Veganism is a way of life in which you don’t eat any animal products or animal products made from animals. This includes meat, dairy, and eggs. Despite being challenging, a vegan diet has its rewards. These are the main reasons why so many people choose to become vegan, from health reasons to claims that it is better for the environment.
Long-Term Health Benefits
Vegan diets are good for your health because they are mostly made up of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and whole grains. Many of these foods are good for you because they have fiber, antioxidants, and other important nutrients. Because there are less animal-based products, there are also less saturated and trans fats, which lowers the risk of health problems. Research has shown that a vegan diet can keep you from getting heart disease, being overweight, getting diabetes, or having high blood pressure. If you don’t eat meat, you might worry that you won’t get enough protein in your meals. However, you can get protein from healthier plant sources like quinoa and almonds.
Environmental Sustainability
Because it’s better for the environment, many people choose to live as vegans. Meat-based diets use more land, water, and energy to make food, while plant-based diets use less cropland. And a study from the UK says that making food from animals makes twice as many greenhouse gas emissions as making food from plants.
Animal Conservation
A lot of people become vegan because of the ethical implications, as well as the health benefits and environmental benefits. In 2015, people raised and killed 4.6 billion animals for food around the world. Several articles and documentaries, such as Live and Let Live and Food, Inc., have shown how animals often have to go through a painful process to become food, such as being crammed into dirty, crowded places where they can get sick or hurt. Most of the meat in the United States comes from factory farms, which have been shown to cause animals a lot of pain.
Global Food Demand
There are more than seven billion people in the world, and that number keeps going up. People worry that the global demand for the resources needed to make meat products will lead to a food shortage around the world.
By 2050, the world’s population is expected to grow by two billion people, but there won’t be enough water to grow enough food to feed them all. About 70% of the water that is available is used for farming, and making food from animals can use up to 10 times more water than making food from plants. Farmers can use their resources more efficiently to make enough food for our growing population if more people eat a vegetarian or vegan diet.
As you can see, there are many reasons why people choose to eat vegan. For some people, it’s about living longer and staying healthy. For others, it’s about keeping animals from being hurt when it’s not necessary. Or they might want to do it for all of the reasons above. In the long run, living as a vegan looks like it will be good for you.
