To Vegan or Not to Vegan

Personally, I'm completely down with the vegan lifestyle, although I am not a vegan myself. Our planet is overwhelmed with people, resources are strained, and anything that we can do as individuals to help the planet breathe and process all the waste that humanity generates is a-ok.

Also, I'm a big proponent of using purchasing power to communicate political views. I don't own a car and I don't buy gas, so I don't support the oil companies or the war in the Middle East. I strive to spend more money at Trader Joe's than whole foods because they treat their employees better and they've never busted up an attempt to unionize.

Not only that, but I think it's admirable to choose a lifestyle that theoretically causes no harm to other life. The spiritual tradition of vegetarianism, especially in the East, is rich and long, but, as you will learn below, there is a big difference between being a vegan and being a vegetarian.

As a medical practitioner, however, I have mixed feelings about the vegan diet. Too often I see patients suffering the symptoms of Vitamin B12 deficiency, or symptoms of generalized anemia.

Why is Vitamin B12 deficiency a problem for vegans? Vitamin B12 is found primarily in animal products, and supplements that introduce Vitamin B12 into the stomach are not properly absorbed in the body. The only way to absorb any Vitamin B12 without eating an animal product is through a shot or a sublingual supplement.

Frankly, by the time you are experiencing deficiency symptoms, the sublingual supplement will probably not cut it. If you are a vegan and thing you might be experiencing a Vitamin B12 deficiency, you should get a blood test and, if the test reveals that you have pernicious anemia, ask you doctor about Vitamin B12 shots.

This process is sort of long and costly and the strain on the environment from producing all the supplements and shots and the added expense to our already bloated medical system which will cause a decrease in paying out benefits for people with other medical conditions should be considered.

Is there an easy answer? YES. A primarily vegan but partially vegetarian diet. If you incorporate dairy products into your vegan diet, you will live a longer, happier, healthier and more productive life with less suffering to yourself and the planet as a whole.

For those who do not digest or tolerate dairy well, a cultured dairy product is ideal. Yogurt or cottage cheese contains live cultures which begin the digestion process before you even start eating, and are widely tolerated.

Again, respect to those who want to do no harm. But sometimes you need to recognize when you are harming yourself, and evaluate the cost of that harm to yourself and others.

Namaste.