Maybe people will object because lab-grown meat is 'gross'. Maybe they will object because it removes such substantial barriers to GMO (the introduced traits don't have to result in a viable individual). Hopefully you'll get achieve some gratification for being an iconoclast when they bring up those objections, though.

PSA: no need to spend the second half you post explaining your contrarianism, it was implicit from the first half.

It really would be great to see a split between nautreopaths and vegitarians. I don't understand how the communities have grown so close together.

It's still the genetically identical counterpart to the pasture-raised variety without the pasture so how is it "dissonance"?

I think you mean conspiracy theorist circles. Very different sort of group, even when they attempt to mimic the language of skeptics.

See: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/21/opinion/21planck.html

Vegetarians can go ahead and argue that vegans are too extreme while vegans fire back that vegetarians are just vegans who lack commitment.

http://www.veganoutreach.org/enewsletter/20070523.html Crown Shakur did die because he parents didn't supply him with adequate nutrition, but there's no reason he couldn't have gotten what he needed on a vegan diet.

Plenty of children are raised on a 100% vegan diet and thrive just like children fed with animal products.

Citation? The only children I know [that I can recall] that are brought up in vegetarianism are noticeably "weedy". Shorter than average, low muscle tone, paler skin than their peers. That's completely anecdotal and a very small sample but it informs my demand to see your support for this claim.

Now it's probably quite possible to create a vegan diet with all required nutrients a child needs; but how practical is that and does it happen.

That said, you're right, with a properly-designed diet you can be healthy and happy. I don't believe you can ever be athletically optimal, however (aside from perhaps pure cardio sports).

http://www.ufc.com/fighter/Mac-Danzig http://www.mikemahler.com/online-library/articles/mma-traini...

"It is the position of the American Di- etetic Association that appropriately planned vegetarian diets, including total vegetarian or vegan diets, are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. Well-planned vegetarian di- ets are appropriate for individuals during all stages of the life cycle, in- cluding pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, and adolescence, and for athletes."

Also, http://www.journals.elsevierhealth.com/periodicals/yjada/art...

Just breastfeed! Breast milk is the ideal infant food after all. Crown Shakra was fed just apple juice and soymilk.

"Yet even a breast-fed baby is at risk. Studies show that vegan breast milk lacks enough docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA, the omega-3 fat found in fatty fish. It is difficult to overstate the importance of DHA, vital as it is for eye and brain development."

"It is suggested that vegans and vegetarians should use oils with a low ratio of linoleic to linolenic acid in view of the recently recognized role of docosahexaenoic acid [DHA] in visual functioning. If known pitfalls are avoided, the growth and development of children reared on both vegan and vegetarian diets appears normal." http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/59/5/1176S.short

And you would be completely, utterly, absolutely wrong:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12826028

"It is the position of the American Dietetic Association and Dietitians of Canada that appropriately planned vegetarian diets are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases.

"Well-planned vegan and other types of vegetarian diets are appropriate for all stages of the life-cycle including during pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, and adolescence. Vegetarian diets offer a number of nutritional benefits"

Full-vegan options include quinoa, beans, lentils, and nuts. But I agree it's hard. You have to eat a lot of these things.

You can also get hemp-based protein as well.

I get most of my protein from tofu, honestly. It isn't as protein-dense as beef, though.