Blog

My friend Erik Marcus recently invited me to write an introduction to vegan nutrition for his website vegan.com. In his weekly newsletter, Erik wrote about why he feels so strongly about providing solid nutrition information for vegans.

One of the most important and most neglected topics in all of veganism is our high recidivism rate—the percentage of vegans who go back to eating meat. I suspect in many cases, it’s because these people did not read accurate information about how to sensibly plan a vegan diet. There’s just so much misleading information about vegan nutrition out there, much of it passed along by people who have only the best intentions. […]  Remember, animal lives aren’t just saved by people going vegan. They’re also saved by ... Read More >

Guilt and shame are common reactions for vegans who get sick. Our diet is all too often portrayed as a way to get skinny and stay bulletproof against disease. Vegans who don’t reap those outcomes sometimes wonder if there is a place for them in our community of animal advocates.

These kinds of issues have been a concern to me as a vegan activist and health professional for a long time and they are addressed in my new book, co-authored with Carol J. Adams and Patti Breitman. It’s called Even Vegans Die and is being published this month by Lantern.

Our book’s premise is that we are better advocates for animals and for our fellow vegans when we accept that vegan diets do not absolutely ... Read More >

It’s easy enough to get drawn into the hype, hyperbole, and conspiracy-driven drama that’s often used to advocate for vegan diets. It’s sometimes meant to convince people that vegan diets have one-of-a-kind health benefits. Or it might be used to create a sense of comfort around veganism by assuring newcomers that it’s not possible to be nutrient deficient if you are eating all whole plant foods.

The truth is way less dramatic. There is no body of evidence to suggest that you have to be vegan in order to be healthy. The evidence does not suggest that every disease in the world is reversible with a whole foods vegan diet. And, yes, it is possible to fall short of nutrients on a vegan diet ... Read More >

Maybe you’ve decided to jump right into a vegan diet or maybe you’re dipping a toe in the water and opting for a gentle transition. Either way, there are lots of things that newbie vegans can do to make their diet feel more practical and sustainable for the long run.

1. Embrace your cooking style.

In their annual click bait story on the “best” diets, US News and World Report suggested that eating vegan means spending lots of time in the kitchen. This is a poorly-informed and limited view of veganism.  Vegan diets are diverse and so are vegan cooking styles; they can be as laborious or as fast and simple as you like. Time saving options for vegans include canned beans, frozen vegetables or ... Read More >

Please take a peek at my new article on the Science Based Medicine website. You may recall that I criticized the website back in July for their review of the book Vegan Betrayal. I hadn’t actually read the book at the time, however. I’ve done so now and I asked them to consider sharing a new review of the book from me. They were kind enough to do so.

Curiously, though, they inserted an editorial comment at the beginning of the article suggesting that my perspective is similar to their own original review of the book. I don’t know—Dr. Harriet Hall who reviewed the book for them claimed that its nutrition information was solid. I say that it’s not based on any evidence whatsoever. It ... Read More >

Early last summer I asked readers of this blog to share their personal experiences with chronic disease either as comments here or privately via email. Thank you to everyone who responded. Those stories and perspectives were extremely valuable for a book I’ve been working on which will be published in the spring of 2017. Stay tuned for more information on that.

In the meantime, I am honored that my friend Carol J. Adams, author of the groundbreaking book The Sexual Politics of Meat has asked me to co-author a new book with her, The Sexual Politics of Dairy. This is a project that will most likely evolve as we delve into the subject matter, but our plan is to look at all aspects of dairy: ... Read More >

No doubt you’ve heard about the legislator in Italy who is proposing to make it illegal to raise kids as vegans. Italian lawmaker Elvira Savino wants to see jail sentences of up to seven years for parents who feed their children only plant foods.

The proposed bill describes veganism as “a diet devoid of elements essential for healthy and balanced growth,” It’s ludicrous. Given what we know about nutrient needs, there is no reason to think that children of well-informed vegan parents are at risk for poor health. It is not especially difficult to create a diet that will ensure adequate nutrition for vegan children.

But, as I’ve said on this website many times, you do need to know a little something about meeting nutrient ... Read More >

The latest book to capitalize on anti-veganism is by science writer Mara Kahn (and, yes, of course, she’s also an ex-vegan). It’s called Vegan Betrayal: Love, Lies and Hunger in a Plants Only World. I can’t comment much on the book since I haven’t read it. But I can comment on a review of the book that appeared on the Science Based Medicine (SBM) website.

Written by SBM co-founder Dr. Harriet Hall, it was more a synopsis of the book’s contents than a thorough review. It was also an endorsement for a number of non-science-based myths about vegan diets.

Usually, I find the SBM website to be balanced and evidence-based. Its writers (including Dr. Hall) are smart and insightful and I often agree with their ... Read More >

Almost exactly three years ago, I asked blog readers to tell me their stories about going vegan after the age of 50. The feedback I received—almost 200 comments and emails—were an amazing source of information and inspiration for Never Too Late to Go Vegan (which, by the way, is available this month for e-readers for just $1.99).

For a new project, I’m looking for a completely different type of story. Are you a vegan with a chronic disease, like heart disease, cancer or diabetes?  Or high blood pressure or elevated cholesterol that hasn’t dropped as much as you anticipated? Or are you a vegan with obesity? If so, I’d love to hear about your experience.

I’m not seeking stories about people who have reversed their ... Read More >

Last week, a vegan named Kuntal Joisher successfully reached the summit of Mt Everest and came home to post photos to his Instagram account. Chances are, you didn’t hear much, if anything, about him. No doubt, though, you heard about another vegan climber, one who died while attempting to climb the tallest mountain in the world.

Of the nearly 1,000 internet articles generated by this story, some overtly questioned the safety of a vegan diet for climbers. By noting that she was a vegan in the headlines, every single one of the articles implied that this was somehow a relevant fact related to Dr. Maria Strydom’s death.

Dr. Strydom wasn’t some irresponsible dilettante when it came to big mountains. She ... Read More >