Why Go Vegan?
There are growing vegan options being offered in stores and restaurants. Contrary to popular belief, vegans eat more than just salads. There are many recipes and options. Vegans avoid eating animal products and animal foods for the following reasons. They do it for the animals, the environment, or health reasons. Many use the term "vegan" to refer to a diet. It’s more than just a diet, as many vegans believe in excluding the exploitation and cruelty of animals as much as possible. This includes not wearing animal products (such as leather, feathers, or wool), avoiding animal-tested products such as certain cosmetics, or not visiting zoos and circuses. (1)
What is a Vegan?
When searching for the definition of "vegan," there are several similar explanations. Merriam-Webster defines it as "a strict vegetarian who consumes no food (such as meat, eggs, or dairy products) that comes from animals." Dictionary.com offers two definitions: "a vegetarian who omits all animal products from the diet" and "a person who does not use any animal products, such as leather or wool." It is important to note that vegans are not the same as vegetarians, as vegans also exclude dairy products and eggs from their diet.
It is also important to note that a plant-based diet is not the same as a vegan diet. A plant-based diet primarily consists of plants with little or no animal-derived ingredients. (2) Veganism, on the other hand, also encompasses factors outside of diet, such as clothing worn and cosmetics used, as vegans avoid products that have been tested on animals. It is possible for a product to be 100% plant-based and vegan. There are many foods suitable for vegans, vegetarians, and those on a plant-based diet.
Vegan for the Animals
While advertising shows happy animals for different products, that is far from the truth. The life of those animals can be very graphic and unpleasant. (3, 4) People can cause immense suffering to farm animals, even when ensuring their survival and reproduction, as animal needs are ignored. (5) The animals are locked in small cages, mothers are separated from their children, horns, and tails are mutilated, and selectively bred. Most would not consider farm animals as sentient beings with emotions. Animals can suffer and feel pain, fear, sadness, and loneliness.
Vegan for the Planet
Agriculture is a leading cause of deforestation, which leads to a reduction in biodiversity. Livestock farming uses about 70% of agricultural land and about a third of arable land, playing a significant role in CO2 release and biodiversity loss from deforestation. (6) For example, a vegan cheese-like spread made from lupine-based cheese only needs about 20% of the land required for cheese made from cow's milk, showing the potential environmental benefits of a vegan diet. (7)
The use of crops to feed animals is a significant issue. A 1997 Cornell University article stated that "If all the grain currently fed to livestock in the United States were consumed directly by people, the number of people who could be fed would be nearly 800 million," emphasizing the impact of this issue. Furthermore, a recent article in The Guardian reported that "Avoiding meat and dairy products is the single biggest way to reduce your environmental impact on the planet" and that "the biggest analysis to date reveals huge footprint of livestock - it provides just 18% of calories but takes up 83% of farmland."
Vegan for Health
There are a number of potential health benefits associated with a vegan diet. Studies have suggested that a vegan diet may lower the risk of certain chronic diseases, such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain types of cancer. This is likely because a vegan diet is typically high in fiber, antioxidants, and other important nutrients for maintaining good health. Additionally, a vegan diet is often low in saturated fat, cholesterol, and animal protein, which may help to reduce the risk of certain health conditions. (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
Moreover, a vegan diet is also associated with a lower body mass index (BMI) and a lower risk of obesity. This may be due to the fact that plant-based foods are often lower in calories and fat than animal-based foods. Additionally, a vegan diet is typically higher in fruits and vegetables, which are good sources of fiber and other nutrients that help to promote satiety and healthy weight management. (19, 20, 21, 22, 23)