There is one experience that I will remember for the rest of my life that will forever change how I act, think, and feel. One night, about three months ago in May of this year, I was looking for a documentary to watch on Netflix. Since the beginning of 2016 I had been going back and forth about the idea of becoming vegan. Vegan is like a strict vegetarian. Not only do vegans not eat meat but they also don’t consume dairy products. I am a huge animal lover and advocate. This made me feel like such a hypocrite every time I took a bite of meat. This lead me to watch the documentary Vegucated that night.
I was so scared to watch it at first. I loved eating meat. Not only did I loved eating meat but I loved dairy. I loved eating cheesecake, ice cream, and chocolate cake! Not to mention I am from Wisconsin, the dairy state, so I could never get enough of
I also come from a family who loves their brats, burgers, and grilled chicken. As if we could not be more similar I am also I very picky eater. I do like vegetables and beans but I am still picky. Which made me think it would be impossible to adapt to a vegan lifestyle. During the first half of the documentary Marisa took the newly vegans to find vegan food at the grocery store. She revealed that there are so many foods that are accidently vegan, which is a vegans dream come true. A lot of them are foods you would not even think about such as: Oreos, Fritos, Lays potato chips, Hershey’s syrup, and tons more you would not suspect. There is also an enormous amount of vegan alternatives and replacements. There are dairy free versions of mayo, ranch dressing, butter, cheese, and tons more. Basically any food you can think of, there is a replacement for it. A lot of them taste very similar too. My boyfriend, who swears it is impossible to go vegan, could not even tell the difference when I replaced these condiments in the
As healthy lifestyles have come to take over the minds of the general public, people have begun to pay increased attention to the food they eat, which in turn has sparked a renewal in vegetarianism. Vegetarianism is a term used to describe the practice of living on a diet consisting of nuts, grains, fruits, and vegetables, with or without the use of eggs and dairy products. People usually associate vegetarianism with the hippy movement in the 1960’s; however, it was Frances Moore Lappé's iconic book, Diet for a Small Planet, released in 1971 that launched the vegetarian movement. Since 1971 vegetarian cookbooks, restaurants, and food brands have become popular and have enticed the likings of about 7 million Americans. Unfortunately, despite the growing popularity of vegetarianism most people living on a carnivorous diet laugh at the idea of giving up meat. Although omnivores are reluctant to give up their current diets, giving the vegetarian diet a chance even for just a month or two can bring about a number of positive consequences. By adopting a vegetarian diet a person is not only...
For many years, vegetarians and vegans have been publicly exposed to stereotypes and judgment. A person who decided to eat mostly plants, was considered a freak or a nonconformist. In restaurants and at private events, vegetarians commonly experienced difficulties to find food within the chosen dietary pattern and thus, unable to fully be part of cultural or social events, such as thanksgiving and barbecues. The omnivorous public perceived vegetarianism as a stigma and vegetarians are still subjects of comedy in many cases. Furthermore, vegetarians were often believed to jeopardize their health for a higher cause. Despite warnings that red and processed meats are carcinogenic, most Americans consider meat the core of their diets (Teicholz, N. 2014).
New information exposing the malpractices of the meat industry is constantly surfacing, pushing more and more people towards a meat-free diet. Whether it may be for ethical reasons or health purposes, veganism is becoming normal in household throughout the United States. Veganism is now a trendy topic in popular culture. BuzzFeed has released numerous videos, articles and quizzes about veganism in the past two years. Its video, “Non-Vegans Try Vegan Desserts” has over four million views and forty thousands likes on YouTube (BuzzFeed). Vegan Instagram and YouTube accounts sprouted up all over social media. It is clear through my study of mainstream media that, over the past fifteen years, that veganism has piqued the interest of Americans who have become better informed about its health benefits and that, in all likelihood, it will most likely continue to rise in popularity in the
One of the people I interview said, “The hardest part of being a vegetarian is going out to restaurants and trying to find something to eat” (Erin). A quick look at the most popular American restaurants can show that our food culture is dominated by meat and is becoming an ever increasing ingredient. From 1975 to 2007, the number of chickens killed for meat has increased 200% ( Psych). One might say that the number has increased since the population of the United States has increased, however, the population has only increased 70 percent in that amount of time( US
In the article Sorry, vegans: Eating meat and cooking food is how humans got their big brains, Christopher Wanjek argues that eating meat and cooked food made our brain begin to expand and grow. Wanjek backs up his argument with several articles from live science, a website that reports extraordinary evolution in the fields of science. I have accumulated several articles agreeing with part of this article and disagreeing with the other half. Some ideas will we getting debunked in this essay.
When Adam and Eve were created, the both did not consume any meat; instead, they had a vegan lifestyle. The bible states that God granted Adam and Eve the privilege to eat plants and herbs (Genesis 1:29). It was when Adam and Eve partook the forbidden fruit from the tree of good and evil, sin was brought upon the world, and the consumption of meat followed. Humans were not designed to eat meat; thus, meat is not necessary for survival. One will ponder what Veganism is, well, being a vegan is like being a vegetarian, but on steroids. Veganism is more than just a diet; veganism is a lifestyle. A vegan diet is composed of plant-based foods only; they do not eat anything processed with animal products. In addition to this, vegans refrain from clothing made from animals and products that have been tested on them. Living a vegan lifestyle will benefit the planet by means of promoting a healthier lifestyle and saving the lives of animals.
There are a myriad of myths and misconceptions that surround the words “vegetarian” and “vegan.” One perhaps thinks that becoming vegan is synonymous with becoming weak and holier-than-thou or only consuming foods such as Tofurkey. Thankfully, this isn’t the case for the vast majority of vegans or vegetarians. For financial and health concerns, many Americans are consuming less meat and poultry; approximately one third of Americans follow a diet centered upon vegetables and whole grains, with the occasional consumption of meat. Nonetheless, meat consumption per capita is still extortionate in America—the highest per capita with the exception of Luxembourg—largely due to its ingrained nature in our economy and culture.
The documentary I was presented with was Forks over Knives. Its general premise is saying meat is bad, it causes cancer, and that all humans should be on a whole- food plant based diet. They took these people into a 12-week program to switch them over to this diet. My knowledge before watching this film was that meat is good for you, we get plenty of amino acids that we don’t make in our own body. It gives us lots of protein. I did know that red meat is not a good meat to eat all the time. But I never would have thought of cutting meat out of my diet. Lee Fulkerson was the director as well the writer of Forks Over Knives. I feel as though
Never, ever, in my life has something tasted so good. We shared a meal that no restaurant could ever top. My father and I became even tighter. From that day on, regular meals tasted like plastic and hot dogs and no better than that. Dangerous dishes became our gourmet good eats.
Paleo. Vegan. Atkins. Weight Watchers. South Beach. There are so many diets out there claiming to be the best. They all promote weight loss, high energy, easy to follow and overall, the best for your health. But which one really makes the biggest impact on us and the world we live in? Although there is a lot of controversy around it, being vegan is one of the best things you can do for your health, environment and economy.
There's little doubt that the Earth is in a crisis. The human population is hungrily burning through its resources while simultaneously destroying its ecological balance. While catastrophe seems imminent, there is one small change each person could make in life that would lessen the devestating impact and minimalize our ecological footprint: Veganism.
The amount of people becoming vegetarians these days is growing. There are a few different types of vegetarians for example; the lacto-ovo vegetarian doesn’t eat any animal products except milk and eggs. Another type of vegetarian is the vegan, they exclude all animal products.
Introduction: Jessica is a 23 year old woman who recently graduated from college and started a vegetarian diet because of the health benefits she heard read it. Jessica read that “Vegetarian diets are often associated with a number of health advantages, including lower blood cholesterol levels, lower risk of heart disease, lower blood pressure levels, and lower risk of hypertension and type 2 diabetes.” (American Dietetic Association) She was going strong on her new diet for a few months, but upon her trip to her doctor’s office for her regular check up her doctor showed more concern about her diet than admiration for trying to live a healthier life. The main reason her doctor had concerns was because Jessica has a lactose intolerance and he was concerned with her getting a sufficient amount of protein in her diet.
Vegan life is healthier for the nutritional benefits are better when compared to non-vegan eating. The majority of people in the world consume a diet, which contains food derived from animals. Those who have animal derived diets follow such a diet due to commonly known nutrition benefits and taste that come with the diet. Although, most people were told that such a diet was healthy, they wouldn’t follow such a diet if they knew the harm that came with it. Furthermore, several people know they require fruits, vegetables, and grains, according to the commonly known food nutrition chart. However, some people do not know that animal derived food is not necessary and that there are other healthier foods to replace them. Vegan diets follow the food chart needs without consuming food that come from animals by replacing the nutritional benefits that come from animals with plant-based foods that also have the same nutritional benefits.