Here’s why people are moving towards veganism and why should you too!
Veganism is one of the best trends that we have witnessed in the last few years. With the rise in the number of celebrities and influencers advocating veganism, it has become an accepted and humane lifestyle. The unstoppable rise of veganism might have been initiated by the compassion that people feel (and must feel) for sentient beings, but it has gained momentum because of the numerous benefits that a vegan diet brings into one’s life. We are not writing this blog to criticize someone’s food choices or propagate a vegan lifestyle; ultimately, what one eats is their choice and it should be that way. But if you want to make an informed decision, here are the benefits of being vegan:
- Veganism helps you show compassion towards animals -
According to Nutriciously, “a person who eats a vegan diet saves 1,100 gallons of water, 45 pounds of grain, 30 sq ft of forested land, 20 lbs CO2 equivalent, and one animal’s life each day!” Frankly, saving these animals that have emotions and intelligence from ending up on plates in fancy restaurants is a good enough reason to turn vegan. They have every reason to live!
Besides, not only does veganism help save the animals that are bred for meat and dairy, but it also saves the natural predators that die untimely (and gruesome) deaths because of the death traps set up by the breeders/farmers to save their farm animals from them.
2. A plant-based diet is better for your health -
Studies have established that a plant-based diet is good for health. Red meat, processed meat, etc., are related to heart diseases, strokes, cancers, type-2 diabetes, obesity and related diseases, and a shift from animal products to a plant-based diet plays a major role in having a long and disease-free life. Remember, most of these diseases are man-made and you can save your heart, liver, and kidneys just by filling up your shopping cart with seasonal greens and legumes!
In addition to this, there have also been studies that suggest that a plant-based diet boosts emotional well-being, mental health, concentration, and productivity. Go vegan, folks!
3. It helps save resources -
Do you know that about 13 pounds of grain are required to produce one pound of animal flesh? Imagine the number of people you can feed by refusing to raise animals just to slaughter — it can literally feed many, many more people and prevent underprivileged children from malnourishment!
Besides, it will also save gallons of water and other power resources (often non-renewable ones) that are imperative to running such farms.
4. Veganism helps save the environment -
According to PETA, “Meat production is wasteful and causes enormous amounts of pollution, and the industry is also one of the biggest causes of climate change.” Meat production also leads to widespread deforestation to provide space for pasture lands for farm animals. In addition to all this, hormones are injected into these animals that can degrade the environment.
Plant-based food is cheaper than meat or animal products. Let me give you a logic here. If 13 pounds of plant-based food is used to produce 1 pound of meat, then common sense says that the cost of those 13 pounds will be included in the cost of that 1 pound of meat. Simple! If you think otherwise, then try going vegan for a week and you’ll notice the difference yourself!
6. It helps in weight loss -
Dairy products and meat contain a lot of harmful fats and cholesterol. You can cut back on it all just by switching to a vegan diet. Besides, do you know that humans don’t even require animal-based products for their daily nutritional requirements? Now, this is something!
7. Plant-based diets reduce the risk of food-borne illnesses -
Animal-based food products need careful handling and intense sanitation which is not always the case with your supermarket meats. If you are not very lucky, you can get food poisoning because of the E.coli and other bacteria thriving in those lovely little packets. If we drift away from food-borne illnesses, have you heard of bird flu or swine flu? Well, I need not say more!
These are some of the many reasons to shift to veganism and all of this comes with a great deal of satisfaction. We don’t need these products; our bodies are happy with plant-based food items.
Having said all of this, even vegan food should be consumed with a fair amount of thought (yes, I am talking about peri-peri fries and other fast food). A happy “you” can reside only in a healthy body, and it is high time we all paid attention to what we put into our mouths. Here is a blog on the importance of a healthy diet what we should cut out. Give it a read, and for more such informative blogs, check out our blog section on Fuzia.
Image credits — Google
Originally published at https://www.fuzia.com.