Three Reasons to give a Plant Based Diet a Try

Let me preface this by saying I am not a health care professional. Always consult a physician if you have any questions or concerns. These opinions are strictly my own and what I’ve learned and observed.

I don’t think my becoming vegan was a shock to anyone. I had grown up loving nature and animals. It took me longer to transition my diet because I was always under the impression that it was too expensive and I wouldn’t be able to afford it. It wasn’t until I watched the documentary What the Health on Netflix and started listening to the vegan podcast Chickpeeps that I finally decided to give veganism a chance and see how my body reacted. Here are three good reasons to go vegan if you’ve been on the fence about it.

Number one: Your health. There is debate amongst doctors on whether or not humans actually were designed to eat meat. Our teeth are not designed to rip into meat and our intestines are too long to actually digest meat properly, unlike carnivorous animals who have sharp canines and short intestines. Our intestines most closely resemble those of plant eaters. Our bodies are also not meant for dairy as cow milk is made for calves and that is why so many people are lactose intolerant. The biggest argument against this is where would humans get their protein. Well, we would get it from the same place gorillas or oxen get their protein, from the plants. If vegans eat a varied plant based diet, those plants supply us with all the necessary nutrients. B12 is the only supplement vegans need to make sure to include in their diet but B12 comes from soil so even meat eaters can be deficient.

Number two: The Environment. Factory farming is one of the leaders of CO2 emissions. Cows alone put so much CO2 in the air so reducing the breeding for meat production is essential. Being vegan is one of the biggest ways to help with climate change. People try to argue that almond milk takes many gallons of water but 1 ounce of beef uses nearly 5 times the amount of water as 1 ounce of almond milk. Yes, we need to be doing other things to combat climate change such as limiting transportation, recycling and reducing single use plastics but a plant based diet will make an even greater impact.

And finally number three: The Animals. Animals are sentient beings. They feel pain and scream in agony. They care for one another, their babies and the humans caring for them. If animal abuse is not ok for dogs and cats then it shouldn’t be ok for animals categorized as livestock. Cows are impregnated in order to produce the high volumes of milk and then have their babies ripped away from them at birth. Male chicks are thrown in a grinder after hatching because they are of no use. Pigs are closely related to dogs in intelligence. But because people think they taste good then it’s ok to slaughter them. Animals are being slaughtered in extremely high volumes because of the human population growth and demand for meat. Animals carry disease and many of our current illness can be linked to animals and meat consumption i.e. swine flu and mad cow disease. Factory farming pollutes the air and the land surrounding it. We might have needed meat in the old frontier, when hunting and fishing were needed to live off the land and feed families, but food has come a long way since then and we simply no longer need it to survive.

I understand giving up meat, cheese and dairy is hard. But I want to challenge anyone considering being vegetarian or vegan to just start slowly and give it try. You might find you feel better not only physically but emotionally and mentally knowing your diet is not causing as much harm to other beings.