What is Vegan?
- Veganism, a way of life
- Vegetarian vs vegan
- Veganism is good for you
- Good for animals
- Fish too
- Good for the environment
- It helps end starvation
- What does it involve?
- The economic aspects
Veganism – a philosophy
Veganism is a philosophy and way of life. A vegan aspires to avoid 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.
What’s the difference between a vegetarian and a vegan?
A vegetarian does not eat any dead animals, or parts of them. This means no meat, poultry (chickens, turkeys, ducks, etc.), fish or other water animals (like shrimp and crabs), or any by-products of these animals, like gelatin or animal fats or cheeses made from rennet taken from the stomachs of calves.
A vegan will not eat any of these either but will also strive to avoid all animal products for food (milk and milk products, eggs, honey) since these also cause pain and suffering. They also avoid animal products – leather, silk, pearls, wool or even paint brushes made of animal hair, as well as products that have been tested on animals.
A vegan diet is good for you.
Research shows that vegans have lower rates of heart disease, obesity, high blood pressure, rheumatoid arthritis, and several types of cancers. It also reduces the chance of food poisoning. And of course you avoid all the hormones and antibiotics that are pumped through animals raised for food. Our anatomy and our primate ancestry suggest that the natural diet for human beings is an almost vegan diet.
A vegan diet is good for the animals
If you’re already a vegetarian you’ve undoubtedly helped reduce animal suffering, but the dairy and egg industries also cause immense suffering. (See farmed animal abuse). An average Indian non- vegetarian is responsible for the lives of more than 70 living creatures a year. (Calculate one chicken per week (52), a couple of goats (2), a couple of calves killed for milk that rightly belongs to them (1 - 2) and many fish! That’s a lot more than 70.)
Eating meat causes suffering, fear, social deprivation, loss of natural environment, loss of liberty, mutilation and illness to 56 billion animals every year. Many animals spend thousands of miles on the road to hell. Becoming a vegan is the most effective step you can take to end this cruel practice. Each one can save more animals with their diet choice than almost any other way
Fish too.
Billions of fish are caught each year. All too often unwanted species are also caught and left to die without reason. Fish are sentient creatures and feel pain. They die by suffocation which is extremely painful and which can sometimes take many minutes. Today Canada is killing thousands of baby seals brutally, by clubbing because they are competing with Canadian fishermen for the catch! So a fish eater is indirectly responsible for more deaths than the ones he sees on his table alone.
Commercial fishing has decimated the aquatic environment. Shrimp nets kill countless sea turtles. Dragging trawlers kill all life including the plant life that fish thrive on, at the bottom of the ocean. Over-fishing is causing extinction of species that are fished as well as those that depend on these fish for food.
Today, fish are also victims of the factory farming system. They are often farmed in floating cages or in artificial ponds. Because of the large numbers involved, and the restricted movement, disease spreads rapidly, often also to wild specimens, and the water gets highly polluted. Each vegetarian or vegan will save at least half a ton of fish in a lifetime.
A vegan diet is good for the environment
Here are just a few of the many reasons why –
- 260 million acres of virgin forest have been cleared for cropland to support a meat centered diet, depriving countless species of habitat. This is growing at the rate of about 50 million acres a year!
- Overgrazing contributes to desertification in many countries.
- Vegans need less land. An acre of quality land can produce 10,000 pounds of green beans, 30,000 pounds of carrots, 50,000 pounds of tomatoes--but only 250 pounds of beef.
- Animal husbandry contributes to water shortages. It takes 500 litres of water to produce 1 kg of potatoes, 600 litres of water for 1 kg of wheat, 2000 litres of water for 1 kg of rice, but 100,000 litres of water to produce 1 kg of beef. Livestock consume a high percentage of the world’s water supply.
- Livestock produces 15-20 percent of all the methane, a major atmospheric pollutant and greenhouse gas, responsible for global warming. A recent UN report states that the world’s livestock is responsible for more greenhouse gases than all the worlds cars together! A depleted ozone layer, higher rates of ultraviolet B radiation and increased incidences of skin cancer is the result.
- Manure produced by livestock releases ammonia into the atmosphere, a major causes of acid rain.
- Manure from factory farms pollutes our water too. A typical battery egg factory with 60,000 hens produces around 165,000 pounds of excrement each and every week. The dumping of this waste inevitably ends up in our water system.
- The world’s petroleum reserves would last for only 13 years if all humans were non- vegetarians but 260 year if all humans were vegetarian.
Veganism helps end starvation
Everyday 840 million people around the world, including 200 million children go hungry. 60 million people die of starvation each year but much of the world’s grain harvest (40%) goes to feed livestock.
80% of the corn grown is consumed by livestock. Other high quality foods such as wheat and soy that could be fed to humans are being fed to animals.
5 kgs of plant protein is fed to chicken to obtain 1kg of animal protein, upto 16 kilos of grain to produce 1 kilo of meat or milk.
20 vegetarians can be fed on the amount of land needed to feed one non-vegetarian. It is far more ecological to grow grains, fruits and vegetables than raise animals. It takes just .07 hectare to produce enough food for a vegan.
Slaughterhouses are some of the worst workplaces. The workers are poor, often illiterate, and sometimes children. They are treated almost as callously as the animals dying by the billions in those same facilities. The pay is low, turnover is high, and injuries and illnesses are frequent and often severe.
What does veganism involve?
Veganism involves the openness to change in order to prevent suffering, the willingness to be creative and to cook healthy tasteful meals. If a vegan eats in a healthy way, he or should not need any nutritional supplements. However, because vitamin B12 is manufactured by bacteria which are found in abundant supply in milk and meat, but not in large numbers in our present day sanitised and sometimes irradiated fruits and vegetables, vegans may find it beneficial to take B12 supplements once or twice a week.
It does take some work to learn how to eat and to get used to it. Of course you will miss a few things at first, like cheese and milk chocolate but there are vegan alternatives available, so don’t despair.
Economic aspects
Good vegan food costs much less than meat. Organic food costs more than the regular stuff but being richer in nutrients, you will find that less is needed to meet your nutritional needs. In the long run, you’ll be satisfied with less food, which reduces costs. The economic benefits should be counted in terms of money saved on medical expenses and hours of time saved by not being sick!
