I wanted to make this stark contribution because people can get develop radical relationships with food, and with that obsessive association, create much harm with the best of intentions. I keep an ear to the ground following popular social media figures in the nutrition space, including the vegan space, which is rife with a disfunctional narrative about food.
Recently in Sydney a toddler was hospitalised after being subjected to the vegan beliefs of their parents. The Sydney press covered the story, and anyone can google "Sydney, baby, vegan, hospitalised" and read the dirt. I thought it only fair, though, to post the comments of a die hard vegan rather than post the general population view because vegans might think they are tainted with the same brush as the neglectful parents. I will link that video at the end.
As I said several times in the thread, I consider veganism to be a valid ethical standpoint and one way of having a healthy diet, but the general social narrative vegans are propagating about food is unsound, reflects an unhealthy relationship with food and presents an unacceptable risk of harm to those misled into its tenets.
On this thread we can hear the stories which sound elating and appealing, and I would like those stories to be true, but alas. However, I can speak about the facts of adequate calories and nutrient distribution til the cows are set free, but the truth of nutrition has no tantalising appeal in comparison to the spiritual sounding and more compassionate timbre of the vegan vernacular. Just realise these fantastic claims are just pulled outa thuin air and there is no evidence, no science, and let me be perfectly frank, no truth - and that delusional narrative stems from disfunctional beliefs that support toxic relationships with food.
The story I'm about to post in the video is not a remote case, albeit among the more extreme cases - there are so many cases of children subjected to their parents radical eating beliefs that become malnourished in the vegan community, with their little stick arm and legs and impeded childhood development. Of course the standard diet in the West is also driven by food delusions creating tremendous harm through childhood obesity and the related morbidity.
We have to be harder on the issue because harming children who are reliant on us is a terrible abuse, and the whole social narrative on food in society is creating an unimaginable scale of harm.
I suggest that vegans and omnivores alike who take an interest in the nutrition narrative subscribe to this channel. Listen to how she comments, how she talks about nutrients, and how she ensures her own children thrive sans animal products - because this what the truth sounds like.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BA9SZbtcFOs&t=420s