Monthly Archives: January 2011

I’m not necessarily promoting going vegan as a philosophy or even as a diet, but there are some benefits to enjoying a vegetarian or vegan diet, at least on a regular basis, if not all the time. I found this Vegan Food Pyramid.

Vegan Food Pyramid

I came across an article on a blog I like to frequent. I found it interesting and thought you all might like to check it out. Here’s the article from Bonnie of Going Home to Roost:

“why would one choose to be vegan? one of my dear friends posed this exact question on facebook over the weekend, and it really got me thinking. most of you know that my husband and i have been a vegetarian for a long time, and often end up eating a vegan diet as well. their are many reasons why someone would go vegetarian, vegan or choose to eat only local & organic products, but today i want to specifically discuss the reasons why someone would choose to ‘go vegan’.

1. live longer. studies show that on average vegetarians and vegans live 6 years longer than meat eaters.
2. land consumption. 20 vegans can live off the same amount of land required by one meat eater.
3. water consumption. it takes 25 gallons of water to produce 1lb of wheat & 2500 gallons to produce 1lb of meat.
4. toxins. meat contains antibiotics, hormones & toxins produced by stress & pesticide residues that become concentrated from all the crops they have eaten.
5. food poison. 80% of food poisoning is due to infected meat.
6. heart disease. vegetarians have 24% reduced risk of getting heart disease & vegans a 57% reduction.
7. protein. the average american eats twice as much protein as necessary for a healthy diet and much of that is from red meat. getting protein from beans and grains is much healthier and reduces the risk for osteoporosis.
8. hormones. eating animals that have been given hormones to speed growth (a common practice in the meat industry) means those hormones go into your body. not only can this disrupt the natural balance of your hormones, but some of the hormones given to animals have shown to cause tumor growth in humans.
9. antibiotics. antibiotics are frequently given to feed animals, which can lead to bacterial resistance. many of the antibiotics used to treat human infections are also used in feed animals.
10. weight loss. a healthy weight loss is a typical result of a smart vegan diet. eating vegan eliminates most of the unhealthy foods that tend to cause weight issues. 33% percent of americans are obese, while only 2% of vegans are.
11. osteoporosis. bone health depends on a balance of neither too much or too little protein, adequate calcium intake, high potassium, and low sodium. with a healthy vegan diet, all four of these points set a perfect scenario for preventing osteoporosis.
12. puberty. since 1950, girls are hitting puberty on average 4-7 years earlier and boy’s sperm counts have decreased by 25-50% due to the hormones present in non-organic meat and dairy products.
13. alzheimers. meat eaters have double the rate of alzheimers disease as vegans & vegetarians.
14. ecosystems. nitrates & pesticides used on crops grown to feed livestock end up in our rivers and vastly effect the health of micro environments and ecosystems.
15. global warming. the 1,300,000,000 cattle in the world emit 60,000,000 tons of methane per year (methane is a greenhouse gas which leads to global warming).
16. animal cruelty. the animals involved in mass industry farming are exposed to the most cruel, unsanitary and horrific conditions. if you can handle watching it, the ‘meet your meat‘ movie will give you a glance into the common practices of present day industry farming.
17. cancer. vegetarians & vegans have a 40% reduced level of cancer than the general population thought to be because they have a higher intake of vitamins A,C & E.
18. cholesterol. eliminating any food that comes from an animal and you will eliminate all dietary cholesterol from your diet (heart disease is the leading cause of death in america today).
19. rain forests. if they continue to clear american forests to raise cattle at the present rate, in 50 years there will be none left.
20. energy. when following a healthy vegan diet, you will find your energy is much higher.

“so many people get hung up on the idea that eating vegan or vegetarian is just too difficult. or they may find themselves emotionally attached to just how tasty meat can be. what they often don’t know, is that it is ever increasingly easy to eat a vegan/vegetarian diet, and enjoy much of the same things you do now. with meat substitutes, you can enjoy healthy vegan bacon, burgers and even barbecue! it’s a great way to ease into the lifestyle. today, even eating out is no problem. with most american restaurants offering vegan friendly dishes, you can also head to a mexican, thai, chinese, or indian restaurant for a sure bet of vegan/vegetarian options.

“what do you think? is it worth the health of your body and your planet to skip the meat? i think i could have stopped after reason #1 and been convinced, but i would love to know what you think. i’ll meet you in the comments section!”

I’d love to hear what you think of this article. Also, don’t forget to go over to Going Home to Roost and let them know what you think too. Thanks for reading!