Plant-based Diets

Consuming a meat-heavy diet is equally as damaging to human health as the factory farming that produces the meat. For years, humans are born into societies where consuming meat and other animal products have been considered normal. There are many misconceptions and tons of misleading information coming straight from the agricultural industries regarding the necessity to eat meat. The meat and dairy industries feed people propaganda that animal products have key nutrients that we cannot get elsewhere, and it is simply untrue. Researchers began examining the human diet as diseases such as diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular disease started to rise. When looking at humans that have a heavy intake of plants, scientists found that a plant-based diet leads to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease. These diets also show evidence to decrease inflammation throughout the body. Other studies have found that people who consume a plant-based diet are less susceptible to hypertension, stroke, coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, asthma, and rheumatoid arthritis (Caffrey, 2019). Meat, in general, poses a health risk to those who consume it. Many facilities that produce meat also pump their cattle or chicken with antibiotics and hormones to increase the size of the animals; this is also a contributing factor to health risks. There are also many toxins that have been proven to be carcinogens to humans such as mercury, cadmium, and synthetic estrogens. These have been found in meat and fish products farmed near industrial facilities or fished from waters that have had industrial waste spilled into them (Caffrey, 2019). When I went vegetarian, I initially did it for the animals. I was not comfortable with the inhumane treatment and did not want to fund these unnecessary industries. As I did more research, the health benefits of not consuming meat were just a plus. However, I did realize that I was less tired, felt more aware, and overall felt better just months after I stopped consuming meat.

I have been a vegetarian for about three to four years (I can’t remember exactly how long). Being 21 years old, I grew up hearing about climate changes and the dangers it imposes on the survival of species. I took a contemporary issues class in high school and chose to do a project on the environment. That was where I really saw the cruel treatment imposed on these “farm” animals. I, personally, did not want to contribute to companies that profit off of the exploitation of animals when there are perfectly other ways to obtain nutrition. Somewhere along my journey of benevolence, I stumbled across Ed Winters, or Earthling Ed. He is a vegan activist, public speaker, and the co-founder of Surge, an animal rights organization that is determined to create a world where compassion for all non-human living beings is the norm (Earthling Ed, 2020). I remember one of the things he said was when we eat a meal with meat, it only lasts a couple of minutes for us, but it costs that animal their entire life. It was so profound to hear that; it was like a revelation. Ed Winters is also very similar to Jeremy Bentham and Peter Singer, two people we discussed at length in class. I make this comparison because all three philosophers agree that animals can feel pain and suffering, and that is the common equalizer for whether things deserve equal treatment. Ed Winters says “The fact that animals experience pain means that they have an innate preference to avoid it. Therefore it is our moral obligation to protect them from unnecessary suffering - however we have normalised exploiting them in the trillions, profiting from their gentleness and their innocence” (Earthling Ed, 2020).

Thanks for reading! Find my sources below! :)

Sources:

Caffrey, C. (2019). Plant-based diet. Salem Press Encyclopedia of Health. Retrieved from

https://ezproxy.snhu.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ers&AN=121772976&site=eds-live&scope=site

Earthling Ed: Vegan Activist, Public Speaker & Educator. (2020). Retrieved from

https://earthlinged.org/

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