What do you think? Does it worth being a vegan? Some might say it is only a trend, but did you really think about it until now?
Many years back, at the beginning of our evolution, the transition from gatherers to hunters was a turning point. As a result, we could find food everywhere, and our lives became more manageable. Nowadays, when we do not have the same conditions, this lifestyle not only doesn’t help, but it is a reason for concern.
There are many pros and cons to this issue, and people are “defending” their way of life like all controversial topics. They say that their lifestyle is correct, the best, and irreplaceable. I agree 100% with the mention that the choice of living works just for themselves.
Everybody lives and should be responsible for their life, and because of that, it is essential to be very well informed. Only a few understand that a vegan lifestyle isn’t just about eating, but it is a part of something more complex.
Here are five reasons why more and more people should consider having a vegan lifestyle.
Ethics: We were all born equal on this Earth!
We should understand that every specie has its uniqueness, beauty, and role. We all deserve to have the basic needs fulfilled – living, being free, having food, and enjoying life.
After we comprehend that only due to some favorable circumstances in our evolution, we are the dominant specie on the planet will we be more respectful to other beings.
Two hundred years ago, the Earth had a population of one billion people; one hundred years ago, a population of two billion, and now, at the present day, we are almost eight billion! Only because we have multiplied, and the number of our population is enormous, doesn’t automatically imply that we are also entitled to absolute power.
With this significant population growth, we should also generate a conciseness growth. The more aware you are as an individual, the more understandable, tolerant, and emphatic you are. You become more conscious of your power and will start encouraging the development of others.
Health: Listen to your body!
Many years ago, I started to pay more attention to my body. I began to be aware of its cycles, paying more attention to how to rest, relax, and regenerate. I learned how the body works to be able to get the best from it.
All the information made a crucial impact on me, and the next step was to compare the human body with the bodies of meat-eaters and herbivores – the result was something of great consequence to my decision.
Humans do not have sharp front teeth for tearing but instead have flat rear molars for grinding. The meat-eaters have claws, the herbivores do not have claws, and until now, I have never seen a person with claws.
The meat-eaters have strong hydrochloric acid in their stomach, and the herbivores and humans have stomach acid that is 20 times weaker than that of a meat-eater.
The meat-eaters have an intestinal tract of 3 times their body length compared to the herbivores and humans with an intestinal tract 10-12 times their body length.
The meat-eaters have no skin pores and sweat through the tongue compared to the herbivores and humans that sweat through skin pores.
The salivary glands from our mouth and the chemical composition of the saliva have the same functions as the herbivores have.
These arguments revealed that a vegan lifestyle is more suitable for our essential body functions, and we could benefit more from this type of nourishment.
An entire industry states that only through “complete” nutrition based on regular consumption of meat and dairy can we live and evolve.
An entire industry with access to the best specialists in consumer behavior, with chemists capable of understanding and modifying the taste of aliments to their benefit, supports this information.
An industry with access to pharmacists who can recommend medicine to cure the effects and not eradicate the causes stands behind it.
Numerous studies demonstrate the connection between a meat-based diet and the diseases from this lifestyle. Some of the well-known conditions are:
– Cancer and especially colon cancer: after four hours from the time we ingest the meat, the meat starts to rotten, and the small residues stick on the intestinal walls for 14-21 days. These residues can remain there for many months and even years for a sensible person. Is it worth eating and having small pieces of other remains in our bodies?
– Food poisoning – low temperatures do not kill all types of germs and bacteria, and as the meat is being transported and stored, the frozen meat is being uncongealed and congealed many times. Some types of meat are stored like this for up to 2-3 years. Interesting, no?
– Lack of Calcium and Osteoporosis – instead of helping the body, the calcium provided by the milk is causing a lot of cardiovascular and kidney problems. We are the only specie on the planet that drinks the milk from another specie at an adult age!
Environment: To produce enough meat and dairy, we must change the role of the lands!
Because of our actual lifestyle, we modify the environment and influence air and water quality.
We deforest again and again to create animal farms and agricultural fields. We poison the waters with pesticides or with droppings from animal farming. Also, because of animal farming, the emission level of greenhouse gasses is rising year after year.
The way nature and our modern society work shows us that it isn’t possible to continue like this without consequences. In the long term, this scenario isn’t sustainable!
Spirituality: God is life in all forms!
In my opinion, God is life and love in all forms, and I understand, accept and respect the fact that not everybody has the same conception of the Divinity.
This sacred personal opinion is given by essential factors like family, environment, or just by the moment in time. I genuinely believe that the necessary condition for us to evolve both physically and spiritually is to love, nourish and protect all the beings next to us.
Raising an animal and killing it contradicts life itself. To understand and reach the spiritual state, we must first pass the tests from the physical one.
Intuition: everybody has a hidden sense that guides them through life!
If all the four reasons until now are general and regard the majority, the fifth one is personal, and it refers to that part of us called intuition.
Everybody has a hidden sense that guides them through life. For some, it starts from the heart and has the shape of a calm feeling. For others begins from the mind, and it manifests in an inexplicable state of clarity and has the form of a perfect arrangement.
For others, it is an inner voice that shifts from a whisper to a scream and finally to a roar.
In my case, some time ago, I felt that I was on a different path – a path where it didn’t feel natural, didn’t feel normal, didn’t feel right. I renounced the other ways, with everything I knew, and without even a moment of hesitation, I switched and changed everything. From that moment on, I felt it was the right choice.
Nowadays, when we comprehend almost all cells and atoms from our body, when we know all our organs and their functions, I am convinced that we can find the proper plant-based nutrients that are necessary for our life.
Some resources which smoothed my transition and helped me to understand this way of life:
Films:
- “Cowspiracy” looks at the link between animal agriculture and sustainability The documentary exposes cruelty toward animals in our food system.
- “What the Health” studies the link between diet and disease.
- “Eating Animals” was adapted from a book of the same name. All rescue animals have a name and a story, according to “Called to Rescue“. This film shows the health benefits of plant-based foods.
- “The Game Changers” challenges the myth that meat is necessary for protein. This documentary explores the sentience and rights of animals.
- “Maximum Tolerated Dose” reveals what goes on inside animal testing labs.
Books:
- Why we eat animals – Jonathan Safran Foer
- Vegan for Life: Everything You Need to Know to Be Healthy and Fit on a Plant-Based Diet – Jack Norris, Virginia Messina
- The China Study – Dr. T. Colin Campbell, Thomas M. Campbell
- Becoming Vegan: The Complete Reference on Plant-Based Nutrition – Brenda Davis
- How Not To Die – Michael Greger
- Cosmin Mihoreanu