. Some people get great results simply by limiting their eating to once a day, and then they eat whatever they want.
Perhaps my reply should have been directed to the OP because it's mostly a criticism of obviously false information presented as true. Where is the information coming from that protein is not needed to build muscle?
The point about farm animals wasn't invalid of moot. The OP makes the claim that there is no moral way to butcher animals, and by implication it is immoral to eat meat. I'm assuming that immorality is due to the killing of the animals in an inhumane way, so it is absolutely relevant that all those farm animals would die terrible deaths if everyone became vegan.
You make several claims that just can't be supported as well. First, you say we would have more land for crops for human consumption, but this is so far from a real problem I don't see how you could type it with a straight face. There's enough farmland in 3 US states to feed the world. There's plenty of land. Second you say that many more resources could be put towards crops for humans without even the slightest hint of irony. Those animals ARE crops for humans, and if the land were converted towards growing plants instead, there would still be a need for farm implements, tractors, grain elevators, etc, etc, etc... What evidence is there to suggest that animal agriculture is less resource intensive than plant? You also seem to think that replacing animal agriculture with plant agriculture would cut pollution, but it seems to me you are overlooking the obscene amount of pollution caused by plant based agriculture. Are you aware that it is almost impossible to abstain from glyphosate in the US? It's not being used on cattle... I guess rivers, aquifers, and the ocean aren't that important huh?
Finally towards the end you get to part of the real problem. It's absolutely true that the way most farm animals are raised is disgusting, inhumane, and harmful to the environment. However, it's equally true that most plant based agriculture is genetically modified garbage, riddled with chemicals, raised with petroleum based fertilizers, devoid of nutrients, and harmful to the environment. It is the way that agriculture has been corpritized that is the main problem. Once it became more important to make money than to grow healthy food it all started to go down hill.
If you like eating food that was designed to be able to live through being sprayed with a pound of pesticide then be my guest. I try to avoid it, and it's not easy or cheap. Also, where I live in order to get the proper variety of organic vegan food I have to travel miles out of my way and visit several different stores/farmers markets. I'd also probably have to live in a van. It would be nice if there were a bunch of organic food coops around here, but there just aren't. I've been around this world a little, and it's a pretty common theme. You should be thankful if you live somewhere you can do this on the cheap, or if you are financially well off enough to afford to do it anyway, but not everyone can.
I don't have a problem with veganism, except for when people use false information to try to make it seem as if it's the only legitimate dietary choice. It's not. Many people are actually living very healthy lives eating ONLY meat. I stand by my offer to convert if you pay the grocery bill.
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