This is a tamed down comment that has been left on my youtube channel.

Unpleasant for sure but the greater unpleasantness is the sad ignorance and blatant lies that evolve around the myth of “needing” meat to survive as a species.

In this dialogue is the ” Vegan ” label and all that it suggests in people’s minds.When does being a “vegan” start to mean activism and unbending attitudes.

Introduction      

Race reviews and results

Not much to report as we have had a weeks break doing other things

Ingredient of the week

Maple syrup

Whats On / whats happening

The 1st Raw Food Barefoot Adventure Feb 8th and 9th 2013

Link to The Weekends Itinerary  REM Lifestyle Design

Topic of the week

” Ya gotta get Ya meat you vegan F##ktard “

I have observed and experienced the single mindedness of an observance to an Ideal, being as destructive as the original thought meme it was opposing.

As a loose observation of something I saw on the raw food thought leaders blog of Frederic Patenaude was the reference to when does observance to an idealism become a cult mentality.

He proposed that it’s a cult when Questioning, doubt, and dissent are discouraged or even punished.

That is something you find online if you are not part of the party politics of a forum or group you get deleted. I understand that there are plenty of trolls on the internet that are just haters and dissenters.

It is good house keeping practice to nuke them, such as the hater that left the comment on my youtube channel.

Though I left the comment there,  as I am not “trying ” to change anyones mind or operate  with the its my way or the highway type of attitude.

Whenever you hear a raw food expert talk, you can get the feeling that it’s “Their way or the highway.†Everyone else is stupid, but they have the absolute truth.

If you don’t get the results, it’s because you didn’t follow their advice properly. There is no room for compromise or questioning, and anyone who does is kicked out of the group.

As for the questions that arise from the lack of understanding to the nature of nutrition and it sources. The Internet is a wonderful tool  in this day and age you can glean all sides to a story from the data banks and vast repositories of information that is available to us all.

As The REM Lifestyle suggests, there is more to a balanced life than just the diet and nutrition that goes into our body

This is the area of discernment that I would like my message to resonate with those who I get to influence in any form or manner.

You will not convince a person of something with only skilfull words,  you can only point in the direction of your truth with your words.

You then show commitment and integrity by being a truthful representation of your ideal through your actions.

You may become the lesson that person needed to see.

As for our angry friend and his assertion that we need meat,  one of the important areas that I do address for those encouraged to lead a plant fueled lifestyle is understanding the role of Vitamin B12.

You often hear that you can only get B12 From animals , if this were the case why is it that B12 deficiencies show up in non vegetarian/ vegan diets. It is a shortage that is found in meat eaters as well.

B12 is an important vitamin. BUT you don’t need to eat animals or their byproducts to get it.

It can be found in certain cereals, soy milk , tempeh, seaweed, and some yeasts.

Bacteria is actually responsible for making B12 and is found in things like dirt.

Where do you think the animals get it from? It’s from what THEY eat. And yes, if you are still concerned about getting your B12 then take the vitamin supplements.

I have used a Vitamin B 12 injection and I commit to to take a sublingual  B12 over a 1 month period per year. Last year I did not.

Results from my last blood tests show me as very good across the whole spectrum.

Another of the most oft asked questions is where do I get my protein.

The healthiest diet is the whole foods plant-based.

The major concern of carnivores is “not enough protein in the vegan diet”.

Major health problems in a western culture IS due to overconsumption of meat!

Every plant has protein in it, especially beans, nuts, grains, Spirulina(sea vegetables).

If you need to substitute your burger Pattie and snags for the soy derivatives,  you may have heard  that this is unsafe especially because they say it can affect hormones and my health drastically.

MDs check in with different soy recommendations (eg. Dr. Mercola vs. Dr. Oz) and some say soy should only be eaten if it is a fermented version.

Many people who are allergic to soy are actually allergic to the PROCESS of soy.

Soy sauce and tempeh are NOT processed the way tofu and soy burgers are.  There are many people who are allergic to soy but can handle tempeh.

I am a fully plant-based lifestyle eater and I use tempeh and tofu on occasion as a store-bought Item.

We will use coconut, almond, or rice milk and make lots of recipes with nuts like cashews and almonds for my protein, again in the understanding that nuts are a high fat source.

Your protein requirements can be found across eating a range of foods.

As you apply your change from where YOU are, you not try to fit somebody elses ideal of what you want to represent

I read a great quote from the Actor Woody Harrelson that summed up a few things for me on the justification people allow themselves for their choices to stray from a plant-based diet

“If you eat chicken, maybe you’re on one level. If you wear a mink coat, maybe you’re on another level. But if you wear cosmetics, cosmetics that are tested on animals, then you’re just unconscious. Really, my message is simple. It’s a message of compassion. In this world that is spinning madly out of control, we have to realize that we’re all related. We have to try to live harmoniously.â€

I will leave you with those words, “It’s a message of compassion we have to try to live harmoniously ”

If you want a Question answered leave it in the comments or start up a conversation on the facebook page or on the the Mindfulness and the Zest for life Google + community page.