“Is Veganism on the Rise?”
The word "vegan" alone simply can cause many people to scrunch up their nose or immediately tune out. So why is it becoming more popular? In a study conducted by the Vegetarian Resource Group in 2012 it showed that 2.5% of the country considered themselves vegan, which is over double the 1% it was in 2009 (Sareen). Becoming a vegan or vegetarian has become easier than ever, and there are a variety of reasons people do it: to save animals, to become healthier, and to help the environment.
Helping stop the abuse of animals is the main reason for most people to choose to be vegan and to stay vegan as well. The main association with vegans is that they do it because they think all living creatures have a right to live, and some vegans do think that way. More commonly, however, is that they want to stop animal cruelty and exploitation. Vegetarianism is a bit easier since they still eat animal products- but vegans try to prevent the suffering of animals in the dairy and egg industry as well (“Why”). According to PETA, vegans save 198 animals a year. In 2008-2009, land animals killed to be eaten by Americans dropped by 300 million. Compared to 2006, that number dropped by 600 million, which is a pretty big drop. From 2008 to 2009 Americans also decreased their fish intake by 500 million (PETA). These numbers and statistics by a PETA mathematician Noam Mohr. …show more content…
Mohr has many other calculations on American’s consumption of meat. The reason a vegan “saves” 198 animals each year is because of the less demand for meat they cause. Less demand equals less supply, thus less animals are bred just to be slaughtered (PETA).
So the numbers show a slight but steady rise of veganism and decreased demand of meat, there should be other causes for why more people want to change their diets to vegan or vegetarian. Apparently a lot of people are turning to a vegan diet for all the health benefits it gives them. Studies have shown that a vegan diet could lead to better heart health, improved diabetes, and a lower rate of obesity. In fact, most vegans claim to have more energy and younger looking skin (Sareen).
This is because plant-based diets are much more rich in protein, iron, calcium, and other vitamins and minerals. These nutrients are low in saturated fat because they are plant-based. This also means they are high in fiber and have a lot of antioxidants, all things that help improve health and health issues. This are all scientifically proven benefits compared to the average American diet (“Why”). There is also data from the Adventist Health Study that proves the decreased risk of colorectal and prostate cancer in vegetarians/vegans versus non-vegetarians. An important point in lowering the risk for cancer is that the BMI of vegans is much lower than non-vegetarians. Also, since meat is avoided, vegans don’t take the risk in eating red meat, which is consistently associated with more colorectal cancer. More studies however will help understand the effects of vegan diets and cancer, especially with long-term vegans (Craig). Another reason more and more people are becoming vegan is to help the environment. Crops and water that is needed to feed the animals transport of animals, and amount of grain feed necessary for meat production is bad for the environment. It
The word "vegan" alone simply can cause many people to scrunch up their nose or immediately tune out. So why is it becoming more popular? In a study conducted by the Vegetarian Resource Group in 2012 it showed that 2.5% of the country considered themselves vegan, which is over double the 1% it was in 2009 (Sareen). Becoming a vegan or vegetarian has become easier than ever, and there are a variety of reasons people do it: to save animals, to become healthier, and to help the environment.
Helping stop the abuse of animals is the main reason for most people to choose to be vegan and to stay vegan as well. The main association with vegans is that they do it because they think all living creatures have a right to live, and some vegans do think that way. More commonly, however, is that they want to stop animal cruelty and exploitation. Vegetarianism is a bit easier since they still eat animal products- but vegans try to prevent the suffering of animals in the dairy and egg industry as well (“Why”). According to PETA, vegans save 198 animals a year. In 2008-2009, land animals killed to be eaten by Americans dropped by 300 million. Compared to 2006, that number dropped by 600 million, which is a pretty big drop. From 2008 to 2009 Americans also decreased their fish intake by 500 million (PETA). These numbers and statistics by a PETA mathematician Noam Mohr. …show more content…
Mohr has many other calculations on American’s consumption of meat. The reason a vegan “saves” 198 animals each year is because of the less demand for meat they cause. Less demand equals less supply, thus less animals are bred just to be slaughtered (PETA).
So the numbers show a slight but steady rise of veganism and decreased demand of meat, there should be other causes for why more people want to change their diets to vegan or vegetarian. Apparently a lot of people are turning to a vegan diet for all the health benefits it gives them. Studies have shown that a vegan diet could lead to better heart health, improved diabetes, and a lower rate of obesity. In fact, most vegans claim to have more energy and younger looking skin (Sareen).
This is because plant-based diets are much more rich in protein, iron, calcium, and other vitamins and minerals. These nutrients are low in saturated fat because they are plant-based. This also means they are high in fiber and have a lot of antioxidants, all things that help improve health and health issues. This are all scientifically proven benefits compared to the average American diet (“Why”). There is also data from the Adventist Health Study that proves the decreased risk of colorectal and prostate cancer in vegetarians/vegans versus non-vegetarians. An important point in lowering the risk for cancer is that the BMI of vegans is much lower than non-vegetarians. Also, since meat is avoided, vegans don’t take the risk in eating red meat, which is consistently associated with more colorectal cancer. More studies however will help understand the effects of vegan diets and cancer, especially with long-term vegans (Craig). Another reason more and more people are becoming vegan is to help the environment. Crops and water that is needed to feed the animals transport of animals, and amount of grain feed necessary for meat production is bad for the environment. It