We should probably start with defining what veganism is. According to Donald Watson, the founder of The Vegan Society, it is "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, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose; and by extension, promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of humans, animals and the environment. In dietary terms it denotes the practice of dispensing with all products derived wholly or partly from animals.”
So veganism includes not only avoiding consuming animal-derived products in your diet, but in every aspect of your life. Vegans are opposed to testing products on animals, supporting zoos or animal circuses, they don’t wear clothing that has been made using parts of an animal, etc.
There is a stereotype that vegans are really annoying and they will always let you know they don’t eat meat and use only cruelty-free products even though it is irrelevant in a situation. A joke going around says “How do you know if someone is vegan? Don’t worry—they’ll tell you.” This is kind of what the Instagram account Vegan Sarcasm is doing, but in a funny way.
There are more of these stereotypes, such as vegans who want to convert meat eaters to veganism and hate meat eaters. Just like there are different meat eaters, there are very kind and nice, but also very rude and preachy people among vegans.
There is also a misconception that all vegans are healthy, their food is boring and doesn’t have nutritional value. Yes, vegans tend to eat more plant-based foods, but there are so many other substitutes for meat that are filling, have a lot of vitamins and minerals that are beneficial. They are definitely not restricted to eating just different types of salad every day. But at the same time, there are a lot of processed foods and desserts that are vegan and don’t do anything good to your health.
So what are the benefits of becoming vegan? Rush University System for Health gives a few positive outcomes that can come from going vegan, but only if it is done right. Cutting out animal-derived products may promote weight loss, reduce your risk of heart disease as most likely your cholesterol level will lower, lower your chances of getting certain types of cancer, and it may help you manage diabetes by lowering A1C levels, which reflect your average blood sugar level.
Going vegan not only can improve your health, but also have an impact on the environment because it would lower the demand for meat and dairy products. To make them, you need a lot of resources, like water, crops for animals, transport and other production processes that pollute nature.
There is also the ethical question of eating what previously was a living creature. The Vegan Society says that most people go vegan for this exact reason. They can go as far as not eating honey if they believe that commercial honey production is harmful for the bees.
It seems that the arguments for following a vegan diet and lifestyle are solid, but there are as many arguments against it. Even though you may prevent some diseases by following a vegan diet and lose some weight, you have to always keep in mind that this can only be achieved with a balanced diet, because otherwise you may experience deficiency of omega-3, iron, calcium, iodine, and vitamin B12 which are very important to be healthy, feel fatigued or oven gain weight.
Transitioning to a new diet may cause some digestive issues. The Vegan Review says that health professionals encourage eating more fiber, but you should be aware that increasing it suddenly may lead to unpleasant side effects, which should be temporary.
Also, production of plant-based foods leaves its own carbon footprint as well. Of course, it’s not comparable to the production of meat but it isn’t all green and some vegetables and fruits require more than others.
In the end it comes down to if you are willing to commit to this lifestyle and if you will manage to sustain it. There is a lot of debate over whether humans are naturally omnivores or herbivores, but either way, some people love meat too much to let it go.
Would you like to try out a vegan lifestyle? Maybe you already have? Did it work out? Also, which of these memes did you find the most entertaining? Let us know in the comments!
