Veganism is a way of life, it’s not just about the food that we eat. It’s about living in a way that causes as little harm as possible to other living beings in the world. Many people are choosing to embrace this way of life for a number of reasons. For them, it’s often not just about the cruelty that is meted out to animals in our pursuit for nourishment. Those turning to veganism are doing so for other important reasons, reasons that might just surprise you.
- Veganism makes it more efficient to feed the world
It might come as a surprise, but if we all turned to a plant-based diet we would actually have enough space to grow food for everyone in the world. Farming animals actually takes up more of our resources than growing crops, not only because of the space that the animals need but also because of the number of crops that we have to grow simply to keep them nourished. With one in nine people around the world suffering from malnutrition, moving to a plant-based diet certainly makes sense if we care about finding a better way to feed the world. The world’s population grows bigger every day, so it makes sense to cut the inefficiency of growing crops just to feed animals, and start growing plants that can feed the entire world.
- Veganism is getting easier
Veganism is a growing movement because people are beginning to recognise its importance for our planet and the population. Many food companies are producing new products that make it easier for people to lead a vegan lifestyle. You have probably heard of Gregg’s vegan sausage rolls or of beetroot burgers that are so good they actually taste like beefburgers.
This shift towards embracing a plant-based and cruelty-free lifestyle is not only happening in the food sector. Retailers such as Debenhams, for instance, are publically withdrawing support for animal testing and banning the use of animal furs in their products. The growth of the movement and the openness of the market to cater for those looking for alternative ways demonstrates that there is something in the lifestyle that makes sense for the world.
- A vegan diet is better for us
Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death in the western world. Much of this is attributed to our love of red meat and other processed foods and the manner in which they increase the cholesterol in our bodies. Cholesterol is associated with heart disease because it helps to clog up the arteries, making the heart have to work harder to pump blood around the body. Our bodies actually produce all of the cholesterol that we need, so when eating meat we are just adding excess into our bodies.
Plants contain no cholesterol, so a plant-based diet can actually help make your circulatory system run much better. Turning to a plant-based diet has also shown to help reverse the effects of heart disease. With other demonstrable health benefits, a plant-based diet could be right to reverse many of the common health issues that the western world face.
-GG
