Why vegan?

What is a vegan?

A vegan is someone who tries to live without exploiting animals, for the benefit of animals, people and the planet. Vegans eat a plant-based diet, with nothing coming from animals - no meat, milk, eggs or honey, for example. A vegan lifestyle also avoids leather, wool, silk and other animal products for clothing or any other purpose.

It’s a healthy choice

A balanced vegan diet (also referred to as a ‘plant-based diet’) meets many current healthy eating recommendations such as eating more fruit, vegetables and wholegrains and consuming less cholesterol and saturated fat. Balanced vegan diets are often rich in vitamins, antioxidants and fiber and can decrease the chances of suffering from diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke and some cancers. Well-planned plant-based diets are suitable for all age groups and stages of life.

Factory Farming

Many people believe that animals raised for food must be treated well because sick or dead animals would be of no use to agribusiness. This is not true.

The competition to produce inexpensive meat, eggs, and dairy products has led animal agribusiness to treat animals as objects and commodities. The worldwide trend is to replace small family farms with “factory farms” – large warehouses where animals are confined in crowded cages or pens or in restrictive cages. ¹
According to Professor Bernard E. Rollin: “Individual animals may ‘produce,’ for example, gain weight, in part because they are immobile, yet suffer because of the inability to move.”² In the case of battery-cage egg production, Rollin explains that “though each hen is less productive when crowded, the operation as a whole makes more money with a high stocking density: chickens are cheap, cages are expensive.”²
In an article in favor of cutting the space per pig from 8 to 6 square feet, industry journal National Hog Farmer advises that “Crowding pigs pays.”

 

 ^{What to eat?}

It’s best to sample as many products as you can. You might dislike certain soy milks and veggie burgers, yet think others are great!

With the right substitute ingredients and a little experience, you’ll discover you can still enjoy your favorite meals. Vegan twists on most any familiar recipe can be prepared using seitan (or “wheat meat”), homemade “cheezes,” and other meat and dairy alternatives. You’ll find countless vegan recipes on the Internet, as well as a huge selection of vegan cookbooks.

Beans are a good source of protein and relatively inexpensive. You’ll find an array of heat-and-serve options at most supermarkets, and a number of online recipes, which also costs less than ready-made faux meats.

While nearly all supermarkets carry tasty, cruelty-free fare, natural food stores and co-ops are great places to explore your vegan options. Besides all the ready-made products, you may discover unusual grains, beans, or other ingredients you’ve never tried. In fact, by becoming more conscious of what they eat and by experimenting with new foods and recipes, many people find themselves with a more diverse diet after becoming vegan!
Vegan selections can be found at many fast-food chains – such as Chevys, Denny’s, Little Caesars, Papa John’s, Subway, Johnny Rockets, and Taco Bell – as well as at most Chinese, Indian, Italian, Mexican, Middle Eastern, Thai, and other ethnic restaurants. If a menu’s vegan options appear to be limited to a house salad or steamed vegetable plate, don’t panic! There are usually dishes that can be “veganized” with minimal effort, or the chef might be happy to whip up a special animal-free entrée for you, so don’t be afraid to ask!

 

Why not?

Choosing to live a life free from animal products means choosing a path that is kinder to people, animals and the environment. In fact, there are so many good reasons to reject meat, eggs and dairy products and so many delicious animal free alternatives that the real question is not ‘why vegan?’ but ‘why not?’.

There are lots of things each of us can do to make the world a better place. However, eating vegan is likely the most effortless – and enjoyable! – way to have a profoundly positive impact as often as every day.
As the many far-reaching effects of our food choices come to light, interest in eating a vegetarian diet continues to grow. The Vegetarian Resource Group’s 2011 poll, conducted by Harris Interactive, indicates that more than five million American adults are vegan.
So try vegan for your next meal!

Being vegan isn’t about being perfect or pure –
it’s about reducing suffering.

Instead of supporting the hidden cruelties of factory farms and slaughterhouses, each of us can choose to act with compassion by boycotting animal agriculture.
Making humane choices is the ultimate affirmation of our humanity.
Over the course of a lifetime, one person’s food choices can affect thousands of animals. In order to prevent the most suffering, it’s important we each take an approach we can sustain.

Remember: Veganism is not an end in itself. It should not be thought of as a religious doctrine prohibiting a list of evil ingredients. Rather, veganism is best viewed as a tool for reducing suffering.



Websites where this information came from and where more good information can be found:
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