Question: Why are you a vegan?
Dennis Kucinich: First of all it started with love, as all stories do. I met someone years ago, fell in love, and found out she was a vegan. Now I didn’t know what a vegan was. And for those of you who are tuning in and you don’t know what a vegan is, I’ll make it simple. It starts with your approach to what you eat. It means that I don’t eat any meats, poultry, fish. I don’t eat any dairy products. You know there goes Iowa, right? In the book that I mentioned earlier, “Courage to Survive”, I talk about a bout with Crone’s disease that I had since I was a little kid. I didn’t know until years later in life that dairy products had something to do with irritating that condition. And so when I switched diets – this was in 1995 – I started to achieve a level of health that I didn’t have before. I lost a little bit of weight to be sure, and it became an adventure to find out what’s appropriate substitutes – beans, grains, tofu. There’s a lot of different substitutes that you can have in moving towards a vegan diet. But I had a level of health that I hadn’t experienced before. So I’m not gonna tell anyone, “Well this is the way you have to eat.” I can share with people what I’ve discovered by changing my diet. And I have enormous amounts of energy . . . and clarity, by the way. So I don’t feel like I’m dragging. And I have more energy than people half my age. I’m 61 years old, and you know I . . . I have a very young wife. And you know if you’re gonna be in a relationship, you better be in good shape because, you know, you’ve got to be able to have a lot of vitality. And I have enormous vitality because of my diet.
Recorded on: 10/19/07
Discuss
George Bush on January 16, 2008, 4:09 PM
Dennis, you're 61 and a vegan. I'm only 60 and I eat meat and fat. So how do you explain that?
George Bush on January 16, 2008, 9:09 PM
Dennis, you’re 61 and a vegan. I’m only 60 and I eat meat and fat. So how do you explain that?
Alex Tanner on January 18, 2008, 9:44 AM
I completely respect people's choice to be vegans. I do on the other had eat meat.
Alex Tanner on January 18, 2008, 2:44 PM
I completely respect people’s choice to be vegans. I do on the other had eat meat.
Anna Karina Gama on January 18, 2008, 5:44 PM
I believe moderation is the key. Health should be a more holistic approach and not just eating what is percieved to be the "right" or "wrong" foods, but should include lifstyle choices and physical activity. I must say, I respect people's choices and admire the will power to change & maintain such a diet;I however love a BBQ and Bacon & eggs are great! again, it's simply about moderation… we're only here once so enjoy the food we're given!
Anna Karina Gama on January 18, 2008, 10:44 PM
I believe moderation is the key. Health should be a more holistic approach and not just eating what is percieved to be the “right” or “wrong” foods, but should include lifstyle choices and physical activity. I must say, I respect people’s choices and admire the will power to change & maintain such a diet;I however love a BBQ and Bacon & eggs are great! again, it’s simply about moderation… we’re only here once so enjoy the food we’re given!
D'Arcy Mayo on January 20, 2008, 6:06 PM
It is sad that people claim that they love animals yet submit them to pain and suffering every day.
Ahalweiz Al-Shaquar on January 20, 2008, 6:33 PM
Eat balanced, don't take others' word for it. And NEVER raise young children on a vegan diet. They will die.
D'Arcy Mayo on January 20, 2008, 11:06 PM
It is sad that people claim that they love animals yet submit them to pain and suffering every day.
Ahalweiz Al-Shaquar on January 20, 2008, 11:33 PM
Eat balanced, don’t take others’ word for it. And NEVER raise young children on a vegan diet. They will die.
Grace En-Tien Chang on January 21, 2008, 7:36 PM
It's true. I don't seem to get as depressed often while I'm on a vegan diet.
Grace En-Tien Chang on January 22, 2008, 12:36 AM
It’s true. I don’t seem to get as depressed often while I’m on a vegan diet.
Jen Something on February 11, 2008, 11:24 PM
You are also a man of truth and your wife is hot.
You are again, refreshingly truthful and not preaching anything. You are giving your honest opinion and not grandstanding.This truth, reason and logic thing is really a great new trend.
I eat meat, but agree as a thinking sentient being. They feel, cry and play.
We may have been fooled just like the fraudluent voting. LOL!
Jen Something on February 12, 2008, 4:24 AM
You are also a man of truth and your wife is hot.You are again, refreshingly truthful and not preaching anything. You are giving your honest opinion and not grandstanding.
This truth, reason and logic thing is really a great new trend.
I eat meat, but agree as a thinking sentient being. They feel, cry and play.
We may have been fooled just like the fraudluent voting. LOL!
Add a Comment
You must be logged in to comment. Log in or Register