Unfortunately, they don’t, and it’s gaining momentum (at least in Europe). Sure it’s possible to stay more-or-less healthy if you’re vegan, as long as you take your B12 pills, but it’s at the extreme edge of human tolerance. Vegans die at the same rate as everyone else, of very similar diseases.
I’ll agree with you there. The EatWell plate, the USDA plate, and similar, are all based on the idea that there’s some uniquely ideal diet that’s optimal for all humans. This is stupid. We’re omnivores. We have a very wide range of possible diets, and we have functioning appetites that tell us what to eat and how much. The only diet that fucks us up is the very-low-fat, very-high-carb diet promoted by nutritionists (which, unfortunately, aligns very closely with the junk food model that makes the most money for agribusiness).
Not really. Vegans are responsible for as many animal deaths as carnivores. They’re just different deaths. Veganism is also very inefficient in terms of land use, and I frankly don’t see how a vegan planet (which is what the talking heads want) could exist without more pesticides, more fertilizers, and more environmental desecration. Animals have a vital part to play. If you try to eliminate them - because you don’t like the fact that animals die - bad stuff happens.