Are you just thinking about going vegan, or maybe you are already following a plant-based lifestyle, but you lack the arguments to convince your friends and loved ones of its benefits?
Let’s remember exactly how veganism helps the planet. These reasons are compelling enough to make people seriously consider going vegan.
Veganism fights world hunger
Most of the food grown around the world is not eaten by humans. In fact, 70% of the grain grown in the US goes to feed livestock, and globally, 83% of farmland is dedicated to raising animals.
It is estimated that 700 million tons of food that could be consumed by humans goes to livestock every year.
And although meat has more calories than plants, if this land were destined for various plants, the combined amount of calories contained in them would exceed the current levels of animal products.
In addition, deforestation, overfishing, and pollution caused by the meat and fish industry are limiting the Earth’s overall ability to produce food.
If more farmland were used to grow crops for people, more people could be fed with less of the planet’s resources.
The world will have to accept this as the global population is expected to reach or exceed 2050 billion by 9,1. There simply isn’t enough land on the planet to produce enough meat to feed all the meat-eaters. In addition, the earth will not be able to cope with the pollution that this can cause.
Veganism conserves water resources
Hundreds of millions of people around the world do not have access to clean water. More people struggle with occasional water shortages, sometimes due to drought and sometimes due to mismanagement of water sources.
Livestock use more fresh water than any other industry. It is also one of the largest pollutants of fresh water.
The more plants will replace livestock, the more water will be around.
It takes 100-200 times as much water to produce a pound of beef as it does to produce a pound of plant food. Reducing beef consumption by just one kilogram saves 15 liters of water. And replacing fried chicken with veggie chili or bean stew (which has similar protein levels) saves 000 liters of water.
Veganism cleanses the soil
Just as animal husbandry pollutes the water, it also destroys and weakens the soil. This is partly due to the fact that raising livestock leads to deforestation – to make way for pastures, huge tracts of land are cleared of various elements (such as trees) that provide nutrients and stability to the land.
Every year man cuts down enough forests to cover an area of Panama, and this also accelerates climate change because trees hold carbon.
On the contrary, growing a variety of plants nourishes the soil and ensures the earth’s long-term sustainability.
Veganism reduces energy consumption
Raising livestock requires a lot of energy. This is due to a wide range of factors, including: animal breeding takes a long time; they consume a lot of land-grown food that could be used for other purposes; meat products must be transported and cooled; The meat production process itself, from the slaughterhouse to the store shelves, is time-consuming.
Meanwhile, the costs of obtaining vegetable proteins can be 8 times less than those for obtaining animal proteins.
Veganism cleans the air
Raising livestock around the world causes air pollution on a par with all cars, buses, planes, ships and other modes of transport.
Plants purify the air.
Veganism improves public health
All the nutrients you need can be provided by a vegan diet. Fresh vegetables, fruits, and other vegan foods are full of nutrients that meat simply doesn’t have.
You can get all the protein you need from peanut butter, quinoa, lentils, beans, and more.
Medical research confirms that eating red meat and processed meat increases the risk of cancer, heart disease, stroke, and other health complications.
Many people eat foods high in sugar, preservatives, chemicals, and other ingredients that can make you feel bad, make you feel lethargic on a daily basis, and lead to long-term health problems. And at the center of this diet is usually meat.
Of course, vegans sometimes eat highly processed junk food. But veganism teaches you to be aware of the ingredients in the foods you eat. This habit will most likely teach you to eat fresher, healthier foods over time.
It’s amazing how well-being improves when the body receives healthy food!
Veganism is ethical
Let’s face it: animals deserve a good life. They are smart and gentle creatures.
Animals should not suffer from birth to death. But such is the life of many of them when they are born in factories.
Some meat producers are changing production conditions to avoid public stigma, but the vast majority of the meat products you encounter in restaurants and grocery stores are produced under dismal conditions.
If you eliminate meat from at least a few meals a week, you can break away from this grim reality.
Meat is at the heart of many diets. It plays a central role during breakfast, lunch and dinner in the lives of many people.
It is on the menu of almost every restaurant. It is in everyone in the supermarket. Meat is plentiful, relatively cheap and satisfying.
But this puts a serious strain on the planet, is unhealthy and completely unethical.
People need to think about going vegan, or at least starting to take steps towards it, for the sake of the planet and for themselves.