reasons for veganism/vegetarianism part 1

1. Meat makes you sick.

"The vast majority, perhaps 80 to 90 perent of all cancers, cardiovascular diseases, and other forms of degenerative illness can be prevented, at least until very old age, simply by adopting a plant-based diet."
- T. Colin Campell, Ph.D., M.S., Professor Emeritius of Nutritional Biochemistry at Cornell University

This quote was used by Melanie Joy to show how inconsequent the public health departments work, when they force labels on to cigaret packages (which itself is a good thing in my opinion), while not demanding labels on meat.

She then gives examples what those labels might state, such as "Surgeon General's Warning: Eating Meat Can Increase Your Risk of Dying from Heart Disease by 50 Percent." (quoted from Why we love dogs, eat pigs and wear cows, first published in 2010 by Red Wheel Weiser, pg. 92) or even more dramatically: "Surgeon General's Warning: Eating Meat Can Increase Your Risk of Developing Colon Cancer by 300 Percent [...]" (also quoted from Why we love dogs, eat pigs and wear cows, first published in 2010 by Red Wheel Weiser, pg. 92).

With saying this I like to address those people, who aren't responding to the more obvious reasons for not eating meat just like how the animals are treated and (also the fact that they are) killed. I made the experience that those people are at least concerned about their own health, even so they are still too deeply in the carnistic state of self-protecting denial.
But what this also demonstrates: We are constantly lied to by doctors and nutritionists. Maybe they don't even know better, but more likely they know that most people wouldn't accept the suggestion of simply changing their eating habits and of course they make much more money of us, if they can make us buy expensive medication...


2. Vegan = delicious

People often tell me: "But if your vegan, you can't eat anything!". I usually tell them the following: "Well, what do you eat now? Your staple foods are most likely (if you live just a little bit healthy ;) ) noodles, rice and potatos. These are all vegan. So for my main meal I usually eat one of those with vegetables, as part of a soup or stew or with a sauce. It's not that different to what you eat!".  And just to have mentioned it, there is a wide range of "burgers", "sausages" and such made out of soy or bean curd, in case you feel like that also needs to be part of you meals.

Usually most people then agree that a vegetarian diet is at least possible, but still not a vegan one, as that would mean no chocolate or cheese (of course no other products made out of milk, no egg, no honey, etc. - but chocolate and cheese is what many feel like they would crave for most). But what they don't know is that in fact most chocolate with a cacao percentage around 75% or higher is naturally vegan. Of course there are also other products that can replace milk chocolate. When it comes to cheese there are also products that can serve as substitutions, actually there are products replacing most kinds of cheese, so if you feel like having lasagna, thats also possible for vegans! Just put spinach in instead of the meat and put soy-cheese shreds on top.

The pictures you can see in this article here are of course of vegan dishes and I'm sorry if they aren't that mouthwatering to you. I have to admit I'm really not the best nor the most patient cook and these where just my main meals for the past few days. So if you check out some vegan websites, there are really good recipes and more appealing pictures ;) If you're on facebook there are also various groups exchanging vegan recepies. You can make vegan brownies, muffins, pancakes, cakes and pretty much anything else you can think of! Often it's not even a bit harder than making them the way you are used to now.

Just try out some stuff!

And in case you would like to become a vegan, but you're not sure how to do it then just try to be vegan for a week and then go back to before. Then live vegan for another week some time later and you'll see how easy it really is and how much you will benefit from it!