Veganism – Fake News!

by John Taylor

Before you read this article, I’m aware that meat-eating can be quite a controversial topic, with many people having one view and one view only. However, whether you’re a vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, or a meat-eater, take a deep breath and chill out. There is nothing wrong with disagreeing with what I write, everybody is entitled to their own beliefs and opinions, so be open minded, relax, stay calm and enjoy.

I write this article in light of so-called ‘Veganuary’, a month in which one can chose to become Vegan. Matthew Glover, the co-founder of the event, wanted to inspire people to try Veganism for January, and hopefully the rest of the year. This year, with over 250,000 people signing up and many more unofficially doing it at home, people have been labelling 2019 as the ‘Year of the Vegan’. From 2006 to 2016, the number of Vegans in the UK quadrupled, while in the US, the number of people choosing the new lifestyle has increased by 600%. So there is clearly a positive attitude towards veganism and it must surely be entirely positive, right? Well, not entirely!

The obvious argument for vegans is that they don’t want to kill or cause harm to any animals. Well, I’m afraid to say it, but they do. The beans, the rice, the tofu, the super fruits, the nuts, the avocados, the lentils, the list goes on. Many of the foods that are now being overproduced to allow vegans to get the nutrients that they need to survive, all harm or kill animals. Farmers have to kill every squirrel, every frog, every mouse, every rabbit, every fox, every bird, every chipmunk, every mole, in fact every animal that inhibits their planting, ploughing, or harvesting of crops will be killed. Yes, I fully agree that factory farming is wrong and don’t want any animals to suffer in that way. However, the vegans who claim to have some sort of ‘moral high ground’ over non-vegans are simply wrong. Let’s not forget the habitats that have to be destroyed to make way for their crops and the animals that are poisoned by fertilisers. Pesticides are designed to kill animals. If you eat lots of processed meat and regularly eat at fast food restaurants, yes, you are going to be eating meat produced from factory farms. However, if you buy responsibly from farms that have raised their produce in moral and humane ways, then there is nothing wrong with having to kill animals to feed mankind. We have evolved this way as omnivores, as evidenced by our canine teeth and digestive enzymes.

The second biggest argument for being Vegan is that it’s better for the environment. In many ways yes, being vegan is good for the environment, as the meat industry is renowned for having a large Carbon Footprint, but most of all, emitting huge amounts of methane. The meat industry as a whole is responsible for almost 20% of global carbon dioxide emissions, which is why I strongly encourage everyone reading this article to try and reduce their intake of meat. However, the ‘meat industry’ has such a wide range of produce, from cows, to pigs, to chickens, to rabbits, to turkeys, so it’s no wonder that it has such a high carbon footprint. Compare it to a single crop, such as rice, which alone produces almost 3% of all CO2 emissions. The arable farming industry is far from good for the environment. Arable farming accounts for 30% of all greenhouse gas emissions.  The flooding of rice fields not only produces methane, but also Nitrous Oxide, more commonly known as laughing gas. It is 300 times more harmful than CO2 and 5 times more than Methane. Rice is the second most used crop in the world, and used by many vegans on a daily basis. The flooding of the fields also destroys ecosystems and ground soil. The disturbance of ground soils leads to Greenhouse Gas emissions and means that more fertiliser must be used to regenerate the soil, which also produces Greenhouse Gases and poisons animals. So, maybe if you’re a vegan, just consider the hidden damage you may be causing when you buy that extra pack of rice.

As I mentioned at the beginning, I wrote this article as a result of ‘Veganuary’. This is, in my opinion, the worst time of year to do it. During January, in Great Britain, we have a harsh, cold and wet winter, therefore meaning that it’s very hard, if not impossible, to grow crops and sufficient food in this country. As a result, we have to import a huge amount of fruit and vegetables for vegans to eat in order to maintain sufficient nutrients for their bodies, to make up for the deficit of meat. For example, the average avocado travels 4,402 miles until it reaches England. In fact, this value could be up to 7,500 miles, dependant on where you shop. However, I can get a fresh sirloin steak from a farm just 2 miles from home. Therefore, during the month of January, the food mileage for a vegan is outrageously high compared to an omnivore. Let’s not forget the actual journey that these vegan ‘superfoods’, such as avocados, soya beans and goji berries, have actually been on. From the harvesting, to the packaging, to the transporting, to the marketing, these foods have to undergo an enormous journey, which is detrimental to the environment, with food miles and the use of wood and plastic for packaging, I’m sure you would I agree that collecting a steak from 2 miles away is far better for the environment.

You often read headlines in newspapers and on websites saying that eating meat triples your chances of getting heart disease and causes cancer. This is true if you eat excessive amounts of meat, especially red or processed meat of course, due to the vast quantities of cholesterol and saturated fats. However, notice how I say ‘excessive amounts’ of meat. It’s the same with any food, if you eat too much of it, it will in some way shape or form harm your body, and inevitably increase your chances of developing a disease or health issues. Take an avocado for example, the classic vegan food, if you eat too much of the high fat and calorie dense fruit, then you will gain weight, just like with any food. Being overweight increases your chances of getting heart failure and developing Type 2 Diabetes. So, of course having too much meat is unhealthy, which is why I do recommend that you think about how much meat you consume and consider reducing your intake of meat, however, totally getting rid  of meat from your diet is unnecessary and would be a big missed steak.

Furthermore, in terms of health, a vegan diet in many aspects is almost certainly worse for you than a balanced diet containing meat. Firstly, the big issue people have with the vegan diet is malnutrition. Professor Chris Elliot, who led the inquiry into food fraud, commissioned by the government after the 2013 horse meat scandal, found that vegan diets could lead “to serious micronutrients deficiencies”. The pro-vice-chancellor for medicine health and life science at the University of Belfast, concluded that fracture rates are a third higher among vegans than the general population. Professor Elliot explained this, as vegans have a lower mineral bone density which is as a result of lower Vitamin D blood levels, caused by a lack of Vitamin D and Calcium. The top 3 food sources of vitamin D are fish, milk and beef. It’s a pretty clear correlation. The only way for a vegan to make up for these nutrients is by taking supplements. However, you cannot call a diet where you physically rely on supplements to maintain your health, a ‘healthy diet’. Not only is it shown the vegan diet to be physically unhealthy, but also mentally. A study in 2017, carried out by University of Bristol found that vegan males are twice as likely to suffer from depression than meat-eaters. They believe this is due to a lack of Vitamin B12 and Omega-3 fats, which have been directly linked with low mood. Also 83% of vegans say they have experienced dystopia. Therefore, the vegan diet is not as healthy as it’s made out to be by many people.

The only type of research that is valid to conclude that a diet or lifestyle is healthy, is multigenerational research. This means that a diet or lifestyle is only deemed as ‘healthy’ when five generations have eaten that diet and still have fertility, still have excellent health and are still doing well. Therefore, it’s impossible to tell that a vegan diet is healthy, given that the lifestyle was only formerly established in 1944, so it’s unlikely that we will know the true consequences of a vegan diet for another half century or so. Dr Weston Price, travelled for over ten years, to the most isolated parts of the globe, untouched by western civilisation, to study and analyse different diets as part of his research as a dentist. From tribes in the Outer Hebrides, to the New Zealand Maori, from the Aboriginal Australians, to the Inuits of the Arctic, from remote villages of the Swiss Alps, to the Polynesian South Sea Islanders, the list goes on; Dr Price travelled the world in a variety of diverse and challenging climates. However, there was one thing in common with all of these communities; they all ate meat. Dr Price did not find a single community which had a vegan or vegetarian diet. This adds to the evidence therefore, that it is not possible to sustain healthy population purely on a vegan diet.

If you’ve got this far, well done, you’re on the home straight now, keep going.

The last point I want to raise, which I think is something that many people either overlook, forget, or simply do not know about, is the people who are producing these wonderful, nutrient dense fruits and foods for vegans. For example, the avocado, which I have spoken about previously, is incredibly popular among vegans. This super fruit however, has a major dark side. There have been many reports that drug cartels and gangs have infiltrated and now control the avocado industry in many places. For instance, the Western Mexico state of Michoacán produces almost 80% of the country’s avocados, but the drug cartel known as Los Caballeros Templarios are believed to be in control of a vast number of plantations. This is a gang which has been known for drug trafficking, kidnapping, torture, murder and rape. Local farmers have reported having their children taken from them by the gang purely because they didn’t give up their land. This is utterly horrific.  

According to the International Labour Organisation, 60% of all child labour in South America is in the arable farming industry. To quote, they say it’s “the most dangerous and difficult of environments, children work at the mercy of the elements, in unnatural positions and are exposed to chemical substances, sharp tools and animal and insect bites. Usually, they begin work at the age of 5. So the superfoods, such as your soya beans and avocados, which are being so over-produced now that they’ve become too expensive for local communities to buy, are being fuelled by drug cartels, and are harvested by children in slave-like conditions. I can source meat locally from a local, trusted farm which I can guarantee has no involvement in child labour or drug gangs. This is one of the main reasons why I will never become a vegan, and I think it’s something that many people never think about. So if you’re a vegan and consume these types of superfoods, just ask yourself this simple question: What do you value more, animal rights or human rights?

Now, I’m not writing this as hate against Vegans, but to educate people on the unspoken truth. I understand that not everybody will agree with what I’ve said, however, I believe that it’s important that people are challenged on what can be a misunderstood concept, with many people just jumping on the bandwagon of veganism, without knowing the true consequences. Now that you have read the article, and know the facts about veganism, it’s your chance to make an educated and conscious decision on whether or not you will begin this unique lifestyle; I certainly know what I’ll be choosing!

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