IDIOT PROOFING veganism - Sam Harris

[@VeganTruth]

Thumbs Up to all who donate and who share this video! You guys are awesome! kzbin.info/www/bejne/mKjOeIh9lsl4Zqs

[@MrJaeGun]

When the smartest of the smartest like Sam Harris and Richard Dawkins have no real arguments against going vegan, you know that veganism IS the way. Go Sam Harris!

[@trent3902]

+Glenn GoGo Albert Einstein was vegetarian for the last years of his life too!

[@elasolezito]

+Glenn GoGo "Go vegans yeaa !!" Humans are omnivores by nature leaning towards herbivores mostly. Stop forcing it to other people. Of course there's nothing wrong of being a vegan. You need a "smart" person to say it, can't think for yourself. The question is: "Can you guys simply shut the fuck up about it ?".

[@trent3902]

Johan Dale Where did that comment come from? I don't see Glenn forcing veganism on people anywhere in that comment. Maybe some people talk about veganism as it is important to them and they are trying to educate people. Nothing good has ever been achieved by people shutting the fuck up about it. "For evil to flourish, it only requires good men to do nothing." Now you hopefully understand why veganism is important to some people. I actually hardly ever see people forcing veganism on others, only educating, even on KZbin. In order to become vegan, a lot of thought is required. You don't just simply go vegan without thinking, you need to research and think critically. Keeping on eating meat requires no thought.

[@elasolezito]

trent sayers Doesn't go to you or Harris. I'm talking about extreme vegans and feminazi (don't know who's more of a pain). As i said i have nothing wrong with a vegan or a feminist, i can't stand those extremes who try to force their mentally unstable ideas to us. They are lying, first to themselves and second what they say don't make sense. Vegans want humans in general to stop eating meat because they can live without it (which is true but so what ?). They're misanthropist too. They want to sterilize men too. An example is the woman with her chicken calling others murderers. No they shouldn't have right to talk. They should have every right to live in an asylum free though. (Not ranting) By the way why it does require thinking ? If you know about diet you can change it. A human can live with fruits too but in greater amounts. Sorry for the long post.

[@trent3902]

Johan Dale The vegan extremists are the vocal minority. Try to look through the eyes of a vegan and see how other humans upset them by simply not caring. I see veganism as not making animals equal to humans (I don't want to give animals the vote), but treating them with respect. If a lot more people turn vegan then it is better for the environment as well as for health and the animals. Veganism takes a lot of thought, simply for why are you going vegan. You can just ignore something (no thought) or you can learn about it and take action on what you have learnt (new action requires thought.)

[@theemissinglinks]

what you're doing to your voice is extremely abrasive

[@jadenmiller9006]

+APEX PREDATOR he's a fucking robot.

[@Jaysx3010]

It reminds me Stanley Parable.

[@ovechkin100]

+APEX PREDATOR yea theveganatheist is awesome for spot on logical thinking. but i have no idea why he's trying to speak like a robot. its pretty unfortunate and seems very fake

[@hateeternalmaver]

+APEX PREDATOR Obviously, he just does not get enough nutrients to form a normal human voice. ..

[@Jaysx3010]

hateeternalmaver Where do you get your fiber? How about vitamin C? How comes that you need fortified salt? Fortified flour? Fortified milk? Fortified juice? Fortified cereals? Fortified meat? How so that vitamin D3 is recommended for everyone? You do not get enough nutrients to rationalize outside of what your lobbyists want you to believe.

[@Valansch]

I thought i could not respect Sam Harris more. I was wrong.

[@lovingboarding]

+Valansch He's my favourite "atheist" intellectual of them all!

[@Valansch]

lovingboarding He really does not like ignorance i guess. Btw: like your profile pic :D

[@theultimatea.i.3973]

*thought

[@Valansch]

The Ultimate A.I. Thanks. Sorry i'm tired.

[@msflyingfree7]

+lovingboarding Very intellectual and took him this long to finally make the connection/shift, says a lot about how bloody deep the indoctrination goes.. quite sad.

[@VeganTruth]

Voice Your Opinion! I'd love to hear from you which videos you want me to tackle on TheVeganAtheist. Click the link to vote in my poll. You can choose more then one answer and add your own suggestions: goo.gl/63Y7IE

[@UnnaturalVegan]

Ugh. Not that obnoxious fake vegan again. (Seriously, +TheVeganAtheist great video!) Edit: I was speaking about myself here, referring to the fact that some vegans think I'm not really vegan. (see the comments on TVA's 10 reasons it sucks to be a vegan video)

[@billibob313]

+Unnatural Vegan Well this really doesn't seem like someone who personally dislikes Sam and tries to trash him anyway he/she can.

[@AnEvolvingApe]

+Unnatural Vegan Sam "obnoxious"? The guy is certainly moving towards veganism and every single time I've heard him speak he sounds like the most thoughtful calm and wise person. What positions of Sam's do you not like?

[@UnnaturalVegan]

I was speaking about myself here, referring to the fact that some vegans think I'm not really vegan. (see the comments on TVA's 10 reasons it sucks to be a vegan video)

[@AnEvolvingApe]

***** Oh, OK. Do you enjoy killing animals as much as you enjoy eating them?

[@sacmakiz]

I don't think you are obnoxious at all. I think you don't know what you're talking about and still claim yourself as "rational, pro-science, animal rights activists" when you're non of the above, yet. You're just ranting of vegans, for fame and money (Duh, you have a patreon page now) Or you have hidden agenda that we don't know what it is yet? Does your channel make you feel unique? Because it is one of a kind sh.t. Don't get me wrong though I like your calm and kind nature however what's your point of bashing on other vegans and vegan scientists for getting likes from non vegans? That's what it feels wrong.

[@paulroundy7220]

I cannot eat grains, beans, or seeds because they trigger my kidneys to spill magnesium, potassium, and phosphorus. Back when I was in graduate school, I came home to my wife pulling her best homemade whole wheat bread out of the oven (she even grinds the wheat herself). It smelled so good and I was so hungry that I ate half of the loaf. I paid for it that night--ending up in the emergency room with heart attack symptoms. They took a blood sample and found that my serum potassium was near a 2 (supposed to be between 3.5 and 5), and they said that I could have died. After that, I saw numerous specialists, and none of them found the problem, though they suggested that it might be a distal tubal defect in the kidneys. Then, I removed everything from my diet and added back item by item over several months. All fibrous plant products led to the symptoms, to varying degrees. I found I had to eliminate most fibrous plant material, especially seeds, grains, and beans, from my diet. I can tolerate some fruit (without seeds), and fruit juices. I have found that without a diet based on animal products, I cannot survive. I push for better treatment of animals while they are alive, but I depend on them and have no choice in the matter if I want to survive. Some vegans think they have the moral high road, and in some respects they might, but I think many of them express confirmation bias when they throw out every piece of evidence opposed to their views. My assessment of the evidence and my anecdotal experience suggests that the truth is more nuanced.

[@nikolaneberemed]

Don't let vegans try to bully you, they really have very little to go on. We are omnivores, our liver to body weight ratio is too large for a herbivore but too small for a carnivore. Our intestine length to body weight ratio is too low for a herbivore but too high for a carnivore. Our teeth and digestive enzymes tell the same story. We are made to eat everything. You can't blame a cat for being carnivorous, or a cow for being herbivorous, or a human for being omnivorous. You could, but that would just make you a dick.

[@paulroundy7220]

I agree on all points. Even deer occasionally eat bird eggs or baby birds. I once saw a chipmunk eating a dead snake (they are actually omnivorous like us). Vegans do have some moral argument in their favor, as I do need to take the life of an animal to eat part of it. Yet, we can make their lives better before we eat them. Many farm animals actually do have better lives on the farm than they would have in nature: they get free food and health care! Some would not even survive in the wild without human help. Yet some really are over confined and are poorly treated. I think the solution to such issues is through the marketplace. Some poultry companies are starting to give their birds more room to move around. Big agriculture needs to balance production efficiency with humane treatment. We can be better.

[@nikolaneberemed]

Paul Roundy Well said, buy free range meat or grow your own to support humane farming and keeping of animals. Just because there are blind capitalists in the meat industry, running after profit alone and not caring about or even noticing the suffering they are causing, does not mean that eating meat is bad. That's just elementary school generalization for (mentally young) people who don't really like, or know how to think. The issue is more complex and needs to be examined carefully and from many angles, rather than painted with a super wide brush. Not all meat-eating is bad.

[@paulroundy7220]

As before, I agree, though I'm not even arguing that livestock should all be free-range. That certainly is a nice idea, but grain fed animals can lead reasonable lives as well. Many people are surprised, for example, to find that grass-fed cows actually belch more methane than grain fed cows. My beef with the meat industry simply is that they should provide the animals more room to move around, and more access to fresh air. Otherwise, the animals can eat what they want. Many farmers provide cows with grain, silage, and alfalfa or grass hay during the winter, and my experience with cows suggests that they can be satisfied with all of these options or combinations thereof. These foods are better than having them fight the snow to get down to the dead brown grass from the previous summer. Animals suffer brutally in nature when they must dig through crusted snow to meager grass, all the while constantly fearing predators. In comparison, life with a farmer delivering grain and hay is heaven on earth to a cow.

[@consciousconscience7496]

+nikolaneberemed you're an idiot. this is literally third grade biology. humans don't have flat molars for Grinding not tearing, like an herbivore. our stomache acid pH is not acidic enough to destroy parasites in raw meat. our jaw structure is not hinged like an omnivore but rather can travel laterally. human intestines are RIBBED not smooth. human intestines are the 3 times too long to be omnivorous based on spinal body length. humans have no claws , useless "canine" teeth, proportionately dismal bite pressure. we don't have the taste buds necessary to appreciate amino acids, only carbohydrate. our saliva is particularly suited to breaking down carbohydrates. here's the kicker, humans produce our OWN cholesterol and CANNOT metabolize exogenous cholesterol. Jesus Christ go back to school.

[@bboyagua]

Isn't this just another misrepresentation of Sam's views? He said he was trying to find a way to make vegetarianism work for him again, right? Myself, I am much more interested in how animals are treated when they are alive. What happens to any animals dead tissues is none of my concern, whether human or other sentient being. We need to reform the laws governing farming and animal treatment. Focusing on diet, rather than the conscious experience of animals baffles me.

[@bboyagua]

Mikko Finell What the flying fuck are you guys on about? Does any of this have anything to do with my comment? I'm all for eating babies anyways.

[@PanasonicTooth]

Let's get this baby eating revolution started, I'm starving!

[@smashingmirrors6303]

+Gábor Nagy because as far as i know when humans eat humans it fucks them up.

[@bboyagua]

SmashingMirrors In what way?

[@HopyHop1]

+bboyagua When they are alive they are getting their throats slit. They die shortly thereafter.

[@sacmakiz]

Unnatural vegan again, oh no 😭😭😭😭

[@VeganTruth]

+hocuspocus curious why the animosity towards Unnatural vegan? Haven't seen anything objectionable from any of her videos.

[@cloud_and_proud]

+TheVeganAtheist Maybe it's because she's SJW-Like, not too sure.

[@VeganTruth]

+nothinghere while I totally disagree, how is her appearance relevant?

[@sophiadeng8889]

No offence but she gives a bad image to the vegan community. From watch ive watched, she seems to dislike vegans and veganism. I cant really explain it but i personally dont like her.

[@Ceeckoful]

+TheVeganAtheist She denies the fact meat is linked with many diseases which is proven enough to be the main causes of those diseases, she panders to meat eaters and enforces the idea that meat doesn't harm them when it does, she mocks the entire vegan community with mere dismissal, she has discredited her self with the Vegan community and rightly so. She has claimed Dr Greger is bias because he is vegan and has implied his studies etc are void because of this. If there is anyone you should be promoting it should be Mic. the vegan. his channel is based on science and offers in depth look into studies while keeping it interesting, he is also not making money out of his videos.

[@morpheusxnyc]

I'm an Atheist as well, so I reject all delusional beliefs based on unscientific ideology... like Veganism. Don't get me wrong, eating more veggies is great, just like getting more exercise is great. But within reason....

[@YourMajesty143]

+morpheusxnyc There's enough scientific data to support the dietary, environmental, and cruelty-free impacts. I don't know where you're looking, but you can check studies from the Universities at Harvard, Cornell, Oxford for research on plant-based health. You can look at reports issued by the UN, US Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Defense Council, Environmental Protection Agency, to get a glimpse at how the meat industry is the #1 cause of environmental collapse. As far as cruelty on farms, there's enough video evidence to shake up any human individual who is capable of empathy. Veganism is based on reason, but meat isn't. Think about it, we inherited these habits from our caretakers during our unsuspecting youth---similar to religious indoctrination. We didn't question it, and we certainly weren't given a choice. We never came to it intuitively or intellectually. Veganism is similar to Atheism in that it challenges the current belief system society has in place. And just like Atheism, Veganism isn't a positive, it's a negation to the current status quo. If something comes along that inspires critical thinking and evaluation of a system, then it's our responsibility to explore that fully before dismissing it so readily.

[@YourMajesty143]

***** Then you should've led with that instead of claiming that you had any real justification against Veganism. I have no problem with people who are Carnists if they're willing to own it. Not everyone in the world can be a hero & so I'm cool w/ people who just don't want to participate.

[@morpheusxnyc]

YourMajesty143 "There's enough scientific data to support the dietary, environmental, and cruelty-free impacts" Moving the goalposts, are we? Veganism long preceded any environmental impact claims or any settled science about climate change, etc. It was founded on ancient woo about animals having sousl and pseudoscience nonsense such as "humans didn't evolve to eat meat because we have long intestinal tracts, don't have long, sharp fangs and don't have the requisite enzymes to digest, bone and fur like natural carnivores do". Claims like that were long debunked by actual biologists. There are endless claims Veganism makes that are based on nothing more than finding it hard to eat anything that you think is cute and cuddly. But it's not based on SCIENCE. Humans are ominvorous and have always been. Yes, we should have more veggies in our diet and I heard about the recent study that links meat with cancer, but that's one study and there will be another that contradicts that shortly.

[@gish7893]

Not killing people come also long before the philosophers could have a real moral debate based in science, why a practice started doesn't invalidate the purpose. Anyway, not wanting to make an animal suffer was not based necessarily on evidence but on empathy, and empathy does not need any religion to be supported of, even if many of them say something about that. But if you want evidence, the neuroscientists researching conscience on animals for IA purposes or something about that, had discovered even an octopus with a 500 million neurons have conscience. So if why to kill and why to make a conscience being to suffer without need. Remembering that the lack of empathy is the characteristic of a sociopath. I'm not vegan, but given a louse excuse like that is ridiculous. Imagine giving up of everything that has scientific reasons, just because they ware invented before mother consolidation of the scientific methodology?

[@gish7893]

Humans have being a lot of awful things without need, they have always raped, make wars, killed each other, beat each other, but because we are rationales we can stop doing all this awful things.

[@dhairorobayo9182]

yes!!!! for sam going vegan and no!!!!! for this annoying unnatural vegan

[@timclaason]

Sorry, but the lipid hypothesis stinks and cholesterol has been confirmed and reconfirmed to have no impact on cholesterol levels or overall health - have you noticed the Canadian government's position on dietary cholesterol? Saturated fat is also not the problem it was concocted to be; the evidence for that is getting stronger all the time, and the evidence relies on controlled studies, not just observational ones. Appealing to what our pre-domestication ancestors ate isn't an appeal to nature - it simply gives insight into what our bodies evolved to have. As it turns out, it's hard to come to strong conclusions based on that anyway, because there was a lot of diversity in diets as humans spread out from Africa into Europe and Asia, and all of their primary goals would have simply been to not starve. If a non-dogmatic dieter were to be plunked out in the middle of nature, where they didn't have access to grocery stores or markets, there's a few things you can infer about what they would eat: lots of veggies, seeds, fruit, and eggs. If they're near water, fish would become a primary food source; if not, they'd probably hunt small game and birds, and probably less conventional foods, such as insects and reptiles. The macronutrient proportions would be hard to know, but what I think is fairly clear is that carbohydrate intake would be much, much lower than 40 or 50 or 60%, which is what the typical American diet contains.

[@unstoppableExodia]

It's funny I never see vegans get alarmed about the dangers of sugar in our diet. It's always saturated fat and cholesterol that are painted as the bad guy

[@pseudonymousbeing987]

@@unstoppableExodia Because processed and added sugar is prelevant in snacks and sweets etc, primarily not vegan. Natural sugar from plants, is not nearly s big an issue as processed

[@sacmakiz]

Go vegan Sam, go go! We appreciate your consideration in veganism ❤ Sam is going vegan, weeeeeeee!!! 😃🙆🙆

[@novegansorvegetariansallow4375]

+hocuspocus *COWS ARE DELICIOUS!!!*

[@Mifoi]

+No Vegans Or Vegetarians Allowed Wow I'm a vegan and I have to admire your dedication to hate on vegans! I mean, create a fake account and go post comments everywhere to trigger vegans... wow, and the astonishing part is that some vegans probably do respond to you with hate by not getting the obvious trolling! lol

[@sacmakiz]

Mifoi some people are.... amazing... but in a crazy way...

[@QuinSkew]

***** Humans are an ape like species. Our stomaches. They're not like herbivores.

[@novegansorvegetariansallow4375]

ALL Vegans Think They're Superior To Those Of Us That Eat Meat And Dairy. Freelee The Banana Girl...Thinks If We Eat Animal Products...We Should Die.*****

[@ligmanewtons2523]

@TheVeganAtheist, do you have a good source I can use for a proper vegan nutrition guide?

[@SuperMrminecraftdude]

I want to become a vegan, not because i want to eat plants, but because i want to know everything about animal wellfare without even reading a sentence about it!

[@MrCmon113]

I'm a few steps behind Harris. I'm totally fed up with the hypocritical and pathetic arguments for eating meat and I also acknowledge that I don't have a justification for it as a wealthy person with lots of options in for my diet. But I'm also very lazy and I enjoy eating and drinking diversely. Well maybe the next generations will be better than me. : /

[@smashingmirrors6303]

+Taxtro step up.

[@scratchingmusicofficial]

+Taxtro Its not hard. There are substitutes for everything You will eat a more colourful and diverse diet- once you know the facts, there are no excuses.

[@sxrxrnrvigil]

the only thing i dont like is how factory farming treats animals, i dont really see why we should feel guilty for killing and eating them though. i'm not really sure what arguments you are talking about because i dont normally follow sam harris, but i have gone hunting and killed animals i have raised before and i dont understand why vegans think this is bad.

[@MrCmon113]

sxrxrnrvigil Well do you think killing a human and eating him is bad? If yes then you basically already have your answer. O_o When you value conscious life, you should refrain from ending it unless you absolutely have to.

[@MrCmon113]

Grace Sanders "once you know the facts" Know what "facts"?

[@notthefather3919]

I want to start out strict vegetarian. I feel like it's necessary for health reasons. I wont dare call myself vegan bc honestly my motivations aren't about treatment of animals, my reasons are purely selfish.

[@Psylockt]

No matter the intention, the result is the same :)

[@notthefather3919]

+nathan scott well because health is my primary concern. Veganism encompasses a concern for animals that I just don't have yet, if ever. I still like to wear animal products (i.e. leather) and I feel like I should delve into the dietary aspect first before getting into the broader ethical considerations of Veganism.

[@VeganTruth]

+Notthefather nothing healthy about eggs and dairy. If your primary motivation is health, then going vegan is a no brainer. Why consume cholesterol and saturated fats?

[@notthefather3919]

+TheVeganAtheist from my understanding, strict vegetarianism excludes the consumption of dairy and eggs. Since I'd still wear animal derived clothing, I wouldn't call myself vegan. From watching your vids, veganism is more than just a dietary choice, but it's a lifestyle, and I think I should start out with what's easiest for me, and that would be not eating anything derived from animals.

[@notthefather3919]

+nathan scott thanks. I definitely don't want to say the wrong thing and offend anyone. I really want to learn and change

[@omg933112]

My number one reason as to why I'm not vegan and one that no one, not sam or dawkins could disprove is that I simply don't care that much about animals. I like eating meat and I don't give a fuck, sure it would be nice if the raising and slaughtering of animals was made more ''ethical'' but either way i'll keep eating meat because I care more about the joy i get from eating it than the pain caused to the animals.I win.

[@MoreParksLessParking]

You sound like a sociopath. My intention isn't to insult you here at all, it's just that I can't help but get that vibe from your comment.

[@TinMMA]

+zaah haaz Power to the people! How did this end up in my recommended videos, lol.

[@omg933112]

***** inevitable doom? elaborate. are u implying that if you're vegan you'll live forever lol? or are you implying an environmental doom in which case the evolution of energy technologies could solve that problem and therefore being an omnivore doesn't make any doom inevitable.

[@omg933112]

***** If this 10 years estimate is true, which its most probably not since its sounds absolutely ridiculous. Veganism wont succeed in reversing such an effect and therefore going vegan is still futile and useless.

[@omg933112]

SmashingMirrors what a great argument you've presented, i guess ill have to go vegan now.

[@grantbarnes3678]

Vegan abolitionist activist here. This is outstanding, thanks! Full support and respect.

[@Richard_is_cool]

Friendly, civilized debates between atheists and theists? Wow. That sounds like gold.

[@NickDolgy]

Dr. Joel Fuhrman is one of the best experts. His book Eat to Live is very good. My family has followed his program for 4 years, and we feel great. I support all points of this video: _B12 supplementation is a must,_ the diet should be combined of raw _and_ cooked, we must eat nuts, seeds, avocados, legumes, beens, and lots of green vegetables. Vegan diet is superior in all respects - for health (as opposed to the deadly SAD diet), for environment (10X less water and land used), for saving sentient beings.

[@Toasty2478]

+Nick Dolgy (Atheist Channel) but wait whats bad about eating meat. as long as you get the good stuff (raised on a local farm watched it get cut. picked the parts you want etc) whats bad with that. and how is a diet good when you need SUPPLMENTS to complete it

[@NickDolgy]

Toasty2478 Meat and dairy is bad for your health in very many respects. Animal proteins are the most potent form of carcinogen and they cause auto-immune diseases exactly because these proteins are similar to yours and some leftovers come to your bloodstream where your white blood cells attack them. Every meal heavy in meat and dairy is an immune shock for your body. Sooner or later your body starts attacking your own tissues (atuo-immune diseases) and/or abnormal cells start going out of control (cancer). Both animal protein and fat are the reason for cardio-vascular disease, for elevated IGF1 hormone level, which also leads to cancer. You can get enough B12 vitamin from natural sources (soil) if you eat unwashed vegetables and fruits. But it's not what you want to do in a modern society, so you'd better supplement. Any other diet is a health disaster - slow killing yourself by terrible diseases. You can read it all in the books: Eat to Live by Joel Fuhrman, MD, The China Study by T. Collin Cambell, MD, Super Immunity by Dr. Fuhrman and many more books. You can watch a film called "Forks over knives" for the start.

[@NickDolgy]

Toasty2478 You do not seem to be an intelligent person. The sad fact is that by the age of 60 all men have prostate cancer. It progresses extremely slowly, so some of the people die of other causes. Look up statistics. Cancer is one of the leading causes of death, it's proportional to animal product consumption across countries, and it's progressing, people are dying younger and younger. Look up statistics. These statistics are demonstrated in the books I referred to and in many other. Your bloodline may well have lived to the average of 93, and that is not proving anything - if they really ate a lot of animal products, they would live to 120 if they ate the really healthy food and acted healthily (a lot of movement/exercise). I have no interest in selling any ideas to silly people like you. I used to eat meat and dairy 3 times a day, and I still enjoy the smell of fried meat and fish. However reading the scientific literature and seeing the example of my close friend changed my mind. You are free to keep your head in the sand like an ostrich.

[@Toasty2478]

Nick Dolgy im not reading your lecture get to the point

[@NickDolgy]

As I said above: "You are free to keep your head in the sand like an ostrich." And you confirm: "I'm not reading your lecture". "A-la-la-la, I closed my eyes and covered ears, I'm not hearing you, I'm not seeing you". That's your attitude.

[@hdaviator9181]

"Well planned vegan diet." Ain't nobody got time for that.

[@jadenmiller9006]

+HDaviator make time.

[@MaynardsSpaceship]

+HDaviator If you don't have time for a well-planned vegan diet, you don't have time to any well-planned diet. I don't get why people think there's a difference.

[@Searching4Solace]

+Gabrielle Nickson my thoughts exactly. "Vegan diets gotta be well planned to be healthy? That MUST mean meat diets are healthy no matter what!" Have fun with your osteoporosis

[@DeusExMachinae01]

Veganism is a logical end-point if you are a moral person and research the subject. However, unlike this video suggests, being vegan is actually rather easy. For me, the first two weeks were a learning period where I needed to spend 10-15 minutes for my grocery shopping instead of the usual 5 minutes. After the two weeks it went back to normal and I learned 4-5 good vegan recipes to cook instead of the 4-5 non-vegan recipes I used to regularly cook. There's plenty of recipes online for all different tastes. After three months my taste had evolved and I no longer craved meat, dairy and eggs at all. After six months they started to in fact disgust me (including things like milk chocolate which used to be my favorite). When I'm eating out I'll use happycow app and when I'm visiting a non-vegan friend I make my own food or just cook for everybody if that's cool. I also don't bring the topic up while eating with non-vegans (though I'll reply honestly if asked) so there is no strain for friendships. I'd compare going vegan to a minor handicap like constantly having worry about your eyeglasses or being allergic to dogs. You need to plan ahead a little bit and be alert but you get used to it really quickly and then it's very natural. I only regret I didn't research the topic and go vegan sooner. The benefits for my health, for the planet and of course for the animals are just so amazing. One thing I didn't expect is improved mental health when you no longer need to use time to justify the unjustifiable. It actually feels really good to be compassionate.

[@themudpit621]

TheVeganAtheist Please read this, sorry it's a little long. I was vegetarian, on and off since age 12. When I left home, I went strict vegetarian, with extremely minimal use of dairy / eggs for 12 years. Studying science at university, I was well able to determine the correct mix of amino acids from plant sources, along with an ideal mix of all nutrients, including full vitamin B supplementation (oral), omega fatty acids, minerals, and choosing quality plant products from organic food sources. No toxins (like caffiene), daily yoga (90 minutes) and all the other things a 'health nut' does. Anyway, after 8 years, I became B12 deficient. I know you are aware of the crucial nature of B12 from your video. However, not many people know that B12 is the largest nutrient that has to pass across the intestinal membrane (during digestion), or that different people have significantly different permeability / porosity of that membrane. This means that some people are already seriously struggling with B12 absorption even with traditional B12 rich animal based diets. So, it turned out that I am one of those people, it is genetic. Please understand how terrible a serious B12 deficiency is. It creeps upon you slowly (the body stores B12 for 7 years), the changes happen very gradually, they are energy and nervous system changes. They are often misdiagnosed as 'depression' or other mental illnesses due to the vague and creeping nature of the progression of symptoms. I was not correctly diagnosed for another 4 years, and suffered all the harms of unnecessary treatments for misdiagnoses. I became terribly Ill, you don't want to know how ill I was, and it all started with my individual response to a vegetarian diet. When a doctor finally did a blood test, at first I was told to take more B vitamins. Another year slipped by, until finally, thank heaven, an experienced, and old fashioned doctor actually gave me a 'shot in the arm'. No amount of oral vitamins was ever going to help me. These days I am a meat and three veg girl. I rarely need B12 shots. I source my meats from the most humane producers I can. I am now healthy and happy, and no longer underweight. So please, I ask this one thing of you, give some thought or qualification, to when you say that 'there is "absolutely Zero requirement" for animal products in human diets because, while this may be true for a vast majority of people, for some people, believing that kind of hardline dogmatic view can end up hurting them, quite a lot. People should be aware that the vegan / strict vegetarian diet might not work for everyone, and consequences can be serious. With 7 billion of us, that should not be surprising I guess, but I surely wish someone sensible, who I respected (the way people look up to you), had warned me of that fact a long, long time ago. If you read all this thank you, I know the last thing you would ever want to do is misinform or cause harm, so I just wanted you to know my rather unusual story. (So much so that I put personal information up on KZbin - so you KNOW I mean it!) Peace :)

[@ace625]

I don't understand the moral arguments brought up to support Veganism. If I am an atheist, the standard of value on which I base ethics is human life and thus I consider humans to have a right to life. Although it's perfectly rational to act benevolently towards nature and animals (the ones we don't find delicious) in general and to develop emotional ties to pets, I don't see how we can go as far as to grant *rights* to animals simply because they're sentient. Anybody care to explain?

[@TaurionMartell]

ill just stick with eating small amounts of meat and a bunch of potatoes and other standard veggis. im not to worried about the immorality i exercise by eating meat, most of the meat i eat come from either wild game, which dies pretty fast. or home raised meat like pigs/sheep and chicken/turkey/ducks/emu we have, and you can tell if their happy or not and their usually very happy, and when it comes to slaughtering with the smaller animals its usualy one quick axe chop to the neck and a bullet in the brain for the bigger ones. overall its likely a much happier and less painfull life than they would have had in the wild(if a bear breaks into the sheep pen it will eat the sheep tits(lots of fat) and let it live and then go do it to another one until it has gotten enough so you end up with 10-20 sheeps dying a real terrible death and pissed off farmers). would that make it a good thing to do, or a immoral thing to do because your only bringing the being into existance because your going to eat it.

[@needicecream100]

+Taurion Martell There would be far less farm animals in the wild if we didn't farm them, so that's not a great argument. Edit: you edited your comment recently, and now my reply here makes no sense. Your original comment was to the effect of: Animals die in horrible ways in the wild all the time, so farming them just systematizes that process, and is therefore not immoral. My argument, the point of my reply, was that most of the animals that we eat only exist in the first place because of us. If we stopped farming them, their numbers would decrease dramatically, and fewer of them would die (because fewer would exist in the first place).

[@TaurionMartell]

Emmet for hunting? or for husbandry, because most modern farm animals are a result of thousands of years of selective breeding by humans

[@needicecream100]

Not a great argument for meat eating. Isn't that what you were doing?

[@TaurionMartell]

Emmet are you opposed to the act of eating meat, or what happens to the meat bearing animal before it enters your digestive system?

[@TaurionMartell]

***** "execution" sure whatever you want to call it, the animals don't know about it in advance. they are brought outside like they would be for a vet check or some other ordeal. with bigger animals like horses and cattle their petted until their calm and then their shot. no pain no fear only death. how is that so immoral. in the wild a huge amount of animals die as children, starve to death, gets eaten alive, killed in interspecial conflicts etc etc. so much better than living on a well ran farm.

[@NoExitLoveNow]

The only concern I have is all this concern for the healthiest diet and hand wringing about how best to eat vegan. Evidently, add a cheese burger and suddenly no worries., but of course this is not the case. Veganism is not a highly strung diet that must be done correctly or else you stray into the danger zone any more than one that is not vegan. Eat some whole grains or potatoes. Eat some beans sometimes. Eat as many fruits and vegetables as people on a non-vegan diet. Make sure you eat enough calories to sate your hunger. Take your B12. Have a good life.

[@fryingenigmas5456]

Thats so awesome Sam Harris is a boss!

[@MrRob1967]

"After spending time with Douglas Murray I decided to change which orifice I put meat in." Sam Harris

[@Ihelpanytime]

Meateaters: live 50-70 years with chronic diseases. Whole food plant based eaters: live 80+ years with no diseas. And you wanna convince me it is not? Ok, educate yourself.

[@wibblywobbly1234]

What does veganism have to do with atheism? Can religious people not be vegan? Also, dietary cholesterol doesn't cause heart disease. The ratio of blood HDL to LDL is the crucial figure, with oxidised cholesterol causing arterial plaques. Most of our western illnesses have their roots in inflammation caused by improper fat balance and high refined carb diet. I respect vegans for their principled choices, but it is incorrect to say it is the perfect health choice for all.

[@catto9461]

+ChrissyG there is far more coming out from TVA very soon on the issue of human health. I'm not the best guy to talk about this with but feel free to post a topic on TVA forum. veganism has nothing to do with atheism, other than that the topics TVA is concerned with involve both. this has always been his stance. He has explicitly stated it in previous videos.

[@fuzzie2000sh]

Religious ppl can be vegan

[@Nayr747]

+ChrissyG Name a dietary body that doesn't recommend limiting saturated fat intake to protect your cardiovascular system.

[@wibblywobbly1234]

+Nayr747 The advice is changing, official bodies are slowing catching up with research. It seams that polyunsaturated oils which were once in favour are now being found to raise levels of free radicals in the body, leading to cell damage and inflammation which contributes to western type diseases. Saturated fat and cholesterol in the diet leads to improvements in cholesterol balance and lowering of arterial calcium content; the best predictor of heart attack risk. Something that almost all the researchers agree with is the need to avoid trans-fats, refined carbs, sugars and to keep omega3 levels (from fish not plants) high compared to omega6 (nuts, seeds, vegetable oil).

[@wibblywobbly1234]

+Nayr747 Oily fish contains long chain omega3 fatty acids that aren't available from plant sources. As for the official bodies, they are slow to change. In the end it's not consensus that matters but science, data and evidence. Read up on the research, dietary cholesterol and saturated fats are not the monsters they've been made our to be whereas polyunsaturated oils are being linked to all kinds of inflammation type diseases. Nobody likes to lose face and doctors find it difficult to admit that their advice may have been killing people. But the high carb, low fat advice has led to unprecedented obesity levels amongst the public with all the illnesses associated with that condition. I wish you well.

[@HubaUploadsHere]

i love bacon

[@hawaiiusa6147]

I can see that.

[@Freethinker225]

Yes... so you do.

[@danielstewart4128]

You are what you eat

[@PressXtoDoubt]

why vegans give a shit about cheese and dairy?

[@Neuromancerism]

+An Abra The cow has to be impregnated to be able to give milk, they are also killed ones their productivity goes down and the calves from her will end up as meat. You could also call the artificial insermenation process "rape".

[@PressXtoDoubt]

Lol okay.

[@unitedgamers361]

+An Abra because the "extraction" process of said products hurts the animals

[@PressXtoDoubt]

Lol its a fucking cow it doesent give a shit your just assuming that cows have the same cognative awarness as humans. Theres a diffrence between humans and animal. Damn i really dont attack vegeans but damn the vegan community has some retards.

[@Neuromancerism]

An Abra No, humans are animals.

[@souravsarkar4760]

GUYS!!! in 2016 the American Heart Association declared that "Cholesterol is no longer a harmful NUTRIENT"!!! XD that's what I have been saying for the longest time......

[@jangyman]

Regarding comment at 2:14 - Dr John McDougall does refer to historical / anthropological reasoning for the starch-based diet - although he does ofter a great deal of research and clinical based arguments as well. I tend to rely more on modern journal / study research findings like in Dr Michael Greger's works, but getting the bulk of calories from starches (potatoes, rice, beans, corn, etc) does make sense to me, and it has worked to improve my weight and blood work. Should I be more skeptical of a starch-based diet?

[@17thSHIT]

Go from one cult to another... Great.

[@ConfuzzledTomato]

+Robotic Coffee lol wut? what cult is a part of?

[@justgivemethetruth]

2 questions: 1. Why do you have to conflate atheism with veganism ... seems irrelevant to me? 2. How do you suggest people eat enough potassium?

[@RandyLeftHandy]

So, I'm working my way into veganism. How important is the B12 vitamin? Can someone point me towards an article or information?

[@SueMoseley]

The idea that shellfish are not sentient is garbage. I carried out a study on limpets years ago and I can tell you with absolute certainty that they have an awareness of their surroundings, are capable of making decisions and suffer distress if ill treated. I tracked the movement of limpets over time, marking their locations on rocks with a paint stripe over the limpet shell and onto the rock. I painted one particular limpet completely, and and line on the rock completely encircling it. The limpet reacted to this with obvious distress, moved up and down and swirling round trying to find a way to escape the paint. Limpets will move around their rocks in search of food (they don't move far), but will return to the same spot, but not necessarily facing the same direction. That is concrete evidence of awareness. So yes, they are sentient. Thinking that unnatural vegan is a good source of scientific information is a mistake. Glasses may make her appear well educated and she talks as though she knows what she is talking about, but she doesn't in fact. She hasn't a clue. Stick to those with genuine credentials for your scientific information.

[@TheRealisticNihilist]

"Properly planned vegan diets can be nutritionally complete." That's a tautology.

[@davidyoung3833]

I was eating a pizza drinking chocolate milk and meatballs while watching this video lol

[@Hyperpandas]

Shameless clickbait, kids. Trying to cash in on views by using Sam Harris' name will undoubtedly backfire on you. And, no, Harris mentioning a subject somewhere else isn't enough to justify his name on your video about that subject.

[@bo_trilly]

Which video was it mentioned in?

[@charliewhite9956]

Hey vegan atheist, I would like to disclose that I am a non-vegan, and that I believe morality is a social construct. I am sick of interacting with the dogmatic, belligerent, and relatively unintelligent people who seem to dominate the online vegan community. You, however, seem to be thoughtful, rational, and polite. Would you mind answering a few questions? 1. Do you believe that morality should be rights based (deontological) or suffering-pleasure (utilitarian) based? 2. Do you believe that the interests of all animals should be regarded as equal, and that the interests of all non-animals should be ignored, or do you believe that the more "sentient" any organism is, the more its interests should be valued? 3. Why do you believe that sentience is important? Don't humans just think its important because we are the most sentient? 4. Should humans interfere with wild animals when they infringe on each other's interests? 5. What is "necessary?" When is it okay to be selfish? If any other vegans care to answer these questions, it would be appreciated. I promise I'm not just trying to win a debate. I want to expand my perspective. Thanks.

[@atomnous]

People often miss the point. This isn't about what is natural. This is all about what's ideal. Yeah, it's very moralistic, but this doesn't make it wrong. People go vegan because they find animal suffering not preferable. The point is to help animals not be tortured. Some ways to do that is by inventing alternatives to replace animal torture. It isn't about what is, it's about what is good. And this doesn't mean you have to die for it. It means you understand animal suffering is a bad thing, even if it's necessary for your health. You eat it, but you don't actually want to. This is what drives us to innovate. And this is not natural at all, but it is good and compassionate.

[@CandaEH]

I remember watching this video on facebook where molten aluminum was pour down an anthill to map the tunnels. A bunch of bleeding hearts went on and on about the ANTS and couldn't even appreciate the work of art that was created. That's what vegans are like, going on and on about animal life as if we live in an ideal world where nothing ever dies. Well I'm always going to have chicken in my stir because its a good source of protein, brings balance to my diet and tastes fucking good!

[@adamCarter20]

+CandaEH Dude, I pretty much had the same experience when the terrorists attacks happened in Paris. Everyone was going on and on and on about the lives lost and blah blah blah acting like we live in an ideal world where nothing dies, people are just too damn sensitive they don't seem to understand that the victims were gonna die one day anyways.

[@CandaEH]

adamJcarter Glad too see you draw an equivalence between human lives and those of ants. Keep talking so people can realize just how dogmatic and egotistical vegans actually are.

[@adamCarter20]

CandaEH Ants are more important, more fucking beneficial to this earth, than humans

[@CandaEH]

adamJcarter They also have 5% of the world's biomass, so I think the loss of 1 anthill won't harm them as species you fucking idiot.

[@yuritomassen6305]

In classical Buddhist teaching, oysters are incontravertibly sentient beings.

[@colinmaharaj]

For me, if I take B12, I cannot sleep.

[@trollforlife]

My two sense: people who make radical changes to their diet are far more likely give up after a couple weeks. Start with vegetarianism, then gradually progress to veganism.

[@bakslashr]

"Anyone who appeal to our 'natural diet' or ancestral diet, or evolution as an argument for a certain way of eating should be suspect." It would be bad form thinking this argument needs to be made in the first place. No argument needs to be made for having to eat the way our ancestors evolved eating. It would require extraordinary evidence to show eating in a different manor than what our ancestors ate is more healthy, if we had a complete picture from around the world what that was. Our evolved environment includes the gut. Just as you should expect an adverse reaction to a penguin being relocated to the Sahara, so to should you expect an adverse reaction to completely changing the gut environment. "Anyone who claims to be skeptical of the effect of cholesterol and saturated fat and heart disease should really laughed off stage." Is that why the FDA is withdrawing warnings about cholesterol and an upper limit of fat intake from it's guidelines? "Healthy" trans fats have just been band. People have good reason to be skeptical, when such basic information that should have been thoroughly tested, that have heard for years, is now being changed. Unlike most other sciences, nutrition science is highly restricted in its studies to ethical standards. It is rare that randomized clinical trials can be used to see if eating one way vs eating another way is healthier. We are left with using observation studies which is very difficult to extrapolate cause and effect, anyone who states otherwise should be suspect.

[@christopherrankin1468]

Can you please post the quote where Sam said he was considering becoming vegan? I don't see it...

[@zooscientist1]

So you point is that veganism is 100% non-controversially healthy but ethically non-mandatory? Gotcha!!

[@zippydipity42]

At this point, the only reason I don't go vegan, is the price of many vegetables. That suuuuucks

[@SnuggLeona]

I'm currently vegetarian, I eat a small amount of cheese and the occasional egg. I have no problem with a vegan diet I just don't see how we can transition to it as a society. I think vegetarianism is the best option currently as we can't just abandon all the animals we are responsible for. A symbiotic relationship with animals is the best way in my opinion.

[@DanIel-fl1vc]

Being a HEALTHY vegan is a shore not a pleasure. Millions of animals eat meat, it's the most nutritious kind of food on the planet far richer than than any fruit or vegetable. Meat is the reason we have got such huge brains today. Go preach to the hockey moms narrator.

[@MeelaudBoozary]

Anyone aware of which episode that Sam Harris mentions he's interested in the idea of veganism?

[@VeganTruth]

+Meelaud Boozary I mentioned which episode in the video 0:06 . It is Walking Up with Sam Harris, episode "The Dark Side"

[@MeelaudBoozary]

+TheVeganAtheist Oh awesome, thank you! Your channel has plenty of quality content. Thank you!

[@bm-br3go]

I'm totally on board as an atheist, but no way in hell am I giving up steak, ribs, barbecue, prime rib, deli, or really any type of meat. I love it too much.

[@1316Salva]

Brendan Miller the animals love their lives, that's more important than your taste preferences

[@bm-br3go]

1316Salva Yea but the thing is, humans are the dominant species...

[@1316Salva]

just because you dominate that gives you the right to do whatever you want disregarding the suffering it may cause? So just because I dominate over a child or a dog I can abuse them for my pleasure?

[@bm-br3go]

1316Salva You don't expect me to take that argument seriously, do you? That is a textbook example of a straw man. In case you think it's legitimate, here are three points to show you why you're completely wrong: 1) "just because you dominate that gives you the right to do whatever you want...?" No, that's not what I meant (that was the straw man). But, it is the dominant group that make the rules. We are the dominant species, so we make the rules. Many of us disagree on what rules we should live our lives by, that's where politics comes into play. We, collectively, have deemed that eating meat is alright; and we have deemed that beating a child is not. 2) If you cannot draw a line between domesticating livestock to feed the massive human population which you and I are a part of, and beating a helpless, innocent child for no reason whatsoever, you need to go to a special facility, where they have special cells, special padded walls, and a special straight jacket just for you. 3) Shaming humans for acting by a consistently ubiquitous omnivorous nature is more immoral than eating meat in the first place. If you don't want to eat meat, fine. But don't try and force your lifestyle upon others because you think it's more moral, that's what the religitards do.

[@1316Salva]

1)"We are the dominant species, so we make the rules." So you're saying that if we *collectively* decided that it was okay to abuse a dog (e.g. spanking it for our pleasure) that would be fine? You see nothing wrong with that? Hint: maybe the dog doesn't like being abused and since we don't need to do it then it would be wrong to do so. 2) "If you cannot draw a line between domesticating livestock to feed the massive human population which you and I are a part of, and beating a helpless, innocent child for no reason whatsoever..." I gave this example because eating meat and beating a child/dog are both unnecessary things and one is obviously wrong while the other not so much. We only eat meat for our own pleasure and because we were pretty much religiously educated to do so (e.g. many people believe we need to eat animals to be healthy, just like I used to think). 3) "Shaming humans..." I am not shaming, I'm saying it's wrong. "But don't try and force your lifestyle upon others..." I would argue that you are imposing your lifestyle on animals much more than I am on you/anyone else. I'm trying to save animals from people killing them for food.

[@baarni]

I am not a vegan and personally would find it difficult to convert because I like eating meat products. However my closest friend who I have known all my life became a vegan more than 20 years ago and I can tell you that he is the fittest, healthiest, strongest and most energetic person I have ever met. Based on his physical appearance you would not pick that he is vegan. From my perspective the health benefits are apparent and undeniable.

[@lexnuss791]

There were an estimated 1,000,000,000 people on earth in 1830. That number doubled by 1930. Today we're pushing 8 billion with drought, crime, war and dis-ease. Plant based diet extends life, health and survival for all.

[@giusepperesponte8077]

I can't get over this lentil soup and toast... That bread... Words cannot describe how good this looks right now.

[@TheOpanama]

I want to stop eating meat but I love meat so much!!! it tastes so good :( im badly addicted :(

[@Timorio]

Claims to understand nutrition, then lumps nutritionists with doctors, oblivious to the fact that "nutritionist" isn't a professionally recognized title. Funny stuff.

[@ajuk1]

What's wrong with eating eggs, the eggs I get are from someone's garden where the chickens live more like pets than farm animals.

[@millievanillie7493]

+ajuk1 Most eggs are not from that garden. That's the problem.

[@PanasonicTooth]

+millie vanillie So I take it you're vegan? If so, would you eat eggs from a pet chicken that has gifted them upon you? Personally I hate eggs but yeah, wouldn't that make it completely ethical and ok?

[@millievanillie7493]

Vegan, yes. Well, my problems with eggs from 'backyard chickens' has to do with a few things although its true that they are not the same ethically, as ones you buy in the store. First off they tend to come from chicken breeders, which I'm against on principle and many of whom rely on very questionable practices. Second, on principle I'm uncomfortable capitalizing (feeding off of in this case) an animal which has been bred to lay far more eggs than it would in nature, something that I'm pretty sure has terrible consequences on their anatomy and their reproductive cycle (much like how chickens raised for their flesh have a hard time walking and endure a lot of bone injuries.) Third, some chickens are even rescue chickens that now simply lay a lot of extra eggs which supposedly "go to waste" (although a lot of them are eaten by the hens who then reabsorb the nutrients.) However, not everyone who raises them will do so properly, with appropriate medical care, shelter, social interaction, stimulation and so forth. In the interest of time, I'll stop there but while I firmly believe in the issues I just described, I would probably much rather eat those eggs than factory farmed eggs. Ideally I would be want to see the chicken's home and how they are raised first hand.

[@millievanillie7493]

One thing I didn't address, I guess the question was if the chickens were gifted upon me personally. Well, despite not liking eggs either, I don't actually have the means to take care of a chicken. I'd try and find a sanctuary that would take it. If I couldn't however, and I took it in and took top notch care of it, and despite the reasons I mentioned above, I'd want to avoid exploiting it anyway. A lot of people adopt chickens, from sanctuaries for example. They never adopt the old chickens, only the ones who lay a lot of eggs. I would want to break the cycle of exploitation. Still, I wouldn't see that big of an issue with it. I could be demoted to 'vegetarian' I guess. So be it. One other thought on this, there are feral chickens. Despite being bred for centuries to no longer resemble their natural counterparts (I'm not that well versed in the science here,) some have escaped human domesticity and have flourished in the wild. If there is a hospitable location where they can survive and reproduce, they will actually populate those areas, though the ecological effects are questionable (as is domesticating them however.) So I would probably look for a place to set her free actually.

[@nirnroot8281]

In your situation there is nothing wrong with eating eggs. The main issue is in mass produced eggs.

[@keithlarsen7557]

Its funny, but the 2:25 minute mark is a point against veganism. "Gorillas eat nothing but plants"

[@buckluster]

Is the voice in this video synthesized?

[@giusepperesponte8077]

That lentil soup and toast looks so fucking good... Wow, im going to repeat myself. That lentil soup and toast looks SO FUCKING GOOD.

[@smartymarty]

"I just think our ethical responsibilities and our ethical concerns should scale to the degree to which any given animal is conscious. So if you're driving home and you see an insect splatter on your windshield, well that's one sort of problem you have, if you run over a squirrel that's another, if you run over a dog that's another, if you happen to run over a chimpanzee that's another, and if you run over somebody's child that's another you see this is a hierarchy of creatures and of possible conscious states." "The kind of life an animal has before we kill it is very relevant, maybe the most relevant thing." "If you're going to go out and hunt a wild boar that's lived its life in blissful ignorance of being killed and then you kill it and eat it that strikes me as significantly different than having an industry where we raise hogs in the most painful circumstances we can impose on them, for the entirety of their lives." "I used to be a vegetarian for six years, I became anemic and it wasn't working for me ... but I've gotten a sufficient amount of pressure from readers on the subject that I'm thinking about experimenting with it again." "The crucial thing I want to reiterate is that there is a hierarchy here, I think it is totally appropriate to be a speciesist, a so-called speciesist in favouring the lives of humans over the lives of mice and rats and, you know etc." "But I think it's absolutely clear that there's certain kinds of medical research that's indispensable and ethical to do and this entails the killing of animals. Animals who cannot suffer as much as human beings, and whose suffering will lead to the massive mitigation of human suffering and I think the ethical case for that is quite strong." "And so people who drink the animal rights cool aid and equate basically all conscious creatures with humanity in terms of ethical stature, I think that's a huge mistake." Sam Harris last year. *Toying* with the idea of giving *vegetarianism* a go. In part as a result of *pressure* and coming out quite boldly in support of speciesism and qualifying the vegan argument *very* heavily. He's a philosophy and neuroscience scholar who doesn't need a fucking pep talk from a self-absorbed, self-styled KZbin intellectual to help him with anything.

[@El-Leion]

sam harris has had loads of debates on morality, and i think he is a good example within the skeptical and rational public mind to go vegan.

[@holz_name]

Nope, not going vegan anytime soon. a) I like the taste of meat and animal products, b) I don't see anything immoral about eating meat, and c) I'm not concerned about my health. a) is of course subjective. b) we breed animals and nurture them and even provide health care for them. That is, I am concern with the unethical treatment of animals in the modern industrial farms, but less so because of animals suffering, but because of health issues for people. I fully agree that we should eat much much less meat. Like once in a week. c) I also drink alcohol, drink coffee and eat a lot of other unhealthy food besides meat. So, if I wanted to be vegan because of health, I also should stop drinking and eating other unhealthy stuff. But then life is for me not enjoyable anymore.

[@FelixNielsen]

I will never become a vegan, nor will I ever want to, and I will always have a hard time respecting peoples decision to go vegan, mainly because this decision is usually uninformed, and made for the wrong reasons. That being said, I couldn't find anything to point fingers at in this video. In fact it was very informative, in general well made, and certainly does not deserve 20% dislikes. However, please do remember that the "American diet" as you describe it does not in any way resemble the reasonable non vegan diet that a rather large portion of the world population enjoy, and of course you made the point yourself. Vitamin B12 supplements is needed, if you wish to go vegan, which should give anyone with half a brain an idea what they're getting them selves into, and of course there are other nooks and crannies too. This is not to say that people are not free to do as they please, or that they cannot live healthy lives on a vegan diet, with supplements, I'm simply saying that there are things I'd rather spend my time on, and of course when it comes to children up to a certain age, you're simply a bad parent if you enforce a vegan diet, as quite frankly you risk their lives. Best regards.

[@SnuggLeona]

+Felix Nielsen The children comment is a bit of a low blow. I am sure that parents would make sure that their child's health is maintained.

[@hugoguerreiro1078]

+Leona Beazant Unfortunately that's not always the case. From my (albeit limited) experience with vegans they border on creationist levels of ideology, so I wouldn't be surprised if they imposed their beliefs on their children as well. But of course, the most well informed ones probably do make sure their children grow up healthy.

[@FelixNielsen]

There's no doubt in my mind that most parents (I really want to say all) wish only the best for their children, but that doesn't mean that most parents are capable of making the right decisions. It's sad, but it's true, and it has been observed many times, not least when it comes to very religious parents, who would rather pray for their children, than give them the medicine they need. So, a low blow? Perhaps, but a well places and much needed one. And even if I'm completely wrong, which, forgive me, I think is rather unlikely, I'd rather make the claim anyway, just in case someone should read and think twice, potentially save a child from malnourishment and perhaps even death.

[@SnuggLeona]

Felix Nielsen Basically my objection is that you assume that a vegan diet would lead to malnutrition. This is not necessarily the case. Also any vegan parents are more likely to know more about nutrition than non-vegan parents as they will have looked into it when researching their chosen diet. There are many children that are not fed correctly in the western world. The obesity 'epidemic' only illustrates this and I would be quite confident in asserting that 99% of obese children gorge on fat and meat. I said it was a 'low-blow' because you clearly hadn't thought it through and were just appealing to an emotional response for 'children's safety'.

[@FelixNielsen]

First of you put words in my mouth. If the right percussion are taken, a vegan diet, at least in most cases, will not lead to malnutrition. If I have claimed otherwise, that was a mistake. Secondly, what a child need is very different to what an adult need, thus many parents simply make incorrect assumptions. I cannot say for certain if it's even possible to provide a safe vegan diet to a child, but great care need to be taken in any case, which many do not, because the assume they know better. "...were just appealing to an emotional response..." I would never do such a thing. As for the obesity epidemic to which you're referring, current research tells us that fat, and meat for that matter, is likely to be far less of a problem than say sugar. But even if that is completely incorrect, that are many substances which are safe, healthy and even necessary, as long as you don't over do it. Personally I believe that sugar is the greatest cause of obesity, but perhaps I'm wrong. Far be it from me to make absolute claims, when even the best educated and most experienced experts in the area can't agree, but it makes sense. In the end, all I'm saying is this: 1. I see no reason that a vegan diet need be healthier than a non vegan diet. This is also to say that a non vegan diet can at least as healthy as a vegan diet. 2. Kids are not lab rats to be experimented on. If for some odd reason, which I can never hope to comprehend, which to force a vegan diet on your kid, you better make damn sure you know what you're doing. Anything else is a crime, and ignorance is no excuse. 3. If you wish to go vegan or have already done so, good for you, but I have yet to hear a remotely good reason for doing so, where as I've hear many good reasons for not doing so.

[@RealTalk-uk3yw]

The reason why I stopped being vegetarian was because of Sam Harris. He said he felt better eating meat. I trust him like a prophet a little bit to blind.

[@eugelu11]

I'm a human nutrition major and I've been a vegetarian for several years and I think this video is really good. The only thing woth which I disagree is the part where you claim that the fact that a well planned vegan diet is a good alternative isn't controversial, I've had plenty of professors talk trash about vegetarian, and specially vegan diets. I think that a vegan diet can be healthy, but you've got to have all the information about nutrition, preferably from a dietitian, because the level of BS online is too damn high

[@CASnumber]

you know how I call vegan food: FOOOOD!!!! you 1st-world people

[@ChristopherMartinez-co8gw]

if Sam wants to become Vegan for moral reasons, I would suggest checking out Gary Francione's vids on: "Veganism a moral imperative"

[@thatcurtisbrother]

If we don't have enough cholesterol the fluid mosaic of our cell membranes would become less viscous resulting in catastrophic consequences.

[@SIRA063]

we need more vegans so that meat eaters can eat more meat

[@pedroabreu23]

What podcast was this?

[@garrethdsouza3655]

m.soundcloud.com/samharrisorg/the-dark-side

[@friedelt]

the only problem I have with Veganism is that it's expensive, requires more of my time to make the food. My own personal disagreement is that human beings need concentrated protein from animals for the brain to function. I once attempted to try Veganism for about 6 months and I nearly went broke trying to buy things I needed for the diet.

[@LarryRichelli]

Why send him to Unnatural Vegan. Most people find her offensive and not easy to listen to. Plus she doesn't look healthy. How about a real doctor like John Mcdougle or Dr Greger.

[@bonniesinger9115]

Vegan diets are extremely healthy but you have to eat enough of the right foods. Any combination(s) of food (vegan or not) can be unhealthy is you choose badly and/starve your body.

[@djalltheway2500]

I need to know if you're a libertarian or anarchist/ voluntarist

[@christofmajdak9936]

When a plant is wounded, its body immediately kicks into protection mode. It releases a bouquet of volatile chemicals, which in some cases have been shown to induce neighboring plants to pre-emptively step up their own chemical defenses and in other cases to lure in predators of the beasts that may be causing the damage to the plants. Inside the plant, repair systems are engaged and defenses are mounted, the molecular details of which scientists are still working out, but which involve signaling molecules coursing through the body to rally the cellular troops, even the enlisting of the genome itself, which begins churning out defense-related proteins ... If you think about it, though, why would we expect any organism to lie down and die for our dinner? Organisms have evolved to do everything in their power to avoid being extinguished. How long would any lineage be likely to last if its members effectively didn’t care if you killed them?

[@FamiliarEvils]

I my self have been working on at least going vegetarian. The biggest issue is that for someone who can't take a lot of time nor money to plan out healthy meal alternatives, is left with a rather pathetically small choice of food. I usually have to rely on fast food, which means a bean burrito or something else vegetarian at Tacobell is just about my only choice. Also a tip for furthering this movement, I would highly suggest being very critical of tone. The biggest complaint I hear from people about vegans is that they are often very patronizing, this video's tone screaaaaammmmmmssss patronizing. We are adults here, no one likes being talked to like an idiot, or a child, it will only hurt the cause.

[@PetarStamenkovic]

Is it just from this channels perspective or are vegans more likely to be atheist too?

[@7searchful]

Question: I'm a guy who's interested in bodybuilding and all professional bodybuilding nutrition experts say: ""that you can't be both a bodybuilder and a vegan... it's not possible", Is this True?

[@tannermullins8985]

+7searchful That is most certainly not true. If you don't believe me just look up a list of vegan body builders there are a lot of them.

[@7searchful]

tanner mullins But is it possible to gain muscle mass without eating meat or eggs? it seems so far fetched.

[@tannermullins8985]

7searchful I don't know much about body building, so I'm not the best person to be asking this. It probably is harder to do being a vegan but it isn't impossible.

[@trent3902]

+7searchful You may have heard of Vegan Gains. Although there is a lot of controversy surrounding him, he does have some good nutrition videos. look him up.

[@Byggarebobo]

+7searchful If you are considering becoming vegan you are most likely thinking. That just won't cut it if you want to be a bodybuilder. Thinking will get you distracted from the mundane and repetitive exercise bodybuilders spend their lives with. Now if you really wanna be a bodybuilder, stop gathering information online and go do some damn curls while yelling "LIGHTWEIGHT!".

[@Xartab]

Interesting, but I live in Italy. A vegan diet that's more healthy than the standard Mediterranean diet isn't such an easy task.

[@matthewfrazier9254]

If you never eat animal products you are instantly better off

[@bayonetta9414]

What if I told you logical fallacy, faith based assertions and anecdotes are not evidence against Veganism.

[@KrwiomoczBogurodzicy]

I think this might help some people make the switch too: Beyond carnism and toward rational, authentic food choices | Melanie Joy | TEDxMünchen: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pWG5o42Gd9iepsk And this (especially for those interested in sport and 'fitness') : mikemahler.com/podcast/episode-146-kettlebell-expert-steve-cotter-returns-to-discuss-why-he-is-passionate-about-his-new-plant-based-diet For those who can afford (Sam Harris certainly can) Jon Hinds' personalized vegan nutrition program: www.monkeybargym.com/nutrition Who is Jon Hinds: www.bodybuilding.com/fun/strength-coach-jon-hinds-interview.htm

[@danielbravoval]

As a lover of traditional spanish/mediterranean health diet and a lover of meat and vegetables with 0% desire of going Vegan, I found this video fair and honest. Of course a Vegan diet can also be as healthy as an omnivore diet, but it is much more complicated and doesn't offer as much pleasure.

[@judithsanders9801]

My reason for cutting way down on meat is mostly environmental. Here in VA we have big problems with disgusting pollution caused by hog and poultry farms. Needless to say, these big operations are also inhumane. I'd eat a pig that lived in an old-fashioned barnyard and pasture, but I think one kept over a cesspool of waste its whole life must be toxic. American men have been convinced that eating beef is "manly," just like De Beers convinced people that you need a diamond to get married. When I learned that the BLM was killing wild horses so ranchers could put herds on public lands, I stopped beef completely.

[@stephaniemorgan8671]

I'm an atheist and have been wanting to be vegan for awhile, found this channel by chance ;)

[@ayushcjoy2939]

Hi i am an Atheist and i do eat meat. I totally agree with ur points but i just cant help my taste for it. But i am no exorbitant eater but yeah i like eating. Now how do u guys deal with peoples personal preferences ? would u stop them from eating or would u let them be?

[@akichita3862]

No one goes around calling themselves VeganTheist do they ... I mean it's important to have options.

[@SweRaider1993]

Please stop referencing Dr. Greger. He is definitely not a skeptic and mostly just cherry picks evidence to suit his idea. I've already told you this before and provided the references for it which you acknowledged but it appears you quickly forgot about it... :/

[@Subher0]

Why do humans have a gastrointestinal tract suited for eating both meat and vegetables? Oh right, because we're supposed to eat meat and vegetables.

[@WILD__THINGS]

"We have a better grasp on nutrition than our ancestors did..." Not disagreeing with you, but wouldn't it stand to reason that the earliest of our species ate what they had evolved to eat and therefor that would be the more correct way to eat because it was engineered by science?

[@matthewfrazier9254]

No because of how slow evolution occurs. They never could've adapted perfectly to their environment. But if you look at most Paleolithic people the diets were mostly foraged plant foods.

[@consciousconscience7496]

or ate whatever the fuck was available so they could live to age 30 lol

[@stinkystealthysloth]

+Conscious Conscience indeed. They did whatever they could to live whatever short life they could. Not much chia seed porridge going around. Now it's just unnecessary and very damaging especially at this scale

[@WILD__THINGS]

Conscious Conscience No they acted off of instinct and therefor ate what they evolved to eat.

[@kutuzovm3215]

Atheism:logic and fact veganism:not logic and fact

[@NightfallShadow]

@Vegan Atheist - You are wrong about coconut oil though, To use a quote from one of my links. According to Tom Brenna, a professor of nutritional sciences at Cornell University's College of Human Ecology, Not all coconut oils are created equal. The flakey, fragrant stuff you might find in a superfood smoothie is a very different type of coconut oil than the partially-hydrogenated fat found in junk food in the '80s, which was a highly-processed version of the plant oil, containing trans fats and other dangerous, cholesterol-promoting compounds. The older refined-deodorized bleached coconut oil causes rapid and very unhealthy looking rises in cholesterol, for sure, no doubt," Brenna said in an email to HuffPost Healthy Living. "There is no evidence that that is the case for virgin coconut oil, which is available today but was not in the 1970s and '80s when people were using RDB coconut oil authoritynutrition.com/why-is-coconut-oil-good-for-you/ authoritynutrition.com/top-10-evidence-based-health-benefits-of-coconut-oil/ www.livescience.com/47623-is-coconut-oil-good-for-you.html

[@bbbggg3593]

I am really considering going vegan. Maybe vegetarian at first because i can't imagine living without cheese, pancakes, ice cream etc. my concerns are : 1- money. i am a poor student. from what i hear most vegan food is expensive 2-The quality of food. Is vegan food tasty and can i get/stay fit on plant based diet. I don't feel superior to animals, in fact i kind of feel guilty every time i eat red meat in the last couple of weeks. I am now mainly eating canned tuna and sometimes chicken.

[@nirnroot8281]

You are in luck. Most vegan food is crazy cheap. There are exceptions like fake meat but I am currently living on 2-4 dollars a day. I could live on less if I was not so lazy. You can also have all the flavors you want as well. You can use nearly all the spices and spice blends (mrs.dash). Don't forget sugar ,oils and salt. Learning to cook vegan can be a challenge if you are new so watch some what I ate today videos. I reccomend "The cheap lazy vegan" and the "unaturnal vegan" for some good info. For me instant rice, sweet potatoes, and canned beans are my best friends.

[@MCCOMINATOR]

1 minute in and I get a strawman argument...and signing off

[@alexw.3023]

Not looking to argue, but for someone to inform me. Why do humans have a harder time obtaining protein from greens than cows. In our genetics, we have predatory characteristics, (and herbivore ones) but naturally we have the capability to be a predator. For those who do it for moral reasons, are you saying all natural predators (tigers, lions ect.) are immoral and that we should stop them? I don't want to tick anyone off, just want to hear some input and different perspectives.