Veganism is one of those scary topics that people like to shy away from based on it's surrounding stereotypes. If you're like me, whenever you heard someone discussing this concept, you laughed in your head and filed this person away as some crazy hippy or weirdo earth hugger. Am I right? Well, it's not like that at all and I'm here to tell you some of the basic ideas of the hype about this amazing concept. Not only does this lifestyle provide you with a healthier body and mind, it actually saves our planet, and could cure world hunger. Does that really sound like it could be such a crazy idea?
1. We really don't need to drink another species' milk.
If you grew up in America, I don't think you missed all the advertisements convincing you that you needed to drink your milk so that you could get enough calcium and grow up big and strong. Let's use those brains in our heads for just a second. If you really wanted to get some calcium, and the cows no longer existed, would you start milking your dog? Probably not. Well, if you think about it, the only reason that cow is producing milk is because it's for their calf, the baby cow. So, if that milk is for the baby calf, which by the way helps that calf grow over 500 plus pounds in their first year, tell me again why we are drinking it? We don't need to drink from a milk's udder to get our proper calcium intake. I promise. The Earth has provided us with broccoli, kale, almonds, tofu, pumpkin seeds, coconut milk, butternut squash and avocados, just to name a few!
2. If you love animals, you don't have to eat them.
When I started out in college, my major was pre-veterinarian, and I used to boast about how much I loved animals. One day, someone asked me if I was vegan, and I laughed at them saying just because I love animals doesn't mean I don't eat them. Now that's an oxymoron right there. If you love something, why would you murder it? We wouldn't kill our dogs and our cats and our lizards, but everyday thousands upon thousands of pigs, cattle, sheep, and chickens are killed. We don't kill them because we need them to survive. We exploit and slaughter them because there is money to be made in the addictive products that are cheese, butter, ice cream, bacon, doughnuts, and steaks. These products not only have contributed to the mass amount of obesity that is America, but also to a significant amount of diseases such as diabetes, high cholesterol, heart diseases, mood disorders, and overall the feeling of shittyness you get after eating your greasy hamburger.
3. If you're already vegetarian, you might want to think twice.
There seems to be a significant higher amount of vegetarians versus vegans in the world. Every time that I encounter one of these beings, I usually hear the same things such as, "I don't want to hurt the animals," or, "I love them too much to murder them." If you love these animals enough to not kill them, you have to understand that the dairy and egg industry are far worse than the meat industry. Just being brought up to be murdered isn't nearly as bad as for instance take the dairy cow's life. She gets artificially impregnated, usually by hand, then she has a baby, which gets taken away immediately because the whole point is that the milk is for humans. For about four years, she has a metal machine hooked up to her udder as she consumes not only hormones to produce extra milk, but tons of antibiotics so that the milk isn't as disgusting as the conditions she has to live in; once she's lived this terrible life out, she finally gets to go get slaughtered. I could go on and on about the pain and suffering of these animals, but it would take pages. I encourage you to research some of the processes involved in the dairy and egg industry. I can guarantee it is not as happy as they want you to believe.
4. I promise that giving up dairy isn't as hard as it seems.
You can give up dairy. I did it and so did the rest of the vegans out there, and I can tell you first-hand that it is entirely possible. I loved pizza, and I still eat it from time to time; my vegan versions are just as satisfying, especially knowing that I'm not consuming these horribly processed products. Once you stop consuming these dairy products, you just don't want them anymore. Research has actually shown that there is an addictive chemical in cheese (dairy) that just keeps you coming back for more. This is nature's trick to keep the baby cow from starving. This is also why you have to wean your baby off breast milk. We are the only species in the world that drinks milk after our childhood and the only species that chooses to drink another animal's milk. Just doesn't quite seem to add up does it? We are supposed to be intelligent. We need to all realize that there are alternatives to these sad, disease-ridden, greedy acts of murder in the millions before it's too late.
5. Do we need to eat animals to live?
What's that? Wouldn't we die without animal products and animal meat? Don't we need these things to nourish our body and survive? Have you seriously ever heard of someone suffering from a protein deficiency? I already mentioned that it's completely unnatural to be consuming 'dairy' and that there are plenty of healthy, nutrient-filled vegetables and plants that have all of the vitamins we could possibly need. When it comes to meat, people like to talk about cavemen and how it is natural for us to eat animals. Without even researching these topics, you can take a look at your body right now assuming that you are a human. You have no claws, no talons, non-sharp teeth, and basically nothing you would need to actively go out, kill an animal with your bare hands, and then eat it without cooking it. Our bodies just aren't cut out for digesting animal meat, not even our actual digestive system, let's stop fooling ourselves. Now I know you're saying, but we are smart so we learned how to catch animals and eat them to survive. Yes, we did, when we were cavemen, and grunted at each other. We have developed to the point where we can create plant based products that literally taste like meat, cheese, and ice-cream. If we can create products that have the tastes we so desire, do we really need to keep murdering thousands of animals a day?
6. I'm writing this because I want to share my success.
Getting back to the basics, if you've made it this far down the article, I want to take a second to tell you that I honestly am not trying to pressure you into becoming a vegan. I get so frustrated and excited at the same time, for my newfound knowledge, that i just want to share it with everyone! Seriously, consuming a vegan diet has changed my life in so many ways for the better. I've always struggled with my desire to be thinner, more muscular, and more toned. I live in the gym, not just because I have physical goals, but because it truly makes me feel better about myself, and I enjoy it. Now I've found a lifestyle that truly reflects my desires. A whole food plant based diet makes you feel like you are on top of the world! I have struggled with depression and anxiety in the past as well as body issues; you can't fully cure these things in the way people want to believe, but you can minimize them. In the last six months of my life, I find it considerably easier to have conversations with strangers, get out of my bed in the morning when I feel hopeless, and even do activities that once would have scared me. I have found myself, through this lifestyle of getting back to nature, minus the cruelty. And I guarantee you won't have to watch your weight anymore because carbs my friend are not the enemy.
7. The Earth is suffering.
Reason number 379 to adopt a vegan lifestyle is pretty simple. We are destroying our planet. I urge you to find some of the documentaries online about our planet and why factory farming is actually really terrible for it. 'Conspiracy,''Food For Thought,' and 'Food Inc.' are a few of my favorite documentaries explaining these concepts. If you are one of those people who watches how much water they use or recycles, I'm here to tell you that going vegan saves more water than you ever could in a lifetime of just turning the faucet off while you are brushing your teeth. Agriculture uses about 70 percent of the world's freshwater supply. All of the animals need a whole lot of water to stay hydrated. We just continue to mass produce them, and mass producing animals like this leads to so many other issues. The runoff of pesticides and feces from these animals is actually polluting our rivers all the way down to our oceans. Their farts, yes their farts, are actually hurting the atmosphere with how much CO2 they produce. Deforestation, pollution, carbon dioxide levels, water usage, and contributions to global warming are just a few of the problems that agriculture is the leading cause of. If you don't want to stop eating animals for your own health benefits, then do it for the environmental benefits.
8. I don't eat meat, just seafood.
I truly wanted to believe that I could continue my gorging of sushi even if I started eating a plant based diet, and eliminating beef, pork, chicken, dairy, and eggs. Unfortunately, our oceans have become so polluted in the last few decades, seafood might actually be one of the worst things you could be consuming. If you turn on the news, there's always someone talking about an oil spill, or mass amounts of dead fish and wildlife turning up for toxic reasons. Even if they aren't near these areas, fish cover a lot of mileage in the ocean. The fish that eats something toxic, will eventually get eaten by another fish, and then a bigger fish and then maybe at that point you'll be reeling it in with your rod getting excited for your dinner. Everything is connected. Besides pollution, there is something called commercial fishing, which unless you've looked into it, probably haven't seen much of. This is where tons of giant vessels go out in the ocean, dump huge nets into the water, and drag them along the ocean floor. Yes this results in catching thousands of fish to sell, but it also catches everything else. So if you said oh I don't mind killing fish, well now you're killing whales, sharks, dolphins, sea turtles, and every single other creature from small to large that calls the ocean their home. It's a sad business, just like factory farming, and unfortunately this is the world we live in, so we either have to ignore it, or make a change for the better.
9. Veganism is weird, and I don't want to be one of 'those people.'
Honestly, this was something I was really scared of in adopting a plant based diet so I know I couldn't be the only one. Yes, people will make fun of you. Yes, there will be jokes. And yes, you will have to learn to stand up for yourself because in the end does it really matter what people think? If someone can't respect your decisions, then who needs them. I respect people who aren't vegan, I wasn't vegan for 22 years of my life. I also respect people who respect myself and my decisions, and that take the chance to listen and have an open mind about what I have to say. If you don't have something nice to say, then don't say it. So many stigmas with meat are considered 'cool.' If you hunt and kill animals, it's 'cool.' But really, can you explain to me what is so cool about that? I don't want to hurt an innocent creature and I no longer want to eat it, now that I know everything that I do. I have found peace with a plant based diet, so I know that you can too, and I wanted to write this article to show you that it is possible, and you don't have to be afraid to be different. I am the only vegan in my family, and I cook my own meals, I find restaurants that cater to my needs, and haven't really been inconvenienced as of yet. It doesn't limit my ability to go out, and it certainly doesn't change who my real friends are. If you think that this lifestyle sounds appealing to you, I encourage you to follow your heart.
10. I want to try to go vegan, where do I begin?
If some of these concepts have hit home with you or you've just been thinking about this lifestyle for a while, but didn't know where to begin, here are a few tips to starting out your journey. First, don't try to do everything all at once because it will be extremely overwhelming. Slow and steady wins the race. You can either cut out cheese or milk or do Meatless Mondays or make up your own day of the week where you don't eat some kind of animal product. It took me about four or five months to actually fully 100 percent convert into a vegan lifestyle, and you can't expect to change your diet overnight. You are literally addicted to it. Pick your favorite food, for example, burritos, and research ways to veganise it. This will make it so much easier to transition. I lived on vegan Taco Bell for the first few months, as well as Chipotle. Pretty much typing any restaurant name or recipe into Google followed by egan, will result in an infinite amount of results on how and where to find these foods. There is honestly vegan options at any place you can imagine. Second, don't think just because you went vegan you are automatically gonna lose all of your weight you've been holding onto. Yes, I did say that being vegan was healthier, but you can't live on fritos, oreos (yes, oreos are vegan), french fries, vegan doughnuts, vegan cake, and vegan ice-cream, and just expect to be skinny. These foods are here to help you transition, and as occasional treats; processed boxed food is not meant to be consumed daily. A healthy vegan diet consists of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, seeds, nuts, breads, lentils, beans, and basically anything that you could grow in your garden. Finally, there are so many articles, books, movies, documentaries, youtube videos, and groups that are so excited to give you the information you need on veganism! Just google vegan on your Facebook because there are some seriously interesting memes! As you learn more about this lifestyle, you will want to delve deeper. There is so much to be learned, and I hope that this article helped you understand just a little bit more than you did before you decided to read this whole thing which ended up being a whole lot longer than I originally intended. But my passion is my passion, and I love sharing it!
