It wasn’t for the animals. Although today it’s also — and a lot — for them, in the beginning it wasn’t. When someone asked me why I was so interested in veganism “all of a sudden,” I gritted my teeth and said shyly, “I’m interested in improving my own health.”
That sounded like a selfish desire to me, overshadowed by a much more noble cause of veganism, which is the defense of life and the freedom of animals. I was motivated to save my own life, to establish a minimally balanced relationship with my body and my diet, to cure myself of eating disorders that had been with me since my adolescence.
Nobody has any doubts that vegetables, vegetables, fruits, grains and seeds are the basis of healthy eating (those who still have it, can consult the Ministry of Health’s Food Guide for the Brazilian Population).
People who eat diets high in animal protein are four times more likely to die of cancer than those who eat diets low in animal protein. A diet based on the consumption of animal products and rich in saturated fats is the main cause of death from heart disease.
Obesity, diabetes and so many other diseases can be avoided with a plant-based whole-based diet with a minimum of ultra-processed foods, the so-called whole plant-based diet.
It’s no wonder that YouTube’s search for plant-based diets has grown threefold in the last seven years, and reached one million views in 2020. Google searches for the term “veganism” have increased 941% over the past eight years. The vegan and vegetarian population in Brazil is already around 30 million, according to a survey carried out by Ibope in 2020.
This escalation of veganism in Brazil and around the world is exciting. We are entering minds, homes, shelves and businesses that have historically been filled with an animal-centric way of eating and dressing. All of a sudden, being vegan became pop, and understanding this phenomenon only comes when we expand the core of veganism beyond the animal cause.
If it is true that the term “vegan” was coined in 1944 by Donald Watson as part of the creation of Vegan Society (London) to designate a way of life that seeks to exclude, as far as possible, all forms of exploitation and cruelty to animals, it is also true that the reasons why people have approached veganism are no longer “just ” by the animal question.
It’s not just for the animals, but it’s not just for the health either.
The climate crisis is now a gimmick, especially for the younger generations. According to WHO data, 13 million people die annually from environmental factors, such as water and air contamination.
Alone, livestock is responsible for 25% of national emissions of greenhouse gases – this without taking into account the entire reserve of carbon returned to the atmosphere with the advance of deforestation in the Amazon and the Cerrado.
Livestock activity goes hand in hand with grain monocultures such as soybeans and corn, which, in turn, dump fertilizers and pesticides on the soil that alter the natural cycles of the earth, increase the emission of greenhouse gases and contaminate the waters.
If we were to name the main agent of the climate crisis, it would be “cattle”. If we want to give full name and surname: gases, urine and feces from oxen and cows, and all the deforestation promoted by the creation and cultivation of grain for these animals and their cronies chickens, chickens and pigs.
On Sunday, October 31st, COP26 begins, with the central concern of reducing carbon dioxide emissions in order to control the increase in global temperature. One day later, on November 1st, World Veganism Day is celebrated. These two dates have more in common than might seem.
When I confessed some time ago to a vegan friend and animal rights activist that it was concern for my own health that led me to approach veganism, she smiled and said, “It’s okay, in practice the result is the same, fewer animals are being killed”.
Fewer natural resources are being consumed, less greenhouse gases are being emitted. Less fat accumulating in my arteries. Why be vegan for just one reason when it could be for the environment, health and animals?
.
I am currently a news writer for News Bulletin247 where I mostly cover sports news. I have always been interested in writing and it is something I am very passionate about. In my spare time, I enjoy reading and spending time with my family and friends.
