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Living on the Veg | How Veganism Changes Lives
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“You’re vegan?! How? I would never! That’s so weird! That must be so hard!”. I hear thes questions from just about every person who has discovered my “weird” diet. Well, the answer is yes, I am vegan and I love it.
“You’re vegan?! How? I would never! That’s so weird! That must be so hard!”. I hear thes questions from just about every person who has discovered my “weird” diet. Well, the answer is yes, I am vegan and I love it.
About a year ago, I came across a video on YouTube called “Why I Am Vegan and How You Can Be Too” by a creator who goes by the name Kalel Kitten. It is a 38-minute video detailing all the aspects of veganism: what it is, why others should follow this diet, why it is important and just general facts about the diet. That video really struck something in my heart and made me realize that so much goes on to put the glass of milk and grilled chicken breast on my dinner plate. I have always wanted to make a change in the world, and veganism was my chance to start.
A vegan diet consists mostly of fruits, vegetables and carbs. It is hard to believe that we can obtain sustainable amounts of protein eating just those three food groups, but it is actually quite possible!
The online Nursing School Catalog explains that majority of Americans consume “too much” protein. “Beans, nuts, peas, lentils, soy products and leafy greens are all great ways to get the right amount of protein” says the Nursing School Catalog.
Eating a vegan diet has also been proven to reduce the risk of many types of cancer, along with osteoporosis, arthritis, high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. The average life expectancy
those who follow a vegan lifestyle is six years longer than those who do not, says the Independent newspaper in the UK.
those who follow a vegan lifestyle is six years longer than those who do not, says the Independent newspaper in the UK.
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If health is not your concern, which is completely understandable, maybe the world and the fate of your future is. All the food, water and land the animals must consume to maintain the weight required to produce the amount of meat and dairy that is expected is “responsible for more than ⅔ of our water footprint” says the Grace Communications Foundation.
Following that, the vegan online newspaper, VegNews, says that “70 percent of Earth’s freshwater goes towards agriculture of plants and animals” and proves that “it takes 100 to 200 times more water (depending on the meat—beef is the worst) to produce a pound of meat than it does, to grow a pound of plant foods.” A pound of plant foods is considerably more food than meat because meat weighs significantly more.
In addition to the conservation of our freshwater, when we can produce more plant foods for less energy and resources, that means more people get to eat for two reasons: We are able to produce more food and we are able to save more food by not feeding it to livestock in farms.
Saving food and water also means saving starving people around the world. The United States Environmental Protection Agency acknowledges that “Our scientists have concluded that if all food crops were fed directly to humans instead of animals, around 70% more food would be added to the world’s supply, which would be enough to feed 4 billion additional people.” That sudden increase of food means we would be able to feed our population and a half, including the 925 million who face hunger every day!
Many people are not even aware of how their animal products get to the grocery store. Behind each tub of ice cream, carton of eggs, chicken nugget or hamburger there is a life.
According to the Vegan Society, “60 billion land animals and over a trillion marine animals are used and killed as commodities per year, merely to satisfy human taste preferences.” If that statistic does not scare you, I do not know what could.
People who are unwilling to understand, via the Huffington Post, claim “Vegans love animals more than they love people.” No, I do not love a chicken more than my mother, but I do love that chicken enough to allow it to be able to be hatched in its mother nest, to be able to have free rights of roaming around on grass and most all be able to at least walk because it has not been injected with foreign DNA, also known as GMOs, causing its breasts to enlarge so much the chickens feet can no longer support itself!
There are endless reasons why veganism can help save animals, help save the world, and help have yourself. So before judging my weird lifestyle now the better question is, why aren’t you vegan?
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