What is veganism? When people hear the word “vegan”, the majority of the time they automatically think about people not wanting to harm animals. Protecting animal rights is a good thing because the way we kill them is inhumane, but there is more to veganism than just protecting animals. Our health and ecosystem are also involved when it comes to veganism. Veganism consists of not eating any meat, dairy, fish, or eggs. Going vegan can be very beneficial to our health because the typical vegan diet consists many vegetables, fruits, and tofu. There are foods that can be sustainable for a vegan diet and can have a good protein source. Veganism is not only good for the health, but also good for the environment. It can improve the environment by lowering process manufacturing and decrease pollution. Veganism is extremely beneficial to our lives because the diet is usually healthier, which will result in less risks of diseases and it can create a safer environment to live in.
Veganism has been proven to help with many health related issues such as heart disease, cancer, obesity, arthritis, and type 2 diabetes. America is known to be one the of most obese and unhealthy country in the world. Going vegan can reduce obesity because vegans tend to consume healthier foods than a non-vegan. The intake of vegetables, fruits, and nuts is usually higher than someone who is not vegan. Although many people would argue that it would be difficult to receive the all the nutrients a human body needs, vegans can still get the right amount of proteins if the consume the right things, such as beans, nuts, or tofu. Some vegan diets can actually be richer in certain nutrients. According to the nutritionist Alina Petre, “vegan diets tend to provide more fiber, antioxidants and beneficial plant compounds. They also appear to be richer in potassium, magnesium, folate and vitamins A, C and E” (Petre 1). A no meat diet can potentially be better and improve health issues. There are many health related benefits associated with a vegan diet such as longevity and reduced diseases. We should care about the advantages veganism has for our health because there is a high risk of dying from diseases and obesity due to our diet. A typical western diet consists of many fast foods which results in obesity and heart disease, meanwhile a typical vegan diet consists of healthier alternatives.
In the future, the population will most likely rise and there will be more mouths to feed. Over-population will be one of our concerns in the future and we do not have unlimited resources for everything. Meat eaters uses more water, land, and resources than a vegan because of the energy it takes to process or transport the animals. It is already difficult to feed the entire population as of right now and it will get a lot worse in the future if we do not fix the issue. A plant based diet can cut water usage and the crops can be fed to humans instead of livestock. It is sustainable to live without meat and a plant based diet can be the future when our sources runs out.
Although some vegan diets do not have all the nutrition we need, they can still have a healthy lifestyle. It is true that most vegans have vitamin B-12 deficiency because the vitamin is only found in meat. We need B-12 vitamin because it helps with red blood cells to be healthy, but there are B-12 vegan supplements that can be taken as a replacement. As stated, “Micronutrients of special concern for the vegan include vitamins B-12 and D, calcium, and long-chain n–3 (omega-3) fatty acids. Unless vegans regularly consume foods that are fortified with these nutrients, appropriate supplements should be consumed” (Craig 5). Many vitamins that is needed for a person are not in a vegan diet but this can be easily taken care of with supplements. A vegan needs to make sure that the food they are intaking has enough nutrients and the diet should be fine. Many people believe that a vegan diet is unsustainable and that protein only comes from meat but that is not true. Protein can be found in lots of other consumable foods, such as peanuts. As Dyatt stated, “Based on surveyed responses, important diet and health-related behaviors were commonly practiced; and a favorable profile of low chronic disease diagnoses was characteristic among the entire study group. We therefore conclude that in this group of vegans, except for inappropriate intakes of vitamin D and sodium, both health-motivated and non-health motivated vegans typically practice lifestyle behaviors that are conducive to positive health outcomes and general well being” (Dyatt 119). As long as the vegan diet stay consistent with a healthy diet, the outcome can become positive health wise.
Getting certain proteins and vitamins can be difficult because most of them are found in animals. We should find another alternative because the way we kill animals is very cruel and disturbing. As stated, “according to the Food and Agriculture Organization, approximately 45 billion animals were killed for food in 2000” (Tanner 818). Many people try to ignore the fact that a lot of our meat is produced in a factory farms, which kills animals inhumanly. In some cases, animals have a difficult time functioning because they are typically drugged with steroids. Steroids are used on these animals to make them bigger and to get more meat out of them. According to Julia Tanner, “Drugs and technology make it possible to cause animals a great deal of pain and/or suffering without harming farmers’ interests. Modern farming methods make
