Veganism is a "crazy new diet" as per Food & Wine

[obamanut2012]

Okay, it's Brendan Brazier's Thrive Foods Vegan regime, but I own all of his books, and it is neither crazy nor new. It is aimed at athletes, and he uses alot of raw "cooking," but to include it with the Dukan Diet???


http://www.foodandwine.com/blogs/mouthing-off/2012/1/30/craziest-new-diets

[Jackpine Radical]

1. Evidence of a highly ignorant reporter?

[zipplewrath]

2. New to you

Don't blame an author for the head line, it's usually written by someone else.

The "new" is "new" to the reader. i.e. someone looking for a "new" diet for themselves, here are the "craziest" ones.

There's only about one on that list that is particularly crazy. The rest are just common variations on general themes of eating better, eating less sugar, eating more veggies.

[obamanut2012]

3. I guess I just see veganism as pretty mainstream now

[zipplewrath]

4. Veggie yes

Vegan, not so much. Unless what you mean is that vegans are "well known". Actual vegans are relatively "rare" with respect to the total population. Truth is, I've known alot of vegans, but they don't stay vegan long. 9 months is common. It just gets too hard, socially speaking. But it is true, everyone knows what a vegan is these days, at least generally speaking.

[byronius]

5. Vegan for two years, here. Never, ever going back.

I obviously had some sort of dairy allergy. I've never felt so good in my adult life.

It's weird. Food tastes better. I feel psychologically more stable. I rebound more quickly from exercise.

A friend talked me into trying it. Now -- I'm One Of Them. Permanently.

Lost thirty-five pounds in the bargain.

"It just gets too hard, socially speaking." -- Ah, the power of the herd to shame and ostracize. That has never been an issue for me.

I'm my own person.

[zipplewrath]

6. Allergies can be a powerful incentive

I have a friend that has identified a glucose intolerance. Feels much better now that he understands. He does continue to try to find those "substitutes" for old favorites.

The "socially speaking" part is mere that food is a part of socializing and when the vast majority of people use non-vegan ingredients, it is hard to maintain the diet. It doesn't really have anything to do with "shaming", it's just that an awful lot of restaurants won't necessarily be able to support it. And going to a friends home is even harder if they are aware of the restrictions.

[flvegan]

7. *cough* bullshit

Welcome to the Tofu Ghetto.

If you have any sort of nutritional background to back up that tripe, I'd be happy to hear it. Please be very specific.

I'm especially taken with your "9 month" vegan being common. Please, do back that up poster. You're whole self-destructive negation of your final sentence in regards to your first.

[zipplewrath]

8. Not exactly sure your beef

Excuse the pun of course.

I think all I was saying was that vegan doesn't consititute any large percentage of the total population (over 20% or so). I was also suggesting that the number may be largest if considering the percentage at any particular time, but that the population is constantly gaining, and losing, membership. I guess I don't see the great controversy in that suggestion. It certain aligns with my personal experience.

As for the 9 month, that's just a personal experience, although I'd suspect it isn't that far off for much of the "transient" population that experiments with vegan for a period of time. The proportion of the population that has truly sustained a vegan diet for more than 5 years would be quite small, on the order of single digit percentages I'd guess. Are you suggesting it is otherwise (on more than a regional basis that is)?

And this wouldn't make it particularly different from any other dietary choices. Very few people "stick" to a single dietary philosophy for extended periods of time, unless you include basically the "I don't pay attention at all" crowd.

[obamanut2012]

9. This is the Vegetarian & Vegan Group

[zipplewrath]

10. Yes, it is

But the OP was about an article that was decidedly NOT in any such forum, and as such should probably considered in THAT context, which is exactly what I did.

[flvegan]

12. "Personal experience" and

"personal experience" though you suspect this that or the other regardless of what you know or have to back it up?

And your last paragraph? Laughable.

I'm done with this one. Next?

[zipplewrath]

13. Wow

Hostile bunch around here. Still not sure what's go you all riled up.