VEGANISM

It is no surprise that our youth blindly follows the western culture. They mostly choose their lifestyle according to what is “in” and not according to what is right for them. However, there are certain things that are a blessing and one of them is adopting a Vegan diet. Veganism has been around for a very long time but has caught the eyes of the world only a few years ago.

Veganism is known to be as a supreme form of Vegetarianism. It is lifestyle choice where a person chooses to give up everything that is prepared as a result of animal cruelty and exploitation. Vegans boycott all the products that are tested on animals and/or extracted from animals in any way possible. For example: dairy products like cheese, leather clothing, all kinds of meats, etc. They believe in leading a plant based life.

HISTORY: The vegan society was founded in 1944 but its origin can be traced back 2000 years. Pythagoras, the sixth century Greek mathematician was against animal killing. In 1806, Percy Bysshe Shelley, a romantic poet, was one of the first people who publicly objected to the consumption of eggs and dairy products on moral grounds.

VEGETARIANS v/s VEGANS: These two terms are often interchanged but they differ in principle. Vegetarians do not eat meat but they do consume products like eggs, honey, leather, etc. They do not mind using animal based products but are opposed to animal killing. Vegans, on the other hand are opposed to animal killing, animal testing and using animal based products. They believe that large scale suffering of animals is caused during production of such goods and it is against their aim to stop animal cruelty. Some of the examples of such cruelty are: killing of old male hens because they don’t provide eggs, killing of male calves because they are expensive to raise, killing old cows when they don’t provide enough milk, and the list goes on.

Before adopting a lifestyle, we need to consider both sides of the coin. There are certain pros of being a vegan and some cons too.

PROS:

• Saving animals from suffering and brutality is a major incentive to pursue this diet.
• Vegan diet is full of nutrients and fibre.
• Adopting the plant based lifestyle could help improve you health internally and provide the body with all the nutrients it requires to function properly.
• This diet can reduce the risk of heart diseases.
• It helps in keeping the cholesterol levels in check and also promotes weight loss.
• It keeps your skin glowing and radiant.
• It not only keeps your heart healthy but also improve kidney function.

CONS:

• Excessive weight loss can cause health problems.
• Vegan diet lacks certain essential nutrients like vitamin B-12 under-consumption of which could lead to a variety of health diseases including loss of bone and muscle mass.
• Non vegetarian foods are a great source of protein and vegan diet might not deliver the adequate amount of protein required by the human body.
• Many people might feel discomfort following a plant based lifestyle and it might not agree with their health in the long run.
• Vegan foods are more expensive than regular foods. For example: buying soy milk would cost you a lot more than cow’s milk.

No matter how beneficial something is for you, you must always consider both sides of it. Adopting a vegan lifestyle just for the sake of activism could do irreversible damage to your body. Such decisions must be made considering all the aspects. Becoming a vegan just to follow a trend is not right. While some people might benefit from such diet, many would fail to receive all the nutrients required. Veganism does a lot of good for the environment but you must make choices that are right for you and your body and not the choices that would make you look like an activist while your body silently suffers.