Vegans: To Bee or Not to Bee?

Animal-free dieters find ways to bulk up competitively

(NEWSER) - A new trend is sprouting in the sport of bodybuilding: veganism. A burgeoning group of competitive weight-lifters are turning to an all animal-free diet, reports the New York Times . It's a challenge because the vegan diet can be dauntingly limited for bodybuilders, who need a sufficient amount of amino acids, found in meat, in order to bulk up. “Is it possible to be a good bodybuilder and be a vegan? Yes,” says the chief executive of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. “But is it ideal? No.” More»

A butcher, hunter, and rancher discuss the ethics of eating animals

(NEWSER) - For long stretches of their lives, Nicolette Niman, Tovar Cerulli and Joshua Applestone were all vegetarians or vegans. Now, they’re a rancher, a hunter, and a butcher, respectively, who “firmly believe food from animals can be healthful, environmentally appropriate, and ethical,” they write in the Atlantic . Their stories:

• Nicolette: She became vegan “after hearing that beef was deforesting the Amazon,” but eventually “learned that animals were essential to sustainable farms.” They increase soil fertility and convert otherwise inedible vegetation and uncultivated land into food.
• Tovar: He became a vegan after listening to Buddhist teachings, but eventually “realized that all food has its costs. From habitat destruction to combines that inadvertently mince rabbits … crop production is far from harmless.” What matters, he decided, “wasn’t what we ate, but how that food came to our plates.”
• Joshua: He was a vegetarian until he met his wife and opened a meat company. “Once I saw how the meat we were selling had been raised, and met the farmers who were striving to raise animals sustainably … I realized I didn’t have a problem with meat. I had a problem with the inhumane practices of the commercial meat industry."

Couple's baby died after being fed only soy milk, apple juice

(NEWSER) - In April 2004, the 6-week-old son of Jade Sanders and Lamont Thomas starved to death, and Georgia’s top court today upheld the couple’s murder convictions and life sentences from 2007. A court initially found the first-time parents guilty of murder after investigators discovered they fed the boy mostly soy milk and apple juice in an attempt to adhere to a vegan lifestyle, the AP reports. More»

They aren't rich, obsessive sissies

(NEWSER) - Vegans are rich, obsessive sissies, right? Not exactly, writes Carol J. Adams for the Washington Post . She lays out five myths surrounding the 0.5% of Americans who abstain from everything animal.

1. Vegans have so many rules: It's the trickiness of avoiding all animal products that make this claim seem true—after all, Hostess fruit pies contain beef fat and toothpaste can contain bone meal. But look in the mirror, writes Adams. Vegans think meateaters have plenty of rules, too: Cows are OK here, but not in India. Dogs are OK here, but are served in Korea. Let's call this one a draw.

PETA pick shows need for 'indulgent' vegans

(NEWSER) - Most people snickered when PETA named Bill Clinton its person of the year , but it was a genius pick, writes Mary Elizabeth Williams on Salon . Most people also know the benefits of veganism, but what it lacks is a guy who can make it "seem realistic, accessible and, frankly, pretty damn good-looking." That's what Clinton provides: In a Nixon-goes-to-China sort of way, only the guy who genuinely loves a Big Mac can recommend veganism to hardline carnivores. More»