WHY VEGAN?
What is Veganism?
Veganism is a lifestyle that chooses to exclude all forms of exploitation and cruelty to animals as much as possible and practical. This includes food, clothing, beauty products, entertainment, or any other purpose that involves the killing or use of any non-human animal. Veganism promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives to benefit animals, humans, and the environment. Ultimately, veganism means respect for all lives.
.png)
For Animals
Our consumption of meat and animal byproducts causes animals unnecessary suffering. Animals die far before their true lifespan because of animal agriculture practices.
-
Chickens for MeatAbout 50 billion chickens are killed for their meat every year. Chickens raised for meat are called “Broiler” Chickens and are typically crammed into sunless, unsanitary, stuffy barns with 20,000 other chickens in which they never breathe fresh air or see natural daylight. The chickens in these coops live on top of their own feces and need antibiotics regularly to stay alive long enough to grow to the right size to be killed for meat. A combination of excessive feeding, hormones, and no exercise makes chickens grow unnaturally quick and disproportionate. Since their muscles grow so quickly, but their bones and organs don’t catch up, chickens often deal with heart failure, leg weakness, trouble breathing, and chronic pain.
-
Chickens for EggsTo keep up with the demand of the U.S egg industry, 340 million hens are used for egg production each year. Hens are often crammed into tiny cages, no bigger than an A4 sheet of paper, along with seven other hens. Their beaks are often cut to reduce pecking at each other because of these extreme conditions. In these warehouses, cages are installed on top of one another allowing hen droppings to fall into cages below onto other hens. Most hens die in their cages because they never receive veterinary care for the diseases that manifest due to the unnatural pace they are forced to lay eggs. Male chicks born from egg-laying hens are immediately killed in a grinder at just a day old because they will never lay an egg and won’t gain weight quick enough for meat production.
-
Cows for BeefBefore they are ever brutally slaughtered, cows killed for beef are forced to live a traumatic life. Cows are branded for identification, castrated to reduce aggression, and have their horns cut or burned off. While they are waiting to die, cows are held on massive feedlots with their own feces which makes them sick. If they don’t die from the unsanitary conditions, they are fed grain and corn, instead of their natural diet of grass, to fatten them up quickly. This can make it hard for the cows to breathe due to bloating and it can give them ulcers from an increase in stomach acid. To keep them alive in these miserable conditions and through these many health problems, cows are pumped with antibiotics. In turn, if humans eat these cows treated with antibiotics they can become immune to the antibiotic when they need it the most.
-
Cows for DairyCows produce milk to feed their young, this can only happen once they give birth. In order to meet the demands of the dairy industry, female cows are constantly artificially inseminated by factory farm operators. Once the calf is born, they are torn away from their mother within a day of birth. Mother cows are traumatized and call out for their baby for days afterwards. They are then hooked up to milking machines twice a day. To increase their production even more, cows are dosed with bovine growth hormone (rBGH) which can give the cow painful inflammation of their udder. The constant impregnation and lactation overworks the cow and they end up dying around age 5, instead of their natural lifespan of 20. They are then turned into soup or food for dogs and cats since they are too “spent” to be used for anything else.
-
Pigs for PorkWhen pigs are born they are taken away from their mothers within a couple weeks. Their tails are then chopped off, the ends of their teeth are snipped off with pliers, and males are castrated. Pigs are then confined to cramped and filthy metal crates and forced to lie on wet, feces covered floors. Once the time comes for them to be slaughtered, they are forced onto transport trucks where many of them die from overheating or freezing. According to industry reports, over 1 million pigs die in transport each year. If they make it to slaughter, pigs are then dumped into scalding water tanks to remove their hair and soften their skin. They are then stunned with stun guns which might not even render them unconscious. Pigs then enter the assembly line of death in which they are hung upside down to bleed out quicker once their throats and bodies have been slit.
-
Fish for SeafoodMore fish are killed for food each year than all other animals combined. More than half are raised in aquafarms on land in which they are confined to filthy and cramped net or mesh enclosures. In these conditions, fish get parasites, diseases, and injuries. Most of the fish die before they are killed for food because of the environment they are forced into. If they don’t die, they are forced to starve so they don’t contaminate the water during transport. There have also been numerous studies indicating fish do in fact, feel pain, when they are killed.
For the Planet
Every single thing we have comes from the planet Earth. It’s easy to forget how much we use the environment through our basic existence. One of the greatest ways you can help reduce your carbon footprint is to avoid all animal products.
Animal based diets waste a massive amount of resources. The production of meat requires land and water to grow crops to feed these animals, causing deforestation, habitat loss, and species extinction.
Producing beef requires 1,800 gallons of water per pound of flesh and four to eight times the emissions that it takes to produce the same amount of pork, chicken, or eggs. But all have a larger climate-changing footprint than plant based proteins.
Aside from the devastating effect eating animal products has on our planet, it also has social consequences. People who live in impoverished communities end up growing food for animal feed instead of growing food for themselves, causing world malnutrition.
The high demand seafood industry has caused fishermen to use a technique called bottom trawling which takes a huge weighted net and drags it along the ocean floor destroying ocean habitats. Aside from fish, sharks, turtles and dolphins also end up dying in these nets since it’s a literal “catch all” fishing practice.
For Your Health
You might be surprised to find out animal products aren’t as essential for your health as you grew up to believe. Studies show vegan diets have been linked to lower blood pressure, cholesterol, lower rates of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and some types of cancer. The World Health Organization has also made the positive connection between eating red meat and colorectal cancer.
By eating less saturated fat from meat, milk, and eggs you’ll gain the opportunity to improve your diet by introducing more whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds into your diet. The vegan diet is one full of fibre, vitamins and minerals to help you feel your best.