I want to thank Avery Yale Kamila for her thorough analysis that focuses on recent developments regarding vegan meats and milks (“Is meat eating trending down around the world?” Dec. 20). Being a vegetarian for about 30 years and vegan for about 15 years, I like the fact that vegan faux meat products are selling like hot cakes.

I also appreciate that more and more people are changing their lifestyle from meat consumption to plant consumption. Back when I decided to make the change, there weren’t any faux meat products. Vegan meats are the beginning for people wanting to make the change, but they are not good as the basis of a long-term nutritious diet.

Beans, whether canned or dried and cooked, are very healthy and widely available. Then there are the super-healthy greens such as kale, broccoli and Brussels sprouts. Let’s not leave out potatoes, carrots, squash, peas, avocado and other vegetables. Lots of fruit– apples, banana, grapes, oranges and even cranberries. Whole grains are a necessity: oats, barley, brown rice and quinoa are major energy and nutrient providers. All these foods with unlimited spicing opportunities are just plain wonderful.

Being vegan these days is so much easier than when I changed. With all these new commercial products as a beginning, it is beneficial to our bodies, to the environment and to the animals that we make the change to a whole food, plant-based diet.

Len Frenkel
South Portland

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