New York Times op ed in todays paper
Posted by BradTheVegan on May 21, 2007 · Member since May 2003 · 65 posts
Hi there,
I haven't posted in a long time, but I still lurk around this web site. Today I read the most unbelieveable
opinion piece in the New York Times, on the op-ed page. The piece was called "Death by Vegan" and it was
about the 6 week old baby that died in Atlanta. His parents didn't understand much about a babies needs and
the poor thing starved to death. The parents were tried for murder and found guilty. Anyway, the NYT today
ran a op-ed opinion piece that suggested it was impossible for anyone to have a health vegan diet.
The link to the times is:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/21/opinion/21planck.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
If anybody is in the mood, perhaps some of use can reply to this artical
Brad
NYT has gone downhill.
Even if it's an 'opinion', I thought the would have insisted on more solid proof/reasoning.
At the end of the article:
Nina Planck is the author of “Real Food: What to Eat and Why.”
Well, I guess we all know what THAT book is about. ;)
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Ferret Research: http://ferretknots.blogspot.com/
Ferret Resources: http://nippynihon.blogspot.com/
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Mahatma Gandhi:
"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."
This was THE most ridiculous editorial that I read. Funny how you never see headlines like "Omnivores starve baby." Or "Omnivores make children obese." This wasn't a case of veganism killing a child. This was a case of a serious problem with the parents, either in terms of knowledge on how to care properly for a baby ... or just general imbalance. I dont even understand why they focused on the fact that the couple was vegan. Sounds to me like they just had no idea what to do with a baby. Every soy milk container (or most) say "do not use as infant formula" ... and apple juice? Who does that? I think there must have been something off about the parents. And it had nothing to do with veganism.
Regardless, I hate how veganism gets a bad name through pieces like this. The sad fact is, a lot of people are irresponsible in terms of the nutrition they provide for their children. Vegan or omnivore is not the issue. Knowledge of health, nutrition, and the needs of a baby is.
"babies are built from protein, calcium, cholesterol and fish oil"
Babies are built from fish oil? ???
Babies are built from fish oil? ???
Yeah... didn't you know? ;)
The Post Punk Kitchen blog talked about this NY times article. I personally couldn't read the article without saying "Bullsh*t" out loud and rolling my eyes the entire time.
Brace yourselves:
So babies are made of fish oil, "cereals and tubers" are the only vegetarian protein sources, soy protein is inferior to all animal protein, all vegans use soymilk and apple juice to feed their infants, the breastmilk of women that don't eat fish is inferior (The ADA tells pregnant women to stay away from fish by the way), the US says soy is good for infants because soy farming is subsidized, ...
that's the truth and nothing but the truth, ... haha. ::)
I thought I had ranted about this topic enough and even had invited an AJC reporter to interview me (which she never did), and wrote a letter to the editor of the AJC (which they never published). >:( But since my dog Hershey just woke me up as she always does at 6am to go out (I don't think she needs to go to the bathroom, I think she likes to watch the herd of about 10 deer that pass behind our fence out back every morning).....so....everyone is outside waiting for the deer and I'm awake after only a few hours of sleep. :o
I read her article and then found a NY Magazine interview with the author:
Very charming picture of her as well...not that it matters to me....I'm very liberal....but I SWEAR I can see an Adam's Apple ::) (false advertising)?
http://nymag.com/restaurants/features/17130/
Seems she was a vegan and it made her "sick" and that by converting to a "natural" diet of "rotting flesh" and "puss filled" whole milk, she is now convinced that she is the healthiest woman on the planet. Not only did she write her book.....but funny she owns two "natural rotting flesh" markets in NYC as well! I guess she got some free advertising for her book and her 2 stores in New York!
Anyone want to volunteer to write a letter to the NY Times? If I get turned down again I'll be 0 for 3 on this topic with the press! I know there are some "writers" out there ;)...and many more much smarter and more eloquent then I that can counterpoint her claims to a healthy rotting flesh diet. Since it's only 6:010am...I want to add this....F*ck Her!(See...maybe that's why they won't publish my letters)! ;D
I would really like to know what she ate as a vegan--she said she lost 25 pounds by eating animal flesh, milk, cheese, and lard? She must have been a junk food vegan, at best, if those sorts of foods made her lose weight after being vegan. I have never heard of anyone who ate GOOD vegan food losing weight eating animal products... :-\
Well, to each his (or her) own...I just wish she would argue more FOR her proposed "health" solution instead of AGAINST veganism. It's almost like she's trying to justify to herself why she is no longer vegan. Also, I would really like to see the "research" she did to find that all of those animal products won't cause health problems and actually make you healthier...there are studies out there to "prove" pretty much anything; the validity of those studies is another story...
From her interview:
"We should be cooking broccoli and carrots to make them more nutritious. And we should be eating raw beef, raw fish, raw egg yolks in Caesar salads, and raw milk."
interesting...
Dr. John McDougall's reply:
http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2007other/nytimes.html
I just wrote to and forwarded her article and her interview to Dr. Neil Bernard from the PCRM and asked him to kindly write a response and rebuttal to the NY Times. He would be the "perfect" person to respond in my eyes. If there is anyone that I have ever read that can challenge what she is preaching with hardcore facts...it is he! I hope he takes me up on the offer. ;)
What about flax seed, legumes, calcium fortified soy milk and the fact that there are so many other sources of calcium other than milk or cheese. Obviously, she did not do her homework when she became vegan all those years ago.
Dr. John McDougall's reply:
http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2007other/nytimes.html
I LOVE this part Dr. McDougall wrote:
Dr. John McDougall's reply:
http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2007other/nytimes.html
I LOVE this part Dr. McDougall wrote:
"The scientific truth is: Babies at 6 weeks of age require human breast milk and any other diet means malnutrition. Imagine if the exact opposite approach killed an infant with a formula made of pulverized beef and cow’s milk, would this have received similar worldwide press? I believe the case would have been properly considered child neglect (intentional or not) and have gone unnoticed except for those intimately involved. “People love to hear good news about their bad habits” so the tragedy of the death of an infant caused by misguided parents who fed their infant apple juice and soy milk for the first 6 weeks of life has been used to justify eating meat and drinking cow’s milk. "
That is such a perfect response! 8)
Too bad he did not send that part to the NY Times!.....but....they have yet to publish his response. I hope they do!
I LOVE this part Dr. McDougall wrote:
"The scientific truth is: Babies at 6 weeks of age require human breast milk and any other diet means malnutrition. Imagine if the exact opposite approach killed an infant with a formula made of pulverized beef and cow’s milk, would this have received similar worldwide press? I believe the case would have been properly considered child neglect (intentional or not) and have gone unnoticed except for those intimately involved. “People love to hear good news about their bad habits” so the tragedy of the death of an infant caused by misguided parents who fed their infant apple juice and soy milk for the first 6 weeks of life has been used to justify eating meat and drinking cow’s milk. "
That is such a perfect response! 8)
Too bad he did not send that part to the NY Times!.....but....they have yet to publish his response. I hope they do!
Nice response!
Finally, someone QUALIFIED to speak about nutrition.
But yeah, he was probably knew that too long a response would have NO chance of getting published at all.
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Ferret Research: http://ferretknots.blogspot.com/
Ferret Resources: http://nippynihon.blogspot.com/
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mahatma Gandhi:
"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."