America Could Be Vegan by 2050

[bananas]

http://www.ecorazzi.com/2014/03/13/america-could-be-vegan-by-2050/

America Could Be Vegan by 2050
by Lindsey Little March 13, 2014

The founder and director of Catskill Animal Sanctuary, Kathy Stevens, thinks America could be vegan by 2050.

Here’s the evidence:

1. Meat consumption is on the decline, while interest in vegan food is on the rise.

Americans consumed 12.2 percent less meat in 2012 than in 2007. More and more Americans are becoming “flexitarian,” adopting a vegetarian diet more than half of the time. In 2012, a poll found that 16 percent of Americans described themselves as flexitarian. That number is predicted to rise as the Meatless Monday movement has grown to 50 percent national awareness. In addition, Google Trends reported a 3-fold increase in vegan internet searches from 2005 to 2014. This data highlights the fact that vegans aren’t just in cities like L.A., New York and Portland anymore. Plant-based diets are spreading to small towns across the country, as knowledge and resources become more readily available.

2. Supermarkets are adding new vegan products.

<snip>

3. Restaurants are becoming more responsive to vegans.

<snip>

4. The rich and powerful are throwing their money behind vegan start-ups.

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[bossy22]

1. hope to god it doesnt

Do we really need more sick people in this country? The majority of my vegan patients suffer from anemia in some firm or another. While it is possible to get all nutrients and vitamins from a vegan diet it requires a great deal of effort and knowledge. Most simply do not spend a lot of time thinking about what they eat.

We were meant to eat meat and other animal protein.

[HERVEPA]

2. Bull. Just bull.

[newfie11]

3. +1

[yeoman6987]

7. Why not just eat everything in moderation

It sure doesn't have to be 100 percent one way or the other. Perhaps eating meat once a week to ensure that they have those important items you receive from meat products might be the way to go. The previous poster seems to think not eating meat at all is dangerous. So if that is the case, then cut down on meat but not out. Quite a few Americans eat meat 2-3 times a day. If we cut it down to once a day and perhaps eventually once a week that might just help the overall health of America. Just a thought.

[HERVEPA]

10. Well, as far as the vegetarian part, you do realize it's not a very nice thing

to raise an animal to be slaughtered. right?
and as for vegan, supplying all the dairy requires treating cows, hens to be treated atrociously.

A man can live and be healthy without killing animals for food; therefore, if he eats meat, he participates in taking animal life merely for the sake of his appetite. And to act so is immoral.
—Leo Tolstoy, Russian novelist (1828–1910)

In fact, if one person is unkind to an animal it is considered to be cruelty, but where a lot of people are unkind to animals, especially in the name of commerce, the cruelty is condoned and, once large sums of money are at stake, will be defended to the last by otherwise intelligent people.
—Ruth Harrison, author of Animal Machines

It is my view that the vegetarian manner of living, by its purely physical effect on the human temperament, would most beneficially influence the lot of mankind.
—Albert Einstein (1879–1955)

Until he extends the circle of his compassion to all living things, man will not himself find peace.
—Albert Schweitzer, French philosopher, physician, and musician (Nobel 1952)

[jmowreader]

21. Vegans don't eat dairy

[HERVEPA]

22. Yes, I know. You need to read my post a little more carefully (no snark intended).

[Adrahil]

9. I LOVE bull, especially BBQ'd! NT

[HERVEPA]

11. So very funny. Wait, I mean so very dumb and insensitive.

Eating animals is one thing. Taking pride in it is disgusting.

[Adrahil]

12. Pass the Worchester Sauce, please. NT

[Paladin]

20. The Gun Control/RKBA folks are showing up. Pay them no mind. (nt)

[uncommonlink]

13. I love venison, cooked on a grill, sauteed with mushrooms butter.

[livetohike]

4. Really? What majority of your meat eating patients have high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes

digestion maladies, colon cancer and any number of meat eating related diseases that keep "health" practitioners busy?

[unblock]

6. do you really think that *if the strong majority of america were vegan* that this would be the case?

if a vegan diet were to become the norm, education about doing it properly would be widespread.

as for protein, all life has protein, duh. animal is merely more protein dense, you have to eat a lot of vegetables, but, hey, that's the point.

i'm not a vegan, but iirc, b12 is the only real challenge for a strict vegan diet. this could be addressed by taking supplements or breaking the vegan diet on the odd occassion (if a vegan diet were widespread, plenty would not be completely strict about it) and i think there are a few vegan foods that have b12, which would become quite popular i'm sure.

main point is that to the extent that those pursuing a vegan diet have any issues, it's because they have to educate themselves *because it's currently a minority diet*. increased popularity would radically change that.

[flvegan]

16. LOL!

Good story you tell there.

[LeftyMom]

19. My iron improved level on a vegan diet.

I went from having to take prescription supplements religiously to getting by on the OTC multi I take on the rare occasions when I remember.

Dairy consumption fucks up a lot of people's iron absorption.

[jollyreaper2112]

5. Total bull

What I think is more likely is that Americans will eat processed insects. Think of how much we love crab cakes. We probably won't eat bugs that look like bugs like lobster and shrimp, too much uck factor, but I think anything we can bread or fry like a fish stick is quite likely. I could see vertebrate meat consumption decline due to expense. This will be cost driving the factor, not necessarily a fad.

[CFLDem]

8. Actually technically correct

but it won't be because people suddenly grew a conscience about our God given right to eat bacon.

It'll be due to the cheap and copious availability of cruelty free, lab engineered meats, which could count as a vegan diet since it never involved an animal with a face.

SCIENCE BITCHES!

[Igel]

14. I'd rather Americans be Vegan. At least some of them.

http://www.space.com/19190-asteroid-belt-vega-hidden-planets.html

[Redfairen]

15. Ain't gonna happen. Veganism takes WAAAY too much time out of your day.

Veganism takes an ENORMOUS commitment of time because it demands that you become a scratch cook for just about everything you eat. The vegan options available in grocery stores are still mostly quite expensive, beyond the reach of people of lesser means. Going vegan dominates your whole schedule. It's not reasonable to expect people to go vegan when it takes so much time to prepare the food.

I've tried so hard for so many years. I know. You inevitably reach a point where you haven't had time to prepare a meal and you just need to eat. That's when you break down and just grab something, whatever it is. I've been through so many attempts to make it work and it always breaks down eventually. It's an endless cycle.

The economics of veganism don't work unless you have lots of money, lots of free time, or both. Those of us with modest means and no free time just can't do it. I've resigned myself to being mostly vegetarian without any sort of strict discipline about it. That's the only way it works for me and the pressures of my life.

[Prophet 451]

17. I can't see it`

I can easily see Americans cutting back on meat as it becomes more expensive but I can't see many adopting a fully vegan diet. Likewise, I can see the US banning factory farming as it's banned here (UK).

[Democracyinkind]

18. Everyone but the 1% will be vegan by 2050.

Unless you count in Frankenmeat and Soylent Green.

[Archae]

23. My Dad told me decades ago...

"Vegetarian" was ancient caveman language meaning "lousy hunter."

No, every few years or so some vegan "evangelist" makes a "prediction" that we are all going to go vegan by (fill in the blank year).

And they are always wrong.

(Remember the "future predictions" of meals in pill form?)

Face it, we like the taste of burgers, bacon, pork chops, steaks, etc. just too much.