Applying Critical Thinking Skills to Arguments about Veganism

The first time my child came home and told me he had a class called Critical Thinking, I was quite surprised. That certainly wasn't a subject we'd covered in my elementary school! However, I quickly recognized the reason and the benefit. In an age when access to information is at its peak, access to misinformation is also at an all-time high. Today, we are bombarded with false messages from marketers, advertisers, media, politicians, special interest groups, and chain emails from our well-meaning grandmothers.

In Critical Thinking classes, children are being taught to look at the credibility and logic of messages they receive. There are many different techniques for teaching this, but the basic steps are:

1. Identify the argument being made in the message.
2. Assess your own knowledge on the subject, and use that knowledge as a base for evaluation.
3. Identify what opposing points of view may exist.
4. Evaluate the evidence in favor of either position.
5. Look for unwarranted and/or unfair assumptions.
6. Identify techniques and devices used to 'sell' a position, such as false logic, manipulations, etc.
7. Draw conclusions based on the reliable evidence and common sense assumptions. 

This sounds more complex than it is. Put simply, critical thinking can be summed up by the old axiom, "Question everything."

It struck me recently that so many of the arguments that we routinely hear against veganism don't even stand up to the most basic of questioning. I'm speaking specifically of a few arguments that have reached meme status (by which I mean that they are a cultural contagion, not that someone has made them into an animated .gif - although come to think of it, they probably have). I'd like to explore just a few of these notions.

1. "You only eat plants? But where do you get your protein?"

Step one in critical thinking is to identify the message. What is the message here? The message conveyed is that protein comes solely from animal products: meat, dairy, and eggs. Is this message true?

Step two is to assess your own knowledge on the subject. What is protein? If you took middle school biology, this was likely your automatic answer to that question: "Proteins are the building blocks of life." Yes, proteins are molecules found in all living organisms. That includes plants. Where does the cow you're eating get its protein? From plants.

So why do many of us think of protein as something that only comes from animal products? Well, does this look familiar? 

You'll notice that the food pyramid that so many of us grew up with has a level often referred to as 'proteins' that contains mainly animal products. Even this, the 2005 USDA version only gives a discreet nod to plant proteins by including "dry beans" and nuts. (Dry beans? Really?) 

But is this based in science? Steps 5 and 6 (evaluating assumptions and looking for the 'sell') come into play. Googling tells us that the initial food pyramid was developed with little or no regard for nutritional science. It was developed in Sweden to promote cheap nutrition sources. What began as a cooperation between the government and a chain grocery became a marketing tool when the government agency backed off the pyramid concept but the grocery continued to push it. The idea soon spread. 

Now, 40 years later, the concepts it conveyed persist, even though it's considered outdated and wrong. The USDA now acknowledges that vegetarian/vegan diets can meet all your protein needs. Granted, they're still incorrectly suggesting you that you need to rely on beans and nuts to do so. For the record, broccoli contains more protein than beef. 

So step 7, drawing conclusions... we've been erroneously led to believe that plants don't contain protein. They do. You can get your protein from plants.

2. "If we all stopped eating meat, cows would take over the Earth." 

The first time I heard this, I thought it was a joke. But I soon learned that this was an accepted belief for many people - they heard it asserted somewhere and thereafter accepted it to be true. The thinking goes that, since we currently have enough cattle on the planet to satisfy the number of meat eaters, if everyone stopped eating meat, those animals would reproduce and overpopulate, thus draining our natural resources. Let's think critically about this message.

Immediately obvious should be the false logic of this message: it is based on the idea that "everyone" would stop eating meat simultaneously. It's certainly true that if everyone on the planet stopped eating meat today and no measures were taken to control the natural reproduction of cows currently housed for future use as meat, the population might become unsustainable. However, I've yet to meet a vegan that expects a moment of glorious global epiphany to occur in which all mankind suddenly realize the superiority of veganism and swear off meat in an instant. Asking you to reduce or eliminate your meat intake is not the same as expecting a spontaneous universal abstinence.

So let's reduce that absurd argument to a more logical question. If meat consumption continues to decrease (as it has yearly for about a decade), will we face overpopulation of cattle? Assessing our personal store of knowledge (step 2), we can recognize that wild animals can become overpopulated in a given area. Is this how cattle currently reproduce?

No. Cattle are not wild animals, but commodity animals. As a commodity, they are subject to the laws of supply and demand. They are warehoused like other commodities, and their production (in this case, reproduction) is strictly controlled. Livestock producers create only enough new product to meet the demand. Less demand, less product. (Lest you think I'm attempting to cast the beef industry in a bad light be referring to living animals as 'products', please see this fact sheet from the beef industry itself, entitled Modern Beef Production.) Were this not the case, after ten years of declining demand, would we not already be overpopulated?

But what if everyone did eventually give up meat? To avoid extinction, some cows would have to be released into the wild, right? Released into their natural habitats, cows would face the same perils and predators they faced prior to domestication. Nature strikes a balance.

Drawing a final conclusion, we're in no danger of a cow coup. Don't bother making banners to welcome your bovine overlords.

3. "Drinking milk is good for cows. Cows have to be milked, or they'll die."

The message here is that cows naturally produce milk and we're doing them a favor by milking them.

Drawing on our own knowledge, we know that cows are mammals. A key characteristic of mammals is that they nurse their young. (This is why the milk-producing organs these animals possess are called "mammary glands.") So do cows naturally produce milk? Only in response to pregnancy. Just like humans and other mammals, a cow must become pregnant before milk production begins.

Are cows somehow different from other mammals, where once triggered their milk production continues ad infinitum? No. Over time, a cow will 'dry up' like any other mammal. This is true when a cow's calf naturally weans, and it's also true of dairy cows, who are separated from their calves hours after birth so that they can be milked for human use. According to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, dairy cows are milked for 10 months, dry up, then they are re-impregnated to start the process over again.

Where does the belief that a cow will die without being milked come from? From rare circumstances where high-producing dairy cows developed infections  as a result of not being milked. So to be clear, the cows died, not from something that happens naturally, but from something that happened as a result of our unnatural method of warehousing nursing cows without their calves so we can take their milk for humans. We are creating that problem, and then asserting that we're solving it by perpetuating it. Doesn't it seem logical that a better solution is not to create the problem in the first place?

From this critical examination, we can draw the conclusion that under natural circumstances, cows do not need to be milked by humans.

What's the Point?

Combining some elementary school or middle school science and some quick internet searches with a few critical thinking skills, we've managed to very easily debunk a few basic concerns people may have about veganism. The point I'm making is that many times we hear and accept arguments as true without actually examining them. If you are a person who has heard things about this healthy, compassionate lifestyle that concern you, make sure you've thought them through or done the necessary research to get at the truth. In fact, that's probably a good policy for any topic in your life... think it through, learn the truth. Words, I think, to live by.

Can you be vegan and gluten-free?

Transitioning from a standard diet to a vegan one seems daunting enough, but for those with celiac disease, gluten intolerance, or wheat allergies, there's an added level of fear. Can it even be done?

You may be surprised to know that, not only can it be done, but there are now an abundance of resources to help you: blogs, cookbooks, a website, even a forum. Let's take a look, keeping in mind this list is not exhaustive:

Blogs:
Gluten Free, Soy Free, Vegan - Earthy foods and flavors from a Peace Corps volunteer living in Senegal. Mixed in among standards like pancakes and smoothies, find recipes for pumpkin lasagna, squash tagine, lentil dhaal, or dosas.

Manifest Vegan - An all-purpose gluten-free vegan cooking site. Find recipes to satisfy foodies as well as novice cooks. Also has tags for those who are soy-free, nut-free, corn-free, or refined sugar-free.

See also: The Welcoming Kitchen, Going Against the Grain, Veganza, and Fork & Beans

Websites and articles:
http://www.glutenfreeveganlove.com/ - recipes, tips, and lifestyle advice.

https://www.onegreenplanet.org/vegan-food/soy-free-gluten-free-vegan-meals/
https://cookieandkate.com/gluten-free-soy-free-vegetarian-recipes/

https://www.gloriouslyvegan.com/vegan-soy-free-and-gluten-free-dishes/

Cookbooks:
Great Gluten Free Vegan Eats, by Allyson Kramer
The Gluten-Free Vegan and Gluten-Free Vegan Comfort Food, by Susan O'brien
The Welcoming Kitchen, by Kim Lutz
Gluten-Free & Vegan Holidays, Flying Apron's Gluten-Free & Vegan Baking Book and Gluten-Free & Vegan Bread by Jennifer Katzinger

Forum:
http://www.vegiac.com/ - While the activity in the forum ebbs and flows (it seems to be in an ebb stage at the time of this writing), the wealth of information in the previous thread makes it worth creating an account. Find recipes, resources, and advice from others with first-hand experience.

While being both gluten-free and vegan definitely presents some challenges, with the amount of information and support available, it's not only possible, it's now simpler than ever.

Going (Vegan) Native

Let's get this out of the way: The term "going native" at its origin is patronizing, Eurocentric, and... well, kind of offensive. But it's also the only term I can think of that represents the idea of adaptations to a lifestyle different than one's early indoctrination becoming ingrained to the point of feeling more natural than the lifestyle into which one was raised. So for lack of a better term (and feel free to suggest one for my future use)...

I've gone native.

Here's the thing. For me and the majority of vegans in the U.S., we're raised in a highly carnistic culture. The lifestyle ingrained in us from youth revolves around the unhealthy, unkind foods that we vegans give up. Think of any culture-specific activities in the U.S., and chances are they involve carnism. Independence Day? (Or Memorial Day, or Labor Day?) Hamburgers, hot dogs and apple pie with ice cream on top. Super Bowl party? Hot wings or chili con carne. Thanksgiving? Yeah.

Of course, it's not just meat and dairy. Sugar, fried food, high sodium foods, chemical-laden pre-packaged foods are all part of our daily lives, and we're indoctrinated to think of them as culturally necessary. We can't conceive of going to a movie without popcorn slathered in chemical-based "butter" flavor or a big box of sugary candy. When we need a bite in a hurry, we run through the closest fast food drive-thru. It's normal to toss in a bag of chips and a Twinkie with your child's sandwich when you pack them a lunch. And a day without soda? When does that get fun?

When you go vegan, that thinking doesn't magically disappear. I can't count the number of times in the first few years of being vegan that I was running late for work and just thought, "Well, I'll grab breakfast on the way to work," not even remembering that fast-food vegan breakfasts are not a thing that exists. Or the number of times my eyes ran down the snack foods lining the checkout in my local grocery store, thinking I'd find some little treat to impulse buy.

Even when I got over that, I still had the subtle "vegetables are a chore to eat, unless they're deep fried" mindset. Not that I didn't like veg, but if you gave me a choice between carrot sticks or salt-and-vinegar potato chips as a snack, I wouldn't think twice about grabbing the chips. Chips are "fun" food; vegetables are "health" food.

Here's what happened today: I went to the farmer's market and bought my fruit and veg for the week. I stopped at their little vegan cafe counter and bought some raw zucchini chips and a chocolate mint brownie. Not having had lunch, on the drive home I pulled out the chips and brownie. And ignored them.

Without thinking about it, I stuck my hand in the big bag of fresh spinach and chomped on a leaf. Then another. Then another, like it was a bag of potato chips in the 'old days.' By the time I got home, I'd eaten half the bag.

When I realized what I'd done, I was pretty shocked. Right at hand, I'd had seasoned 'chips' (even if they were healthy dehydrated ones instead of fried carbs). I'd had a sweet chocolate-y brownie (even if it was a raw, natural one). I'd had fruit, for cryin' out loud! And yet I subconsciously chose to eat a leafy green veggie in its utterly unadorned state - no salt, no oil, no tangy salad dressing.

At the point when your subconscious bucks that lifetime of indoctrination and chooses your new way of thinking, then you've officially gone native, right? As far as I'm concerned, today is a milestone - the official end of my transition from carnist to vegan.

Feel free to congratulate me!

Carrot Vegetable Soup, Lazy Rotten Cheater Style

This carrot vegetable soup looks completely awesome, right?

(Excuse the cheesy cutting board - it's in the kitchen at the office.)

It looks fresh, bright, hearty and delicious. And it is! It also takes absolutely zero work. 

This is how you make it: 

Imagine soups are my go-to lunch. You can't beat this for taste, nutrition, or cost. One box of soup and one bag of steamed vegetables will last me for three lunches -- for an approximate cost of $2.50 per serving, which is cheaper than a can of soup, and tastes so much fresher. They're also low in calories, and even adding a sprinkle of fresh ground pepper & sea salt, it's lower in sodium than most canned soups.

It's quick to make (the first day takes the longest, when you have to steam the veggies, but the next two days you just toss the leftover veggies into the soup before reheating). Plus, you can have endless variations. Today's soup was creamy carrot almond with asparagus, corn, and baby carrots. Yesterday's was creamy broccoli with peas. When I need something a little more filling, I'll just enjoy the whole bag of steamed veggies with my soup, or toss in some leftover grains - rice, bulgur, quinoa, whatever is on hand.

For quick vegan lunch at work, I think this is a terrific and healthy solution. But honestly, I wouldn't be embarrassed to put that lovely bowl on the table at dinner either! 

It's breakfast, Mo-Fo style!

Welcome to my first official Vegan MoFo post. This is actually my second year participating, but my first since starting this blog. I'm excited to try to reach the goal of a minimum of 20 posts about the wonders of vegan food during October. I hope to include lots of recipes, but a busy life has kept me from pre-planning as much on that front as I had hoped... so right now I'm winging it. Some recipes I do know for sure will be coming your way include a gingerbread chia pudding, sesame cookies, and some interesting uses for bulgur wheat. (You're intrigued now, right? Bulgur always gets 'em.)

As of this morning, I've added an index of recipes to the site, so new visitors won't miss anything I've already posted. I'm pretty pleased with how many new recipes I've created and posted in less than a year!

Now...

Let's talk about breakfast.

Frankly, I suck at breakfast. I always have. Oh, not in an "I can't cook breakfast foods" kind of way - I am a Southerner, after all, and a ridiculous breakfast spread is kind of our thing. Come a Sunday brunch-time when I have woken up slowly and have nowhere to be, I can whip up a heaping breakfast spread. No, more like "I suck at breakfast" in an "I'm not a morning person, I hate mornings, I think mornings should DIE" kind of way. I'm usually dragging myself out of bed on too little sleep, rushing to get the kid to school on time, running last minute errands, and fighting the traffic to get to work.

Before going vegan, breakfast generally consisted of one of two things: McDonald's or a chocolate chip muffin. Now, obviously, I'm trying for something a bit healthier. But my challenge is that I never know if I'm going to have time to prepare something in the morning, and honestly, I really don't care for reheated breakfast. So what can you have that's fast, hearty, and convenient?

Every Monday morning I bring a box of cereal and a container of almond milk to work and eat that for breakfast all week (taking home any leftovers on Friday). But I try sneak extra nutrition in there too. This week, I brought a bag of dried fruit bits to mix in. Some weeks, I'll bring a little container of pumpkin seeds, or slivered almonds, or grab some fresh fruit in the morning to mix in. It's not the sexiest breakfast, I know, but it does the trick.

Bad Reporting Alert: NYT article asserts veganism is a bad choice for children

In the New York Times' Room for Debate feature on veganism, lard-advocate Nina Planck (not kidding - it's in her bio) asserts that veganism is "A Choice with Definite Risks" for infants and children.

Anjali Sareen does an excellent job of debunking the bad science in Planck's piece in a rebuttal article on Intellectualyst.So I'd simply like to address the heart of Planck's argument - that a vegan diet requires supplementation to meet all dietary needs, and that supplementation is inferior to nutrients obtained from food.

She begins her argument by saying:

The American Dietetic Association asserts that a “well-planned” vegan diet — by which the experts mean one with many synthetic supplements — can be adequate for babies; I disagree.

And concludes with:

Some things cannot be replaced. Real food is one.

Well, first of all, that the experts define "well-planned" as "must include supplements" is patently false. The ADA position statement says this (emphasis added):

It is the position of the American Dietetic Association that appropriately planned vegetarian diets, including total vegetarian or vegan diets, are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. Well-planned vegetarian diets are appropriate for individuals during all stages of the life cycle, including pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, and adolescence, and for athletes. A vegetarian diet is defined as one that does not include meat (including fowl) or seafood, or products containing those foods. This article reviews the current data related to key nutrients for vegetarians including protein, n-3 fatty acids, iron, zinc, iodine, calcium, and vitamins D and B-12. A vegetarian diet can meet current recommendations for all of these nutrients. In some cases, supplements or fortified foods can provide useful amounts of important nutrients. An evidence-based review showed that vegetarian diets can be nutritionally adequate in pregnancy and result in positive maternal and infant health outcomes. 

So the ADA clearly states that all nutritional needs can be met through a vegan diet. It states that supplementation may be useful, but not that it's necessary or even specifically recommended. In other words, all dietary needs for mother and child can be acquired through "real food." Since Planck seems aware of the ADA's position statement, I can only conclude this was intentionally misleading to support her pro-meat position.

But let's assume she's sincere in her anti-supplementation stance regarding pregnancy, lactation, and early childhood years. I'd be curious to see what the March of Dimes (who recommend supplementing folic acid for all potential moms-to-be) or the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (who recommend a prenatal vitamin for "most women", meaning those who aren't in danger of having too much of certain potentially harmful vitamins by doing so), or the Centers for Disease Control (who recommend vitamin D supplements for all breastfed children) have to say about that. The idea that pregnant or nursing mothers shouldn't supplement is contrary to all conventional medical advice.

I'm going to take a leap and assume that Planck is not opposed to all supplementing of vitamins during pregnancy and early childhood. I bet she'd be right on board with taking folic acid to prevent birth defects. So why is it okay for meat-eating mothers, but not okay for vegan mothers?

Vitamin deficiencies are fairly common in the general population. According to a CDC report, one in 10   Americans has a vitamin deficiency, the most common being B6, D, and iron. Who today has a doctor who hasn't told them to take a multivitamin daily, or checked their vitamin D and iron levels? If you do, it's time to get a new doctor. The fact is that vitamin deficiency is not a vegan issue, it's a human issue.

This isn't to say that there aren't genuine issues that vegans need to be aware of when it comes to their own nutrition and that of their child. But what do we do about those types of issues with meat-eating moms? Like the March of Dimes, the CDC, and the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, we educate. We get the information out there, we make people aware.

So why the choice to call for all hands to abandon the vegan ship, instead of educating folks to right the course? Because Planck's real concern is not health, but a pro-meat justification.

“But I could never give up cheese!” - A step-by-step guide to breaking the habit

The one objection I hear most often from people considering making the transition to a vegan diet is “But I could never give up cheese!”

Why cheese? Why not milk, butter, yogurt, sour cream, or ice cream? Because cheese contains concentrated amounts of casomorphins, a natural opiate found in dairy products. Yes, cheese is actually addictive! No wonder the thought of giving it up is hard for cheese-lovers to contemplate.

If you’ve thought you could never give up cheese, take some time and read up on dairy production. (Here is a concise summary of the issues.) Then read the label on the back of a block of cheese, and take note of the saturated fat, cholesterol, and high sodium. (Or try this online nutrition facts tool.  Keep in mind that the 1 oz. serving shown is a single 1-inch cube of cheese!) Consider whether this is really something you want in your diet.

If you arrive at the conclusion that cheese is something you’d like to do without, here is a step-by-step guide to successfully breaking the addiction.

1. Reduce

On cheese-heavy foods, start by using less, giving your palate time to learn to appreciate the other flavors cheese may be drowning out. Order your pizza easy on the cheese, and add on extra veggies. Use just a sprinkle in your bean burrito and add some fresh cilantro to amp up the flavor.

2. Try it without

There are many foods we add cheese to out of habit, and not because they add tremendously to the taste of a dish. Find the foods you can easily appreciate without cheese. Try leaving off the sprinkle of Parmesan on top of your spaghetti marinara, or the slice off your veggie burger. Chances are you won’t miss it much.

Cheese-free pizza? Surprisingly yummy!

Then try eliminating cheese on the foods you can’t imagine without it. A cheeseless pizza? Find a pizzeria with a terrific cheese-free crust and delicious sauce, and smother it in your favorite veggies. Nachos? Add extra salsa, guacamole, or veggies instead. You may just surprise yourself and prefer foods this way.

3. Substitute flavors and textures
As you start to eliminate cheese, you may miss the creamy texture or the umami flavor. Substituting other foods with similar textures or flavors may help. Here are some to try; they may sound a little strange at first, but trust me - you’ll be pleasantly surprised:

Vegan butter - try a little Earth Balance or Smart Balance 100% Organic/Certified Vegan in place of cream cheese on your breakfast bread, or try an ultra-thin layer on a sandwich if it seems dry without that slice of cheese.
Avocado - use slices in place of cheese on subs, wraps, tacos, or burritos.
Artichoke hearts or tapenade - substitute for cheese on a bruschetta or pizza, or in a salad.
Crushed or ground walnuts - use crushed in veggie dishes or ground in pasta in place of grated Parmesan.
Hummus - if you’re missing cheese and crackers as a snack, try hummus or bean dip as an alternative. These also make great sandwich spreads.

4. Try cheese alternatives

You probably won’t appreciate non-dairy cheeses or cheese alternatives until you’ve been off cheese for a week or two. Then it will take a little trial and error to find your favorites.

Start with Daiya - most vegans agree it’s a favorite. Made from tapioca, Daiya melts well and has great flavor. Just start with a little less than you would have normally used with dairy cheeses.

Most grocery or health food stores carry rice cheeses or soy cheeses. (Make sure your soy cheese is vegan; some contain casein, a milk protein.) Some also carry nut cheeses, which have great umami flavor and are a terrific alternative for those without nut allergies.

5. Make your own non-dairy cheeses
Have you ever thought about making cheese? Making non-dairy cheeses at home is not as hard as you might think. For example, this vegan Parmesan takes just a moment to prepare. VegNews’ macaroni and cheese recipe takes no longer than any other homemade mac and cheese. (That cheese sauce also works great for casseroles.) Or if you want to get fancy, buy some cheese cloth and make an almond feta or baked cashew cheese.

After a while, you’ll begin to see that the dependency on cheese is less about flavor and more about habit and addiction. Don’t let that be an obstacle to a healthier, more compassionate diet!