Also I don't understand vegan ideology. Why should it be any more acceptable to slaughter plants than animals? Just because animals are more similar to humans than plants and evoke feelings of pity that plants do not? Plants are also living creatures! Assuming that slaughtering plants is acceptable while slaughtering animals is not is therefore a prime example of ideology-based Darwinism.
It is more acceptable to "slaughter" plant, since they don't feel pain.
No, it's not! Pain is an entirely human concept. Just because plants do not suffer in comparable ways like humans and animals doesn't justify that killing them is acceptable. In fact, plants clearly react to environmental stress. Some plants are also able to warn other plants of the same species when hurt by herbivores so they can release chemical deterrents.
From my point of view the statement "what does not suffer can be killed" is morally much less defensible than the statement "to live I sometimes have to kill".
Already been addressed in page 2. Even if plants do release chemicals, it's most likely not the same sensation we would describe as being painful. For example just because our arms are alive doesn't mean it can think on its own or feel pain on its own, it needs a central nervous system to process that information which plants do not have.
I find it funny when some (rare) vegetarians argues that eating meat is animal cruelty, but what's the difference between an animal and a plant? aren't they both living beings? for me if it is for the sake of eating then it is justified, nature was created in such a way that there are ecosystems and as such there are cycles on where things feed on other things, and the same goes for us human, when we die worms and plants feed on us and the cycle continues.
Now killing animals for fun that's another story and shouldn't be allowed.
Ah, excellent question and a very common misconception, even one that I used to have to justify my cause for eating meat.
"Isn't eating plants the same thing as eating meat?"
"Isn't it cruel to eat plants?"
"Aren't they both living things that feel pain and are hurt by us when we eat them?"
Well let's take a look:
- Most fruits and vegetable plants evolved to be eaten such as apples or oranges, animals eat part of the fruit then spit the seeds on the ground.
- Plants feel no pain, they have no consciousness, they have no nervous system, they don't feel emotion.
- Let's say they did feel pain, it would then be wrong to eat an animal that ate a lot more plants in its entire life as 80% of all agricultural plants are used to raise animals to be eaten.
I think this one is the strongest argument of all but it makes the most sense when combined with the others:
- You don't even kill most plants by eating the vegetable or fruits they produce. If you eat an apple, kale leaf, broccoli, orange, tomato, potato, or most other fruits and vegetables, you only eat a part of the whole, the main plant is still alive and continues to grow and produce more for you next harvest.
In conclusion...
It's not healthy to only eat vegan food without monitoring and supplementing vitamin B12. A nutritional vitamin B12 deficit can go unnoticed for years - when it is noticed damage has already been done. Humans are omnivores that need animal food sources from time to time (although it does not have to be meat).
This issue has been addressed as well. It is definitely recommended that all vegans take a supplement that has Vitamin B12 included. No one is saying otherwise. It's common knowledge amongst Vegans and Vegetarians.
4) Make sure you take a multivitamin everyday. Also add ground flaxseed to your diet.
This part is important. Most researches say multivitamins do nothing, while that might be true, I like to take comfort in the fact that multivitamins provide Vitamin B12, which is a nutrient you will need that you will not find in plants. It will just make you feel more energized if you decide to take one everyday.