What is Veganism?

Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use and consumption of animal products.

Why be Vegan?

There are several reasons why someone chooses to be vegan. Below, I touch upon some of the aspects and provide a few points of support.

Health - I originally became vegan because of the health benefits attained from it. We all know the standard American diet is sabotaging the health of our nation and unfortunately becoming mainstream in other countries as well. I believe (and there is much scientific proof) that eating foods the way nature packaged them provides the most nutrients for our minds and bodies. It also seems very unnatural to me to drink the milk of another mammal. Humans are the only mammals that do this. A mother cow's milk is intended for baby cows just as a human mother's milk is intended for baby humans.

Though consuming a vegan diet is generally healthier than the standard American diet, just doing that does not guarantee you will be healthy. There are plenty of vegan junk-foods available now even in most local supermarkets. There are several companies now producing vegan candies and baked goods, and most potato chips and french fries and some energy bars are vegan. However, they are usually filled with fats, sugars and sodium. Merely abstaining from eating animal products is not enough to ensure health. You must be a conscious vegan and include mostly of whole, unprocessed foods in your diet to ensure you are getting vital nutrients.

For further information on the health benefits of being vegan, please visit www.vegansociety.com/html/food/nutrition.

Environment - For a long time, vegans have touted that their lifestyle is easier on the environment and that animal agriculture produces a lot of waste and uses too many natural resources such as land and water.  In 2006, the UN commissioned a study that supports this.  To read the study please click here.

Ethics - Some people have never thought about where their food comes from (both animal and non-animal food), but the fact is that the invention of factory farming has created a cruel reality for the animals that humans use, both for those we eat and for those whose products we consume (milk, eggs, leather, etc).  Animals are kept in very small spaces and crammed together with no room to move freely about.  They are overfed and injected with growth hormones to fatten them up for human consumption and gain higher profit margins.  Those are only a few of the horrors that take place within the factory walls.

If you have pets, imagine subjecting them to these conditions and how you would feel about it.  If you are not a “pet person”, imagine what your life would be like living in those kinds of conditions.  I encourage everyone to watch the documentary Earthlings, but beware, it can be disturbing and it may lead you to veganism overnight :)