Why Go Vegan?
- Apr 1, 2020
- 3 min read
Updated: Apr 13, 2020
For Your Health
Well-planned vegan diets follow healthy eating guidelines, and contain all the nutrients that our bodies need. Both the British Dietetic Association and the American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recognize that they are suitable for every age and stage of life including pregnancy and infancy. Legitimate research has linked vegan diets with lower blood pressure and cholesterol, and lower rates of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer and the list goes on.
Going vegan is the best thing you can do for your overall health and the heath of your family. It has been stated by legitimate doctors to not only prevent but reverse 9 out of the 10 biggest killers of people in the United States, the other being accidents, which can also help in recovery and lower your chances of dying after an accident.
For the Environment
The most effective things an individual can do to lower their carbon footprint is to not purchase animal products. This goes way beyond the problem of cow flatulence! The production of meat and other animal products places a heavy burden on the environment - from crops and water required to feed the animals, to the transport and other processes involved from farm to fork. The vast amount of grain feed required for meat production is the most significant contributor to deforestation, habitat loss and species extinction. In Brazil alone, the equivalent of 5.6 million acres of land is used to grow soya beans for animals in Europe. This land contributes to developing world malnutrition by driving impoverished populations to grow cash crops for animal feed, rather than food for themselves. On the other hand, considerably lower quantities of crops and water are required to sustain a vegan diet, making the switch to veganism one of the easiest, most enjoyable and most effective ways to reduce our impact on the environment.
For People
Just like veganism is the sustainable option when it comes to looking after our planet, plant-based living is also a more sustainable way of feeding the human family. A plant-based diet requires only one third of the land needed to support a meat and dairy diet. With rising global food and water scarcity due to a myriad of environmental and socio-economic problems, there's never been a better time to adopt a more sustainable way of living. Avoiding animal products is not just one of the simplest ways an individual can reduce the strain on food as well as other resources, it's the simplest way to take a stand against inefficient food systems which disproportionately affects the poorest people all over the world.
Why vegetarian isn't enough
The suffering caused by the dairy and egg industry is possibly less well publicized than the plight of factory farmed animals. The production of dairy products necessitates the death of countless male calves that are of no use to the dairy farmer, as well as the premature death of cows slaughtered when their milk production decreases. Similarly, in the egg industry, even 'ethical' or 'free range' eggs involve the killing of the 'unnecessary' male chicks when just a day old.
Ethical meat?
It's tempting to want to believe that the meat we eat is ethical, that our 'food animals' have lived full, happy lives and that they have experienced no pain or fear at the slaughterhouse. Yet the sad truth is that all living creatures (even those labelled 'free range' or 'organic') fear death and feel pain just as we do. No matter how they are treated when alive, they all experience the same fear when it comes to slaughter. Not to mention that they are killed at very young ages as early as childhood and adolescence. They are not allowed to grow old and live a full natural life.
The Good News
The good news is there IS something we can do about it. Every time we shop or order food in a restaurant - every time we eat - we can choose to help these animals. Every time we make the switch from an animal product to a vegan one we are standing up for farmed animals everywhere. Going vegan is easier than ever since becoming increasingly mainstream as more and more people from all walks of life discover the benefits of living this way.
It's time to ask ourselves: if it is now possible to live a life that involves delicious food and drink, delivers better health, leaves a smaller carbon footprint and avoids killing other sentient beings - then why don't we?
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Article originally sourced from vegansociety.com
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