The Pros And Cons Of Veganism

America has always been known for their consumption of large amounts of animal products. Whether its actual cuts of meat or dairy products, American companies are willing to use whatever they can from the animal to make the most products they can. So why all of the sudden is there an urge to be completely animal product free? Keep in mind, whether we like it or not veganism has been around for over thousands of years, and is becoming one of the most popular health transitions. As most of us know, veganism is the act of abstaining from any animal products that you can consume or even wear. Veganism is a stand to abolish animal cruelty and ultimately eliminate the harming of animals for human use. This includes all dairy, eggs, Vegan practices can be traced all the way back to the BC’s. The first vegan practice can be found in the writings of the Greek philosopher and mathematician, Pythagoras. It was said that he started this practice because he practiced compassion regarding animal species. Later on in history Dr. William Lambe and Percy Bysshe Shelley began to publicly come out about their opinions toward animal products. Their first attempt at publicly withstanding from animal products was when they refused eggs or dairy. This resistance of animal products was similar to Pythagoras, because it was done based on ethical standings. Therefore, in November 1944, Donald Watson came to a realization that if he could bring together more people who had similar beliefs as his, he might be able to fight the negative opposition he was receiving from the public. Donald gathered six other people who practiced veganism, and held a meeting regarding how they were going to impact the world with what they believed to be the best lifestyle choice. One of the most important notitions this group had was to develop a name to call themselves that no one would forget. After hours of contemplation, they came up with the name vegan. Resulting in instant exposure the name “vegan” began to make a large impact on the world. The first modern vegans were seen as hardcore tree huggers or hippies. As time went on more …show more content…
One of the most well known pros would be that it can help lower cholesterol. There was a study done in 2007 on type 2 diabetes, that started with placing people on a vegan diets. After placing them on the diet there was a twenty-one percent decrease in their LDL (low density lipoprotein). From this study, it was also shown that this health transition can lower blood pressure and also encourage over all increase in self-control. Regarding cons, this change in diet can be a radical for people. The way that vegans have to shop and eat out is one of the biggest struggles that people have when starting a vegan diet. There will also be an extreme loss of essential vitamins and minerals. One of the most well known losses regarding vegan diets is the complete lack of B-12. This is an essential nutrient that vegans will have to find in an alternative form. This alternative form is not as effective due to the fact that it was manufactured into a pill form, or inserted into a soy product. Although there are several pros and cons to a vegan diet, this lifestyle choice is personal and like any other changes it comes with good and