Becoming a vegan is something many people choose to do for health and ethical reasons. Vegans want to live their lives without causing any harm to animals, and it can also be an extremely healthy diet (there are many vegan athletes and bodybuilders!). So if you're considering switching to a vegan lifestyle, here's what it can do for you (and the world) …
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1. You'll Be Healthier
Vegans can be much healthier than carnivores, and tend to experience lower rates of problems like heart disease and diabetes. As a vegan, you'll make more food from scratch rather than relying on prepared foods. You'll eat less saturated fat and more fiber. You'll have lots more energy and your skin will look great (just don't exist on potato chips and other junk food!).
2. The Vegan Lifestyle Avoids Animal Suffering
One of the huge advantages of the vegan lifestyle is that it avoids animal suffering. No animal will die for your benefit (vegans not only avoid meat and fish, but also honey and other animal by-products) or live in a cage because of you. As humans, we are responsible for caring for the planet and animals, so take a stance and refuse to be part of the system that causes them such suffering.
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3. Environmental Benefits
The environment will also benefit if more people turn vegetarian. Did you know that livestock eat ten pounds of grain in order to produce one pound of meat (source: peta.org). It's a hugely inefficient use of natural resources and land. With so many people starving in the world, if more people turned vegan then land could be used to feed more people.
4. It's an Ethical Way of Life
Veganism is a very ethical way to live. Your conscience will be clear - you'll know that you're not causing any harm to animals and they won't have to die so that you can eat. No animal will suffer in any way because of you. It's a great feeling to know that you're living as ethically as you can!
5. Weight Loss
Got some excess pounds you want to shift? While you probably wouldn't turn vegan just to lose weight, it is a bonus of the vegan lifestyle. Vegans weigh less than meat eaters -10-20 pounds less! (source: peta.org). And because it's not a fad diet but a healthy, sustainable way of eating, you'll be more likely to maintain your lighter weight.
6. You'll Experiment More with Food - and It's Tasty!
'But what do you eat?' people often ask, thinking you'll be deprived. But that's far from the case; the vegan diet can actually be far more interesting than your old, meat-eating diet. You'll experiment with lots of new ingredients and discover new ways of cooking. There are also plenty of meat substitutes that you can cook in your favorite dishes. Believe me, you won't be deprived at all!
7. You're Not Supporting the Cruelty of the Meat and Dairy Industry
To be fair, there are some farmers who try to raise their animals ethically. But the majority of the meat and dairy industry is very cruel and the animals live unhappy lives before being slaughtered. By going vegan you are taking an ethical stance and refusing to support the cruelty in these industries any more.
Becoming a vegan is a personal decision, but if you do decide to make that change you can be happy that you'll be living a healthy, ethical lifestyle. What changes would you like to make to your diet?
Comments
Luanne: I've been thinking about being vegan. I'll give it a try. Thanks for the article Alison
Bugsabee: Thank you for the post. I have been debating about going vegan for months. I think I'll try it for few weeks.
juleswes: @Claire You aren't as healthy as you can be if you're eating a dead animal. Please don't call others ignorant when you aren't educating yourself.
Beryl: My husband and I are both meat eaters but cheerfully eat a vegetarian meal say once or twice a week. We eat loads of fruit and vegetables! I once knew a rather oldish couple who were vegetarian but their 7 year old son used to pull out his own hair in clumps to annoy his mum. That upset me so much watching him. !
Emma: Check out essena Oneill she inspired me to go vegan!
Courtney: I love being vegan it's such an amazing thing I feel good about what I eat and I never feel sluggish. My skin has completely cleared up!!! My digestion is way better I have energy I cook a lot more and I can eat how ever much I want until completely satisfied. I recommend everyone at least give it a try and watch YouTube videos just in case you don't really know what to prepare or eat. You won't regret it!❤️🍌
Kimberly: God made humans omnivores for a reason. Vegan is fine as long as one doesn't try and make me turn vegan. PETA makes the agricultural industry look terrible. As a huge advocate of agriculture and working in the dairy industry and with other livestock for most of my life I can honestly say that I have seen most farmers treat animals humanely. Don't believe everything PETA says.
Cmisher: I have been thinking about trying the vegan lifestyle for awhile now. I think I will give it a try. Not hard for me because I eat very little meat anyway.
Cassieculbreth: Why do people always assume the worst about meat eaters? I eat plenty of vegetarian foods and use organic products and eat quinoa.
Cindy: And still people hunt down lions, pointless killing
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