Why try plant-based?

I always try to avoid writing too much about veganism as I don't want to sound preachy but as it is Veganuary I've decided to take the plunge. Before I became vegan I felt that the message was being shoved down my throat so I hope that this post doesn't feel that way and have tried to make it as inclusive as possible. This article is not to encourage you to become vegan or change your lifestyle entirely, I hope that this gives you some inspiration to eat more plants and fewer animal products! I have been vegan for over a year now and love how it makes me feel and the positive effects that it has on the planet. So whether you are a fully-fledged vegan or a complete meat lover here are my favourite reasons to add more plants to your diet.

1. For the animals

For me, this was my biggest reason for becoming vegan. I absolutely adore animals and the idea that they were being killed or harmed for me to eat made me feel extremely uncomfortable. So a few years ago I became a pescatarian, then a vegetarian and finally vegan. After learning more about the treatment of animals on farms I genuinely feel that I am making a kind decision by being vegan. I find it shocking that every year, 74,698,602,839 land animals and 120,000,000,000 fish are slaughtered worldwide (according to FAOSTAT and Mood & Brook, 2017). So even if you can just reduce your meat and animal consumption slightly fewer animals are dying and that is a very good thing. This was what encouraged me to make the shift, I wouldn't eat any of my pets so how are other animals different? I know that these conversations can make people feel annoyed or uncomfortable but I am not trying to condemn your choices or make you a vegan. These are my choices and they work for me. I would love it for you to consider this for you too, do a bit of research, eat less meat and consider making a change. Even a small one can make a big difference.

2. For the planet

Another big thing that inspired me to go vegan is the environmental impact that it can have. Our planet is in a bit of a pickle due to the actions of humans and if we don't make a change soon the consequences could be disastrous. I struggle with huge climate anxiety and worry about the world that I will be living in in the future so doing my bit is incredibly important for me. As we know our oceans are riddled with plastic, the air is polluted and trees are being cut down left right and centre, and sadly animal farming has a big part to play in this. As agriculture is the single biggest cause of air pollution in Europe (Lelieveld, J. et al. 2015. The contribution of outdoor air pollution sources to premature mortality on a global scale. Nature) beginning to cut out animal products seems like a good first step. Another thing that totally shocked me was that if the whole world went vegan it could save up to 8 million lives by 2050 and could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by two thirds (Springmann, M. et al. 2016. Analysis and valuation of the health and climate change cobenefits of dietary change. PNAS.)! This is amazing! I am of course not expecting the whole world to go vegan as that would have its consequences but eating fewer animals is a good start. Just 1 year of veganism can save 365 animals lives, 401,500 gallons of water, 10,950 Sq. ft. of forest and 7300 lbs of CO2. (https://thevegancalculator.com) If you head over to The Vegan Calculator you can calculate your impact from any length of time, which is motivating and fun! It is so easy to sit back and point the blame at someone else but you really can make a difference if you make a change. I know that I won't stop climate change by eating plants or using a reusable bottle but if we all do our bit things will begin to shift.

To learn more about how veganism impacts the planet listen to this podcast episode!

For more advice on how to live sustainably check out the sustainable swaps series!

3. For your health

When I first started considering veganism one of the things that put me of the most (apart from losing cheese and fluffy cakes!) was thinking that it would negatively impact my health. I thought I would be lacking in certain vitamins and struggling to get enough protein. However, since becoming vegan I have learnt that a well planned out vegan diet can be incredibly healthy. As with all diets you have to consider what you are eating and not eating to find balance, you can be an unhealthy vegan just as you can be an unhealthy non-vegan, That being said a plant-based diet can set you on the right track for good health as it has been found that plant-based foods are more protective than animal food groups against chronic diet-related diseases such as diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and cancers (Fardet, A. and Boirie, Y. 2014. Associations between food and beverage groups and major diet-related chronic diseases: an exhaustive review of pooled/meta-analyses and systematic reviews. Nutrition Reviews.) and vegans have the highest intake of fibre and the lowest intake of fat. (Rizzo, N.S. et al. 2013. Nutrient profiles of vegetarian and nonvegetarian dietary patterns. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Key T.J. et al. 2014. Cancer in British vegetarians: updated analyses of 4998 incident cancers in a cohort of 32,491 meat eaters, 8612 fish eaters, 18,298 vegetarians, and 2246 vegans. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.) All of these things help to keep vegans healthy and at a lower risk of diseases. Yay!

To learn more about the positive health effects of a vegan diet I highly recommend listening to this podcast episode

To learn more about how to have a healthy vegan diet listen to this podcast episode and this one too, watch this video and this one too as I find them helpful and insightful.

There is a lot of information out there and it can be difficult to know what to believe so make sure to only listen to qualified people that you trust. As I keep saying please don't feel pressured to make big changes overnight as that is challenging and unsustainable, do what you can and do it in your own time. Even if you just make one little change it will still make a difference!

I really hope you enjoyed this post.

Megan x

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