An unbiased view on the pros and cons of veganism
Is there truly a right and wrong answer when it comes to food and lifestyle? Does eating meat or going vegan truly matter? Or is it just radicals trying to find a new trend to make themselves feel better about themselves, while taking down the farming industry and changing the “normal” way of life.
When hearing about veganism you hear two sides with the same repetitive arguments. One of the sides is pro-vegan, radical or not, they do a very good job at using empathy to compel others to make the change they preach. In doing so they filter the image to only present the good that come with being vegan. The opposing side, stands the meat eaters. Who too hold the same repetitive reasoning for their actions. In addition, they try to justify the industry, trying to combat the empathy vegans strive on. The Truth is, both sides have their good and their bad.
Veganism Pros
Health
One of the main reasons people began to switch to veganism in the first place was because of health reasons. Though it may seem going vegan is a millennial fad, many older people make the change as a way to combat underlying health conditions. According to the 2019 article published in The Economist, 25 percent of 25-to-34 year old Americans said that they had gone completely on a vegan or vegetarian diet.
There are many research studies out there regarding the health benefits of going vegan. A protonate voice in this subject is Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr., MD. American physician and author. Receiving his B.A from Yale, Dr. Esselstyn is an advocator for people going vegan in order to improve their health. Claiming that it can control and even reverse diabetes by lowering A1C levels. It can also lower risk of heart disease by lowering cholesterol levels, lower risk of developing certain types of cancers, promote weight loss, lower blood sugar, improve kidney function, and reduce pain from arthritis.
Environmental Sustainability
Another reason that inspires people to turn to veganism, is the idea of attributing to environmental sustainability. Climate change is effecting the earth and we can see that green house gases are to blame. Animal agriculture produces high levels of carbon dioxide, methane, and others generating over about a third of human greenhouse gas emissions, including more than 40% of methane. According to npr, 2019 article, To Slow Global Warming, U.N. Warns Agriculture Must Change.
As well, researchers at the University of Oxford found that by not eating meat and dairy products it can reduce a person’s carbon footprint by up to 73%. Which is huge step in the right direction.
Going vegan can also make an impact on deforestation. From 2010 to 2017, beef exports climbed 25 percent to 1.5 million tons, according to the Brazilian Beef Exporters Association. Due to the demand of meat being so large, cattle ranchers are expanding, cutting into the amazon forest to make room for more production. This has caused them to become one of the largest cause of the Amazon’s deforestation, About 80 percent, according to the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies.
Vegans believe that by them avoiding animal products, it will cause a chain reaction that will effect the meat industry. By not consuming meat, there will be less demand and with less demand there will be less expansion, the industry will get smaller and their carbon footprint and active deforestation will cease.
Animal Cruelty
Another driver for commiting to a plant food diet is stopping the unsettling animal cruelty practices preformed in farms. Many animals are specifically breed on farms and in slaughter houses. According to the North American Vegetarian Society,
Hens in industrial farms are forced to lay up to 30 times more eggs than they would naturally. 95% of all egg-laying hens live out their lives in cramped battery cages, where they are often cruelly de-beaked and frequently suffer from broken bones, hemorrhaging and dehydration.
Every year, 200,000,000 male chicks are killed by the egg production industry — typically by suffocation or ground up alive in industrial macerators
It doesn’t stop there, according to Animal Legal Defense Fund
Animals can have their testicles, tails, horns, beaks, or toes removed without anesthesia.
In most states, animals are intensively confined in spaces so small they cannot turn around, extend their wings, or lie down comfortably, as in gestation crates, veal crates, and battery cages.
Hens are systematically starved in order to artificially restart their egg-laying cycles.
Male chicks are ground up alive, and piglets are killed by slamming their heads on the ground.
Calves can be taken away from their mothers, mere moments after birth, causing distress for both. Calves raised for veal are so severely confined they cannot turn around or stretch their limbs.
Vegans believe that these farming habits are unethical and there by, believe that avoiding animal products all together, will start a chain reaction. One that will stop the suffering of animals.
Meat Pros
Lets get into the Pros of meat because they directly correlate to the con of veganism.
Nutrients
There is reason why humans have and still eat meat, the reason we began to eat meat in the first place, nutritional value. Meat contains fats, proteins, vitamins and minerals that our body needs. Specifically the vitamin B12.
B12 helps make your body’s DNA and red blood cells. The human body does not make B12 and is naturally found in animal based products and not generally present in plant foods, states Nourish by WebMD in and article titled Vitamin B12: What to Know.
Protein is another necessity that the body needs to have a proper intake of. Protein helps the body make and repair bone, skin, and cartilage. As well as helping build and maintain muscle mass states the article, 11 health benefits of eating beef an article in Beef Central.
That doesn’t mean to say that there aren’t alternatives to getting both protein and B12 in a vegan diet, but it is much harder.
Accessibility & Cost
In a world of constant movement and fast pace living there are people who may not have the time or energy to go home and cook a good meal. Many turn to fast food restaurants and premade meals. When that happens, just about every option you have has meat or some kind of animal products in it. Even when you can cook a meal every recipe usually contains animal products. Every store carries a verity of animal products. Its everywhere and easy to obtain especially for people on the constant move.
The cost is also a benefit. Two tacos from jack in the box are a dollar, as apposed to a box of three dollar strawberries. Depending on income, where you live, and situation, affordable foods are a staple in most peoples lives. According to Shutter Health, there are approximately 50,000 standing different chains across the United States. Across the world there are more than 500,000 fast food buildings. Almost all housing and selling animal product meals.
Economy
There is no denying that the meat industry plays a big role in making the economy run. In an article published in The Daily Nebraska, states that according to the EPA in the 2000s, the beef industry alone, produced $49 billion annually in direct economic output. They are able to produce so much because the demand for meat is so large.
A direct correlation to the demand, is the expansion of the industry creating more jobs for people. The bigger the industry gets the more job availability there will be. Such as dairy farmers, beef packagers , butchers, factory workers, etc. According to the North American Meat Institute, the meat and poultry industry, largely contribute for 5.4 million jobs and $257 billion wages. On average meat package workers earn about $14.98 per hour while poultry employees earn around $13.58 per hour.
An estimated 527,019 people have jobs in production and packing, importing operations, sales, packaging and direct distribution of meat and poultry products.
Conclusion
Both sides were presented with an intent to inform. Yes there will always be and argument for either side. They both hold importance and Undeniably have an impact on this earth. Whether a person holds one life style over the other comes down to the individual. As seen in about anything that involves mass people with ideals and values, there is no one true, perfect solution for everyone. But the conversation should be had, Ideas should be expressed, points of views should be shared. Veganism and eating meat are two far opposing sides but whether they hold the right answer, is up to you. What impact will you have on this earth? What changes will you make for the people and for the environment? Lifestyle and food are much more bigger than just ourselves.
