The internet loves nothing better than a smug 'Told You So' after something bad happens. This was never more apparent following the death of a vegan climber who perished while to reach the summit of Mount Everest.
Maria Strydom and her husband set out to scale seven mountains in seven countries - to prove that you can achieve great feats of athleticism without scarfing BLTs.
Cue the backlash with headlines equating the tragedy with Stardom's diet. Strydom brought her lifestyle to the fore in the hopes of dispelling myths and misinformation about veganism, only to have those assumptions held against her.
To be clear, Strydom died of altitude sickness, not malnutrition or any form of nutritional deficiency. Everest claims casualties every single year. And Strydom by all accounts was an experienced climber, who had previously trained and conquered other difficult ascents. So the word 'vegan' shouldn't have even figured. At all.
Yet every single headline reporting the tragedy that befell three climbers chose to hone in on 'Vegan Maria,' falsely attributing her diet to her demise. In setting out to prove what vegans can achieve, had Strydom somehow brought on her own fate?
Of course not. However, as headlines go, the vegan angle generates more interest than a straight-up reporting of the facts as they are.
Yes, the facts... In this case the fact is, altitude sickness - caused by a lack of oxygen at high altitude - can affect anyone, "and surprisingly can’t be prevented by someone including bacon or butter in their diet."
Disclaimer: I'm not a vegan, or even a vegetarian. It's not my chosen lifestyle, yet I don't feel the need to judge those for whom it works. And I humbly acknowledge that the vast majority of vegans - Strydom included - are healthier and fitter than I'll ever be.
I'm quite happy to own that, without feeling the constant urge to force feed every vegan out there a Big Mac.
Image: Facebook
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