Plants For The Win
It could be contemplated why so many people dislike vegans; they are simply living a sustainable lifestyle. Veganism is the practice of choosing not to eat meat or animal by-products. Being vegan is a marvelous choice because it benefits the lifestyle of many people, both directly and indirectly.
If more humans were vegan, it would contribute to ending world hunger. There is a lot of food that is basically wasted in the process of factory farming. In 2011, 883 million tons of corn and 260 million tons of soybeans were grown globally. However, on average, 40-50% of that corn, and 80% of those soybeans are fed to farmed animals, rather than being eaten directly by humans.” (Chatham) If these foods in their raw form were given to humans, we could feed a lot more people than by feeding it to farm animals and then killing those animals. It is well-known that if everyone was vegan, world hunger could end.
Even though there are enough plant-based foods grown to feed the entire human population, the majority of crops (including those grown in countries where people are starving) are fed to
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livestock for affluent nations, and since the amount of animal-based food produced by the farming industry is much less than the amount of plant food put into it, we face a deficit. (Chatham) Eating plants is better for everyone from every nation and financial background. Vegans tend to have better health than their meat-eating counterparts.The saturated fats found in meat and other animal by-products are known to be hard on ones heart.
“Heart disease is much less common in countries where people consistently eat low-fat diets containing minimal amounts of animal products. “(Vegan 9). The epidemic in America of heart-related diseases would go down tremendously if more omnivores embraced a vegan lifestyle. Due to being low-fat, following a plant-based diet is a fantastic way to lose weight. “Those who followed a plant-based diet [study comparing diets] shed roughly four pounds more on average than those whose meals allowed meat.”(Fowler) America’s obesity epidemic is getting worse every day, this is partially due to the mass-consumption of factory farm meats. Going vegan is a simple way to lose weight for many
people. Meat-eaters endorse animal cruelty every day. Numerous numbers of animals suffer for the entirety of their short lives every day.“Each year on today’s factory farms, over eight billion animals are confined in windowless sheds, tiny barren crates, and filthy wire cages. The vast majority of these animals are mutilated without painkillers, denied veterinary care, and ultimately slaughtered.” (Saved!) Any normal person that saw this happening before their eyes would think twice about ever eating meat again. These farm workers disrespect animals and think of them as objects. The factory farming industry strives to maximize output while minimizing costs—always at the animals’ expense. The giant corporations that run most factory farms have found that they can make more money by squeezing as many animals as possible into tiny spaces, even though many of the animals die from disease or infection. (Factory) Animals have souls and feel pain, whether society chooses to put a blinder to it or not. Like any other business, if they don’t have customers they will be forced to shut down. Vegan-ism is great because is benefits many humans and animals alike. There is too many reasons to explain why being vegan is worthwhile. All living creatures on this earth could thrive with health and happiness if everyone was vegan.
I will first show the lack of validity and soundness to Howard’s claim that A) a vegan lifestyle is a healthier choice and B) his claim that one must switch to that lifestyle to enjoy these said benefits. To the claim made in A, Howard uses his own health problems he endured on his meat diet, and uses it as a constant variable comparing it to his now relative healthy lifestyle as a vegan. On first glance anyone who eats a calorie-laden, unbalanced diet and ends up weighing 300 pounds, as Lyman himself admitted, will have health problems regardless of his orientation to meat or vegetables. With this said his comparing analogy is inertly flawed and must be disregarded from the argument he presents. On march 8 before the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, Mary K Young, MS.,R.D,NCBA Director of Nutrition Research and Information, presented the benefits of eating meat. Using Data from the 1995 USDA Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals (CSI) she confirms that red meat enhances one overall diet quality. Young goes on to point out that red meat is the number one source for protein, B12, and zinc, number 2 source for B6 and third greatest source for iron, niacin and potassium. She also pointed out that red meat alone has the greatest concentrates of iron and zinc together. Also included cited in Young’s report was the research recently published in the Journal of the American...
Obesity is very common in America, around 66% of American adults are overweight and nearly 33% are obese, which leads to heart disease, cancer, stroke and many other illness. Furthermore, the consume of fast food is in my opinion one of the worst decisions we can make, the food may be cheaper but it leads directly to overweight problems, and it not only damages our bodies but they undermine local business, farmers, and in the process they support they massive slaughter of animals. Ms. Lappe states “…modern livestock production has steered away toward the industrial-style production to highly destructive overgrazing “(858).By consuming food from fast food industries we support the destruction of lands, and the poor conditions in which the animals we consume are suffering. Moreover, changing from consuming fast food to healthier food is in my opinion a transition every individual should make since we cannot keep supporting the companies that literally destroy our world and our body with our
The food industry is in a state of necessary revolution, for obesity rates seem to be rising exponentially, counties striving to develop have hit lack-of-food road blocks, and massive animal farms produce threats such as unethical treatment of animals and food-borne pathogen spikes. With these dilemmas revolving around the food world, it is natural for one to ponder, “Are human’s inherently omnivorous, eating both animal and plant based products, or were we suppose to be receiving nutrients solely from a vegetarian diet?” Kathy Freston, author of The Lean: A Revolutionary (and Simple!) 30-Day Plan for Healthy, Lasting Weight Loss, discusses her viewpoint surrounding the dilemma by writing “Shattering the Meat Myth: Humans are Natural Vegetarians.” Freston’s answer to the questions presented above
Vanessa Ha and Russell de Souza published a study they did over the health benefits of vegetarianism in the Journal of the American Heart Association. They found that switching to a vegetarian diet can cause healthy weight loss, lower the risk of cardiovascular disease, lower blood pressure. They also found that vegetarians eat lower amounts of total fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol. If the United States’ population could start to lose weight, there would be a multitude of benefits. People would have more energy, they would sleep better, and the nation would get back on track. Weight loss can also help to reverse Type 2 Diabetes. Many people would be able to get off their medication and be able to function without being dependent on their medicine. They would also save time because they would not have to go to doctor’s appointments so often. If the American people were all vegetarians, the obesity problem in the United States could practically be eradicated, as Ha and Souza proved that the vegetarian diet could cause weight loss. People could live normal, healthy
According to vegansociety.com, “ Veganism represents a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude—as far as is possible and practicable—all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, other animals for food, clothing or any other purpose; and promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of humans, other animals and the environment.“ People that follow this way of living are called vegans. The vegan diet is more a lifestyle choice and a philosophy than just a diet. The vegan life is the best way to live because it’s healthier, helps the environment, and is kinder to animals.
Imagine living a life without eating anything with an animal product in it. No meat, fish, milk, eggs, honey, not even gelatin. Vegans are people who adapt a lifestyle where they live without any animal based goods; some do this for the health benefits that come with eliminating meats and dairy. Many become vegan as a way to protest and eliminate animal cruelty which is extremely apparent in the meat industry. A vegan diet is based largely on fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, and soy. Many people would say this is unhealthy, that a person cannot live like this. Much of this skepticism comes from being misinformed, and under informed about veganism. It is safe to live a vegan lifestyle. On a vegan diet a person can get all the vitamins
Veganism is not only a diet, it is a lifestyle. It can affect one’s life drastically. Many notice improvements in their physical and mental health. Emilia Szymasiuk, who has been vegan for over a year, claims that now she feels stronger mentally, which she credits to her change of lifestyle. According to the study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, vegans consume more nutrients, more fiber, and less saturated fat than other people which results in lower rates of diabetes, and heart disease. In addition, breast cancer, prostate cancer, cervical cancer, kidney cancer, colon cancer, as well as benign prostatic hypertrophy can be prevented or reversed on a plant-based diet (Greger). Consequently, plant- based eating
Today people are concerned with what they eat in order to lose or maintain their weight. What people do not know is how their food is obtained, how veganism is beneficial to their health and what the food industry thinks of vegans. Veganism is the avoidance of any animal products particularly food. Veganism confronts the issues of animal welfare as well as dietary concerns for humans. It is an effective method to live a healthy and humane lifestyle.
At one point in time, veganism appeared problematic due to the lack of necessary vitamins, minerals, and proteins in the diet. However, gradually, over time it has been proven to be a safe and healthy way of life for all ages. The vegan diet includes foods such as fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, beans and soy products. These foods provide nutrition and high levels of vitamins and minerals that are necessary to survive, such as magnesium, fiber, potassium, vitamin C, vitamin E, antioxidants, protein, carbohydrates, and phytochemicals. Recent research has shown that people who are vegan are extremely healthy and may even be healthier than people who eat meat. (57 Health) In fact, people who consume animal products are forty percent more susceptible to cancer and at an increased risk for many other illnesses, including stroke, obesity, appendicitis, and diabetes. It is also often mistakenly believed that meat eaters are stronger than vegetarians, but an experiment conducted by Professor Irving Fisher of Yale University on 32 vegetarians and 15 meat-eaters showed that vegetarians had more endurance than meat eat...
I try to not be one of those vegans who always goes and try's to make meat eaters vegan...in fine with people living there own life's and making there own decisions (obviously you are not) but I couldn't help but to comment on this because of your annoying ignorant self. You don't have to be vegan but you could atleast be a nice human being and respect others.
Making the change to a vegan diet for just one day, an average human would be saving one animals life, 45 pounds of grain, 1100 gallons of water and 30 square feet of forested land (Turnbull). Not only is being vegan better environmentally and ethically, this diet has many health benefits as well. For years, the standard way of living has been to rely on animal products to obtain adequate nutrients. For example, many people believe that milk is needed to grow and maintain strong bones or that eating meat is the only way to get enough protein. After years of research the vegan diet proves to be a healthier option than the
Every person has the ability to make their own choice of whether to eat meat or not. However, eating meat is directly tied to negative health effects, pollution leading to a depletion of ozone, and the depletion of hundreds of thousands of acres of land “wasted” on animal production when they could be used to solve the hunger crisis or lower emission levels. What humans eat is no longer a matter of choice; it has become a matter of life and death. Literally, the future of the whole planet rests on the decision of whether or not to eat meat. If humans chose to eat less meat the world that wouldn’t have to suffer the consequences (outlined above.) Vegetarianism is one possibility, as is Veganism; however the world would be
In today’s fast-paced, modern and practical society people are becoming more health conscious. This includes trying to choose the best available options for a beneficial lifestyle. Exotic Greek salads, fresh fruit juices, delicate tofu preparation, smelly grilled vegetables, creamy grains soups, moisten carve soufflés, and so much more are common elections for meals for many people. They are becoming more concerned these days about the increasing health risks of a meat-based diet. On the other hand, others have taken a step further and believed that animal cruelty involved in killing animals and using them for their products is inhumane and should be outlawed. Since meat-eating has been an accepted part of the human diet across the spectrum of many civilizations for millions of years, a controversy emerges between those who want to be banned the use of animal products and those who enjoy a steak now and then. Should people consider becoming a vegan?
No doubt that food is a very essential source of energy to the human body. But, certain types of food are immensely controversial such as meat. One side of the argument states that everyone should be vegan- someone who does not eat either all animals products or some like meat for certain reasons that might be righteous or even health and religious reasons in order for animals especially cattle to live life they deserve. On the other hand, critics believe that eating meat and other animal products does not differ from any other type of food like fruits and vegetables; and the stoppage of eating animals will increase their numbers in a way that might be dangerous to take control of after. All
Vegetarians tend to be healthier than those who consume meat. This is due to the prevalent unnatural chemicals used in the processing of meats, and eating these are unsuitable for the body. Meats already contain harmful amounts of cholesterol, and over-consumption of red meat can lead to early heart disease. Animals that are raised on farms for their meat are not treated well, and this mistreatment can lead to harm in the meat they are producing. Although one life choice cannot change one’s environmental