Comments on: Public perceptions of energy consumption and savings

By: Tara Soppe

Tara Soppe — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 23:39:42 +0000

In your article you make a very valid point. We as individuals can do much to reduce our own carbon dioxide production, yet we are indeed selfish and lazy. I think that one of the reasons we don’t put forth the effort to reduce our carbon footprint is that we, as a society, don’t really grasp the long-term effects of our energy waste. It doesn’t take much effort, time, or money to make a signficant reduction in a persons carbon dioxide production and perhaps if more would become educated on why it is important then maybe a difference could be made. Great article.

By: Laura

Laura — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 15:02:38 +0000

Stephanie,
Perhaps your friend who got a B-vitamin deficiency on a vegan diet, had a malabsorption problem. WHich could be caused by celiac disease. Sometimes people get into trouble with a vegan diet because they’re eating a lot more gluten than before, and they’re gluten intolerant without knowing it. Or, they might have some other grain or soy or whatever intolerance. In that case it’s much better to find out what caused the malabsorption problem or to find the food sensitivity with an elimination diet, than to try simply to overwhelm the malabsorption by eating tons of liver or whatever. Because celiac disease or hidden food sensitivities can cause serious problems.
People on vegan diets can also check for nutrient deficiencies using a nutrient tracking program like the Cron-o-meter, available free online. Weigh and measure the food in their customary diet for awhile, and see what’s short. I haven’t used this program, I’ve used a little C program I wrote to check my diet.

By: Greg Laden

Greg Laden — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 06:39:51 +0000

Jeremy [59]: I don’t think that paper says what you think it says. And, you will watch your language, please.

By: Stephanie Z

Stephanie Z — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 01:29:30 +0000

And excuse me, but did you really just link to a forum hosted by someone who thinks President Clinton should have refused heart surgery?

By: Stephanie Z

Stephanie Z — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 01:25:07 +0000

Laura, would you like to talk to his doctor about their private discussions on oral supplementation? Do you need to interrogate my friend over what he ate every day (the same thing his wife did, by the way, with no problems)? Or are you a doctor making a diagnosis without screening the patient?

No, diet is not that simple for everyone. Not everyone can tolerate all the same foods, and not everyone gets all the same nutrition from eating the same thing. Get off your idiotic high horse and stop acting as though you have the answers for everyone. Veganism isn’t supposed to be a religion. It’s supposed to be an option, but it’s one that requires knowledge, including the knowledge that sometimes a vegan diet fails a person instead of the other way around.

By: Laura

Laura — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 01:20:51 +0000

The URL of the vegan forum is http://drmcdougall.com/forums/index.php
Doesn’t work with a period at the end of it.

By: Laura

Laura — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 01:18:23 +0000

ps I suggest asking about any worries about a vegan diet at http://drmcdougall.com/forums/index.php. These are a whole bunch of people there who eat a very lowfat vegan diet, and many who have for years. Mostly to lose weight, but there are also athletes and people doing calorie restriction for life extension there. A lot of very healthy people! in their vego-phobia, many people forget that vegans are healthier on average in many ways. Even though a lot of them aren’t carefully tracking their nutrients or taking supplements other than B12, they *still* manage to be healthier, like less heart disease and less overweight. There are just huge advantages to plant foods.
I can’t eat grains or legumes, among many other foods. But I still manage to have a very healthy almost entirely vegan diet – with care. I get maybe 1% of my calories from animal food.

By: Laura

Laura — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 00:32:05 +0000

Stephanie,
If he got a terrible B-vitamin deficiency, he obviously didn’t have a good vegan diet. Just taking a multi vitamin and mineral with the RDA’s of everything will take care of that sort of thing.
People can have poor diets on animal food, too. I knew someone who hated vegetables and fruit and loved eggs, mostly. Very high-fat diet, was fat. He couldn’t see in the dark! He turned out to have a vitamin A deficiency!
And how many hours per day do people spend watching TV? Some shockingly large amount. I don’t think the idea that people just can’t afford the time to ride their bikes around, works. If that’s what you were getting at.
People in China got around in droves on bicycles, for years. People in Holland do too. It’s obvious that people could do it far more in the US. The main obstacle seems to be fear of cars.

By: Stephanie Z

Stephanie Z — Sat, 09 Oct 2010 23:59:25 +0000

Laura, I have a friend with a very good vegan diet. Well, actually, he had a good vegan diet until his doctor made him stop because of a B-vitamin deficiency that had pushed him into depression. After some massive supplementation via injection and a return to getting some animal products in his diet, he’s no longer experiencing this fairly common side effect of veganism. And you’re still missing the issue of time-poorness.

By: Laura

Laura — Sat, 09 Oct 2010 23:14:18 +0000

Stephanie,
Veganism can be quite inexpensive. Yes, you have to do it right. There’s a paper by the ADA on vegetarian and vegan diets at http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/adapaper.htm – it details nutrients that may be a concern. Some common worries about it are completely unjustified: for example, it’s hard to not get enough protein, if you eat plenty of whole plant foods.
Biking is an excellent way to get around. Some grad students get their exercise that way, rather than spending time at a gym. And it saves a LOT of money!