General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Do Kids Really Need Milk with their Meal ? [View all]Binkie The Clown
(7,911 posts)Myself included.
I think mainly this is because we grow tired of having unsettled issues in our life that need to be constantly re-evaluated and reconsidered.
What I believe, from studying the data, is that eating meat and dairy is harmful to health. What I know with certainty, from long historical precedents, is that a vegan diet will not harm my health. I conclude, therefore, for myself, that the matter is settled. I might be wrong on the harm caused by meat and dairy, but I might be right. If I choose to eat vegan then the worst case consequences if I'm wrong are that I've eaten a healthy vegan diet that does no harm to my health. If I choose to eat meat and dairy, and I'm right then the worst case consequences are serious damage to my health. (e.g., why do vegan populations have virtually NO high blood pressure or heart disease?)
I choose to err on the side of caution and eat only what I KNOW will not harm me, and avoid those things that I BELIEVE (right or wrong) might harm me. As far as I'm concerned, that's the prudent thing to do, especially given the amount of evidence against meat and dairy. (Discounting, of course, the studies funded by the meat and dairy industries because, hey, the tobacco industry told us cigarettes do no harm so it's no surprise the meat and dairy industries tell us the same about their products.)
(Caveat: Soft drinks and potato chips is a "vegan diet", but not the kind I'm talking about. I'm talking about a healthy diet, supplemented with vitamin B12 do to the fact that modern hygiene pretty much eliminated the natural non-animal sources of that vitamin. Traditional vegan cultures that get enough dirt in their diet don't have that problem.)