Interesting that, at the end of this article on vegetarianism, there would be an advertisement for a McDonald's Angus snack wrap!

I have never had an issue getting enough calcium or iron or vitamin D eating a vegan diet. Occassionally I take a vitamin B-12 vitamin to be on the safe side but mostly I get my B-12 from fortified or fermented foods. Taking this small amount of supplements is such a trivial thing considering how many people are sentenced to taking statin, diabetes and blood pressure medications for the rest of their lives.

In the US we consume too much protein and it is not a benefit to our health. I have never shown inadequate protein intake on my CC analysis. 

Anyone interested in medical information on a vegan diet should visit the Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine web site.
http://pcrm.org/

And for those wishing to know the real details about calcium and dairy products please review this information on the Harvard School of Public Health web site.

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you- eat/calcium-and-milk/

It's ridiculous that your article takes on such a negative tone insinuating that humans benefit more from getting their calcium, protein and iron met by animal products. It's archaic because there is so much evidence to the contrary. There are civilizations that have survived many thousands of years with very little or no dairy or meat just fine. Many Asian and Indian cultures and certain religious orders. The information is out there for anyone who would like to know the truth and not receive misguided information biased most likely by financial pressure of sponsors.

Hi my name is Jean Sampson, I live in Spain and am a nutritionist with my own business. I hold workshops and have private consultations on a very frequent basis to teach my clients about their bodies how important it is for the right nutrition. A lot of my teachings is based on the Mediteranean diet, which does include a high proportion of fruits, vegetables and grains. I cannot emphasis just how important they are to our well being. So hearing that Bill Clinton is following a healthy regime I hope will encourage others to do so. I do not know if this is permitted but you can see what I do on my website www.therightlifestyle.com I am passionate about how our body can heal itself with the right nutrients and feel that we have to ensure as many people know about this. Many of my clients love the cookery demonstrations that I give, they have the opportunity to try out different foods that they would normally not use becuase they have not heard of them. Quinoa, Bulgar wheat, millet, and brown rice are all so important with high nutrient content. For those who have taken this route keep up the good work for those who have not please please think about it you may well be saving your own life in the long run..... Jean

One thing I noticed that was incorrect--

vegetarians do not eat fish, that's a pescatarian. I say this because of confusion surrounding eating out or eating with friends--more than once I've told people I'm a vegetarian only to go over for a meal and find that I'm being served fish. Please differentiate--it helps the rest of us out alot. :) 

I am a meat eater on a very infrequent basis.  I lost 50 lbs and reached my goal in 1 year with daily walking for one half hour and a 1400 average calorie diet eating meat only perhaps once a week.  

Now I eat meat even less frequently than that and would give it up except that my family all eat meat and wouldn't give it up.  

Having said all that, less meat=feeling better all around, being healthier, and YES I would go vegan for heart disease in a hot second.

The meat isn't the problem...  it is what we do to the meat before it gets to our dinner plate.  It is how it is raised that has left us unhealthy.  Just ask Native Alaskans who have lived very healthy lives with little vegetation.  Cows shouldn't eat corn - or for that matter - other cows (but we feed it to them). 

I am Vegan (completely, non of that "a fish now and then" that he seems to do) and I am 100% convinced it is the best way to live for your own health, for the enviorment, the animals and the earth.

My step daughter was a vegan and became very, very ill.  She nows eats meat.  I think being is a vegan is a little extreme.  I'm all for a mostly plant based diet (and beans) and I don't eat alot of meat (never beef) but I do eat chicken and fish.  I was vegatarian at one point and became very anemic so it didnt work for me very well.

Original Post by: idrilasphodel

One thing I noticed that was incorrect--

vegetarians do not eat fish, that's a pescatarian. I say this because of confusion surrounding eating out or eating with friends--more than once I've told people I'm a vegetarian only to go over for a meal and find that I'm being served fish. Please differentiate--it helps the rest of us out alot. :) 

As a pescetarian, I feel you on that one.  I try to explain and no one gets it.  Nothing is more fun than listing your dietary restrictions to some blank faced person who wonders what they're going to feed you that night.  Unfortunately for us, it sometimes becomes easier, when they insist on calling us vegetarians, to just say, 'yeah, okay, whatever you gotta call me, as long as you don't put meat on my plate.'  That saves me from having to eat the chicken dish they prepared as the evening meal.  Then of course, when they see me at work the next day with shrimp in my pasta, they think veggies eat seafood.  I try to educate as much as I can, but some people are oddly stubborn about it and just want to clump everyone into two categories- cow eaters and non-cow eaters, and they think if you're a non-cow eater that automatically makes you a vegetarian!  I appreciate all who recognize and honor the differences!

I just think he has been looking very ill lately

Original Post by: selaine04

My step daughter was a vegan and became very, very ill.  She nows eats meat.  I think being is a vegan is a little extreme.  I'm all for a mostly plant based diet (and beans) and I don't eat alot of meat (never beef) but I do eat chicken and fish.  I was vegatarian at one point and became very anemic so it didnt work for me very well.

Then she either ate too little or complete the wrong things. You can try and live on Coke and soy pudding alone and say you're Vegan, obviously it's not going to very healthy.

Maybe you and your step daughter should just inform yourself a little better about what you need to have in your diet to get all your nutrinients. From my experience (I ate meat till I was 12, then became a vegetarian and became a Vegan at 17/18) it is a lot easier to eat healthily as a Vegan.

I tried the vegan / vegetarian diet for over a year. It was definitely rewarding on a lot of levels and surprisingly it was a lot easier to do than I thought. My problems started last December when I broke my arm and had trouble doing any of the physical therapy. I struggled working out and gaining back any of the lost muscle I had from being in a cast for 4 weeks. It just seemed like I never had any strength and I really did feel weak for many months after my broken arm. Then, I started losing my hair. If I had any history of male pattern baldness in my family then I would have thought it was just my turn, no big deal. However, there is no baldness on either side of my family so there was a concern that I was nutrient deficient in my diet. Reluctantly, I have been back eating meat for 4 months now. I have regained the strength in my arm and I am not losing my hair anymore.

I think I could do the vegetarian diet again with multi-vitamin supplementation and protein shakes / powders but I am still conflicted about what to do for my "optimal health".

Congratulations to Mr. Clinton. I hope he becomes an advocate for healthy eating. This article exposes a current media problem - the portrait of vegans as some nut extremist who avoids all animal related products.

All these labels - vegetarian, vegan, pescatarian, etc - are rather pointless. Eat healthy, that is the point. If you don't eat meat but load up on crackers, pasta and other processed "vegetarian" food you are no healthier than the carnivore on the next table.

Forget the labels. Eat a great variety of fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains. If you must have meat, go for it. Keep it reasonable, like 3 times a week. Doesn't matter if you buy synthetic products or love a fur coat. Is there a label for this?

I've done a vegan diet once. I only did it though to lose weight, not for any other reason. Contrary to popular belief you do get all of your nutrients met eating naturally, and I don't even like beans (I ate a lot of edamame & soy) I think it's a great diet to follow.

To  be honest, I could care less about animal rights. I eat a mostly vegetarian diet now because of health reasons, I do not eat red meat and haven't for several years now. I do however consume a lot of fish and dairy.

A lot depends on why a person is eating a vegetarian diet.  In Bill Clinton's case, he is trying to reverse coronary artery disease to prolong his life, which is a pretty good reason! 

Those who are vegetarians because they don't want to harm animals are the ones who don't use any animal products, even leather shoes and boar- bristle hair brushes!

As far as weight loss, it may or may not work to eat vegetarian, depending on the quantity and type of non-meat foods that are included in the diet. 

Here is a link to the reasons why people become vegetarians and some fun stories about being a vegetarian in a meat-eating world!

Why Vegetarianism?

Vegetarian Stories

I am concerned for my diet, I eat out every day (office jobs...  yay) and I have noticed that all main courses are meat or fish based, basically a big chunk of meat or fish together with some side dish. That is way too much protein, I am thinking of ways to cut down the protein intake to two days a week or so. Even if I try that, I might miss the target sometimes and eat meat or fish three or four times in a week, but it's better than 6 + now. I have not considered going vegetarian or vegan because I like meat too much, and because sometimes eating animal products while out is unavoidable...

You are so right! It is how we raise/what we do to our food. I've always ate healthy foods but kept gaining weight. I re-evaluated my diet with a nutritionist who couldn't believe I ate what my food journal said since I weigh about 80 lbs more than she suggested I should. she said there was no way I could eat what I journaled and still be overweight so then she accused me of lying! I re-evaluated again. I have been eating grass fed beef, bison, and chicken, farm fresh in season veg and milk direct from pastured grass fed cattle, organic flours, make my own bread etc. I buy directly from the farmer via a local food co-op. I know who is raising my food and how it is raised. There are no hormones or other drugs used. I've been eating this way since February and feel and look so much better and my weight gain has stopped. The smell of the grocery store now turns my stomach when I have to go buy dry goods I can't get elsewhere and I literally get sick if I have to eat store bought meats or veg at someones house. I've also stopped eating at restaurants which is healthy for me and my budget.

Author's note regarding protein, calcium and other nutrients:

The information about the nutritional considerations for vegan diets was taken from the Position of the American Dietetic Association published in July 2009.  Download the PDF version to review the full article and its 204 scientific references.  The American Dietetic Association is a trustworthy source for science-based food and nutrition information. When reading nutrition information designed for the public, individuals may disregard any that does not personally apply; however, it would be unwise to disregard or fail to correct risks for potential problems in the future.

Original Post by: miguel_arino

I am concerned for my diet, I eat out every day (office jobs...  yay) and I have noticed that all main courses are meat or fish based, basically a big chunk of meat or fish together with some side dish. That is way too much protein, I am thinking of ways to cut down the protein intake to two days a week or so. Even if I try that, I might miss the target sometimes and eat meat or fish three or four times in a week, but it's better than 6 + now. I have not considered going vegetarian or vegan because I like meat too much, and because sometimes eating animal products while out is unavoidable...

"because sometimes eating animal products while out is unavoidable..."

well thats just nonsense.

Great input— and sites

Went vegetarian almost a year ago- made the transition over about 7 months - for mainly health, weight management and staying slender for my yoga practice.  Lean towards vegan, no eggs or dairy, just as an ingredient (love cookies and cake, on occasion!!) and occasionally some parm cheese sprinkled on my whole wheat pasta! Husband, parents don’t agree with me—parents could use to lose 100+#s and they would still be overweight—can only try to set a good example for my children- lost over 110#s myself and will never go back there!.  From experience I think this is the way to go to manage one’s weight for a lifetime.

Bill Clinton looking ill—of course he does- he had heart bypass surgery—something you don’t recover from lickity spilt!  Besides I think anyone that loses a good deal of weight does look a little gaunt initially- until there body gets use to the new weight and the skin has time to adjust- this takes months not days/weeks.

Thanks for the fish remark- family and friends still don’t get that I don’t eat fish—think vegetarians eat fish…  Power to you—if chicken were the only thing offered I’d go hungry!!  Always bring something I eat when dining at someone else’s home.

Vegans/Vegetarians getting ill- recovering from injury sickness….  One really needs to educate themselves in order to eat healthy - or find a professional, and ensure all the trace minerals, macro nutrients along with ample protein, iron etc are being supplied from the diet or supplements.  In the case of an injury you likely required much more protein and calories to regain your strength and yes maybe some meat was needed to fully get back to where you were.  Common sense and listening to your body is what is needed; very happy you are better!

Vegetarians need to ensure they vary their diet, plenty of variety, colors, types of proteins to get the most from the nutrients in the food they are eating.  Like one commenter said- living off of soy pudding and protein bars just isn’t going to cut it health wise! And also getting ample calories for your size and daily activity- eating a plant based diet with so much water based foods could lead to being deficient in caloric intake.  Use the site to count those calories and calculators to find your caloric need!!

 wishing health and happiness to all!

Agreed. I follow a piscetarian diet myself, fairly strict in that, like Mr. Clinton, I eat plant based foods --fish & seafood, but no eggs, no dairy.

Fish and other sea creatures are meat and it does a disservice to vegans and vegetarians to describe the dietary style as "vegetarianism" or "veganism" on the one hand, but it also does a disservice to piscetarians (also spelled as pescatarian, but I like the spelling that derives from the Latin better :-), in that we are *CONSTANTLY* having to explain what it is we eat. I've been told I'm a vegetarian as frequently as a vegetarian has been confronted with the expectation that he or she  can eat fish.

People who don't eat outside the usual American dietary style may dismiss this sort of thing as irrelevant, but, in fact, our culture has defined these lables as a shorthand to help people navigate through restaurants and social gatherings and other such things. When no one understands the language being used to describe a given dietray style, the lables don't function as intended. This would be the big reason that I do try to educate people about it.  If you, like me, are allergic to eggs and soy, a friend who prepares you a breakfast of omlettes with fake, soy-based meat crumbles, you are going to be forced to hurt your friend's feelings when you refuse to eat that breakfast.  However, if my friends understands that "piscetarian" means fish and plants, s/he can make a nice little breakfast plate of fruit, smoked fish, and toast with jam. If she serves me soy as well, I can just smile and set it aside without completely hurting her, and demolish the rest. Yum!

My 20 year old daughter was just home for a 5 week visit and brought along her pescatarian boyfriend.  My daughter eats no beef products, so we have always made certain adjustments for her.  I was amazed how easy it was to modify our meals to make them tasty for her boyfriend as well.  There are so many meat substitutes available at the local market.  My daughters BF was also very easy going about what we fed him, not picky at all as long as there was a healthy amount of veggies at every meal.  Luckily the rest of the family likes alot of veggies along with their steak :-)

I lost a lot of weight when I ate vegan and I didn't even have to count.  I jogged everyday and ate as much vegan food as I wanted.  I also ended up with serious iron deficiency anemia, B12 deficiency, and a face full of acne.  Go fig!  I love eating vegan, but everytime I try my iron dips so low and my face breaks out.  I honestly don't think there is anything wrong with eating eggs from cage free chickens and beef from cows free to roam.  It's just a matter of doing some sleuthing and finding out where your meat comes from.  My body reacts fast to deficiency, illness, etc.  So my thoughts on veganism are that for the majority of people, deficiency won't show up for years.  I hope I don't get hate mail for this .. because I would rather eat vegan .. but I don't think it's complete or healthy long-long term.  And for people with a compromised digestive or immune system it's totally out of the question because it doesn't provide enough or all of the essential nutrients.  I ate tons of iron rich vegan foods but the body doesn't absorb them as well as it does animal foods.  But for short term weight loss .. such as with Billy boy .. it works wonders!

For those that said everyone can remain healthy by going vegan/vegetarian and never eat meat again, this is not true.  You have to remember every person is different; Bill Clinton is a prime example.  There are many people out there that are much larger than he was that don't have heart problems, there was likely some family history involved along with his excess weight that contributed to his health problems.

I was vegetarian for about 6 years and became extremely anemic.  I looked at all the options but nothing worked for me so my doctor ordered me to start eating meat again.  It took several months but finally my iron levels came up to the safe range, but even then just barely, at the very extreme low end of the range.  I tried protein shakes even though I hate them and they make me nauseous, and I tried iron pills but they also had unpleasant side effects.  This was something that I was born with, my mom informed me that I was hospitalized for weeks as a child with anemia.

Remember everyone's body is different so not everyone can follow the same diet and maintain the same health benefits.  I have a good friend that has extreme amounts of protein in his body and he hardly eats any meat, it's just something he was born with and has to monitor. Both our bodies absorb nutrients in different ways.

I would love nothing more than to be vegetarian again, but it comes to a choice between the animal and my own health.

No I would not eat vegan or vegetarian.

It has now come out that the China Study is/was a flawed study. Denise Minger analyzed the data here:http://rawfoodsos.com/category/china-study/

I basically follow a Paleo Diet. Our hunter/gatherers ate meat. They could not have survived on fruits and vegetables alone. If that was the case, we would not be here living in the 21st century if our ancestors just ate plants.

Personally, I think Pres. Clinton looks sickly, like he is not getting enough protein, but if he likes being a vegan then that is his choice.

The Paleo Diet by Dr. Loren Cordain is what I prescribe to. Scientifically it makes sense. The Inuit could not have survived on a vegan/vegetarian diet in the Arctic Tundra. Hardly any vegetation grows out there. They had to eat meat to survive.

Meat is not the bad guy. It does not contribute to obesity like we think it does or heart disease. So what does it? All the lovely junk food, sugar, processed food, rancid hydrogentated oils that Americans eat. Do not forget that junk foods and processed foods are extremely high in sodium.

And why did President Clinton drop weight on his vegan diet? I bet it is because he eliminated a lot of processed junk foods from his diet. And he eliminated fast foods which are high in sodium, hydrogenated fats, low in fiber, and high in sugar.

Meat is not the bad guy. So people stop blaming meat for the obesity problems in the US. It is what we have done to meat that is the problem and all the crappy junk food Americans eat.

I'm a vegan of 2 years (vegetarian of 3) and I love it. I can't wait for this documentary to come out: http://forksoverknives.com/

I don't eat much meat, although when I do it tends to be chicken or fish, but I don't think I could survive on an animal protein free diet. With serious food allergies (anaphalaxis) to nuts and a severe reaction to eggs and many grains - wheat, barley, rye -  which includes the inability to process nutrients from foods containing gluten, I just can't imagine how I'd be able to get sufficient nutrients from the remaining foods that would be available to me without some reliance on fish, fowl and occasional red meat. I think it's wonderful that people can have a healthy diet that consists of vegan, vegeterian, or pescaterian ideals. However, I have no intention of compromising my own health in order to adopt the lifestyle.

I'm a Vegan and I have no problems with strength training. I'm 54 years old and I bench press 455Lb. I have a 35Lb dumbell with me that I use while watching TV or playing on the computer. If you're having problems with building up your arm it might not be because of your diet.

He is not following a vegan diet.He's following a plant based diet that's close to a vegan diet.

Can you not read?

He's very clear and specific to not say vegan in fact.

He still eats fish on occasion and he never mentions what his protein powder is made of. Might be whey for all we know.

Yes Dear I can read. I was relating MY experiences as a vegan and the falsity of eating the flesh of the dead to be strong.

Mr. Clinton is following what can be called a diet prescribed in "naturopathy"; a plant based diet.

I have been following almost similar diet and it has helped cure my food allergy and high blood pressure.

I had watched that interview and fully agree with Mr. Clinton's view that weight loss is actually a side benefit of this type of diet; the main benefit is getting back your complete healthy-state of being.

I had suggested some members in this forum to follow this diet. here is the link to that forum post of mine; maybe it can be useful to others as well.

http://caloriecount.about.com/vegan-vegetarian-motivational- buddies-wanted-ft160646#4

Original Post by: buckninetyone

Yes Dear I can read. I was relating MY experiences as a vegan and the falsity of eating the flesh of the dead to be strong.

 

yes, agree with you.

There are a lot of healthy individuals that eat meat, as well as there are a lot of healthy vegans/vegetarians. The same would go for unhealthy vegans and unhealthy meat eaters. My sister became a vegan but because she ate so much unhealthy carbs, she gained a lot of weight as a result. 

It's the type of food that you consume, which one person stated above. Yes if you're going to consume fatty burgers from McDonald's as a part of your daily diet, then I could see why one would suffer from a heart attack, which requires a triple bypass surgery.

For me the key is about eating healthy so...Great article, but I will stick to eating meat. Thanks!

I think going vegan is fine as long as you take the right vitamin supplements and eat a sufficient amount of calories and protein! To each their own really, what works for some does not work for others and no one should criticize someone of their diet. It's all about Calories in/calories out!

I have been thinking of going vegetarian and still eating fish! I love my turkey bacon and skinless boneless chicken breast though so we'll see how that works out!

I only average about 60-70 grams of protein a day so I assume that if I went vegetarian it would be even harder!

This conversation just proves once again that there is no one diet for everyone. You have to find a balance and a way of eating that works for you and that you can realistically maintain i.e. getting the nutrition, vitamins and minerals that you need.  If it makes you sick  or is impossible to maintain, no matter how popular or how well it works for someone else, it's just not for you. 

Hi,

you can still cook and give your family meat although you don't eat it.  I've been doing that for almost a year, and the family has come to accept that I will not put any meat on my plate. We enjoy our meal times. You control what you eat.  As long as you don't mind what people think or say about you , you will be fine.  Just do everything in kindness. :-)

I chose to become vegetarian when I was about 3 or 4 years old, not knowing it was even a "thing" that people did! A few years ago I quit eating eggs and 7 months ago I went full-out vegan. I have lost some of the weight that I need to through my vegan diet (mostly because a lot of my go-to junk foods aren't vegan). I feel so much healthier and alive, and I contribute a lot of that to vegan eating.  So after 18 years of eating veg, I'm still alive and my only health problem is that I'm overweight! At this point I can't imagine reverting to vegetarianism as there is nothing I miss taste- or nutrient-wise.

I can relate to a previous comment about having trouble eating-out. There are a lot of hidden ingredients in restaurant foods that make vegan eating difficult.

I have but one direct comment for the article itself: "Dr. T. Colin Campbell explained how a mamouth 1980s epidemiological study..." Is mamouth supposed to be mammoth?

Anyone seen the movie Earthlings?

If you eat animals you gotta know what really going on here and even if you don't I would still recommend watching it.

Vegetarians kick ass. Literally, not only will you be healthier by eating a plant-based diet, you will be helping out the whole world. 

I follow a mostly vegan diet to the extent that it is possible to know since it requires an extremely diligent search of ingredients on all processed foods.  And, even then, I am not sure if sometimes I miss animal based additives.  So, I almost always eat unprocessed whole foods and I think it is a very healthy way to eat if done right.  I have lost about 45 lbs on the diet and feel absolutely great.   Plus, I have also experienced excellent cholesterol readings since adopting this approach.  Prior to eating this way, I had borderline-high readings.

I do it for environmental and ethical reasons also.  It seems to me that it is unsustainable for us to eat meat at the quantities we do in the typical American diet. 

I do allow myself dairy on rare occasions, and will even allow myself a small amount of meat on holidays.  But, these are extremely rare exceotions.

I'm probably going to be unpopular for saying this, but I want to know what is actually the best thing nutritionally for the human diet, all political, ethical and animal rights thinking aside. 

I think it's funny that people who are vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian etc... often go that way because of not wanting to eat animals. They wish to consider animals to be on the same level as humans, oddly enough the fact that we as human "animals" are in fact a part of the food chain that exists in the animal world.  We eat other animals and other animals eat us (though of course we smarter than most - except about overeating as we are surely the worst about that -and can avoid being eaten most of the time). 

This said, I think Americans in particular eat too much of everything (me included sadly).  Too much meat is not good for you but too many oranges or too much broccoli is bad for you too.  I just know that every nutritionist and dietician I have met with in the past includes lean meats on the things you need for a well balanced diet, whether you wish to maintain, lose, or gain weight.  They offer vegan plans since they know many people choose that style of eating, but there are always lots of warnings to be sure you supplement with things so you don't get sick. 

One thing I really have a question about is how you eat enough calories on a vegan diet?  I have read that you don't want to go under 1,200 calories - more if you are overweight or are physically active - how do you get that many eating just plant based foods? Would I try it? Perhaps I would short term, but at the same time, I can't see making it a lifestyle. I cut out red meat for a time and then my vitamin D bottomed out to the point that I was misdiagnosed with Fibromyalgia until a new doctor opted to run the vitamin level tests.  I have since started eating red meat about once per week as well as getting sunshine everyday - no sunscreen for 15 minutes along with my vitamin D supplements.

Just one persons opinion.  I agree with several people on here who commented that not everyone is the same and I think the dietary needs are different for different people and everyone is entitled to determine what they feel they should put in their bodies, or not put in their bodies.  I love that about America!

Don't get me wrong--people should be able to choose their own eating/living lifestyle.  Did anyone else find the humor in earlier Orthorexia article in association with this?  Just made me think wow, now I get the orthorexia thing.  After reading a lot of the posts, I think they might go together for some people!

Original Post by: 4photochick

I'm probably going to be unpopular for saying this, but I want to know what is actually the best thing nutritionally for the human diet, all political, ethical and animal rights thinking aside. 

I think it's funny that people who are vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian etc... often go that way because of not wanting to eat animals. They wish to consider animals to be on the same level as humans, oddly enough the fact that we as human "animals" are in fact a part of the food chain that exists in the animal world.  We eat other animals and other animals eat us (though of course we smarter than most - except about overeating as we are surely the worst about that -and can avoid being eaten most of the time). 

This said, I think Americans in particular eat too much of everything (me included sadly).  Too much meat is not good for you but too many oranges or too much broccoli is bad for you too.  I just know that every nutritionist and dietician I have met with in the past includes lean meats on the things you need for a well balanced diet, whether you wish to maintain, lose, or gain weight.  They offer vegan plans since they know many people choose that style of eating, but there are always lots of warnings to be sure you supplement with things so you don't get sick. 

One thing I really have a question about is how you eat enough calories on a vegan diet?  I have read that you don't want to go under 1,200 calories - more if you are overweight or are physically active - how do you get that many eating just plant based foods? Would I try it? Perhaps I would short term, but at the same time, I can't see making it a lifestyle. I cut out red meat for a time and then my vitamin D bottomed out to the point that I was misdiagnosed with Fibromyalgia until a new doctor opted to run the vitamin level tests.  I have since started eating red meat about once per week as well as getting sunshine everyday - no sunscreen for 15 minutes along with my vitamin D supplements.

Just one persons opinion.  I agree with several people on here who commented that not everyone is the same and I think the dietary needs are different for different people and everyone is entitled to determine what they feel they should put in their bodies, or not put in their bodies.  I love that about America!

I'm not a pescetarian because of animal rights; I just won't eat anything I'm not willing to kill myself.  I have no problem yanking a net full of shrimp out of the water, but I do have a problem throwing a live lobster in a pot of boiling water- so I don't eat lobster.  And having seen a chicken killed, and a cow, and a pig... well you get the idea.  I'm not willing to participate in that.  And yes, watching the fish flop around in the bottom of the canoe wasn't the most pleasant thing in the world, but it wasn't so unpleasant that I lost my taste for fish because of it.  

Anyway, that's my personal take on the whole thing.  Each person has their own reasons, and since a person has to answer to their own conscience and no one else's then that's all that really matters.

Some of this info is wrong. I am ovo-vegetarian and I cannot eat refined cane sugar (most sugar on the Americam market,) beacause it is processed with bone char. That takes out most cereals nad many breads. This is a rule many, if not most vegans go by.

Original Post by: buckninetyone

Yes Dear I can read. I was relating MY experiences as a vegan and the falsity of eating the flesh of the dead to be strong.

 

I'm sorry I wasn't specifically talking to you. I'm just sad to see all of the buzz about Clinton's "vegan diet" when he never said he was vegan at all.

And it's not just this site doing it either. It's plenty of sites that are using the word vegan to describe Clinton's diet when he seems to have been very careful to not use that word in the first place.

Calling diets vegan that clearly aren't is a very simple and easy way to pervert the meaning of the word vegan and make it even more confusing and misunderstood by the masses than it already is. I'm sure that a real vegan would be quite upset if they went into a restaurant and asked for the vegan option and were offered fish and I'm afraid that this Clinton=vegan phenomenon could only further such confusion.

I know "old timers' who lived well into their 80s, 90s and past 100 and who ate basically meat products, butter, lard, and sugar.  They never saw a fresh fruit or vegetable until summer.   The only fresh fruit they saw was an orange at Christmas.  These people worked hard, but remained trim and healthy.

A famous star tried a diet like Clinton's.  She said, she almost died from  lack of nutrition and felt so much better when she went back to eating meat.  Many Crohn's patients can't have vegetable/fruit diets.  Those diets destroy their digestive systems.  Point being,  we all have to find a diet that suits our physical bodies.  Not every diet is for all people.  My body would never allow be to go completely plant based and I doubt if Bill Clinton's body will allow him to keep this diet for long.

i've been vegan for over 3 years! loving it! go clinton!

The facts are always twisted to show vegan diets are extreme or unhealthy. This is simply not true. Vegan diets don't cause cholesterol problems, or dietbetes. Standard American Diet with animal products and processed foods are totally unhealthy. Our meat system is one of the most polluted sources of food. Yet people hang on to it until their dieing days.

Yes vegans can be angry. This meat eating is polluting our planet. Causing innocent people and innocent animals to suffer needlessly. Wake up and look at the facts. Go watch a few slaughter house videos. Go look out the ecological data.  Find out exactly what is involved with your eggs, milk, and flesh. It's not a pretty sight. And if most people had to obtain these products with their own two hands then they'd be veg too. Paying other's to supply these products is no different then doing it with your own hands.

Mr. Clinton looks like he is at deaths door.