Myths and Rebuttals

So there I was, perusing some vegan websites. No, I am not turning. I was merely looking for some egg free recipes. With the holidays coming up, I am beginning to wonder how I'll make many of my favorite desserts and such without eggs. Vegan websites have recipes already written out for you, without having to figure out what to substitute and how much. Oh, yes, they make an egg replacer, but shipping on it costs as much as the stuff does. When I go for my allergist appointment next month, I'm going to check the health food stores in the Jackson area to see if any of them carry it. But for now, I have to make do.

Which brings us back to where I was: perusing vegan websites. In my wanderings, I ran across one website (sorry, I didn't think to bookmark it) in which the author lists what he refers to as "silly vegan myths." He then offers a rebuttal, which is nothing more than his own opinion. No statistics. No qualifiers or quantifiers, for that matter. No empirical evidence. Just an opinion.

For example, one of the "silly vegan myths" he rebuts is; vegans don't get enough calcium. His response?

Vegans get enough calcium from plant sources.

That's it, and we are just supposed to take his word at that. No list of which plant based foods are high in calcium, nor any list of how much calcium each plant based food contains, and how much you would need to eat of that plant based food to get your body's daily requirement of calcium. Just, a "yeah we do."

Another similar myth on the site is: vegans don't get enough protein. His response:

Vegans get enough protein from plant sources.

Again, he could do the same thing here. He could list which plant sources contain protein, which types of protein, and in what amounts. Another thing he failed to mention is that plant proteins are incomplete. He could take the opportunity here to list which combinations of plant foods one must eat to obtain a completed protein. Red beans and rice complete a protein, but one can't eat red beans and rice every day. In most cases, several plant foods must be combined to complete a protein. Or one could just eat a hamburger.

Now, my purpose here is neither to bash nor extol the vices and virtues of a meatless diet. I'm just saying, he would be more convincing if he were to offer something more than just a single sentence of opinion.