Could It Be Possible? Is Veganism Too Good to Be True?

by Darcy Reeder | June 6, 2018

Is it too good to be true?

Veganism: it’s kinder, it’s healthier, it’s better for the planet. This one choice, to stop using other animals, sure sounds life-changingly wonderful. In this climate of fake news though, many are wondering: Are the benefits of veganism too good to be true?

The good news is that science is clearly on the side of veganism. Not only is veganism kind (it doesn’t take statistics to understand that not harming is better than harming). Data shows us that veganism is the single biggest way to reduce your impact on the environment. And research continually shows vegans live longer and healthier lives.

Fake news and pseudoscience are big problems now, regardless of what you’re trying to research. On one hand, there’s the anti-vegan pseudo-science, from Dr. Joseph Mercola and the Weston A. Price Foundation, with anti-soy propaganda that makes even longtime vegans sometimes question if their tofu is really as great as they think. (Spoiler: it is! Tofu is awesome!)

Anti-science propaganda exists within the vegan community as well. For example, David Avocado Wolfe has over 12 million Facebook followers, so you’ve probably seen his memes (and you might even follow him yourself). The pseudoscience is mixed in with heartwarming posts and self-promotion, so it’s hard to know what’s true and what’s not. While he presents himself as an expert in raw veganism and health, he also recommends curing cancer with spring water and tweets that the Earth is literally flat. While Wolfe is the face of veganism for many people, he now calls himself a superfoodist rather than a vegan, and he sells a tincture made from deer antlers on his website.

When we see anti-science propaganda in the vegan community, let’s call it out. The science showing the benefits of veganism is so overwhelming that sometimes omnivores might doubt it, might wonder if it’s too good to be true. Lies/false memes can only hurt the cause because they cast doubt on all the true benefits of veganism.

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When you talk to your friends or share articles online about veganism, take the time to make sure what you’re sharing is true, that it comes from a trustworthy source, so your friends can trust that when you tell them, for instance, “that even the very lowest impact meat and dairy products still cause much more environmental harm than the least sustainable vegetable and cereal growing” (as the Guardian just wrote in reference to new data in the journal Science), it’s not too good to be true.

Veganism really is that amazing.

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Darcy Reeder’s been a journalist, a vegan pastry chef, owned a vegan pizzeria, and now she plays with kids all day (as a mama and a Kaleidoscope Play & Learn facilitator). See more at her blog Vegans in Love, her Etsy shop ItsyPunx, and on Instagram @darcyreeder.