I'm wondering which came first.
Is vegans' apparent ill health from inadequacies in the diet?
Or are sick people drawn to the diet for some reason?


I know that nutritionists say that one can get all the nutrients one
needs from a vegan diet, but it takes a lot of work and paying
attention. You can't just put a meat, veg and potato on the table and
assume you're getting all you need. You have to think about protein
sources, iron, B12, fats, etc., and you have to keep thinking about them
all the time without ever letting down your guard.


I've noticed that a huge problem with a vegan diet, and a problem that
escapes the notice of many people, is the one about just getting
sufficient calories. If the vegan is trying to go the all natural route
without a lot of processed foods, the amount of fiber in the diet will
be enormous. It takes an immense amount of chewing and shoveling in of
food to get enough calories from brown rice and vegetables. Winter
squashes are denser, and oil and nuts have concentrated calories, but
mostly it's hard to eat enough. That could be why vegans are drawn to
convenience junk food. They're hungry, and the pizzas with soy cheese
provide calories.


In general, it's the lack of stored calories that cause women to stop
ovulating and therefore to stop menstruating. It isn't necessarily
something wrong with the mix of proteins, carbs and fats, just
insufficient intake of all of them. Of course, there could be a lot of
medical reasons for something to go wrong the menstrual cycle, some that
have nothing to do with diet.


I have the same questions about vegans and drug use. Which came first?
If there's a connection (I haven't noticed one outside of occasional
anecdotal evidence), was there something crazy about a person that made
him drawn to both drugs and the odd diet, maybe something off about his
metabolism that made meat disagree with him and drugs make him feel
better? Or does someone choose the vegan diet first, then develop the
craving for drugs? Or do drugs lead to veganism?


--Lia