We can now get 100% of the nutrients and minerals we need
without consuming any animal products at all. Hooray! So why are
you still doing it, I ask?
Well-known celebrity vegans include Ellen DeGeneres, Portia de
Rossi, Kathryn Prescott (who played Emily - one half of 'Naomily'
in Skins), Olivia Wilde (who played Alex in The OC) and of course
DIVA's very own Editor, Jane Czyzselska. Here are just some of the
reasons why 2013 could be the year to go vegan for you.
Let's start with the environment. Large-scale meat production is
in the top three most significant contributors to the most serious
environmental problems and accounts for 20% of all greenhouse gas
emissions. Scary.
Next up, why is it that we love cuddling and coo-ing over baby
lambs at petting zoos but have no trouble dicing one up later that
evening in a casserole or curry? Why is it that when two teenage
girls throw a kitten around a room it causes national outrage, but
over a billion pigs are killed worldwide every year and nobody bats
an eyelid? The mind boggles.
Health benefits. Vegans live on average 7-15 years longer than
meat-eaters. Who doesn't want that, eh? As well as an over-all
lower cancer rate: including breast, ovarian and uterine cancers.
Think you're safe as a vegetarian? Think again. Two billion day-old
baby chicks are thrown away every year by the egg industry, purely
because they are born male. Almost all cows are pumped with
hormones that increase their milk production. This leads to
over-worked udders, which causes infection - resulting in that
ice-cold milkshake and toasted cheese sandwich you're eating being
loaded with pus. Delicious.
"But what DO vegans eat?" I hear you cry.
For starters - soya milk, almond milk, hazelnut milk, rice milk,
oat milk, etc! Vegan mayonnaise, cheese, yoghurt, custard and
butter are all easily available at heath food stores. Not to
mention vegan sausages, meat-free mince and vegan burgers, which
are widely available at most supermarkets.
As for protein and calcium - quinoa, tofu, lentils, cauliflower
and bananas are all more than adequate sources of protein. Sesame
seeds, almonds, kale, rhubarb and spinach all have more calcium per
cup than whole milk.
So there we have it, no excuses. Stock up on hummus and falafel
pronto! Plus, vegans taste better too. Win.
Get more info here:
www.takepart.com/foodinc
www.vrg.org/nutrition/protein.htm
www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-food/meat-and-environment.aspx
