Yen Lu Ruby Fowler Eng. 102 - 1049 4th Dec., 2014 Veganism: A Healthier Diet Style, a Better Choice for You Everyone in this world eats a variety of foods every day. Some eat this; some eat that. Some consume meat, while some do not. Different foods provide different nutrients. Some foods don’t have any nutrients in them at all, and they are just harmful for one’s health. One should considers a vegan diet because it not only reduces the risks of some cancers and diseases, but it also provides other health benefits. It is important that one must first be able to distinguish the difference between vegans and vegetarians in order to understand the health benefits of vegans better. Vegans and vegetarians are very similar with only a slight difference. Joel Fuhrman and Deana M. Ferreri defines that vegans don’t eat any meat and food products made from animals; vegetarians are somewhat similar, but they also consume eggs or dairy (234). Not everyone thinks the same way. People have their own choices of whether to consume a healthy diet or just consume anything they want without paying much attention to their health. They are responsible for their future health based on the decision they make now. There are many reasons that people decide to practice a vegan diet. According to Nick Fox and Katie Ward, vegans not only avoid animal products for food, but also clothing or other purposes (422). The common motivators that drive both vegans and vegetarians to their diet are the
It has long been believed that animal products are an important element in a healthy diet, but recent discussions have become more common on whether they positively or negatively affect an individual's health. Many have argued that animal products are essential to a healthy life, and make them the staple of their diet. But being Vegan vastly increases your health, decreases your negative impact on the planet, and saves countless innocent animals from a meaningless death.
“There is no fundamental difference between man and animals in their ability to feel pleasure and pain, happiness, and misery.” -Charles Darwin. Veganism is a way of leaving which seeks to exclude all forms of exploration and cruelty to animals for food, clothing or any other purpose. In terms of diet, it omits any intake of animal produce, including meat, eggs and dairy. There are many benefits that come from a vegan lifestyle, some people want healthier skin or to loose weight. Others see the truth behind animal farms and slaughterhouses, the inhumane way they end the lives of thousands of animals.
Eliminating all animal products from the diet increases the risk of certain nutritional deficiencies. Micronutrients of special concern for the vegan include vitamins B-12 and D, calcium, fatty acids such as omega 3 which can be obtained from oily fish. Unless vegans regularly consume foods that are fortified with these nutrients, appropriate dietary/vitamin supplements need to be consumed. Iron deficiency which can cause anaemia will also be a concern as they do not consume any red meat to be able to get the iron their body requires.
Most people have a preference when it comes to food and very few people like every food that if offered to them. Some people believe that eating animals is wrong and prefer become vegetarians. Some people go even further and become vegans who don’t eat any products that come from animals.
According to vegansociety.com, “ Veganism represents a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude—as far as is possible and practicable—all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, other animals for food, clothing or any other purpose; and promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of humans, other animals and the environment.“ People that follow this way of living are called vegans. The vegan diet is more a lifestyle choice and a philosophy than just a diet. The vegan life is the best way to live because it’s healthier, helps the environment, and is kinder to animals.
Some people choose a vegetarian diet for ethical and environmental reasons and some choose to be vegetarian because of food safety issues.
"Going vegan is empowering. In addition to feeling better physically and emotionally, it helps instill confidence," Said Gene Baur founder and CEO of Farm Sanctuary. "There are many things in this world that are outside of our control, but each of us has a lot of power over what we eat. Being mindful and intentional about the way we eat can lead to improvements in other parts of our lives as well."
Harvard Medical School defines a vegan as a person who does, “not eat meat, poultry, fish, or any products derived from animals, including eggs, dairy products, and gelatin.” (p.1). With veganism gaining more and more popularity in the media and in the western culture, debates have sprung up about whether or not this diet and lifestyle proves to be healthy. Countless studies and experiments have been conducted, and the results have shown that a vegan diet can prove to be a more beneficial diet then the standard American Diet. But, with large food corporations and drug companies in the way, Americans find it harder to switch to the plant-based diet. The vegan diet time and time again shows its outstanding power in reducing
In addition, studies show that a vegan diet can lower the blood sugar and the risk of type 2 diabetes, as well as lower your risk of different cancer types due to the variety of nutrients. Furthermore it induces the risk of heart disease.
Veganism is good but it's not for everybody. There are many great things like helping animals and keeping a healthy diet. It does result in a lack of important nutrients that you can only get from animals. There are also bad side effects like, skin getting worse, getting sick easier, and more. It can also cause digestive problems when switching to veganism. While veganism may be good for the planet, it can't be perfect seeing as humans there are bad things like lack of nutrients and other unhealthy side effects.
Preconception allows us to refuse others the rights that we demand ourselves. If you wouldn’t eat your dog, why eat a chicken? All animals feel pain equally, but it’s preconception based on species that allows us to consider one animal as a pet and the other as lunch. Veganism is a complex topic. However the most vital subjects that define veganism are; “Why vegan?”, history, diet, and animal testing. The path of veganism is initially for the animals. Many choose to go vegan because they want to take a stand against the corrupt slaughter industry. Vegan for your health, animal by-products are disease ridden. A vegan diet
Veganism, by definition, is a way of living in which prohibits exploitation and cruelty to animals in the interest of obtaining food, clothing or for any other purposes that cause harm to an animal (The Vegan Society, 2016). This essentially means that a person who chooses to be vegan does not consume or use anything that was created from an animal. To most people, becoming a vegan could be an unthinkable task because almost everyone is raised consuming meat and dairy, although, this lifestyle choice is becoming more common recently. Veganism is more restrictive than the popular dietary constraint of vegetarianism, so it causes many people to question the health hazards associated with it, and wonder why some would inhibit their food intake
Veganism is a food lifestyle based on diet of vegetables, grains, seeds, nuts and fruits. People are being vegetarian because they think it is healthier to only eat vegetables without eating meet or chicken, and they think that they will get a perfect body shape, free of diseases. As in vegetarian, where they feed on foods that do not fit into animal flesh, whether from wild or marine animals. They also don’t eat food that comes directly from the animal, such as: egg that’s comes from the hen, milk that comes from cows, goats and honey that comes from bees. In India, Ethiopia and Jamaica there are a lot of vegetarian people, because they don’t have enough food to feed themselves, so they decided to eat vegetable. This paper argues that veganism is a harmful lifestyle for three major reasons.
The first thing that usually comes to one’s mind when they hear the word Veganism is healthy. However, many points would debate against and for this very statement. There are many researches that prove the vegan diet is a healthy one and that this diet is better than a normal animal product eating one, however none proving that it is better than all the other diets, like some people claim the plant-eating one to be. Being a vegan means that you miss essential nutrients on a day to day basis such as vitamins, iron, zinc and calcium just to name a few. As well as this, when you get rid of all these animal products you are at a much higher risk of developing a nutritional deficiency and becoming under-weight. Looking
Some would not be able to live without eating any animal products in their diets, such as, meat, fish, poultry, eggs, dairy products, and honey. For vegans, however, this is a normal way of life. Vegans are frequently misunderstood as either people who have eating disorders, or an unnatural passion for animal rights. It is time for people to realize that veganism, a challenging yet rewarding lifestyle, goes way beyond being skinny or caring for animals. In reality, veganism can be extremely advantageous to anyone who adapts it as a way of life and has many different benefits that come along with it.