10 Reasons to Go Vegan
Whether you are an environmental guru, a going green goddess, or an ecofriendly newbie, there are always new ways to incorporate healthy choices into your life. Choices that not only affect you directly, but also affect the world around you. So as you sit down to set your New Year goals, breathe deep and think about the bigger picture, a picture that helps end animal exploitation, resource depletion and human ill health. Are you still unsure about going vegan? Here are 10 reasons that could change your mind:
1. Helps Save Animals:
When you make the decision to become a vegan, you are making a choice to protect the environment and wildlife around you. PETA averaged that each vegan saves roughly 200 animals per year. That’s a large amount of animals to save for making a lifestyle change that benefits your health as well.
2. Benefits the Health of our Oceans:
Becoming a vegan means reducing the harm done to marine ecosystems. The commercial fishing industry and fishing technique bottom trawling, not only clears the bottoms of our ocean floors, but also kills thousands of marine life every year. Refraining from eating sea creatures means saving our oceans sharks, turtles, and dolphins. This is important in order to preserve our oceans complexity and keep the ecosystem healthy and functioning.
3. Lowers the Impact of Climate Change:
Switching to veganism means helping our environment with the effects of harmful climate change. According to a study done by PETA, 51 percent of our global greenhouse-gas emissions are produced by animal agriculture. Therefore, by cutting out meat and dairy you are lowering the percentage of greenhouse-gases into our eco-system.
4. Helps Preserve our Rainforests:
When you choose veganism you are choosing to take 20 times less land in order to produce food and feed yourself. Look at this comparison: it takes a whopping 56 million acres of land in order to grow and feed animals for us to eat, it only takes 4 million acres to produce enough plants for human consumption. That’s right; go vegans!
5. Lowers Water Consumption:
Changing to veganism helps to lower the overall use of earth’s water resources. Replacing your next beef burger for a tofu one can be more beneficial than you think. It takes over 2,400 gallons of water to generate one pound of beef, but it only takes 244 gallons of water to generate a pound of tofu.
6. Veganism Challenges You:
Doing something new can often leave you feeling defeated, but that’s the beautiful thing about change, you learn how strong you truly are. When you learn how to provide for your body while also providing for the environment around you, there is a beautiful synergy you find between the two. Here’s an idea: Ease into veganism by cooking a vegan meal at least once a week. If you enjoy, switch to two and continue.
7. Benefits your Overall Health:
Plants are full of calcium, iron and protein plus so many other important vitamins. According to The Vegan Society, living a plant-based life can lower your chances of medical illnesses such as heart diseases, diabetes, obesity, and cancer.
8. Cuts Down on Pollution for Human Health:
When you switch to a vegan lifestyle you are effectively helping to lower pollution in our ecosystem. PETA studies show that animal waste releases airborne chemicals that can harm human’s health, resulting in possible immune and neurochemical problems. That means becoming a vegan not only helps your personal health, but the health of others as well.
9. Recipes are Inexpensive to Make:
Not only does eating vegan help to lower your chances of certain medical illnesses, it also can lower the cost of your grocery bill! Readers Digest found that you could spend an average of $4 a day on a vegan diet, making delectable meals that cost less than take-out.
10. Vegan Food is Tasty:
With more people making the switch to go vegan, means more delicious dairy free alternatives that are being created using plant based ingredients. This makes the switch a bit easier. Take a trip to your local grocery store and browse around the health food section and see what plant based alternatives are offered.
So grab a cup of tea, a piece of paper and a pen, and set new goals to make your life healthier again. That being said, I invite all of you to join me on my six-month vegan challenge. While I am already dairy free, I will be challenging myself to cut out all animal products as well. Let’s make this year a great one!
