My husband, who healed from cancer 12 years ago, was treated by an MD who was also a naturopath. He believed that my husband’s cancer was caused by parasites from eating raw vegetables! The doctor was able to identify three different parasites in my husband’s body, using blood tests.

Soaking raw vegetables in water with vinegar or hydrogen peroxide for 30 minutes prior to eating them supposedly kills the parasites. However, according to Susun Weed & Paul Pitchford, if your digestive system is strong enough, it should take care of parasites on its own; just as the immune system takes care of invasive microorganisms when it is strong.

I’ll add that I too used to be vegetarian (15 years), vegan (4 years), & a raw foodist (on & off for years). Now I eat a whole foods diet, including local, grass-fed meat, eggs, & dairy, & my health & spiritual well-being are so much better off in general.

http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/oct07/diets.ag.footprint.sl.html

Based on choice of language (and the link to PETA), not eating meat is a personal and ethical choice for “V,AYT?” It is unfortunate that “V,AYT?” seems so wrapped up in their dogma that they are not capable of participating in a rational discussion without throwing out terms like murder, rotting carcass and discussions of eating the family pet. While I am pretty sure they were not eaten, PETA has killed nearly 20,000 cats, docs, puppies and kittens since 1998…ethical to euthanize unwanted animals, but unethical to raise animals on a farm specifically for food?

Many vegans obviously have strong feelings regarding the value of animal life as just as important, possibly moreso than human life, and they evidently feel that works for them. I think they are foolish and will pay the price in physical and mental health over the course of their lives, but that doesn’t mean I will proselytize to them. That is their choice.

I, and it seems Jenny, and many others who read her blog, believe that humans are omnivores, that there is wisdom in the natural order of things and that being enlightened does not mean behaving in a manner that is at odds with biology and thousands and thousands of years of evolution.

Having grown up on a arm where we raised our own livestock and slaughtered some of it ourselves, I place a different value on the lives of animals, than a vegan. I always have, and I always will. I never consumed the family dog, but I have had to put two of them down myself, and as a child there was always a certain amount of affection that you developed for the animals, even the ones you know will wind up on your plate some day. We never needlessly killed anything, and we used as much of the “rotting carcass” as possible. We gave thanks to the animals and honored their sacrifices for us to live.

Vegan, Are You Threatened will probably not change the mind of anyone reading these comments with their evangelical stance, but perhaps readers with questions will do as Sarah H below says and “start researching and thinking for themselves!” That means being open to opinions different than yours, and accepting that people have a right to those differing opinions.

If farmer has no market for certain breeds, this breeds will perish. Unless someone recognizes them as some sort of genetic reserves and builds a rescue plan. It nearly happened in case of mangalica pig. This extraordinary breed was near extinction and just interest from spain saved them. Because in Spain, they were able to appreciate their quility meat.

when i was in college i got to read a lot of personal finance blogs and they kept insisting that eating vegetarian is cheaper – to me it turned out false – when my income decreased by one third, i found out that i no longer afford to be a vegetarian because i couldn’t get all my nutrients in a cheap way – so i got to eat a lot of eggs, to make my own products out of raw milk and to eat organ meats that are much cheaper than getting my proteins from soy, lentils and rice

I know many people from India who have lived long lives b/c they cook well and eat fresh, every meal is either rice or chapattis, some kind of lentils, some vegetable dishes with spices, and perhaps a sweet, and then some buttermilk to aid digestion. and if can’t eat fresh, they eat fruits.

I’m happy to read that the author doesn’t like factory farms, but the truth of the matter is that a huge portion of the population either doesn’t want to spend the $ on “free range” or they don’t even know it exists.

My last point is, that vegetarians seem to age slower and look better.

Just wanted to send you a quick thank you for your comment.  Posts about vegetarianism, meat-eating and grain avoidance always tend to cause a stir, so it’s nice to hear from someone who can really appreciate the value of traditional foods.

- Jenny