A few of my friends and family might think I've gone crazy, but theres a lot more sense in going vegan to me, than there is to eating meat. Fear not, I'm not here to lecture you. I have no qualms with meat eaters or vegetarians (unless they shove their diet in my face and hate on my choices).
I can't pinpoint exactly when I went vegan as it's been more of a 'phase out' period for me up until a few months ago. Occasionally I might unintentionally ingest something that has an animal-product in but it's nearly impossible to be totally vegan in a world where tomato soup contains milk. C'mon man. Being vegetarian for almost a year before turning vegan meant that this change was quite easy for me and aside from that, obvious!
In short, here's why I went vegan:
For the environment.
Cattle breeding and destroying forest for soy to grow (around 90% of which feeds cattle) is the leading cause of deforestation in the Amazon rainforest. We all know that less trees = less CO2 absorbing and less O2 production, not to mention the methane that these cows release from their mouths when digesting, a more harmful gas than CO2. We can't expect to be able to replant the rainforest if the demand for meat is so high so as a part of the solution, and in order to eventually make more room for replanting (after years, the ground will be 'dead' for a while) there needs to be less of a demand for beef.
The livestock industry contributes more to Global Greenhouse Gases (the ones we were taught about in school) than than all planes, trains, cars, buses etc combined. My guess is that this fact is kept under wraps because the meat industry is sadly worth a lot of money and the big guys know we can never give up transport. Again for me it's a case of not contributing to this destructive and cruel industry.
What can you do? Give up beef and cow byproducts. If you still must eat animals, replace it with poultry and try alternatives to milk!
For the animals.
Having empathy for other species is actually a small part of my decision to go vegan compared to the environmental cost of eating meat. It's scientifically proven that animals CAN feel pain and emotion on a similar level to humans. You'll know this if you've ever accidentally stepped on your dog's paw or cat's tail! I also see no reason to differentiate my adorable household pets from the animals cut up on the shelves, after all a life is a life. Here's how many animals are killed by the second.
What can you do? Start viewing other animals as companions too! Don't value your pet's life over the life on your plate.
For my conscience.
After reading a lot of articles and watching a lot of documentaries, my favourites being Cowspiracy and Earthlings, I couldn't live with the guilt of consuming animal products! This guilt took a little while to surface and a lot of knowledge but I think it's in everyone somewhere. We are just trained as a culture and society to consume these things without second thought!
For my health.
Leaving meat off my plate leaves me feeling lighter after meals, more energetic, less groggy and lethargic. My hair, skin and nails are better and stronger than ever! Crazy. I'd heard before going veggie that I would feel more healthy but was quite skeptical and now I know. Even vegetarian diets are proven to aid your health, even reversing the effects of heart disease- kind of like how your lungs slowly get better after quitting smoking.
What can you do? Try it for yourself! It's Veganuary after all and it's never too late to start!
There's definitely more to it than that, but that's the short of it. I'm not preaching (hey, you chose to come here) but you might have an interest in making a change so I included some little tips that are a good start to being more conscious of what you consume. Not to mention, vegan food is freakin' insaaaane.
I hope you found this post interesting or helpful and if you have any questions give me a tweet/DM @sarahjdocker. You can also leave me a comment and I'll try answer as best I can! If you'd like any of the facts in this post sourcing feel free to contact me.
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