9 Reasons Why Veganism Is Turning The Heads Of Society

What is Veganism?

The idea of veganism goes far beyond that of a diet. It began as a way of life and a belief against the harm towards animals. 

A vegan diet consists of eating only fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, and nuts. Otherwise known as avoiding any animal products like dairy, eggs, and meat. 

Within the past couple of years, veganism has been rapidly increasing in popularity. With the presence of influencers and celebrities promoting a vegan lifestyle, people are finally starting to catch on and fast. 

To live a vegan lifestyle is a great task. Simply removing animal products from one's diet is limiting enough, add the activity of giving the body the correct amount and variety of nutrition and veganism becomes a new beast entirely. What that means is that a person has to have a strong motivation to change their habits. Those motivations to switch to a vegan diet are right here. 

1. To Have a Greener Imprint

People transition to vegan diets because of the tremendous impact it has on the earth. The best way to reduce one's carbon footprint is to go vegan. It is as simple as that. By taking out animal products like meat, dairy, and eggs a person can reduce their carbon footprint by 41.7%. 

The reason is because of all of the work and materials needed to take care of the animals on the farms. The land to house the animals, the food they eat, the water they drink, to the greenhouse gases they emit takes a big toll on the earth. Think about it for a second.

To create the meat and dairy products that are available to us in grocery stores, what is making that happen? Everything has industry and meat is no different. The amount of resources needed to take care of these animals is incredible. 

For a lot of people having a greener, footprint makes going vegan an easy choice. 

2. For the Rights of Animals

For a lot of people, the usage of animals for human consumption is morally incorrect. The fact is that to provide the food humans eat on a normal basis, animals must be killed.

The protection of animals is another very important reason why veganism is growing in popularity.

3. For a Healthier Lifestyle

Veganism is a very healthy diet. Eating fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds provide a lot of health benefits when compared to omnivorous diets.

Lower Body Mass Index

A vegan diet is linked to a lower BMI.

According to the Mayo Clinic, eating more plant-based foods is related to having a leaner body type. 

Meats and animal products are high in both calories and fats, so by making the change to plant-based foods it is easier to control one's weight. 

Although just by switching to a vegan diet weight loss is not guaranteed. Unhealthy vegan products are available in the form of fatty or processed food. So even if a person was to transition into veganism, eating junk food alone would only cause weight gain. 

Healthier Heart 

A vegan diet has been proven to increase heart health.

Research has been done that proves how meats, especially red meats, negatively affect the health of the heart and can cause heart attacks, disease, and failure. 

Meat and animal products include a lot of saturated fat and sodium. If the intake of saturated fats is too high cholesterol levels increases, and if too much sodium is consumed the blood pressure rises. Both of those have been linked to heart diseases. 

Lower Risk of Cancer

Eating too much meat, red or processed meat specifically, has been shown to cause certain cancers like bowel, stomach, and blood. 

Research has found that the chemical in red meat called haem iron, when broken down, can harm the lining in the bowel to cause cancer. Also, when processed and red meat is burnt or charred cancer chemicals develop.

Unfortunately, no exact research has been found to indicate that eating less meat will undoubtedly protect someone from cancer, but it will decrease the chances. So by just switching to a plant-based diet the likelihood of getting cancer decreases. 

4. The Accessibility of Vegan Substitutes

Since the idea of going vegan has become more popular over the years, the food industry had to adapt. Just in the last, five or so years substitutes have become mainstream in grocery stores. Even now, the availability of alternative food is still a growing industry with a lot of potentials.

The idea of food alternatives is a relatively new one. Ten years ago, it would have been mind-blowing to see vegan mayonnaise or a vegan burger that tastes like a burger. Now, it's a staple at grocery stores around the world. 

Brands like, Impossible Foods, Quorn, Daiya, and Beyond Meat are just a few examples of vegan substitutes that are available in grocery stores. 

5. Presence of Food Allergies

In recent years food allergies have become more prevalent. Meaning that more people need to access food substitutes.

With the rise of food allergies, more people need to accommodate what they eat. For some, just removing it out of their diet is easy enough, but for a lot of adults that find out they have food allergies, how can they immediately stop eating that food? The short answer, they can't. It's hard to throw something out of one's diet after it has been a staple for so long. 

A solution is to find a substitute. With the vast majority of food alternatives available, it is much easier to find a way to eat something similar to a food that a person is allergic to.

I have been anaphylactic to dairy and eggs my entire life. So, I grew up with allergies and know what it's like. Compared to the past, the number of choices I have now at a grocery store is astounding. I can buy a frozen vegan pizza with cheese, vegan mayonnaise, and even vegan ranch. So many things that I have never tried before are becoming available. That has only become possible with the introduction of vegan brands. 

6. Affordable Vegan Products 

The first thing I think when the word vegan pops into my head is, expensive. While that is the case with some vegan products, surprisingly enough vegan foods are inexpensive.

First, think of the foods that make up a vegan diet. Fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, seeds, legumes, and tofu are all very affordable products. By focusing on those aspects and making them the main course of the meal can become inexpensive. 

The common misconception about veganism and price is because of the vegan substitutes. Dairy alternatives and plant-based meats are the expensive portions of veganism. Those products only make up a little portion of the vegan diet.

Overall, if the focus is on the base foods of veganism like fruits, vegetables, and legumes, the ingredients stay affordable. 

7. Veganism is a Sustainable Lifestyle

A lot of people contemplate if a vegan diet allows for the right amount of nutrients for a body to function. Vegan foods are high in the nutrients our bodies need to live. 

Note that a vegan lifestyle does need careful attention. A person on a vegan diet must make sure that they receive all of the nutrients needed because without eating meat certain nutrients will be harder to incorporate into meals.

According to WebMD, the important nutrients a vegan needs are protein, calcium, iron, omega-3, vitamin B12, and vitamin D. Besides vitamin B12 the rest of the nutrients can be obtained from plant alternatives.

8. To Feel Better

Since a vegan diet is healthier it not only helps to lessen a variety of diseases and cancers, but it also makes a person feel better. 

What is put into our bodies is important. Food can be considered energy and depending on the quality of that food our energy levels can either increase or decrease. 

When talking about a vegan diet, more specifically whole, can boost the mood and energy of the person. 

Take into account that if whole foods are not eaten on a regular basis and junk vegan food is the staple of the diet then no increase of mood or energy will occur. What someone puts into their body directly affects how they feel.

9. Vegan Food Tastes Good

A lot of stereotypes exist for vegan food products. The most notable one being that the food doesn't taste good. For a lot of people, a plate of vegetables is not an appealing meal, but vegan dishes go far beyond just vegetables. 

As I said earlier with the rise of vegan brands the foods we all love to eat like burgers and chicken sandwiches become available. The benefit is that by eating these vegan products the harmful side effects of meat like high sodium and high cholesterol are not a problem. 

Look to different cultures when thinking of dishes. Indian curry is a great and very delicious example of what a vegan dish can look like.

A vegan lifestyle is a commitment. Making sure the correct nutrients are consumed and avoiding meat are two very big aspects of this way of life, but the benefits should not be ignored.

If veganism sounds appealing, but giving up meat is too big of a task try out the flexitarian diet. It is a diet that focuses more on plant-based foods and less on meat. As the name suggests it is flexible.

Little to no rules need to be followed. The only aspect of the flexitarian diet is to consume less meat. So, if the vegan lifestyle is frightening the flexitarian diet might be something to try beforehand.