HEALTH
In December, my dad told me about 'The China Study' by Dr. Campbell. He was on a phone with me and mentioned this massive research collected by one scientist who suggested that the consumption of animal-based foods is very detrimental to our health. I was skeptical: how can some book change my beliefs and turn me into vegetarian, or even vegan? It did not make sense. But, as a person curious about nutrition, I read it. The more I read, the more flabbergasted I became. Animal-based products are correlated with cancer development? With diabetes? Parkinson's? Alzheimer's? Blindness? Heart diseases? Dr. Campbell introduces research from different scientists from all around the world and all of those suggest one thing people never thought of: animal-based foods are... really bad for us. The author named it 'The China Study' after his investigation of Chinese rural communities where plant-based food is prevalent. Chinese rural population rarely suffers from any of the western diseases, and the question is how much is it due to their diet? Rice and vegetables make up their daily ration, and they simply can not afford consuming meat which surprisingly leads to their incredible health results. While on average rural Chinese consume more calories than Americans do, their cases of obesity are fewer by a great number.
I studied more, and I realized another thing that struck me. Our bodies anatomically were never designed to consume meat in a first place. It doesn't come down to only our teeth which are resembling of frugivores' anatomy and not omnivores' or carnivores'. Our digestion system processes food for a much longer period of time than what it takes for an omnivore or carnivore. Our saliva is chemically not designed to boost the process of a meat digestion. In nature, species closest to ours consume fruits. So why do we neglect this critical information and why do we not get educated on what our bodies actually need?
The consumption of dairy is even a weirder concept. It is a liquid meant for baby cows to grow and develop as fast as they can. Why don't people drink giraffe's milk? Once I thought about it and realized what a non-sense it is, dairy became waaaay less appealing and appetizing to me.
One question that is typically asked of vegans/vegetarians is 'Where would you get your protein from?'. I recently watched a documentary called 'What the health?' on Netflix, and it addresses this question in a really nicely put manner. A typical American, highly concerned with the 21-st century hype about sufficient protein intake, consumes more protein than he really needs but he actually lacks fiber. So the real question here is 'Where do you get your fiber from?'. Regarding protein intake, I, a 20-year-old female of an average weight, need around 40 grams of protein per day. When I went vegan, I looked up nutritional information on acai bowls consisting of granola, acai, and fruits. So one bowl from Nekter juice bar has 10 grams of protein already, which satisfies one quarter of my daily intake. Incredible! Who could have thought! One of the doctors being interviewed in "What the health' reveals that he had never had a patient who had an insufficient protein intake. Wonders!
The only supplement I would definitely recommend taking is B12 which is synthesized by bacteria in nature. Animals receive it through consuming unwashed plants, and humans get it through eating animals' tissues. On a vegan diet, because we wash all the fruits and veggies and eliminate the bacteria, taking a supplement makes total sense.
I tried summarizing what I learned about the impact of veganism on health in this portion of my post. In general, I came to strongly believe that people can be perfectly fine off without necessarily eating animal-based products.
If you are interested in health aspect of veganism, watch or read:
1. 'The China Study' by Dr. Campbell
2. 'Forks over Knives'
3. 'What the Health'
ANIMALS
If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be vegetarians. This was another aspect I never truly considered, because I thought it is a cycle of nature for a predator to hunt and a victim to be hunted. However, it is not. What perverted form humans turned this 'cycle of nature' into does not even nearly relate to the concept itself. Yes, animals do get killed, but have you ever thought what life they have before the slaughter stage? An endless suffering from the very beginning until the very end? Cows who get consistently impregnated over the span of their lives in order to be a milk producing machine and die at 4 from the exhaustion instead of 20? Chickens who are placed into tiny cages and made produce 300 eggs a year instead of regular 12? Chickens who eat their own eggs in despair because of a terrible lack of calcium? What??? How did that happen!
There are two short videos I became familiar with over this summer which maintained and furthered my perceptional 180 degrees shift.
This one is about dairy (it is 5 minutes long and absolutely worth watching):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcN7SGGoCNI
This one is about the egg industry (a little longer but still very very very worth giving a try):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utPkDP3T7R4
Later on, the evening I decided to go vegan, I watched Earthlings (http://www.nationearth.com). It was truly one of the most heartbreaking things I've ever seen. I would not be able to describe it (because Joaquin Phoenix narrates it way better) but for anyone with a heart, it is an absolute must-watch. We are born freely just like other species, and it does not give us any rights to turn other earthlings into our property. And if reincarnation is true, being reborn into cattle is one of the most miserable scenarios out there.
I went vegan because I do not want to economically contribute a penny to these heartlessness, deaths, and cruelty. Again, just a year ago, who could have thought.. I couldn't.
ENVIRONMENT
One of the biggest contributors to global warming (which is very real and very terrifying) is agricultural segment. Yes, not transport. Yes, not fossil fuels. Agriculture and livestock. The amount of CO2 being emitted by raising all these animals is way more than we can imagine. Sadly, however, people are rarely educated on this matter as well as the water consumption by this industry. It takes 2500 gallons of water to produce a pound of beef and only 25 gallons to produce a pound of wheat. Terrible hurricanes, ice caps melting, droughts and famine can be prevented or at least highly reduced just if we stop or decrease the consumption of animal-based products.
Environment is one aspect I haven't studied in detail yet, but 'Cowspiracy' on Netflix explains the subject pretty well. Again, it seems very important to me to at least be educated on all these topics, and then make a conscious decision whether you still want to stay an omnivore.
I tried summarizing why and how I got to the place I am at right now. There is so much more to it than what I described, but I might post more information later on. I was a pescatarian for a half a year before I became vegan around a month ago. All of the research I did implies that this is the most proper way to nourish yourself and not harm anyone, including our planet and other species. While I do not want to force my perspective upon anyone, I feel it is important to individuals who care about their health to realize what is truly happening behind the scenes. Some people might be concerned with how doable is veganism, and I can answer that I haven't regretted my decision even once ever since I went plant-based. I could not feel happier about my new diet and about myself at this point. We will see how it goes, but at this point I see it as the most sensible and the most kind solution.
