tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4247099490335087362.post8295528047956967821..comments2024-02-23T04:12:38.383-05:00Comments on Vegans Living Off the Land: Veganism is the cheapest diet?!Cassie Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05999167699205727834noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4247099490335087362.post-71685372148432877972014-07-16T11:40:27.643-04:002014-07-16T11:40:27.643-04:00Yes Elaine, the banana industry is quite controver...Yes Elaine, the banana industry is quite controversial. Many of us forget that, as well as the many bugs that were killed because of the pesticides&insecticides during farming. <br />I promote bananas because they are part of our natural diet, packed with the necessary vitamins and minerals, inexpensive per calorie compared to any other food. For me, I cannot get fair trade bananas as there isnt a Whole Foods near me. I also envision an ideal world where each of us can grow tropical foods in a warm climate, but I do what I can with the card I have been dealt ;-)Cassie Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05999167699205727834noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4247099490335087362.post-5049202100402760982014-07-16T05:34:19.686-04:002014-07-16T05:34:19.686-04:00While I agree that a vegan diet is healthy and che...While I agree that a vegan diet is healthy and cheap to live on, I think it is a little more complicated when you promote foods like bananas. The banana trade has been full of controversy for years. There are only a handful of large companies that sell the majority of the bananas available to most of us (not many people live in areas where bananas can be grown year around), and those companies have been less than steller with regards to laborors and their rights and the environment, let alone the animals that depend on the environment in which bananas are grown. There is a lot of profit made by large corporations for bananas, and trade wars have been an issue for years. For most of us, the availability of bananas depends on them being shipped halfway around the world. We can choose to buy organically grown but they are still not going to be local and will cost more. If you rely heavily on bananas as part of your diet and buy only organic you are still paying a good bit of money. If you don't buy organic you are supporting an often brutal trade industry. Granted it is a step up from the brutality of factory farming and exploitation of animals even on small grass fed farms. <br />I would be more inclined to promote the use of local and/or responsible resources for fruit/vegetable produce. And of course growing your own when and if you have the means is always a great idea!Elainehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03277206039482571182noreply@blogger.com