A Vegetarian Lifestyle : Becoming Vegan

Vegan life is healthier for the nutritional benefits are better when compared to non-vegan eating. The majority of people in the

More than 150 billion animals are slaughtered each year. “Every year in America, without mercy, we murder 10 billion land animals, and 18 billion marine animals. Not for health, survival, sustenance or self-defense. People eat meat, cheese, milk and eggs for 4 reasons: habit, tradition, convenience, and taste.” (Yourofsky). Making people go vegan for a month or years, can significantly drop the high amount of animal cruelty that happen each day. This can cause an growth in the animal population. It can help animals live a happy life instead of being trap in a slaughterhouse waiting for their

"Going vegan is empowering. In addition to feeling better physically and emotionally, it helps instill confidence," Said Gene Baur founder and CEO of Farm Sanctuary. "There are many things in this world that are outside of our control, but each of us has a lot of power over what we eat. Being mindful and intentional about the way we eat can lead to improvements in other parts of our lives as well."

Many people have misconceptions about vegans, specifically that they are weak and unhealthy while it is quite the opposite. Registered dietician, Ashley Koff, points out that “eating meat and animal products...has been associated with inflammation” (Hartke par 17). And inflammation is just one of many health problems linked to diets consisting of meat. Cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, osteoporosis, and cancer have also been shown in higher rates among omnivores. Gary Fraser, PhD, MPH, who was a part of the Adventist Health Study observed that there was “12 percent reduction in risk of all-cause mortality in all vegetarians combined versus non-vegetarians” (Palmer par 21). Why would you want to pollute your body with the carcasses of animals and other by-products that we have stolen from them? The myth that cow’s milk makes your bones strong is just one of many falsehoods that agribusinesses and large industries have been telling us. Of course, they want us to buy their milk, cheese, and yogurt. But if you look into the effects dairy has on the body, you will learn the real consequences of consuming dairy and animal protein. In a study observing the bones in omnivore and vegan women, health researchers found that there was a “lower amount of bone formation in the omnivore women” which could lead to a lower bone density and ultimately end in osteoporosis (Wood par 16). Many of the strongest animals on the planet are herbivores. Many of the animals people consume are herbivores. We say that we eat meat to get the protein and to get the nutrients, but look at where these animals get theirs. Plants. If we want to be healthy and get our nutrients in their most pure form, we need to stop filtering them through animals. We’re not just killing the animals and our planet; we’re killing

Harvard Medical School defines a vegan as a person who does, “not eat meat, poultry, fish, or any products derived from animals, including eggs, dairy products, and gelatin.” (p.1). With veganism gaining more and more popularity in the media and in the western culture, debates have sprung up about whether or not this diet and lifestyle proves to be healthy. Countless studies and experiments have been conducted, and the results have shown that a vegan diet can prove to be a more beneficial diet then the standard American Diet. But, with large food corporations and drug companies in the way, Americans find it harder to switch to the plant-based diet. The vegan diet time and time again shows its outstanding power in reducing

Veganism is becoming a big part of our society. By switching to a vegan diet and vegan lifestyle, everyone can make a change to the world we are living in. Most people go vegan for three important reasons: the environment, their life and their morals. I believe more people should become vegan and switch to a vegan lifestyle to make a change in the environment and end animal suffering.

Donald Watson, on 1944 had a meeting with non-dairy vegetarian, Elsie Shrigley, to talk about the lifestyle and diet of non-dairy vegetarian diets. These pioneers were the first people to discover a new movement – although resistant. They felt that they needed a new name, something more brief than “non-dairy vegetarians”. “vitan”, “dairyban”, and “benevore” were some of the rejected words. They settled on “vegan”, because it had the first 3 and the last 2 letters of “vegetarian”. In Donald Watson’s words, it marked “the beginning and end of vegetarian”.

Veganism, by definition, is a way of living in which prohibits exploitation and cruelty to animals in the interest of obtaining food, clothing or for any other purposes that cause harm to an animal (The Vegan Society, 2016). This essentially means that a person who chooses to be vegan does not consume or use anything that was created from an animal. To most people, becoming a vegan could be an unthinkable task because almost everyone is raised consuming meat and dairy, although, this lifestyle choice is becoming more common recently. Veganism is more restrictive than the popular dietary constraint of vegetarianism, so it causes many people to question the health hazards associated with it, and wonder why some would inhibit their food intake

The mere thought of abstaining from meat makes some revolt, an instinctive reaction to giving up something they enjoy so regularly, but lots of folks do it because they believe it is the healthier option. Though, when thoroughly looked at, that isn’t always the case.

There are more vegans in this world than you think: According to an article published by PETA, approximately 2.5 percent of people in the U.S. are vegans (Hun). That’s about 7.5 million people in the U.S. alone (Nordqvist). “I became vegan because I saw footage of what really goes on in the slaughterhouses and on the dairy farms.” -Ellen DeGeneres. John A. McDougall, M.D. stated, “Heart disease is caused by eating rich foods like meat, chicken, cheese, milk, eggs, oils, cakes, and candies as well as refined and processed foods. These foods will surely cause you further misery and even premature death, like they have hundreds of millions of others.” "We have found that people not only slim down, but also see their cholesterol levels plummet and their blood pressure fall. If they have diabetes, it typically improves and sometimes even disappears. Arthritis pains and migraines often vanish, and energy comes racing back. Sluggishness vanishes, and they look and feel radiant." Neal D. Barnard, M.D (“Quotes”). If we don’t stop, our resources will be gone and we will not have our beautiful world anymore. The world will turn ugly and gray from pollution and uncompassionate people. It is time to fix it before it’s too late. You make decisions every day of your life: what to wear, where to go, what to buy, and what to eat. When you decide on your next meal, why not consider a

Craig, W. J. (2009). Health effects of vegan diet. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 89(5), 1627S-1633S. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.2009.26736N

As different crazes and fads are appearing each day, we have come to expect them to simply fade away as the hype passes. However, veganism has stood the test of time in our fad society and is still increasing in popularity. Originally only thought to be a religious lifestyle, many people from different walks of life are becoming vegans. However, this poses many questions and sparks heated debates, mainly from omnivorous people who believe that veganism is against life’s natural order. Vegans, then, argue against an omnivorous lifestyle by bringing up facts about humans’ biological makeup and how humans are, contrary to popular belief, herbivorous by nature, not omnivorous. While both sides present good arguments to some, the veganism lifestyle contains more benefits and less harmful cons than an omnivorous lifestyle.

Some would not be able to live without eating any animal products in their diets, such as, meat, fish, poultry, eggs, dairy products, and honey. For vegans, however, this is a normal way of life. Vegans are frequently misunderstood as either people who have eating disorders, or an unnatural passion for animal rights. It is time for people to realize that veganism, a challenging yet rewarding lifestyle, goes way beyond being skinny or caring for animals. In reality, veganism can be extremely advantageous to anyone who adapts it as a way of life and has many different benefits that come along with it.

Before starting this paper I knew the basic amount of information on being a vegetarian. I knew the most basic definition of a vegetarian, a person who does not eat meat, a pescaterian, a person who does not eat meat but eats fish, and a flexatarian, a person who is mostly vegetarian but it's meat on occasion. And I also knew people do it for health reasons moral reasons and religious reasons. Other than that you could say I was new to the topic.

Many American doctors are warning that over 50% of deaths that occur in the US are directly linked to dietary habits. Likewise many nutrition-based studies confirm that a vegetarian diet with lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, grains and soy contributes directly to the longevity of people, as well as enabling a healthier and more enjoyable life (2014 Herrero). The benefits of a vegan diet are demonstrable. The “American Journal of Clinical Nutrition" reported that even