The reason to go vegan

Alexis Tater, Reporter

I have been eating mostly plant-based foods for over a month now. This means that most of the things that I consume do not contain dairy, gelatin or meat.

Prior to this decision, I watched a documentary called “What The Health” that opened my eyes to many things, and I highly recommend that you watch it too. Some people choose to go vegan because of animal cruelty, but for me, the risk of diabetes and cancer were the main reason I chose to switch.

According to M.D Michael Greger, type two diabetes is not caused by eating a high carbohydrate or sugar diet.

Most people believe that the only way someone can obtain diabetes is through over-consumption of sugar, however eating foods high in cholesterol like products made from animals is a faster killer in most cases, over sugar.

The European Heart Journal, and Diabetes UK both did studies and concluded that if a child gets diabetes, 19 years could be taken off of their life span.

If you are consuming healthier things, you could avoid the buildup of poor waste material. Food waste, when not fully processed, is what harms the human body, and is why animal products are carcinogens. A carcinogen is a substance or chemical that can cause cancer.

Milk is a hormonal fluid that does NOT directly correlate with bone development.

According to breastcancer.org and the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, women diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer who eat full-fat dairy products after diagnosis are more likely to die from breast cancer than women who eat low-fat dairy products after diagnosis.

Most people think cancer is just genetic, however, it is also directly linked to products made from animals.

Humans are not made to process animal products. We do not have the same chemicals in our stomachs to do so. We are structurally made to be herbivores, not carnivores.
That is why we have flat teeth. We do not have claws and jagged teeth to rip apart flesh, we have hands to gather plants and fruits.

According to PETA and Medical News Today, nuts, vegetables, fruit, and legumes are the basis of a healthy vegan lifestyle. Humans and other herbivores can move their jaws up and down and from side to side, allowing them to grind up fruit and vegetables with their teeth.

Also, our stomach acids are much weaker in comparison, because we do not have the same strong acids that animals do. The acids we have are meant to be used to digest pre-chewed fruits and vegetables.

According to The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, The Scientific American and Health and Environment in Aquaculture, it is common for toxins to reside in fish flesh.

Basically, organochlorine, lead, and mercury are all substances that you would not in your system. They kill the enzymes in your body that are in control of your nervous system, and they cause damage to developing brains. Which could be fatal, or dramatically life-altering.

But even though toxins can exist in many animal products, that probably won’t stop people from eating them.

Just because I choose not to eat meat does not mean that the millions of animals a year will stop getting slaughtered. If it tastes good, people are going to want it. But it could make a difference if one person at a time decides to change their diet.

Many people have asked me how hard it is to give up certain foods, but because there are so many alternatives, it has not been hard to do.

If you are looking into becoming a vegan, do it gradually. I went from a “normal” diet to mostly plant-based quickly which actually made me sick, so I would definitely recommend that you ease your way into it.

Make sure you are consuming enough of the vitamins and proteins you would usually get from animal products. Vitamin B-12 is a key component to having a healthy body. This vitamin is in every animal product.

You need this vitamin because it regulates your entire nervous system and helps to make your DNA.

Cobalamin deficiency is one of the most common negatives of becoming a vegan, but only if you are not taking precautionary measures of eating these vitamins.

If you’re an avid meat eater and dairy consumer and you want to go vegan, make sure you are eating protein, and also consuming vitamin B-12, which can be found in the form of vitamins usually anywhere.

Not eating animal products has changed the way I look at health and the way that bodies process food. I feel strongly that people should look into the benefits of veganism and how you could potentially prevent diseases and sickness.