Today’s society is constantly changing. People everywhere are changing beliefs, appearances, and even ways of life. One of these new ways of life, known as Veganism, is one that is rapidly sweeping the nation. Veganism, as defined by Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is a strict vegetarian who consumes no animal food or dairy products. Are all of these so called Vegans just part of a new trend, or is there something legitimate behind the lifestyle? Vegans live by the idea that they are bettering the world through saving animals, benefiting personal health, and also helping to solve much larger world hunger problems.
At first, these ideas sound fabricated, as if no one way of living can do all these things. When looking into the matter, however, the evidence is substantial and convincing. Vegans are changing the world, and in turn, are making a difference in the lives of animals and the human race. A Vegan diet, if nothing else, is extremely beneficial to a person’s health. When a person goes Vegan, their personal risk of illnesses such as cancer, dementia, neurological problems and heart disease decreases substantially (Nordqvist 1).
The reality is that in today’s times, the meat we eat is extremely processed that it is actually causing health risks. Meat typically found in a restaurant would contain things such as fat, growth hormones, nitrates and other steroids, all of which are harmful to the human body. Meat is not the only thing that is negatively affecting the health of the human race; dairy is just as big of a culprit. The human body is not designed to process milk that comes from a cow, or any other animal for that matter. Logically speaking, cows drink cow milk and goats drink goat milk.
So why would humans drink milk that was intended for animals? Milk has also been linked to several issues in people including trouble digesting, allergies, and certain types of cancer (Campbell 1). A large percentage of the population suffers from lactose intolerance, which proves even further that the human body just is not designed to process foreign milk. There are other options out there for Vegans to drink in the place of milk. Vegans have turned to soy milk, almond milk, coconut milk, and other substitutes. These substitutes are known to taste very similar, but be much better for the body.
On the more positive side, Veganism has been shown to help people lose weight along with just generally feel better. Vegans are known to be twenty pounds lighter, have more energy than meat eaters, and have less of a chance to get sick (PETA 1). Some might argue that while all the benefits of Veganism sound great, is it truly healthy? The answer is yes. The protein that most people get from meat, vegans get from other, more beneficial foods like vegetables, beans, and tofu. In fact, Vegans actually are getting better protein because the foods they consume are not saturated in the growth hormones found in meat.
Perhaps the most obvious reason to go Vegan is that the lifestyle saves animals. For logical reasons this is true. The more people who go Vegan, the less animals are killed to be served on the dinner table. Veganism is saving animals from the horrible mistreatment they endure on a daily basis. Cows are known to be constantly impregnated so that the dairy industry can have more milk and the meat industry can have more cows to slaughter. In America, we live by a double standard. We teach our children about cows, pigs, and all other types of animals.
They go to zoos and farms to see these animals. So, why are we killing these animals for food that we know and love? When it is thought about in this manner, the reality is that it just doesn’t make sense. Either Americans need to claim to hate the animals, or go Vegan. When someone goes Vegan, the animals are not only saved from being killed, but also from a life of torture. The meat industry is constantly trying to keep up with the rapid demand for meat, and as a result is unnaturally fattening animals and keeping them in poor conditions.
If more eople were to go Vegan, then the natural pressure to maintain a certain quota would decrease, and animals would not be forced to live in these bad and unnatural habitats. This, in turn, would create a safer environment for animals to live in. Animals would also not be unnaturally repopulated as a result. Veganism is helping animals to get out of this by putting a stop animal cruelty and slaughter. A common argument among meat eaters is that one Vegan can’t change the world. In order for this to be a valid argument, one must consider it in several aspects of life. In terms of an election, does one vote count?
When giving money, does someone’s one dollar actually matter? The same is true for Veganism. No, one person going Vegan does not have the power to make a substantial change in the world. It does, however, have the power to change that one person’s world. If everyone came together and started to live a vegan lifestyle, the changes would be substantial. The question remains: is it worth being a part of the change even if the results won’t be drastic? It seems as if countless people have found that it is worthy. People all across the nation are doing their small part to help contribute to a better world.
Another positive aspect of Veganism is found in the that it benefits our world. When meat and dairy are produced, carbon emissions are also produced as a side effect. These carbon emissions are causing the air we breathe to become polluted and unhealthy, even hazardous to breathe (Nordqvist 1). Along with that, deforestation is taking place to feed the growing number of animals in the country. The land that was once the homes for wildlife is now being destroyed to feed the growing number of cows and other animals needed to feed the human population. It truly is a never ending cycle.
The more people who eat meat, the more animals will be needed to feed the people. As of now, livestock production is responsible for 70% of deforestation in the Amazon (Nordqvist 1). At this rate, in the coming years, there will be no forests left because all will be used to feed the animals. It is time to stop overproducing livestock so that the world we know doesn’t vanish before our eyes. Vegans are becoming a part of the solution, though. By going Vegan, less deforestation is happening and less carbon emissions are being produced. Vegans are helping to create a greener, more healthy earth.
Veganism isn’t just saving the physical earth, it is also responsible for bringing about change in the lives of people all around the world. The livestock and agriculture industry is responsible for using 55% of water in the United States (PETA 2). The amount of water it takes to maintain the lives of the approximately 70 billion animals used for food is enormous. In fact, just cows alone take a whopping 45 billion gallons of water to keep maintained, while humans only use 5. 2 billion (PETA 2). This 45 billion gallons of water could be used elsewhere to benefit the world.
Children in third world countries are dying everyday from dehydration. Wouldn’t all this water being used to repopulate the already too big population of cows be better used providing water for these children? On average, it takes 660 gallons of water to produce a fourth of a pound of hamburger meat, and 1,000 gallons of water to produce one gallon of milk (Fergusson 1). This alone is completely outrageous. Imagine how much water could be saved just in one day if more people were to start living by a Vegan diet. The results would be incredibly substantial. Some people are doing this very thing and helping to be apart of the solution.
Vegans are saving water and as a result, things are starting to change for the better. The Vegan diet is one that not only has personal benefits, but also has rippling effects on people all across the world. Here in the United States, extreme starvation is not something that most people face on a daily basis. In underdeveloped countries like Ethiopia, though, extreme starvation is the way of life. It is estimated that 925 million people all across the world are suffering from hunger (Fergusson 1). Most people believe that while this is a pressing and saddening problem, there is nothing that we can do here.
Yet, entirely opposite it true. If every person were to stop eating dairy and meat, eventually there would be no need to feed all the livestock. If there were substantially less livestock to feed, the grain that was once used to feed the cows could be used to feed people. The results would be that 70% more food would be added to the food supply, meaning that four billion additional people could be fed (Fergusson 1. ) That should be reason enough to go Vegan. The fact of the matter is that here in America, we have the power to change the world for people living in underdeveloped countries. Veganism is the solution.
Living by a Vegan diet has the power to change the health of a person along with change the world and prevent its further destruction. When looking at all the evidence combined, it seems absurd to think that more people have not gone Vegan. Veganism is more than just a trend, it is a lifestyle that is beneficial in all aspects. Veganism is a movement which is changing the world, and that is something that more people should desire to be a part of. Maybe instead of talking about how to change things, we should all start to actually do it. Let’s put down our hamburgers, eat a salad, and change the world.