“Compassion is the best side effect of being vegan”(). A vegan diet contains no animal products. Going vegan is good for the mind, body, and soul. Adopting a vegan lifestyle is one of the best things an individual can do for themselves.
Becoming vegan benefits animals. Animal rights are often overlooked in the food industry. Their cries for help are unheard. Animals in slaughterhouses don't have any space to run or be free. Pigs are in cages so small they can’t turn around (Why Farming). This practice is considered standard and acceptable in the food industry (Why Farming). Up to six chickens are kept in small cages with no room to move around (Why Farming). Chickens need their own personal space. When chickens are too crowded into the same cage frustrated (Why Farming). This frustration makes some chickens peck other chickens' feathers off. To prevent pecking, the end of a chick's beak is cut off after birth (Why Farming). This process is extremely painful for the chick. Chickens are not the only animal mistreated in the food industry. Perhaps the saddest practice in the food industry happens to female cows. The female cow is artificially inseminated, and immediately after birth, her calf is taken away. The milk she produced for the calf is robbed from her (Why Factory). When the cow stops producing the milk it is artificially inseminated again (Why Factory). This repeated process is very detrimental to the mother cow's mental health. It is proven that cows have feelings, and when their calves are separated from them it causes the mother cow extreme anxiety (Bekoff). Going vegan would benefit all these animals who are suffering.
Another benefit of being vegan is improved mood. A healthy vegan diet consists of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds. All of these foods are proven to improve mood. Eating more fruits and vegetables is linked with lower rates of depression (Davidson). Whole Grains are an essential food for maintaining blood sugar levels. Whole grains can help stabilize blood sugar, making people feel more full and energized (Whole Grains). Nuts and seeds are high in a nutrient called tryptophan, a chemical necessary for creating serotonin (Davidson). Serotonin is known to, “help regulate mood and social behavior, appetite, and digestion, sleep [and] memory” (McIntosh). A healthy vegan diet can greatly benefit an individual's mood.
Becoming vegan also benefits the environment. Deforestation is a worldwide problem. It is estimated that about seven billion trees are cut down each year (Rainforest Action). Cattle ranching is responsible for 80% of the deforestation occurring in the Amazon (Unsustainable Cattle). Cattle ranching also starts many forest fires. Forest fires in Brazil are almost always started by a technique called the slash-and-burn. People cut down all the trees and burn away the rest of the remaining plants to make way for cattle (Unsustainable Cattle). These fires can easily get out of hand and have devastating effects on the areas they pass through. Cattle farming also releases tons of greenhouse gases (Edmond). Cattle are responsible for 14.5% of all greenhouse gases released by humans (Edmond). If humans stopped raising cattle, humans could cut down greenhouse gas emissions by a considerable amount. Raising cattle is very harmful to the environment for many reasons.
A vegan diet offers many health benefits. Some people believe the vegan diet does not offer enough nutrients and that meat is needed in order to be healthy. This could not be farther from the truth. When comparing one cup of conventional spinach to one cup of conventional raw ground beef, the cup of spinach has more protein, fiber, calcium, iron, potassium, zinc, and vitamin C (Campbell 104). A cup of ground beef has more fat, vitamin B12, fatty acids, and cholesterol (Campbell 104). The spinach clearly has more nutrients. In fact, the only nutrient exclusively found in meat is vitamin B12 (Campbell 30). “Humans require vitamin B12 in microscopic amounts”(Campell 30). Vegans can take a vitamin B12 supplement if desired (Campbell 30). All other vitamins can be found in plants. Some nutrients are “a thousand times more abundant” in plants than in any other food (Campbell 30). Humans don't need animal products to meet important nutritional requirements.
Going vegan can also reduce the risk of developing chronic illness. Studies have linked dairy and cancer. Casein, the main protein in cow's milk, was to promote early cancer growth (Campbell 5). In a study done by Loma Linda University, cow's milk was shown to increase a woman's chance of getting breast cancer (Pastrino). Research indicates that drinking one cup of milk a day can increase a woman's chance of getting breast cancer by 50% (Pastrino). The average American drinks up to 118 gallons of milk a year (Evstatieva). While the amount of milk Americans drink has gone down since the 1970s, Americans are still guzzling down milk without thinking about future consequences. Going vegan can also reduce the risk of getting other chronic illnesses such as high blood pressure, heart disease, lung cancer, and Alzheimer's disease. A vegan diet even reduces the risk of getting diabetes. A study done over 100 years showed that the populations who had lower rates of type 2 diabetes were those who were vegan (Campbell 7). Going vegan may even be able to reverse diabetes. In a study published 30 years ago 13 of 17 diabetic patients were able to discontinue using insulin after just 3 weeks of going vegan (Campbell 7). Going vegan can reverse and even cure some chronic illnesses.
In conclusion, becoming vegan is no easy task, but with it comes many benefits. This kind of diet can help the environment and save animals. It can even save lives by promoting health and preventing chronic illness. It’s never too late to go vegan!