Vegan Haters Strike Again

By Published On: 3 May 2010Last Updated: 17 January 2017

Why does it seem that the number one thing to do when discussing the vegan lifestyle, is to ridicule it? WHAT ARE YOU AFRAID OF?

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Haters Beware

Why does it seem that the number one thing to do when discussing the vegan lifestyle, is to ridicule it?  WHAT ARE ALL OF YOU HATERS AFRAID OF?

Rosemary Black, of the New York Daily News, apparently hates the vegan lifestyle.  She recently interviewed Keri Gans, a spokeswoman for the American Dietietic Association (ADA), regarding a vegan diet as part of a growing child’s lifestyle.  According to the ADA, Ms. Gans was, shall I say, misrepresented in the Daily News article.

Black titled her piece, “Vegan diets may not be healthy for kids,” and began with this tidbit,

Feed your kid a vegan diet? It might sound healthy, but in England, social workers tried to remove a 5-year-old boy, who appeared to have rickets, from his parents’ home.

She continued in standard hater fashion:

While it’s possible to ensure that a child gets these nutrients from other sources, it’s hard – unless your kid absolutely loves vegetables.

Another risk with a vegan diet is that a child may not get enough protein – or at least the complete protein that is offered by meat and dairy products.

Media Relations Manager of the ADA, Jennifer Starkey, had this to say when contacted by our colleague, Lubimor Stoyanov, regarding the discrepancy between the ADA’s actual position on vegan diets and the ideas expressed in the article:

Thank you for contacting the ADA with your concerns regarding the article in the New York Daily News.  I have spoken to Keri Gans about her interview with the paper and feel confident that she relayed all of the information in our position paper to the reporter.  It was an extensive interview and unfortunately only a few quotes were included in the final piece and the ones that were selected made it sound like she was trying to keep people from trying a vegan diet.  She said the majority of her comments focused on the need for a ‘well-planned’ diet and incorporating the help of a registered dietitian or other health care practitioner to navigate the various ways that the proper nutrients could be incorporated into the diet.  She said this quote is more indicative of the information she was communicating throughout the interview:

‘If the family knows what they are doing, works with a professional and gets the proper supplements, the needs could be met.’

However, we do not get the final say in the finished product or the title for the piece and it ended up having a more negative slant than we would have liked to see.

The ADA position on vegan diets for children is that they are healthy and nutritious when- just like any diet- they are well planned.  Their position paper on vegetarian and vegan diets states,

It is the position of the American Dietetic Association that appropriately planned vegetarian diets, including total vegetarian or vegan diets, are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. Well-planned vegetarian diets are appropriate for individuals during all stages of the life cycle, including pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, and adolescence, and for athletes.

So, what’s with all the “hate spin,” New York Daily News?

Be vigilant people- we’re surrounded by those who choose to skew the truth in order to maintain the status quo.  Otherwise known as, haters.

via nydailynews.com & eatright.org

2 Comments

  1. […] Rosemary Black of New York Daily News hates vegan lifestyle. | Your Daily Vegan – Unapologetic… […]

  2. […] Rosemary Black of New York Daily News hates vegan lifestyle. | Your Daily Vegan – Unapologetic… […]

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HELLO! I'm KD Angle-Traegner.

Writer, activist, and founder of Four Urban Paws Sanctuary. I’m on a mission to help people live a vegan life. Read more about KD…

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