Is it time to ditch chicken, pork and lamb for a healthier sun-food diet? It is 2021, and we are no longer blind to our actions as decades ago. We are slowly killing our planet and in essence, our animals to extinction. Over the past decade, we witnessed a vast movement of woke civilians standing up against eating anything with a heartbeat. After years of supporting the slaughter of our fellow sentient friends, meat-eaters are shunning their Sunday roast pork luncheons and Saturday morning bacon-and-eggs for fresh fruit, mineral-rich green juices, and vegetable protein burgers, steaks and schnitzels—and here's why.
The Meat Industry Consumes Vast Amounts of Water
Livestock production is damaging to the environment. Many invisible threads connect nature to our plates and the products we use—but of them all, water is the lifeblood. It takes around 13,000 litres of water to produce 1kg of beef, 1,020 litres to produce a litre of milk, and 5,060 litres for just a kilogram of cheese. Yet, it takes ONLY around 285 litres of water to process a kilogram of carrots, 56 litres to produce a kilo of lettuce, 98 litres for a kilogram of tomatoes, and 113 litres to produce a kilogram of potatoes. Pound for pound—meat has a much higher footprint than vegetables. However, the water component of your food is only a fraction of why people prefer vegan food.
Do No Harm to Animals
Is it right to trap, cage, torture, and slaughter other sentient beings to satisfy man's decadent appetite? The suffering of animals in factory farming is one of the worst crimes in history, and going vegan is one of the best things you can do to help stop animal cruelty. Every year, the meat industry rips billions of innocent babies away from their mothers to eat, sleep and breed. That is their entire existence, and once the mothers are no longer profitable—with nothing left to give, they land on supermarket shelves. The cycle is never-ending, and we are slowly killing innocent creatures that have just as a right to be here as we do—if not more.
You Are What You Eat
Veganism, the plant-based diet which shuns meat and dairy, is having its time in the sun. However, preventing the exploitation of water and animals are not the only reasons for this selfless lifestyle choice. Fresh, chlorophyll-rich vegan foods provide many health benefits. While some would argue that vegetables contain pesticides, meat, poultry, and fish contain a cocktail of growth and packing chemicals.
Consequently, the more you eat these processed foods that are anything but fresh, the more your body absorbs these chemicals. From chlorine baths that bleach chicken to look attractive, carbon monoxide injections to add that pink colour, to all those antibiotics pumped into livestock over its lifespan—eating meat increases the chances of developing 21st-century degenerative cancers. It is a fact.
Getting food from plants packed with fibre, vitamins, minerals, and protein promotes healthier living. Not only do you get to make a difference in your own life, but in the lives of animals and the planet. And with so many delicious and healthy plant-based foods available—going vegan is now easier than ever.