I went vegan after reading The China Study. It was written by a scientist who has spent his whole life doing health research on diet. He grew up on a dairy farm, and believed (like most people) that dairy, meat and eggs are good for you. He winds up advocating for a primarily vegan, whole foods diet.
There are a lot of "opinions" out there about veganism and diet, but honestly, do some homework and give it a 30 day trial to see how you feel. Personally, I've seen a small boost in my energy level, I'm sleeping a little better, and my digestive system is almost 100% regular now. I also rarely feel heavy after a meal. After 6 months on a vegan diet I still have a lot to learn but so far, so good. It's certainly helped to be part of a vegan community that provides support, friends, potlucks and other social gatherings that reinforces my motivation to stay on the diet.
I get a lot of flack for being vegan, including from my boyfriend for whom anti-vegan jokes are perennial ammunition. I just say, that if you want to comment on the vegan diet, do some real research, and try it out for yourself before making remarks such as "humans need protein", or "you can't get [insert nutrient] from vegetables", or "we have canines so we should eat meat", etc. which usually show a lack of homework and generally reflect a lot of social conditioning and basically no motivation to make any positive diet changes.
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