Life As a Vegan

A what? A vegan…you know tree-loving, pot-smoking, free loving hippies. Where this image was conjured from is beyond me but when labeled the aforementioned from time to time I take it with a degree of flattery. To be honest unless you’ve eaten a meal with me you would probably never know that what goes in my mouth and what I wear on my feet is any different than 97% of the population in the West.

So before delving into an explanation of why this challenge is a worthy and recently press-making issue let me explain what exactly vegan is. If you have a vegan or vegetarian friend you may have heard them describe their choice as one that doesn’t involve the consuming of anything that had a face or a mother, or the tireless quote from the Simpsons “I’m a level 5 vegan…I don’t eat anything with a shadow”. Although this last reference is clearly impossible the idea is embedded that vegans don’t eat any form of flesh (red meat, chicken, fish) or any of the byproducts that come from them (eggs or dairy). Now if you have never heard of this lifestyle before or the reasons for choosing to practice it (yes, people make this their choice) stick with me as I explain why thousands of people each year are hopping on the green wagon to a healthier and more humane lifestyle.

The pathway that led me to choosing vegan as a personal lifestyle happened just over seven years ago when I came across a little blue business card with the picture of a friendly pig on it that said “Free Vegetarian Starter Kit”. I sent away for the kit and in about two weeks time I had my mind opened to a world of unnecessary cruelty that changed the way I would think about food for the rest of my life. When I first told my friends and family I was going vegan they were convinced I would die and to be honest the first few weeks had me wondering the same thing. Low energy, mood swings and frustrations of feeling as though I had been shunned from society.

Once I realized that you can’t just ‘cut out’ without ‘filling in’ and I had finished going through my withdrawals of growth enhancing hormones I was feeling a level of life unimaginable, one that has continued to grow since I first took the plunge. Everyone is different and depending on your current diet and lifestyle making changes will affect you in different ways. Learn to listen to your body, research what it needs and find sources of natural and nutrition dense foods to keep you functioning at optimal levels. Although for me the initial choice was for the welfare of animals the years since the first big step have expanded my knowledge on the health and environmental benefits an animal-free diet can provide.


Health

We’ll start here because although some people still deny the necessity of the environment it is ludicrous to deny the importance of our health on our happiness and functionality. The longstanding saying “you are what you eat” is a pretty good summarization of the correlation between consuming animal products and the health affects (or rather defects) imposed on your well-being. Heart disease, cancer, strokes, obesity and wait for it….IMPOTENCY are amongst the most scientifically tested and heavily documented ailments that have been known to increase with the consumption of meat or decrease with the adoption of a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle. Most of these account for the high levels of cholesterol, fat, antibiotics and growth hormones that animal flesh and byproducts contain. If heart attacks and a dependency on Viagra seem too far in the distance for you to second-guess your meal choices let me just whisper the words mad cow, bird flu, swine flu and meat recalls.

Environment

Earth, the place we call home, unless you are convinced in the next century life on a nearby planet will be attainable and up to a similar comfort level as the one we currently enjoy you may want to consider the consequences your food choices may be creating. To sustain our current demand for animal products we are depleting land, polluting our air and water and contributing vast amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere at an alarming rate. Climate change and global warming are two of the largest political and social issues on the global agenda with scientists linking greenhouses gases to the leading cause of these environmental disasters. The number one contributor of all greenhouse gases is the production of meat for food, which accounts for more than all of the cars and trucks in the world combined. Alternative modes of transportation, efficient appliances and recycling are all a step in the right direction but what you choose to stick your fork into could reduce an even larger carbon footprint than you thought. Although switching to more fuel efficient cars is a step in the right direction, a study done by the University of Chicago shows that by switching to a vegan diet 1.5 tons of CO2 emissions can be eliminated each year compared to the estimated 1 ton prevented by switching to a Toyota Prius over a typical large sedan.

Animals

Now although this is the reason I can go to an all-you-can-eat buffet and eat nothing but a plate high of avocado rolls and steamed rice I have found it the most difficult issue to reason with people on. I won’t spend this time trying convince you that farm animals are just as worthy of companionship as dogs and cats by wowing you with evidence that pigs can play video games, cows like a good nuzzle and chickens know how to control heating in their coops. What I will bring to attention though is the absolutely inhumane practices that are unnecessarily committed against millions of animals each day. The green pastures of grazing cows and happy chickens dusting themselves in the sun is something more likely to be found in children’s story books or in distant memories of farming traditions put out of business by large corporate practices. Think the 7-mainline is tight in the morning, try living out your entire life crammed into a cage or pen without enough room to even turn around or lay down, standing in your own feces and listening to the sound of your family members screaming as they are being slaughtered day and night, wondering when you are up next. Although I don’t see the difference between animals we call pets and those we call dinner I do know that most people are appalled when they realize the unnecessary pain and violence that is incurred to bring them dinner.

A challenge cannot be labeled as such without a few inconveniences so here are a few of the road blocks (*cough,excuses,cough*) I’ve heard along the way:

“But ‘insert fast food restaurant’ is cheap and convenient“ – Yes and it is also high in fat, cholesterol, often lacks nutritional value and frequently uses leftover pieces of animal flesh you wouldn’t consider giving your dog. There is a reason you are getting an entire meal for under $5.

“Vegetarian’s are wimps (or another word for emasculated men).” – Really? If the above information on the connections between health and a diet low in animal foods wasn’t enough consider these world-class athletes who are vegan and vegetarian. Ridgely Abele (winner of eight national championships in karate), Brenda Brazier (professional Ironman triathlete), Stan Price (world weightlifting record holder for bench press), Bill Pearl (four-time Mr. Universe), Ruth Heidrich (six-time Ironwoman, USA track and field Master’s champion) and the list goes on.

“I love meat/cheese too much” – It’s true we live in a meat and dairy world, here in North America anyways, and a life without these foods seems a lot less exciting especially when you are out with your friends for dinner and your options of something to eat dwindle down to side salads and baked potatoes (hold the sour cream). I could insert all of the age-old quotes on the value of a challenge but we are here in University living a handful of much larger challenges every day. What does a little chicken or cheese have on you? Educate yourself and you won’t second-guess your reasons to make a more healthy and compassionate choice.

This article is only an overview and only briefly scratches the surface on the connections between animals for food and health, the environment and their ethical treatment. If you really do want to take the challenge but don’t know where to start or feel overwhelmed don’t talk yourself out of it before you’ve given it an honest attempt. Check out some of the links below, check our WPIRG’s “How to be Veg Workshop’ September 17 or send me an email and we can meet up over a veggie taco salad at Bomber.

Vegetariantimes.com – an online version of the magazine offers health articles, recipes and an abundance of resources
GoVeg.com – a plethora of information pertaining to health, the environment, animal welfare, recipes and ethical shopping
Earthlings.com – award-winning documentary about the suffering of animals for food, fashion, pets, entertainment and medical research
VegWeb.com – for every traditional recipe this site provides a least a half dozen vegan versions