Why do paleo/primal folks and vegans hate each other? page

[abeljames]

Perhaps "hate" is too strong a word, but it seems to me that there is a great deal of passionate friction between the paleo and vegan communities. Clearly, there are differences in philosophy and practice, namely one group eats meat and the other does not.

But when you compare what paleo and vegans actually eat on a daily basis, it's actually quite similar. I, for one, eat roughly 75% fruits and vegetables, most of them raw. Maybe I'm oversimplifying, but it seems to me that my diet is *mostly* vegan. Certainly when you compare paleo and vegan to the standard American diet they have more similarities than differences.

So where is the love? Why is there so much bickering between the paleos and vegans?

[gojirama]

I am right there with you, abeljames. Veg and fruits are the basis of my diet; I can happily party with vegans, eating raw veggies and apple slices with guacamole. I will graciously cook for vegans. Any of us who are trying to stay away from the SAD is doing better, even if we don't agree on everything; we should all band together, get along, and focus on getting people to just eat REAL FOOD.

[TigerLily]

Kindred spirits! I'm addicted to the glow!

We were talking about the similarities between the two in this thread (we get more into this on pages 2 and 3):
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/thread37514.html

Well, you can guess the problem the raw vegans have with Paleo.

What's more interesting is the hostility of the Paleos towards the raw vegans.

I chalk it up to:
1. Defensiveness from the raw vegans' attacks.
2. Not really understanding how much common ground there is between the two WsOE.
3. "Banana boy" (he who shall remain unnamed) acting like a complete nutjob and, thus, turning everyone on MDA off.
4. Not understanding that there are different styles of a raw vegan diet, and the Paleos only think it's 80/10/10 (also known as 8-1-1)--very high carb/extremely low fat. They don't know about the low-glycemic variation or even the gourmet version (which is too nut-heavy for moi), which are totally different and are definitely higher fat/lower carb.

I think it's interesting that some of the raw vegan leaders are starting to eat high-raw Paleo now, and some of the Paleos are starting to eat high raw. We're all meeting in the middle.

[Paleobird]

Besides the two camps agree that factory farming is disgusting and wrong. Vegans are mostly concerned about the animal while we are concerned with the animals plus our own healthy food source. Most vegans are also concerned with all natural organic produce.

I think the kind of vegan that is easy to make fun of is the kind that preaches about how healthy their diet is while eating all kinds of processed junk. That is hypocrisy at its finest.

[TigerLily]

I think we're distinguishing between just plain old vegan and raw vegan. Other than the whole meat issue, the latter is actually very similar to Paleo. They are not eating pasta, bread, Clif bars, tofu, fake meats, etc., etc... all the processed crap vegans go for.

[Paleobird]

I think we're distinguishing between just plain old vegan and raw vegan. Other than the whole meat issue, the latter is actually very similar to Paleo. They are not eating pasta, bread, Clif bars, tofu, fake meats, etc., etc... all the processed crap vegans go for.

True. I have more respect for their WOE. I still think they're wrong but at least it's internally consistent.

[Saoirse]

we're like oil and water, or baptists and catholics! j/k
i know quite a few vegan people. while i think they are mislead about their diet (and i'm sure they think the same of me), i could never use the word "hate". i often joke that i'm vegan except for the meat eating (which isn't really true because i eat dairy and eggs as well).

[RitaRose]

I personally don't care what anyone else eats. More meat for me. And I do respect people that care how animals are treated. The only issue I have is that the more militant members of ANY group tend to either ignore new information, bend the truth or flat out lie. Not something I appreciate in anyone, no matter what they're eating.

My son just had a bad experience dating a vegan, though. She was a bit unstable and almost got him arrested defending himself. So now he's decided not to date them at all.

The only time I get annoyed personally is when anyone gets a holier-than-thou attitude, but that's not just when it comes to food.

[LJH]

Quite a few of my friends are vegan and many, many are vegetarians. We agree to disagree on what's healthy, but I'm with them 100% on factory farming, it's hideous and cruel. My freezers are full of locally-raised grass-fed meat, lard & tallow that I render from the fat and all kinds of fruits & veggies both for me and to feed my not-so-healthy vegetarian friends when they come over. So, no hate goin' on with my circle.

However, I have zero patience with the PETA types calling me a murderer for eating meat and wearing leather. This same crowd thinks I should drive a Prius or whatever the hell those things are called. Yeah, try plowing snow, hauling a load of firewood or hay in one of those, sheese. I don't hate them but gawd, what maroons.

[Mike Gager]

its because paleo/primals eat meat and vegans are a bunch of weirdos