Over the last few years, veganism has become more and more popular with people from all backgrounds, walks of life, and professions switching to this cruelty-free and plant-based lifestyle and diet. USA Today reported that around 50% of Americans are currently trying to cut down on the amount of meat that they consume, while around one-fifth of students today are actively vegetarian, vegan, or trying to eat fewer meat products. Veganism is definitely a trending topic these days, and there are lots of good reasons for it. Here are some of the top reasons why more people are deciding to go vegan.
It’s Easier to Do:
With the popularity of veganism booming, it’s now become easier than ever to go vegan. Compared to in the past, you can now find lots of food products in grocery stores that are designed for vegans including plant-based meat alternatives, vegan ready meals, and other quick and easy ingredients. Compared to in the past when vegans were limited to the fresh produce aisle, today vegans have much more options including a much wider range of tasty plant-based milks and cheeses. Along with this, eating out has become far easier with a growing number of vegan restaurants and fast food outlets such as Native Foods, a vegan restaurant in Boulder available.
Health Benefits:
Going vegan can have a lot of health benefits, including reducing your risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease. These conditions are among some of the most common chronic conditions in the Western world today, and they are often down to diet. The most frightening part is that the buildup of plaque in our arteries that leads to heart disease can begin very early in life, even in childhood. Studies have found that following a low-fat vegan diet can be successful in reversing even serious cases of cardiovascular disease.
Improve Your Figure:
Vegans are a group of people with an average BMI that is normal and healthy. This is no surprise since the more animal products somebody eats, the higher their BMI is likely to be. This is due to the fact that animal products are higher in dietary fat, which has many more calories compared to carbohydrates and is easier to convert into body fat. Along with this, animal products will also naturally contain growth-stimulating hormones, which does not help when it comes to weight gain.
Cruelty-Free:
While some people decide to go vegan for health rather than ethical reasons, there’s no denying that this type of diet is kinder to animals compared to others. Today, it can be easy to forget where your meat and animal products are actually coming from. Companies in the meat and dairy industries have been doing a lot of greenwashing, showing pictures of happy, carefree animals on packaging – but the reality is nothing like that at all. No matter how it is done, some people decide to go vegan as there is really nothing humane at all about animal farming or killing living creatures to eat them.
Be Kinder to People Everywhere:
When it comes to choosing a vegan diet to be kinder to others, it’s not just the animals that you are doing a good thing for. Humans all around the world are suffering due to the massive demand for animal products. 50% of grains worldwide that could be eaten by hungry people in poverty are being eaten by animals for the meat and dairy industries. Over 80% of children who live next to livestock are hungry, and the meat that is produced in those areas is then shipped over to developed countries for us to eat.
There’s No Real Need for Animal Products:
While it’s hard to deny that meat can be tasty and lots of people enjoy it, humans don’t really have a need for animal products. There is no scientific proof that humans need to eat meat, dairy, or other animal products in order to remain healthy, unlike some animals like bears and lions. Meat eating and eating animal products is a learned behavior; from a young age, humans are taught which animals are okay to eat, which is why you might be outraged at the idea of somebody eating a dog or cat, but don’t think twice about eating a cow or chicken.
Better for the Environment:
Around 51% of man-made pollution around the world is directly from the meat industry, with farming causing more damage than transportation when it comes to greenhouse gases and damage to the environment. Making one pound of hamburger meat takes around 75kg CO2 emission, which equals around the same damage as using your car for three weeks. Not only is this damaging the environment, but causing mass extinctions of wild animal species too.
If you want to make a positive change in the world and to yourself, switching to a vegan diet could be the way forward for you.