Vegans Complain about Yeast in Hot Dog Buns

[MacMadame]

I worked for a guy who belonged to some sort of cult-like organization that believed all illness was psychosomatic. Since we had no official PTO but it was all at his discretion, that was tons of fun.

[PDilemma]

I just get annoyed when celebs give interviews and say they are now vegans/vegetarian to 'eat more healthy'. There is nothing inherently healthy about not eating meat.

Even better are the people who give up gluten to be healthy. Unless you have celiac or an actual intolerance, there is nothing inherently more healthy about a gluten free diet. And I know too many newly gluten-free people who can only give very vague answers if asked exactly how they knew they had a gluten intolerance.

[maatTheViking]

Even better are the people who give up gluten to be healthy. Unless you have celiac or an actual intolerance, there is nothing inherently more healthy about a gluten free diet. And I know too many newly gluten-free people who can only give very vague answers if asked exactly how they knew they had a gluten intolerance.

Word.

I suspect some people really mean that they felt better after not eating commercially produced white bread - adding more fiber to you diet it probably a good thing, and most non gluten alternatives have higher fiber content.

[rjblue]

I'm fortunate in my co-workers. We are a very diverse group of people with quite a lot of variability in our dietary patterns, but we all are very aware of most of the important issues in agriculture. Whether we are vegetarian, omnivore, paleo, organic, we all agree that sustainable production practices, good animal husbandry, and supporting local production are all the most important factors in our food buying practices. It's probably the most commonly discussed topic around our lunch table, but it's always civil and engaging. No preaching.

[DAngel]

I'm very much a chacun à son goût kinda girl -- I'll debate anyone who wants to as an intellectual exercise, or just for fun ... but I won't presume to lecture the carnivores, and I sure as hell won't tolerate them lecturing me.

I hate it when Vegetarians/Vegans exaggerate and call non-vegetarians/non-vegans a carnivore.

I'm an omnivore. I eat vegetables and fruits too. In fact, I eat a lot more of those than meat.

[danceronice]

I just get annoyed when celebs give interviews and say they are now vegans/vegetarian to 'eat more healthy'. There is nothing inherently healthy about not eating meat.

Though I personally believe that meat or animals product is part of a healthy, varied diet, there is nothing particularly unhealthy about not eating meat either, of course. Each to their own, and I respect most of the eating choices that people make, but I just can't get over the 'healthy' argument.

I find the anti leather/fur people to be the most preachiest .

This is true even evolutionarily. Humans (and the other great apes, but most notably humans, and then chimps) are highly successful because they'll eat just about anything that doesn't actively poison them. Our systems are quite clearly evolved to chew and digest almost anything short of cellulose. You can eat healthy on a huge variety of things.

And I find vegans and 'raw food' types the preachiest about DIET. Or maybe most self-righteous, not preachy. At least those who stick with it; I also know a larger sample size of people who tried extreme diets like veganism, raw-food, liquid diets (not weight loss temporary diets, actually trying to live primarily off liquid/liquified foods) who went back to a more balanced lifestyle. "Vegetarian", otoh, I know people who chose to do that for a huge variety of reasons, including a few friends in college who were vegetarian mostly because it made being kosher a LOT easier.

What bugs me are vegetarians who still eat fish. Fish are not very scaly mobile plants. They're animals. If you eat fish, you are eating an animal, and you are not a vegetarian. You are a pescetarian.

[Anita18]

I hate it when Vegetarians/Vegans exaggerate and call non-vegetarians/non-vegans a carnivore.

I'm an omnivore. I eat vegetables and fruits too. In fact, I eat a lot more of those than meat.

I think that's the case with most people. Aside from one of my coworkers, who definitely prefers meat over anything else. A salad came with his take-out for lunch today and I'm eating right now because he didn't want it.

I'm not sure how his digestive system is still functioning. He did grow up on a cow farm in Kenya, maybe they didn't have any greens and that's just what he's used to?

[made_in_canada]

OMG -- someone else has heard of Arrogant Worms besides my two kids and their friends. They will be attending an AG concert this coming Saturday in London Ontario -- one of their Christmas gifts.

They'll have a blast Every time I've seen them live I've been doubled over, tears running down my face laughing.

[misskarne]

One of the most annoying people in one of my classes at uni was a vegan, who used to openly preach DURING CLASS about how we were all evil, cruel people because we were carnivores. One day I had enough of him and said to his face, "Yep, love a big juicy steak! I love it just as much as all my caveman and ape ancestors did!"

Alas, it did not work. He then proceeded to preach about how we had "outgrown our heathen past" and "no longer needed to eat meat". Yeah right pal. Finally the lecturer told him to STFU.

On the note of evolution, I remember thinking the vegans/vego lot really dropped the ball on those Sam Neill "Red Meat. We Were Meant To Eat It" ads. It was the most complained-about ad of that year, but it wasn't the vego lot that got to it; it was the churches who were screaming blue murder that Sam Neill had openly said in an advertisement that we evolved from apes.

[Jenny]

But then I feel bad because when I invite her to something, I feel like I have to make sure she has something she can eat! She told me not to worry about it for my wedding, but I still felt the need to bug the caterer (who's known for meaty meat barbeque) about if any of their sides were vegan.

Any good caterer will be able to provide a vegan meal - just be sure to explain what exactly that means.

I have a good friend who's vegan - when we first met, she would bring her own snacks to parties so as not to trouble the hosts. But since then, we've all (a group of friends) taken up the challenge to find delicious vegan choices for dinner parties and barbecues, and those dishes have proven just as popular with the meat and dairy eaters. We often go to restaurants together, and usually call ahead to ensure that a vegan can be accommodated. Half the time the chef prepares something especially for her, and the rest of us look longingly at her plate and wish we were having what she's having

[beepbeep]

Even better are the people who give up gluten to be healthy. Unless you have celiac or an actual intolerance, there is nothing inherently more healthy about a gluten free diet. And I know too many newly gluten-free people who can only give very vague answers if asked exactly how they knew they had a gluten intolerance.

This.

I've found myself to be moderately intolerant to gluten and I can't imagine how would someone give it up just because is allegedly healthier
Gluten is delicious!! I miss proper bread and pasta soooo much. And not eating it makes your life much harder since almost everything has gluten in it.
I eat some little thing with gluten once every 2 or 3 weeks and feel miserable, digestive and respiratory wise, the next day.
But the taste and texture are sooo worth it.

By not having gluten you're cutting a whole bunch of whole grain cereals that are very healthy.

[sk8er1964]

I'm fortunate in my co-workers. We are a very diverse group of people with quite a lot of variability in our dietary patterns, but we all are very aware of most of the important issues in agriculture. Whether we are vegetarian, omnivore, paleo, organic, we all agree that sustainable production practices, good animal husbandry, and supporting local production are all the most important factors in our food buying practices. It's probably the most commonly discussed topic around our lunch table, but it's always civil and engaging. No preaching.

Not lauging at you, but at the differences in our workplace. My co-workers and my food discussions consist of whether or not to place a group Chinese food order, to who cooked fish in the microwave, to whether or not one in particular is trying to kill us with the wonderful smells of the stufff she makes but doesn't share with us!

[danceronice]

Any good caterer will be able to provide a vegan meal - just be sure to explain what exactly that means.

Just...LOTS OF WARNING. Most annoying customer ever did nothing other than show up with a twelve-top (reservation of 12 people at one table) and only after being seated tell the server she was a vegan. If we'd known when the reservation was made, we could have done something decent. Instead she got whatever we could throw together in the time it took to make everything else for the table from what few ingredients we had on hand. Couldn't use any of the prepared starches (pretty much ever restaurant makes those in advance), couldn't use any prepared sauces, even the vegetarian entree had dairy on it (limited menu). I was on pastry; she got berries tossed in sugar with a mint sprig.

Although my favorite LATELY is someone who came in (we're an Italian restaurant) wanting something without garlic or olive oil. Their options were pretty much any of the regular proteins-two kinds of fish, or two kinds of steak, without the sauces and with the rice (the only side made with just water), or a special-order pasta.

[Jenny]

As I said, when we make restaurant reservations we always say that one of our party is vegan and will she be able to find something on the menu. We are also specific about where the issue lies - she has a severe dairy allergy. Similarly, I have a friend with a nut allergy so when booking a restaurant I asked about it - they told me honestly that they used peanut oil in a lot of dishes and couldn't guarantee a nut-free meal, so we booked elsewhere.

[BlueRidge]

At my workplace, our "wellness committee" recently showed this film: Food, Inc.

In Food, Inc., filmmaker Robert Kenner lifts the veil on our nation's food industry, exposing the highly mechanized underbelly that has been hidden from the American consumer with the consent of our government's regulatory agencies, USDA and FDA. Our nation's food supply is now controlled by a handful of corporations that often put profit ahead of consumer health, the livelihood of the American farmer, the safety of workers and our own environment. We have bigger-breasted chickens, the perfect pork chop, herbicide-resistant soybean seeds, even tomatoes that won't go bad, but we also have new strains of E. coli—the harmful bacteria that causes illness for an estimated 73,000 Americans annually. We are riddled with widespread obesity, particularly among children, and an epidemic level of diabetes among adults.

[MacMadame]

And not eating it makes your life much harder since almost everything has gluten in it.

Except IME the people who "give up" gluten because it's "healthier" actually eat a fair amount of it.

[Jenny]

I think that sometimes when people say "because it's healthier" they really mean "it makes me feel healthier." There continue to be a lot of diverse and often contrary opinions as to what is healthy and what is not, and more and more I'm seeing that people are realizing that what works for one person doesn't always work for another, and thus "healthier" is becoming more about the person than the food.

[Artemis@BC]

I hate it when Vegetarians/Vegans exaggerate and call non-vegetarians/non-vegans a carnivore.

I'm an omnivore. I eat vegetables and fruits too. In fact, I eat a lot more of those than meat.

Um, it was a joke ... I would have thought that was pretty obviously from the context of the rest of what I said. But sorry if it offended you.

I'm a vegetarian but I eat more than just vegetables.

[Artemis@BC]

I think that sometimes when people say "because it's healthier" they really mean "it makes me feel healthier." There continue to be a lot of diverse and often contrary opinions as to what is healthy and what is not, and more and more I'm seeing that people are realizing that what works for one person doesn't always work for another, and thus "healthier" is becoming more about the person than the food.

I agree wholeheartedly. And I think a lot of the "eating healthier = feeling healthier" results from just the process of thinking about what you're putting in your body. (And then acting on it too, of course!) So many people of my demographic were brought up on a meat-and-potato diet that we never questioned when we were growing up. For many people that can work just fine, but for me every Sunday roast was a torture. It never crossed my mind, or my mother's, to even question it.

[maatTheViking]

At my workplace, our "wellness committee" recently showed this film: Food, Inc.

I have friends who have seen this film, and I don't want to see it. Basically they told me it makes you want to stop eating . Ignorance is bliss!

I try to mainly buy high quality grassfed beef (since we decided to eat less red meat, but spend the same amount on it), but one thing that really bugs me about regular American beef in supermarkets is how much water there is in it. If I get fajitas strips or something I can't really brown them since they leak water before they are browned. Yuk. At least higher quality beef doesn't seem to have the problem, but I read somewhere that there is no regulation to prevent producers to add water to their beef to increase the profit.