Devout vegans defend dietary differences

"So what don't you eat?" Perplexed looks earnestly begging for the answer to this question fill the lives of devout vegans everywhere. Veganism, though not a religion, is grounded on a firm set of beliefs. It is commonly referred to as the extreme form of vegetarianism. You could call it that. Though, I refer to it as an informed, conscientious dietary plan. Let's face it most vegans have done their research. You cannot expect someone to give up all foods made with animal products cold-turkey, no pun intended, without a clear understanding of why they can no longer consume these cuisines.

Not only do most vegans believe it is unhealthy and, in some cases, immoral to consume a dead animal carcass, they also believe the same goes for anything else made from an animal.

Yes, this means no dairy if you are a vegan. It may seem crazy that people would actually choose not to take delight in cheese, milk and ice cream. But let's go all the way back to the beginning and take a closer look at dairy products.

When we were babies most of us drank our mother's milk. During this time we more than tripled our birth weight, going from about an eight-pound newborn to a 25 to 30 pound toddler. Breast milk is meant to fatten.

Now let's look at a cow. Their milk is designed to turn a 90-pound calf, over the course of about two years, into a 2,000-pound cow. Milk is so fattening, it keeps all four of a calf's stomachs fully satisfied.

This period from tiny baby to toddler is one of the largest growth spurts in an animal's life. And milk is what nature designed to do the deed.

Not only are we the only species to continue drinking milk into adulthood, but also we are the only species that drinks the milk of another species.

Is there something about a cow's milk that is miraculously perfect for human consumption? The answer to this question is simply, no.

Many people would react in horror at the suggestions of trying some gorilla milk on cereal or substituting cows' milk for cats' milk in a truffle recipe.

There is in fact one reason why humans drink cow milk and not zebra, dog, or gorilla. Sadly, that answer is money.

Cows produce the most volume of milk for the cheapest price.

It does not have anything to do with nutrition, it is all about what will make the most profit.

Humans can get all of their calcium needs from many plant-based products like spinach and kale. Nearly all of the vitamin D we need for the day can be produced by the skin through just 15 minutes of direct sunlight.

Vegans are constantly told that human intelligence has propelled them to be at the top of the food chain. Therefore, meat is a perfectly acceptable part of your diet. But, our intestines are much longer than that of other carnivores'.

The flesh of dead animals rots in our intestines for days after we eat it because our gastrointestinal tracts have a difficult time handling meat. However, our gastrointestinal tracts are perfectly capable of digesting plant life.

Many vegans not only believe eating products from healthy animals is bad, they know eating products from steroid-pumped and poorly cared for animals is even worse.

Do not be tricked into believing that all of the milk you drink is the product of a farmer sitting with a bucket between his legs gently squeezing a cow's utters.

Many cows are milked by machines, which have no way of knowing if a cow's utters are becoming swollen or raw.

Cows would normally produce for their calves about 10 pounds of milk per day, but some factory farms have cows producing up to 100 pounds of milk per day.

This leaves the cows' utters chaffed and with puss-filled sores. However, if milk must be purchased, it is best to buy it locally.

Most factory farms house animals in often unclean, hectic environments. Chickens, for example, will commonly have their beaks seared off their faces because they peck the workers and other chickens due to their distress.

Try for a moment to imagine of all of steroids being pumped into chicken and other types of "edible" meats. These animals are often slaughtered in rows.

They can probably hear the cries of their own species, and they know they're next. When any animal experiences fear, its body chemistry changes and it releases tons of endorphins reacting to the "flight or fight" impulse.

It is commonly suggested that you are what you eat.

If you chew dead animal flesh with your blunt flat teeth and then let it rot in your intestine while dumping loads of harmful steroids into your stomach, it seems very difficult to maintain a healthy body.

I know many people who eat meat on a daily basis and say they feel just fine. But it is these same people who often suffer from chronic headaches, are constantly tired and have trouble finding the words to express simple phrases.

You are what you eat. Do your body good, know what you are putting into it.