Veganism In America

How many people read the ingredients on packaged food before they consume it? According to a study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, only about fifty percent of Americans do. Everywhere people turn in their society today, they are surrounded by processed and unhealthy food. “We're filling up on the wrong things—consuming, for example, nearly triple the recommended limit of solid fats and added sugars while getting only fifteen percent of the whole grains and fifty-nine percent of the vegetables we need,” (Berl 2). By doing this, Americans are bringing many health complications as well as obesity upon themselves. A plant-based (vegan) diet is the solution to those issues. Whole fruits and vegetables, as well as beans, nuts, and legumes, contain many nutrients that are vital for one’s health and wellness. More people in America should eat a plant-based diet.

In the Bible, Daniel 1:12 says, “Please test your servants for ten days: give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink.” Verse fifteen then goes on to say, “At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food.” Though veganism was not established in Biblical times, this passage from the Bible shows that a plant-based diet is more beneficial. The Greek philosopher and mathematician Pythagoras was said to have followed what could be described as a vegetarian diet. Siddhartha Gautama or Buddha also promoted a plant-based diet among his followers. Seventy-three years ago, in 1944, the Vegan Society was formed by Donald Watson along with five other non-dairy vegetarians. These six people were the beginning of the vegan movement. The name “vegan” was chosen because it has the first three letters and the last two letters of the word “vegetarian”. The definition of a vegan diet is, “A strict vegetarian who consumes no animal food or dairy