“A strict vegetarian who consumes no food (such as meat, eggs, or dairy products), that comes from animals” and “one who abstains from using animal products.” Many contrasting views of veganism may affect whether people should lead a vegan lifestyle. For example, some believe that veganism is the best method to ensure that you can lead a healthy life. Whereas, others believe that certain animal products, such as meat, are essential due to certain nutrients are richer in meat products or are only obtainable naturally from animal products like heme iron. There is a group of vegans that developed a ‘society’ to encourage others to commit to the vegan lifestyle called ‘The Vegan Society’. The Vegan Society was initially founded in 1944. However, there is evidence of people avoiding animals in their diets over 2000 years ago. This shows evidence of vegetarianism being around over 2000 years ago in the past before it had ever been given an official name or definition. For example, being used for food, clothing, or any other purpose. Due to the increase in the popularity of veganism, from 1% in 2014 to 6% in 2017, there has been an increase in the number of vegan restaurants. This is because of the 600% estimated increase in veganism by GlobalData. This means that veganism is likely to become more popular. Additionally, some celebrities are vegan. This encourages more people who look to celebrities as role models to become vegan too. To start, people who devote this lifestyle, vegans, promote veganism religiously in an attempt to enrich others into committing to the same lifestyle as them with promises of great benefit and advantages in life. However, other people see this as a waste of time that has no official benefit to our lives. Though many visible benefits have been seen and examined by researchers, there are also many negatives to committing to the vegan lifestyle as certain nutritional needs can only be obtained from consuming certain meats. However, there are a variety of supplements that provide the same nutritional benefits as consuming certain meats however the supplements must be taken regularly along a schedule to ensure that the necessary nutrients to maintain a healthy diet are present. Ambassadors of veganism encourage young people who are considering the vegan lifestyle and don’t want to be alone by committing to their lifestyle to contact others in their vegan community to talk about different benefits and techniques to lead a healthy lifestyle with a healthy diet.
Vegans who have been vegans for a long time know the different techniques and have adapted to the vegan lifestyle. However, there are many questions about the dietary supplements that are needed to maintain a healthy diet as a vegan. The problem is that some people may not want to take supplements so might struggle to maintain a healthy diet as a vegan due to the required nutrients that can only be obtained by consuming meat. This can discourage people from committing to the vegan lifestyle. The vegan diet was first introduced early in 1944 in ‘The Vegan Society’s Beginnings’. However, there was no definition for veganism until 1949 when Leslie J Cross pointed out that there was no definition of veganism. He suggested that the definition should be “The emancipation of animals from exploitation by man”. This was later clarified as “To seek an end to the use of animals by man for food, commodities (a raw material or product that can be bought and sold), work, hunting, vivisection (the practice of performing operations on live animals for experimentation or scientific research), and by all other uses involving exploitation of animal life by man”. The vegan society was first registered as a charity in 1964 but its assets were later transferred to a new charity when it also became a limited company in 1979. The current definition of veganism was only refined and used in 1988. There are many influences for people to become vegan. For example, for many people, not having a hand in the exploitation of animals remains the key factor in the decision to switch to becoming a vegan. For some vegans, it’s the belief that all things have a right to live and that killing something for food is wrong. Whereas, others believe that it is too hard to harm animals to put food on their plate due to their affection towards animals as a whole. Many people become vegans because of their love for animals and their belief that it is wrong to kill animals for food because they cannot give consent.
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Another influence for people to become vegan is to reduce their impact on the environment. People who enrich the vegan lifestyle see that animal farming requires large amounts of resources to maintain; this is a large contributor to deforestation. Also, the water used to feed livestock and crops accounts for around 8% of global human water use. Additionally, farmed animals themselves generate a lot of waste and pollution and are recorded to be responsible for 14-18% of the global human greenhouse gas emissions. These statistics showcase veganism to be an ideal lifestyle for people who want to positively affect the environment.
Health is another influence for people to become vegans. The vegan diet can have many nutritional benefits. The vegan diet consists of whole grains, vegetables, and fruits which are naturally low in fat and cholesterol and rich in fiber, magnesium, potassium, and many vitamins. Those who commit to the lifestyle of veganism, usually have lower levels of cholesterol and blood pressure and a reduced risk of heart disease and cancer.
There are many health benefits to becoming vegan that some people may desire for their personal growth.
Personal independence is another influence for people to become vegan. Jay Brave (a spoken word artist, entertainer, and vegan ambassador) believes that veganism is a way for young people to be independent from the beginning before they even start worrying about their careers. “They can look at how they can build from the inside out starting with their bodies, then their families, then their communities, and then we look at the country as a whole.” Jay Brave is an influencer for veganism and he encourages the vegan lifestyle to a young audience of his. This allows youngsters to be inspired to imitate him and try to replicate his actions as some may see him as a role model that they can identify with as they have similar characteristics as him. This means that more people are more likely to imitate his lifestyle as a vegan.
Another vegan influencer, Grace Dent, claims that “social media has set light to the vegan movement”. Grace Dent also claims that before the internet, “to be vegan was large to be alone”. This encourages people to commit to this lifestyle as they are being reinforced by an expert in veganism about the difference in support for becoming vegan in the past compared to now. Also, with the advancements in technology and the increase in the use of social media, young people who choose to commit to the vegan lifestyle can interact with others who also share the same lifestyle and can interact with experts who encourage the lifestyle to young people that are looking for information/advice on veganism. Many different health benefits of veganism may be unknown. Firstly, the vegan diet is richer in certain nutrients. When you switch from an ordinary diet to a vegan diet, you will rely more heavily on other foods. For example, for whole-grain vegans, these replacements will take the form of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, beans, peas, nuts and seeds. Since certain foods contribute a large amount to the vegan diet, they will contribute to a higher daily intake of certain beneficial nutrients. However, it is shown that not all vegan diets are the same. Some vegan diets may be planned poorly and so will be lacking that which is essential for the diet to be effective. Some poorly developed vegan diets may not have a sufficient amount of fatty acids, vitamin B12, iron, calcium, iodine, or zinc. This usually occurs with fast-food vegan options, which is why people who are interested in becoming vegan should stay away from fast-food vegan options as they are worse than official vegan diets that are meant to provide benefits. The vegan diet must be based on nutrient-rich whole foods and fortified foods.
Another health benefit of becoming vegan is that it can help you lose excess weight as the unnecessary fatty deposits that are consumed in most animal products won’t be consumed on the same level. Also, the vegan plant-based diet will allow for your body’s metabolism levels to increase so food will be broken down into the essential nutrients faster and more efficiently meaning it will be easier to lose excess weight as not as much fatty deposits are present. In most cases, the vegan diet is more efficient for losing weight than a calorie-restricted diet. As shown in a recent study, people who commit to a vegan diet lost more weight than the people who were on a calorie-restricted diet even though the people who were on the vegan diet were allowed to eat until they felt full. This is because the vegan diet has a natural tendency to reduce the calorie intake of a person.
Additionally, a vegan has been shown to have many significant benefits such as protection against certain cancers. Regular consumption of fruits and vegetables can reduce your chances of developing or dying from cancer. That is why a recent review of 96 studies found that the vegan diet may result in a 15% lower risk of developing or dying from cancer. Furthermore, avoiding the consumption of certain animal products may also reduce the chances of developing prostate, breast, and colon cancers. This may be a result of vegans avoiding smoked or processed meats and meats cooked at high temperatures which are commonly thought by researchers to be causes of certain types of cancer. Also, vegans avoid dairy products and some studies in the past have shown that dairy products slightly increase the risk of developing prostate cancer. Therefore, the vegan diet may protect from certain types of cancer due to the products that they do and don’t consume compared to the average person with no restrictions on their diets. The vegan diet also has many drawbacks and dangers that come with it. For example, due to the vegan diet avoiding animal products, certain plant-based foods are consumed more. Legumes, like chickpeas, are a part of the vegan diet and are rich in fiber and protein. However, the protein sources from legumes can increase the risk of a leaky gut. This is because legumes have high levels of anti-nutrients in them which can increase intestinal permeability. This means that bacteria and toxins can leak through the intestinal wall which can cause excessive fatigue, nutritional deficiencies, headaches, joint pain/arthritis, and many more.
Additionally, the vegan diet can cause a risk of anemia due to the lack of heme iron. Humans need around 3-4g of iron in their bodies to maintain a healthy diet. There are two forms of iron: heme iron and non-heme iron. Heme iron is mainly present in meat, poultry, and fish and is well absorbed. Heme directly impacts many physiological and disease processes in humans. This is a problem for the people who want to commit to the vegan diet as they avoid animal products so they have very little intake of heme iron. This is critical as heme iron makes up about 95% of the functional iron in the human body. A high heme intake is associated with the risk of several cancers, type-2 diabetes, and coronary heart disease.
Also, due to the dietary restrictions of veganism, there is a risk of having a vitamin B12 deficiency. This means that vegans are much more likely to develop a deficiency in a vital nutrient. It is agreed by most nutrition professionals that those on the vegan diet must take high-quality vitamin B12 supplements to ensure that they can avoid some irreversible health conditions that can result from deficiency. Some of these irreversible health conditions include numbness, tingling “pins and needles” sensation, difficulty walking, anemia, swollen and inflamed tongue, cognitive difficulties (thinking and reasoning), weakness, and fatigue.
Intense veganism can result in an over-fixation of healthy eating patterns, this is an eating disorder called orthorexia. Orthorexia can result in over-restriction, obsession, and other serious eating disorders. This is a result of healthy eating becoming obsessive. It can alter what people eat. This happens because people are so panicked about eating food that can be harmful to their health that they only eat foods that they consider to be healthy. Therefore, this can be a problem for people as they may not get the necessary nutrients that they need to maintain a healthy diet. As a result, people may only eat a type of food that contributes to one or two aspects of a healthy diet. This means that they will be neglecting key features of a healthy vegan diet and will not be getting the correct nutrients. Orthorexia is commonly caused by people being too cautious with their healthy diets and being too concerned with how ‘healthy’ a food is. Therefore, this is a real problem for people who commit to a vegan diet as they have to be cautious of what they consume for their diet to be effective. Veganism can benefit the environment exponentially. For example, veganism has been proven to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, conserve water, and preserve habitats of species.
Greenhouse gas emissions can be cut by people committing to veganism. Experts in veganism say that “fossil fuels are also burnt in the raising, slaughtering, and transportation of animals.” It is also shown that “livestock and their by-products account for 51% of annual worldwide greenhouse gas emissions.” This shows that choosing to eat meat products produces twice as much greenhouse gas emissions than someone who is on a plant-based diet. A study at Cornell University found that 40 calories of fossil fuel energy is used for the production of one calorie of food energy. However, one calorie of human edible grain takes only 2.2 calories of fossil fuel energy.
“Avoiding meat and dairy could reduce your carbon footprint from food by nearly three-quarters.” This will allow for a decrease in the rate at which carbon is released into the atmosphere. This is seen as a very important change due to the increase in climate change and the drastic effects it has on the planet. Eating a vegan diet can be one of the best ways to reduce environmental impacts on the Earth. The University of Oxford found that if everyone stopped consuming meat and dairy products, global farmland use could be reduced by 75%. This is the most beneficial benefit of veganism at the moment due to the increase and the worries of climate change. This will allow people to slow down the rate of climate change just by changing something as simple as their diet. This is because changing their diet will free up the need for most farmland which will decrease the carbon footprint of climate change. This can all occur from as simple as everyone switching over to a vegan diet whereby meats and dairy products are not consumed to decrease the rate of climate change and the need for livestock farming.
Another benefit of veganism is to decrease the amount of ocean acidification. Ocean acidification is caused by the increase in carbon dioxide uptake from the earth’s atmosphere. It is when the acidity levels in the ocean increase, decreasing the growth and reproduction of creatures with calcium carbonate shells like mollusks, crabs, and coral reefs. Additionally, veganism can benefit the environment by cleaning the waterways. Due to the large amount of feed produced for livestock farming, there are chemicals, fertilizers, and antibiotics that are often released into the nearby water sources/waterways. These areas are contaminated and cannot support life. This is a result of agricultural pollution. These areas are called ‘dead zones’. 405 dead zones have been identified around the world. However, if everyone switches to a dedicated vegan diet and stops consuming meat and dairy products, these dead zones can be repaired over time if the amount of chemicals from livestock feed farming decreases greatly to prevent the chemicals from continuing to contaminate and create more dead zones. Culture plays a role in the reasons why people choose to avoid meat. For example, in Western cultures, they mainly switch to veganism because of animal and environmental welfare. However, in India, the main drivers for avoiding meat are the idea of spiritual contamination and respect for tradition. India has a total population of 1.3 billion people with 40% of the population being vegetarian/vegan. The rest of the population of India mostly follow a more lenient plant-based diet. This is a result of religious beliefs whereas, vegetarians/vegans “in the UK, Canada, and Germany tend to associate meat with cruelty, killing, disgust, and poor health.” This is a vast difference in the reasons to become a vegan in India and the Western world countries. The different reasons for committing to the vegan lifestyle are distinct as, for India, it is to uphold tradition and religious beliefs. However, western world countries choose to commit to the vegan lifestyle out of care for the animals that are killed for food and research. This is important because it outlines the different reasons for becoming a vegan in diverse cultures and the increasing popularity of veganism in Western world countries.
Furthermore, veganism is also becoming more popular in the Middle East, to the point where there has been an increase in the number of meatless options for people. Some countries that have low meat intake are Lebanon Turkey and Israel. Israel, for example, has had such a big increase in the popularity of plant-based diets that “the military have changed the soldiers’ meat plans to include many vegan options.” Additionally, Ethiopians also partake in vegan or vegetarian fasts annually as a result of the large Orthodox Christian population. Therefore, this means that Ethiopians take part in “over 180 vegan or vegetarian fasts each year.”
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