Most of the population may have the belief that meat is a necessity to human health and life, however, that ideology is incorrect. From birth, most individuals are raised consuming high amounts animal flesh or animal byproduct, while lacking a focus on healthier foods such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, and grains. Eating meat for nutrients, drinking milk to maintain bone health, while a plant-based diet just is not enough for human sustainability is wired into the brains of many. Most of what is known is taught by your regular social structure, since veganism is not exactly a societal normality, most are afraid of deviating from their regular omnivorous diets.
Research has been shown for years that the standard American diet has purely focused on high quantities of meat and other animal products rather than plant-based diets can cause many negative mental and physical health repercussions. A better, healthier diet than the “Standard American” diet is a strictly plant-based diet or vegan diet. Choosing a vegan diet is not just a positive note on human health but is much better for the environment and sustainability; and is much more ethical.
“Vegetarian Foods: Powerful for Health” is an article listing and describing the many different health benefits of following a diet that is at least of vegetarian standards. The article states, “Scientific research shows that health benefits increase as the amount of food from animal sources in the diet decreases, so vegan diets are the healthiest overall.” (Vegetarian Foods) People lacking education on the topic or just straight up mislead can argue that meat is a necessity for the life and survival of humans, however, the proof negating this statement is all around in the world and in the research. One strange, however, amazing finding in the research of veganism is how less likely the average person is to develop many different types and varieties of cancer. An example of how animal products can cause cancer could be when biological females eat meat and dairy, the consume more saturated fats, causing significant issues pertaining to digestion, increasing their chances of developing breast and ovarian cancer. (Vegetarian Foods) If cancer is a possible side effect of consuming animal product, they cannot possibly be healthy to consume.
There are plenty more beneficial facts of being vegan. Animal products contain high amounts of cholesterol and saturated fats, whereas, fruits and vegetables contain no cholesterol and have little to no fats stored in them. Fruits and vegetables not only lacks cholesterol, but also helps to fight against it. (Vegetarian Foods) Due to these reasons, a vegan diet versus a meat dependent diet protects your heart and prevents heart disease while lowering blood pressure.
The normal argument against veganism is that a plant-based diet does not fulfill adequate nutrition requirements for protein, however, irony strikes due to the fact most animal product consumers put too much protein into their bodies. Having an excess amount of protein turns your body into a factory of bad chemicals and toxins, making your body more susceptible to kidney stones and other diseases. (Vegetarian Foods) Although this argument has been greatly used in the first line of defense against veganism, it is wrong. Every plant-based product contains proteins and many other more appropriate nutrients, vegans deficient in any nutrient simply did not correctly balance their diet along with most omnivores. Those were just a few health benefits coming from removing animal products from your daily diet. Because health increases so greatly when a vegan diet is in place, humans increase health and life longevity.
If humans are increasing their health and living longer and better lives, human population will increase. Alexis Clarke, author of the article, “Vegetarianism and Sustainability” explains many ways that switching can positively sustain the environment with a new number of around 9 billion people living on Earth.
With so many people currently living, the world is making more food than ever and much more than needed, however, there are still many starving and malnourished parts of the population all around the globe (Clarke); this is due to the fact consumables are not being used or made in the correct fashion. Humans and life are running out of resources like land and water. As humans keep adding animal products to their diet, we lose so many resources making the consumption of meat and dairy products possible. It is proven that 80% of agricultural land, 70% of grains, and 70% of the worlds water supply is being used to produce animal products and maintain these farms. (Clarke) Humans are using most of the Earth’s resources to feed and raise animals just to kill them in a slaughter house to be eaten. “The Food and Agriculture Organization has suggested adopting a vegetarian diet to increase the amount of water available to grow more food in an increasingly climate-erratic world.” (Clarke) People are using plentiful amounts of land and water to grow grains and crops for animals to raise and slaughter when those resources could be used to provide a plant-based diet. More people removing meat and animal products from their diet will cause less harm to the environment and much less harm to actual animals.
One of the most influential reasons to adopt a vegan diet is decreasing the amount of abuse and harm pushed on animals themselves. Many animals that are apart of these farms are kept in abusive environments/ habitats, constantly mistreated, and slaughtered in many inhumane ways. Emma McGrath has discussed and explained the many different reasons behind arguments advocating to adopt a vegan diet in the article, “Politics of Veganism.” Many argue that animals have their own individual life and purpose, other than the consumption and abuse for human purposes, while others argue we should not act pain on any forms of life for they have their own physical and emotional feelings just like humans and can suffer just as such. (McGrath) Even though these viewpoints are very different, they are both extremely valid and should be employed in the thought process before consuming animal products. In McGrath’s essay, she talks about the human mindset and how it becomes very tunnel vision when thinking about the wants and needs of the species without considering the rights or best interests of any other species. She compares this ideology to how race and gender has been seen of deserving less in the past and present years. This also shares a relationship with how we view eating pets like dogs or cats as wrong but have no problem eating parts of chicken or cow. (McGrath) This mindset is very wrong because humans choose what is deserving of rights only when it is beneficial to the wants of the species.
Because humans can speak and were gifted with higher physical and mental capabilities then other species it is thought that humans are “better”, however, humans themselves are animals, feeling just as much as every other animal. All animals deserve as much respect as humans because of this simple fact. Meat producers and consumers strongly support the killing of newborn, disabled, and old cows because they claim they would have no other purpose if not eaten. Many argue against this statement due to the fact in society and amongst human population we do not slaughter those who are newly born, disabled, or old, just because someone may deem a particular group of people as useless. (McGrath) Many meat consumers also argue that because animals lack the intelligence to speak up for themselves, they also lack rights, however, newborns, many people with disabilities, and some elderly cannot speak for themselves and this does not mean they do not deserve rights and are not physically mistreated because of it.
There are books full of reasons of why humans should become vegan or at least remove meat from their diet. Restricting your diet can cut out many future health problems and diseases while also promoting the health of the planet, environment, and all living creatures. Excluding animal products can sustain our resources for not only us, but generations to come. Being vegan is ,overall, better for everyone and everything.