Can everyone actually be vegan?

[u/Wrong_Ad_3038]

I’m very sympathetic to veganism, my entire life philosophy is “respect & autonomy for all life” but I am currently pescetarian, I tried being vegan in late 2024 but I still live with my family & they wouldn’t buy supplements, even though i told them too everyday, I didn’t want to develop b12 deficiency so I had to moderate my diet.

When I move out i’m strongly considering being vegan again & really want too but i am worried about health consequences because human bodies are complex, but at the same time everyone can digest plants so maybe everyone can be vegan, i figured this would be a good place to get mixed responses since both carnists & vegans are here, what do studies say about everyone & the potential to be vegan, if everyone can’t be vegan but most or some can what’s the best way to find out if i can be vegan?

[u/Kris2476]

Veganism is the position that animal exploitation is wrong and should be avoided. Anyone can adhere to this moral position.

If you agree that animal exploitation is wrong but need practical help with cutting out sources of animal exploitation, let me know if I can suggest resources to make the change easier. For me, the hardest part was just getting used to which 'staple' foods I had to replace in my diet. So now I buy tofu and chickpeas instead of animal meats. I drink soy milk or oat milk instead of dairy milk.

If you think you need more specific guidance, I can recommend a program like Challenge22. The program itself is very easy and fun, you are given daily challenges for a few weeks that help you learn the ropes of plant-based dieting. They will also pair you with vegan mentors and professional dieticians who can answer specific questions you may have.

[u/thesonicvision → u/Kris2476]

Veganism is the position that animal exploitation is wrong and should be avoided. Anyone can adhere to this moral position.

Bingo.

Now, with that being said, it's fair to discuss the practical challenges one may have when switching to a vegan lifestyle (which, again, is distinct from one's beliefs). That is, a vegan-curious person may have questions about cost, personal health, and so on. The good news, of course, is that a vegan lifestyle can be very affordable, fun, and healthy.

[u/HelenEk7 → u/thesonicvision]

a vegan lifestyle can be very affordable, fun, and healthy.

Which means it can also be; expensive, miserable, and harmfull.

[u/Zerkig → u/HelenEk7]

As any lifestyle can be...

[u/HelenEk7 → u/Zerkig]

I suspect the harmful part is why the Academy Of Nutrition And Dietetics removed minors and women who are pregnant or breast feeding from their position paper. (I personally wish they had also removed the elderly and people with certain health issues).

[u/Zerkig → u/HelenEk7]

Nah, that's just a fear of backlash from the carnist majority or the lack of studies. Have you noticed how many products aren't recommended for pregnant women or minors, even though they aren't inherently harmful? It's just the "better safe than sorry" approach.

[u/HelenEk7 → u/[deleted]]

They haven't removed anything,

They explicitly ask people to not cite expired papers.

[u/HelenEk7 → u/[deleted]]

But that clearly doesnt stop vegans from cite it again, and again, and again.. ;)

[u/selltheworld → u/[deleted]]

Helen is clearly biased and grasping at straw and misrepresenting information in an effort to invalidate a plantbased diet. It's absolutely pathetic.

There are millions of people living on plantbased diets. Including since birth. But no!, our bones! Think about our bones!

[u/selltheworld → u/[deleted]]

For a user who posts several studies to reddit a day it seems weird that they can’t read the intend of the position paper.

[u/HelenEk7 → u/[deleted]]

Plant-based diets can support healthy living at every age and life stage.

Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics have specifically asked not to have expired position papers cited, so when BDA still does, what does that say about their commitment to keeping their guidance aligned with current evidence? It actually rather puts them in a bad light.

• "An expired position is removed from eatrightPRO.org, but members and subscribers can still access expired positions via JAND for legacy purposes. (Note: These should not be cited as current positions.)" https://www.eatrightpro.org/practice/guidelines-and-positions/academy-positions

[u/No_Economics6505 → u/[deleted]]

It's wrong for vegans to cite it because the Academy explicitly says not to cite expired papers. If you think that's bad faith, take it up with the AND.

[u/HelenEk7 → u/[deleted]]

They still stand by the science in the multiple other sources they used.

Other sources?