Misinformation and confusion about the vegan diet

Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) shared this link on their Facebook page, 9 Pros and Cons to Going Vegan - will this strict diet work for you -- AARP. My guess is that the person who posted this link on PCRM's page failed to read the entire article. In response, I posted this comment on PCRM's Facebook page:

 

"Unfortunately AARP contributors to this article are woefully uninformed about the vegan diet. If one eats a plant-based diet rich in dark leafy greens, legumes; garbanzo, lentils, etc. and that includes nuts and seeds; sesame (in Tahini) almonds, Brazil nuts, you have better access to calcium than with an omnivorous diet. Dairy is acidic and one way your body neutralizes acid is to draw calcium from bones. There are numerous sources for well researched information about a vegan diet; Campbell, McDougall, Fuhrman, Ornish, Esselstyn, Barnard, why use comments from uneducated sources? Am I missing the point on something here?"

It's no wonder there are people that still consider eating a vegan diet 'fringe' when there is this type of misinformation floating about on the Internet. Any 'diet' or way of eating can be hazardous to your health if the foods you eat are not varied enough, ample enough, and are not good quality food. Transitioning to a vegan diet can seem daunting but there are so many great cookbooks and recipes online that it's easier than ever to make the change. 

Last summer a friend told me she went vegan because her doctor recommended the change. Her doctor felt it would be a key factor in clearing up a lot of her health issues. My friend finds her new way of eating freeing and totally enjoyable. She says she feels great and cannot imagine ever going back to her previous diet.

The subtitle to the AARP article is; "It's trendy and healthy, but will the strict diet work for you?". Sadly, the author of the AARP article, Monica Bhide, has written with a negative bent that will likely limit the very people this way of eating could help the most, seniors. 


According to Wikipedia, the word 'vegan' was coined in 1944 by Vegan Society founder, Donald Watson and his wife Dorothy. 67 years is a long time to be "trendy". . . . .