Spreading misinformation

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Mateo3112
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Spreading misinformation

Post by Mateo3112 »

Proteins are vital to our survival, they have varied functions. Some of them act as antibodies, some help build our structure, some act as enzymes, some move molecules from one place to another, etc. You get the idea. And there a a lot of proteins on the meat. This is an argument meat eaters use frequently. But reality is: In the end, it doesn't matter whether the food you consume has proteins or not. When we eat, the proteins on the food are de-naturalized (I don't know whether that term exists in the english language, but bare with me.) by the hydrochloric acid in our stomach. Simply put, proteins return to their primary structure, sequences of aminoacids, and in very rare cases do they transform into proteins back again.
As it turns out, we don't need to consume proteins, what we need is to consume aminoacids so that our body can make their own proteins.
Now, there are 9 aminoacids which our ARN cannot produce, these are essential aminoacids, and they're only, exclusively found in peanuts, potatoes, caju, nuts, pumpkins, and some in eggs. So you should, in theory, get all the protein you need by being vegan, which makes the "Meat has more protein" argument invalid.
What do you think?
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brimstoneSalad
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Re: Spreading misinformation

Post by brimstoneSalad »

We need essential amino acids, and those usually correspond loosely to total protein content. In some foods, they are highly balanced and plentiful -- like soy. In others (like grains) they are unbalanced: grains typically contain inadequate amounts of lysine. This is why protein mixing is often recommended for plant foods; eating a low lysine protein along with a high lysine protein like beans or legumes can result in a complimentary protein that's very balanced.
Anyway, you do need to keep an eye on the total amount (make sure it's high enough, 60 or so grams a day, or more), and make sure you get enough of all of the essential amino acids by eating plenty of beans and legumes.
AlexanderVeganTheist
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Re: Spreading misinformation

Post by AlexanderVeganTheist »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fhyfa48bK28

This video by nutritionfacts.org points to the fact that all amino acids are in a constant cycle of being reused. We do need to eat a variety of foods that contain all the amino acids, but not necessarily in the same meal or in the same day.
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Lightningman_42
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Re: Spreading misinformation

Post by Lightningman_42 »

Most of these "10 Ways Vegans Are Ruining The World" are obvious piles of steaming excrement, but I'm not so sure about #7: Blood Guacamole. I've just never heard about this before. Any truth to it? Is there a strong argument here against purchasing avocados?

Also curious about #3: Starving South America.

Most of this is quite obviously false though. No sources cited either.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyNmgSefNA4
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priest
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Re: Spreading misinformation

Post by priest »

I wouldn't be surprised if that was true. at my farmer's market there was an avocado stand selling "last of the season" avocados for $5. yes, that is FIVE fucking dollars for ONE fucking piece of fruit. not giant, not exotic, just a good looking large avocado. as veganism snowballs, are we going to see cashew and nooch cartels as well?
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brimstoneSalad
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Re: Spreading misinformation

Post by brimstoneSalad »

priest wrote: Thu Nov 16, 2017 11:48 am I wouldn't be surprised if that was true. at my farmer's market there was an avocado stand selling "last of the season" avocados for $5. yes, that is FIVE fucking dollars for ONE fucking piece of fruit. not giant, not exotic, just a good looking large avocado. as veganism snowballs, are we going to see cashew and nooch cartels as well?
It's probably an easy thing to avoid as long as you don't buy them when they're that expensive. It's value density that gets organized crime involved, because it's easier to get away with things when they're moving in lower volumes for worthwhile returns, from theft to smuggling.

The most credible source I found high up in search results mentioning "blood avocados" was PBS, but it's even blatantly false:
But like with all great booms, there are unexpected consequences. First, there’s climate change. According to Newsweek, a small plot of avocado trees can generate up to $500,000 a year. As more and more Mexicans seek to profit from global demand, they have been destroying forests to plant avocado trees. Vast swaths of pine and fir trees are being illegally cut down. The deforestation has already impacted the monarch butterfly and water flow patterns. According to experts, a mature avocado orchard uses twice the water of a dense forest. And local residents are complaining that the incidence of breathing and stomach illnesses has risen as pesticides used in the mountain orchards have made their way into water supplies.
Cutting down one tree to grow another type of tree is not necessarily very relevant to climate change. They cite newsweek, but there's no reference to climate change at all in that article, only to local environmental impact and the Monarchs.
It's possible that avocado trees, which are shorter than firs and pine trees, would capture less carbon, but it's not like we're comparing grass to trees here: avocado trees have extensive root systems and the leaf coverage and depth is still substantial.
If you want to call changes in local water flow patterns climate change, that's a pretty big stretch.

Kind of a disappointment for PBS.

The other part is this:
Second, the combination of strong demand, high prices and regular disruptions to supply has generated a strong incentive to traffic in avocados. The economics have also attracted some nefarious actors, leading to gang warfare in the Michoacán state of Mexico. It’s estimated that 80 percent of the avocados consumed in the United States are from this area, and because of the violence the business has generated, some now refer to fruit from the state as “blood avocados.” Separately, high prices have led thieves in New Zealand to steal cases of avocados from growers and sell them on the black market.
Again, it's all about the extremely high prices.

If Avocados are above $2 each, maybe just wait and don't buy them at that time. I don't think this is in any reasonable respect caused by veganism, though.
Also, it's very likely that the high prices are still doing more good than harm for the region overall since poor farmers have a lot to benefit from.
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Lightningman_42
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Re: Spreading misinformation

Post by Lightningman_42 »

Hi brimstoneSalad, I'm glad you addressed some of the issues I mentioned from the clickbait-trash video. I didn't see your response until now. Must have missed it somehow. Anyways, thanks for clarifying the things I was uncertain about.

I hadn't heard of the "blood avocado" issue until I saw the video, nor the "cashew-burn" issue, but I was already inclined to call bullshit. The "moral" arguments against purchasing avocados and cashews sounded remarkably similar, to shoddy arguments against purchasing free-trade produce, or anything from sweatshops.

I watched Unnatural Vegan's response video just now, and thought it was quite a thorough response. Have you seen her response video? If so, what did you think of it? Are there any insights that you would have added?
"The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil but because of those who look on and do nothing."
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brimstoneSalad
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Re: Spreading misinformation

Post by brimstoneSalad »

Lightningman_42 wrote: Fri Dec 01, 2017 8:45 pm I watched Unnatural Vegan's response video just now, and thought it was quite a thorough response. Have you seen her response video? If so, what did you think of it? Are there any insights that you would have added?
Hmm.. the B-12 deficiency I think was a study on specifically non-supplementing vegans, and vegans overall today have pretty decent B-12 status. We're on our supplement game. I think Jack Norris pointed this out somewhere.

Also, the Cashew burn thing seems to be a complete myth; these are acids in the chemical sense like vinegar or a "fatty acid" is, they are not corrosive acids, and they do not burn your skin. The issue is that people are allergic to them and develop rashes like with poison Oak; rashes which heal fully without scarring as long as you don't scratch too much and break the skin.
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