Why Vegan?

I meet a lot of people in my job, and the subject of food always comes up in one way or another, so I find myself trying to answer this question almost daily.

To be honest, I don’t really like answering it. Not because I lack the same conviction as those who are actively involved in protesting and informing. They have my full support and I admire their courage. I don’t like to answer the question because many people don’t actually want to hear the answer. What they do want to do is tell me why I’m wrong, or some sort of irrational extremist. Without listening to a word I have said, that is.

I also don’t like to answer that question because it’s a deeply complicated subject. One I’ve spent much of my life thinking, meditating and educating myself on. So, how can I sum it all up in a brief conversation?

I recently read an article which stated that the only acceptable argument for not being vegan is because you like the taste of meat. At first I found this very odd. Surely the opposite is true, isn’t that the absolute worst reason for not changing your ways?

Then I got it. If we are to stack up the facts (as best we know them) against each other, vegan wins hands down. The only argument left against it is that meat tastes good. Therefore, if you are informed, it is the most honest and only reasonable thing you might say.

Let me show you what I mean…

There are three main reasons people become Vegan.

The Animals

Don’t let the idyllic scenery fool you. These cows are regularly raped, their babies stolen from them, and then they’re eventually killed.

Many of us who become vegan do so because we cannot stand to see animals suffering. Certainly in some religions, such as Judaism and Islam, they at least try to treat the animals compassionately prior to eating them. But if you believe, as I do, that all life forms are connected, knowing that those fortunate Jewish and Muslim animals didn’t see their ends coming (thus avoiding fear and suffering), doesn’t change much at all. What about the millions of other animals who were treated horrifically because the majority of people believe we are above all other animals somehow? What about the fact that no matter how humanely killed, the animal still died because a “human animal” snuck up behind it and slit it’s throat?

P.S. Is anyone actually monitoring this process to ensure it’s what actually happens? (Is it really Kosher?)

Somewhat arrogantly believing that we are entitled to kill another animal for our pleasure (yes eating meat is a pleasure not necessity) seems to me like something that could never end well for our species or planet.

The fact of the matter is the vast majority of animals are farmed extremely cruelly. Even on a small local farm cows are kept constantly pregnant in order to produce milk for their calves, calves who are then taken away at birth. Their mothers don’t get to meet them and we drink their milk. Take a moment to think about that. Even on the most basic instinctual level a cow must feel something when it gives birth and doesn’t then see or feed its child! (Cows)

Male chicks are thrown out in garbage bags or ground or boiled to death because only the females are useful for laying eggs. Most animals are pumped full of antibiotics and hormones because their living conditions are so unhealthy. They are constantly sick and often deformed. They are kept in terrible conditions that I don’t believe any human being could possibly witness without tears. I cry even at the thought of it. (chicks)

There is no argument that this is not happening. To believe such a thing you must be living with your head in the sand, as indeed the majority of folks are. This is no matter of opinion, and you can walk on to almost any farm, big or small and see it with your own eyes. Granted, the biggest farms treat the animals far worse. (Factory Farms)

Small organic farms, while with noble intentions and often better conditions, are still participating in the overall farming industry and many of the same practices; caging, maiming, overcrowding and grinding up of, still happens. It has to happen in order for these small farms to compete at all with the bigger ones. Cows are still kept constantly pregnant, and well, ultimately, the animals still end up dead so we can eat them. (The truth about alternative-farming)

Curiously cute hairy cattle in Marlborough.

The only argument one might have against veganism in terms of animal welfare, is that we are above animals on the food chain; therefore, it doesn’t matter how we treat them. You can argue that the taste is worth their suffering, and they are not sentient beings. But you won’t have any facts to back that one up. Especially since scientists agree that we are actually in the middle, about the same as pigs, not at the top at all! The only fact you’ve got is that they taste good. The fact that they are treated horribly is inarguable.

The only way one could truly believe what we are doing is okay, is by shutting down their conscience and sense of connection to their planet. Look an animal in the eyes and try not to connect with it. I dare you. If you know that your dog has feelings, you should certainly be able to believe that sheep and pigs and cows do too. That includes animals who have been bred for one purpose only – to be our food.

Contrary to Kurt Cobain’s awesome song… Did you know that fish kept in a predator-free environment will swim along beside you because they want to hang out and be social? They are curious! A diver told me that story from personal experience. He said he always had a fish buddy when swimming in a local quarry site. Fish only swim away because they are scared you are going to kill them! Surely that instinct to want to live counts for something…

But if you still really don’t care about suffering animals, how about suffering people? If the amount of food fed to the animals we then kill and eat was redistributed directly to people, we could END world hunger!!! (End World Hunger!)

Being vegan, for me, is first and foremost about helping my fellow human animals.

Health

My Dad watering his vege garden. Thanks to my parents hard work I grew up on organic home-grown veges!

These days there are infinite nutritional studies and theories for pretty much every dietary craze. Some people suggest we eat only meat, others say none. Some say no carbs, no soy, no gluten. Someone recently told me that if we ate only potatoes all day, we would still meet our daily protein requirements! It has also recently been proven that even the idea of a “complete” protein is false. When combining lots of different fruits, vegetables and nuts we get all the same nutritional benefits of one piece of meat and none of the bad stuff. (plant protein high protein vegetables)

My parents say, everything in moderation. Seems like that might indeed be a good option for people who struggle to change their ways. Had veganism not been so natural for me, moderation may well have been my diet of choice.

I study nutrition like a super geek. It’s sort of my secret late night nerdy hobby. I try not to believe anything, but instead experiment on myself until I figure out what my own body seems to prefer. I even went back to eating chicken after 20 odd years without it, just to see how I felt. I found it made no difference to me other than that I felt guilty, so I stopped again. However, what IS clear is that eating a lot of meat, at the absolute least, leads to arterial blockages and heart attacks (Bill Clinton went vegan after his).

According to my favourite nutritional source (nutritionalfacts), 15 of the leading causes of death in North America are directly caused by consumption of animal products. Multiple studies also found that countries that consume fewer animal products have less or even none of these same diseases. (The_China_Study) Logic tells me that at the very least the North American diet is going wrong somewhere! (Other western countries are no strangers to obesity and heart disease either. As a result, the latest recommended US dietary guidelines state that a plant-based diet is healthiest and people need to consume far less meat and more vegetables! Dairy as a food group has also been removed from both the Canadian and US guidelines. (u-s-dietary-guidleines-report)

In the US it is also illegal to advertise eggs as “healthy”, so the industry gets around it by talking about how they give you energy etc. instead. (Eggs aren’t healthy!) While the US diet is still probably the worst in the world, at least there is a counter reaction and fantastic efforts being made to change things. There are chain vegan restaurants all over the US now, and you can even get healthy vegan options in airports! This is something only just starting in most other countries.

And if you think eating fish is safe, think again. Fact – our oceans and rivers are polluted. So if you don’t care about animal cruelty you might consider that the stomachs of most fish are full of heavy metal, hormones (birth control pills we take end up in our water supplies), and chemicals from the enormous amount of plastic waste. (See Great_Pacific_garbage_patch)

Vegan deserts are awesome!

Argue that “everything in moderation” is the solution to this problem, sure. You can, because there is not enough iron clad evidence on the nutritional front that you’d be wrong. Personally, I feel great without meat and dairy, and I’d rather hedge my bets. Given that I pretty much never get sick and only even have a cold once every two years, I’d say my diet has worked for me so far. I was also told at 19 that I had endometriosis, a condition that usually gets worse with age, yet I no longer have any symptoms! Not to mention how often people comment on how healthy I look (without knowing I am vegan). Well over thirty now, I got asked for ID to prove I was over 18 the other day! Just sayin’.

I will add however, it is very important to remember that the same rules of healthy eating apply. If you live on cashew nuts, vegan fake meats, chips and sugary treats, you won’t be healthy! A balanced diet and exercise is still required!

The Environment

A reservoir of Wellington drinking water, just north of the city.