Vegan diet

mariaalice

Can you live on a vegan diet with products only grown in Ireland and the UK and without mono planting developing? I am sure we wouldn't starve but could it be tasty and interesting.

Veganism might be as bad for the planet as meat-eating it leads to huge mono planting of cashew nuts, almonds, coconuts, and the like.

Apparently, the best would be cutting meat-eating by 75% and animals raised in a traditional manner and the end of commercial farming.

EmmetSpiceland

Nearly never won the race.

mariaalice

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118168648#Comment_118168648

The grammar nazis never given up!

_Brian

Veganism is just an extended form of eating disorder similar to bulimia or the like. It’s not normal or natural amd certainly no better for the human or planet than eating a fully rounded diet encompassing foods from all food groups.

mariaalice

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118168712#Comment_118168712

Dont agree with that it's a bit faddy maybe, and a lot of people have ethical issues with the production of meat for human consumption.

Do not think I could personally survive any vegan diet. I would not project that to dissing the diet itself. It just would not work for me. If I had to then further limit myself to crops and products producible in the UK or Ireland - then all bets are off. Many of the mono crops you mention are not as sustainable (if at all) on Irish and UK soil.

I spent a few years working on my diet looking for the one for me. I went through every diet and fad you have heard of and probably some you have not. HCLF, HFLC, veggie, meat only, paleo, everything in between.

I finally found a way of eating for me that maximises my energy fitness and general feeling well - and as I said in another thread I have not been ill for as long as I can currently remember. I can not even remember my last sniffly nose cold let alone any actual illness.

So no plans to change now :) Currently the diet I am on works for me.

cnocbui

An Australian academic and her partner wanted to prove how fit and healthy a person could be on a vegan diet, by climbing Mt Everest. She died, and her husband nearly did. https://www.9news.com.au/national/aussie-lecturer-dead-as-everest-claims-first-victims-of-the-season/0708aa7f-2108-4fb3-8ad0-b7afe6280680

Thelonious Monk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118168899#Comment_118168899

He's a farmer, they hate anything to do with veganism as they're worried about losing money, simple as that - it's all money money money with that lot. Also people in rural areas like farmers are more likely to be narrow minded due to the lack of exposure to different kinds of people, and would be weary of anything different.

Wabbit Ears

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118168712#Comment_118168712

And there it is, the absolute stupidest thing ive read on the internet this week, its only Monday!! I'm done for the week I think... jesus fcuking christ on a bike.

cnocbui

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118169019#Comment_118169019

So vegans eat stuff that isn't produced by farmers?

StupidLikeAFox

Wouldn't fancy surviving on some of the vegan friendly products on the market. A lot of ultra processed crap (vegan cheese, meat etc), might be vegan friendly but not particularly healthy I'd imagine

StupidLikeAFox

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118169241#Comment_118169241

Full disclosure - I was eating a packet of crisps when I posted this

seamus

The short answer to the OP is, yes.

magicbastarder

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118168993#Comment_118168993

at least no non-vegans have ever died trying to climb everest.

EmmetSpiceland

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118169094#Comment_118169094

That’s funny, I don’t “notice” you at all.

The One Doctor

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118169019#Comment_118169019

That's dumb, we all depend on farmers... otherwise we'd all die. Of course they're interested in money, they don't grow crops and rear animals out of the goodness of their hearts. Farming is a tight margin business, they need every advantage they can get.

BurgerFace

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118168712#Comment_118168712

So half if not more of the population of India have an eating disorder. Nice one mate. Well played.

Irish_wolf

I'd say the type of vegan diet you could live on eating purely home grown foods would be fairly miserable and repetitive and would like need additional supplements to meet all your nutritional needs. Countries that culturally have low meat diets tend to be in areas that have great growing conditions and as such they can eat a varied and healthy diet of different nuts, beans, fruits, leafy greens etc.

You can of course be healthy and strong and also be vegan in much the same way you can be an unhealthy slob on a 'traditional' diet, there are countless examples of both. Anyone who thinks you cant be healthy as a vegan is deluded in my opinion, just like anyone who thinks eating any kind of animal by-product regardless of the method by which it is obtained is somehow bad for you is also deluded.

To be fair the science is still out on veganism for something like bodybuilding (Although there are plenty of examples of such) as these people typically have to supplement their diet with vitamin and mineral supplements in order to maintain their health, the origins of which are not always the most transparent.

mariaalice

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118169261#Comment_118169261

yes we could feed ourselves or yes we could feed ourselves and it would be tasty and interesting?.

Seaweed is edible bur there is a difference between palatable and edible.

Freddie Mcinerney

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118169228#Comment_118169228

Bord Bia seems to think so.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

Yeah, because vegans only eat seaweed...

-------

There's a documetnary on Netflix called the Game Changers* - have a watch of that and then come back and tell me you can't live healthily on a plant-based diet.

*Except you won't, will you?

silliussoddius

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118168899#Comment_118168899

But it’s not just meat. Can attention seekers, sorry vegans eat eggs or honey?

magicbastarder

if we're going to get into lazy stereotypes, can i opine that men with barbecues are way more performative in their food choices and (lack of) cooking skills than vegans are?

mariaalice

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118169424#Comment_118169424

I'd say it's a healthy diet as long as you are careful, it's just there is a lot of ignoring of the downside monoculture of certain food products because of the rise in plant-based diets.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118169435#Comment_118169435

Depends on the vegan. There is no clear definition that I know of - less so among individual vegans themselves. I have seen people define as vegan who simple swore off direct animal products. So they would be happy with honey but not eggs for example. But others will not touch the honey.

But I have also seen the more extreme type who will attempt to avoid more indirect products too - such as where animals were used in the production of something. So not only would they not touch the honey - they would avoid crops where the bees were pressed in any way by humans into being pollinators on their behalf.

I spoke with one therefore who was actually concerned about the production of carrots. If a workhorse or similar beast of burden was used to till the land the seeds were sown in - this person could not eat the carrots. If it was tilled by hand or by tractor - it was ok. Though their eyes crossed over a bit when I asked if it was a concern depending on what fuel the tractor used - like a bio fuel compared to a fossil fuel. I think it came as a question that they had not considered before until that very moment.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118169459#Comment_118169459

Well, any diet requires a bit of research in order to be heathy and environmentally friednly.

green daries

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118169019#Comment_118169019

Ahhhh news flash everything you eat is grown by a farmer 🙄🙄🙄

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118169579#Comment_118169579

Does this depend on the definition of "farmer" you are using?

The fish I catch and eat - the rabbit I trap and eat - and the mushrooms I find and pick and eat - were not grown by any farmer. At least not by any definition of the word I know of.

Thelonious Monk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118169228#Comment_118169228

not by the exclusively beef/dairy vegan hating farmers that frequent boards.ie, no

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118169589#Comment_118169589

Could be argued that in those cases you are effectively the farmer yourself, but yeah - depends on the definition.

EmmetSpiceland

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118169629#Comment_118169629

The meat “lobby“ has a strong presence on the site alright, T.

If you dare try to suggest that, cheap, packet ham is anything other than the finest cuts, carved out by grandad Donal in his back shed, as opposed to the reclaimed “meat slurry”, it actually is you’ll be met with aggressive opposition.

”Big Meat” doesn’t want you to know that you get what you pay for but you can’t really complain that you’re chowing down on eyelids, connective tissue and scrotum when you’re paying a couple of euro.