There are so many wonderful reasons to choose a plant-based diet and a vegan lifestyle. We like to talk about the Big Three.
Ethics • Health Environment
Ethics • Health • Environment
Let’s start with the ethical component.
Many people have never met “farm animals”; animals that are “used” or thought of as “food.” Yet, cows, chickens, pigs, goats, sheep, turkeys, ducks, and other farm animals are not just faceless commodities; they are individual, sentient beings with unique personalities and emotions — just like the dogs and cats with which many of us share our homes. Animals feel joy, pain, grief, fear, desire, and pleasure, and just like us— and they want to live. Yet, billions of animals lead short and miserable, lonely lives, only to be killed as babies or young adults every year. They do not want to die, and they run from death if given a chance. We believe that everyone, every being, deserves to live a happy life without being tortured, abused, or killed.
Animal agriculture, which is the business of raising animals for food, is an inherently cruel and disturbing industry. There are reasons why not many people have witnessed animal slaughter; it is haunting, gruesome, cruel, and disturbing. And it’s not just the meat and fish industries that are cruel; dairy is no exception. Dairy farming is an exploitation of the female gender, and its practices include stealing mothers’ milk from babies, ripping babies from their mothers at birth, and killing the baby boys since they cannot get pregnant and make milk. Human beings are the only mammals that consume milk in adulthood, and we choose to consume it from other species, which is not only unhealthy and strange but incredibly cruel. Milk is species unique; humans should drink human milk as babies, cows should drink cow milk, goats should drink goat milk; you get the picture.
The other component is kindness. Why would we knowingly participate in something so inherently cruel? Wouldn’t we prefer to live a life that supports kindness and compassion? You can. We can. By not eating animals and animal products, you promote kindness, animal welfare, and a more compassionate world. Animals are here with us, not for us. When you choose to respect life and honor kindness, peace will fill your heart. You will feel fantastic; you’ll sleep better knowing you didn’t participate in a cruel and horrific practice. Do you think your choices and actions can make a difference? The answer is “absolutely yes.”
On February 23, 2022, an exhausted Deb shared a heartbreaking message about 4 newborn baby goats fighting for their lives who were discarded by a dairy farm and rescued from an auction. Please watch.
According to USDA statistics, the average American, from birth to death, eats over 3000 land animals in their lifetime.
I love this quote from a former cattle rancher turned vegan and animal advocate:
“No animal needs to die in order for me to live. And that makes me feel good.”
-Howard Lyman
No journey is the same. It takes time to change a part of yourself that is all-encompassing, like the way you eat and have eaten your whole life, due to habits, traditions, convenience, and taste. Small changes can lead to significant results. Start by watching one documentary, having one meatless meal a day, or start with “meatless Mondays.” Talk to your loved ones and ask for their support of your awakenings and changes in your habits of consuming animal products.
“Each of us can make a difference. Together we can make change.”
-Barbara Mikulski
A few websites and documentaries to inspire change:
The best path to a long healthy life is easy and delicious.
Countless pieces of evidence speak to the many health benefits of a plant-based diet. It’s a pretty impressive list of benefits:
Weight Loss
Lower Cholesterol
Less Obesity
Improved Kidney Function
Less Chance of Diabetes
Lower Blood Pressure
Reduced Risk of Heart Disease and Heart Attack
Lower Risk for Cancer
Fewer Allergies
Better Sexual Performance for Men
Less Pain from Arthritis
There are so many ways to improve your health, and eating vegan is one of the most rewarding and beneficial. And it’s never been easier. There are thousands of delicious plant-based food products to help you make the shift; ice cream, burgers, butter, cheese, milk, crab cakes, chicken. The list is long, and you will be surprised to see how good these products taste. We love eating whole-foods, plant-based, organic foods as much as possible. But when you’re in the mood for some comfort food, well, we’ve got you covered! All of your favorite foods, pizza, meatballs, burritos, sushi, mac and cheese, can all be made vegan.
The best tool to fight climate change is your fork.
We know our planet is becoming sicker, more polluted, and warmer. Climate change is no longer a crazy outlier theory. It’s a proven fact and a severe challenge that we all must face. We all want to see our world continue to be diverse, beautiful, green, and healthy. And eating vegan can help make that happen.
Why is eating vegan so good for the planet? It’s simple. Eating vegan is far more efficient, using less water, less land, less inputs, and less energy, and creating less pollution and harmful toxins and gases.
It takes 1847 gallons of water to make a pound of beef and only 39 gallons to make a pound of vegetables. That’s a huge difference.
Animal agriculture is responsible for 18 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, more than the combined exhaust from all transportation. – “Livestock’s Long Shadow,” United Nations Report 2006
Eating a vegan diet could be the “single biggest way” to reduce your environmental impact on the earth. Researchers at the University of Oxford found that cutting meat and dairy products from your diet could reduce an individual's carbon footprint from food by up to 73 percent.
Livestock and their byproducts account for at least 32,000 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) per year or 51% of all worldwide greenhouse gas emissions.
Go vegan for Mother Earth, for ourselves, our children, for the wildlife, and for future generations to come.
Want to dig deeper? Here are some links to explore:
