Many people’s New Year’s resolutions include losing weight, eating better, getting healthier, and doing more to make the world a kinder place. The good news is that you can accomplish all these goals by going vegan—and you’ll enjoy delicious, satisfying meals as well.
Here are the top 10 reasons to go vegan this year:
1. It’s the Best Way to Help Animals
Did you know that every vegansaves nearly 200 animals per year? There is simply no easier way to help animals and prevent suffering than by choosing plant-based foods over meat, eggs, and dairy “products.”
2.Slim Down and Become Energized
Is shedding some extra pounds first on your list of goals for the new year? Vegans are, on average,up to 20 pounds lighterthan meat-eaters are. And unlike unhealthy fad diets, which leave you feeling tired (and usually don’t keep the pounds off for long), going vegan allows you to keep the excess fat off for good and have plenty of energy.
3.Be Healthier and Happier
Being vegan is great for yourhealth! According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, vegans are less likely to developheart disease,cancer,diabetes, and high blood pressure than meat-eaters are. Vegans getall the nutrients that they needto be healthy, such as plant protein, fiber, and minerals, without all the nasty stuff in meat thatmay slow you down and make you sick, such as cholesterol and saturated animal fat.
4.Vegan Food Is Delicious
When you go vegan, you can still eat all your favorite foods, including burgers, “chicken” sandwiches, and ice cream. The only difference? You’ll be ditching the cruelty and cholesterol that go hand in hand with using animals for food. As the demand for vegan food skyrockets, companies are coming out with more and more deliciousmeat–anddairy-free optionsthat taste great, are much healthier than their animal-derived counterparts, and don’t hurt any living beings. Plus, we havea list of some of our favorite productsand thousands of tasty kitchen-testedrecipesto help you get started!
5. Meat Is Gross
Animal flesh is often contaminatedwith feces, blood, and other bodily fluids—all of which make animal-derived foods the top source of food poisoning in the United States. Scientists at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health tested supermarket chickens’ flesh and found that96 percent of Tyson chicken packageswere contaminated with campylobacter, a dangerous bacterium that causes 2.4 million cases of food poisoning each year, resulting in diarrhea, cramping, abdominal pain, and fever.
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6. Help Feed the World
Eating meat doesn’t just hurt animals—it hurts people, too. It takes tons of crops and water to raise farmed animals. In fact, it takes up to 13 pounds of grain to produce just 1 pound of animal flesh! All that plant food could be used much more efficiently if people just ate it directly. The more people who go vegan,the better able we’ll be to feed the hungry.
7. Save the Planet
Meat is not environmentally friendly. Consuming it is actually one of the worst things that you can do for the Earth. Meat production iswastefuland causes enormous amounts ofpollution, and the industry is also one of the biggest causes of the climate crisis. Going vegan is more effective than switching to a “greener” car in the fight against the climate crisis.
8.All the Cool Kids Are Doing It
The list of stars who shun animal flesh is basically a “who’s who” of today’s hottest celebrities. Joaquin Phoenix, Natalie Portman, Lizzo, and Alicia Silverstone are just some of the famous vegans who regularly appear in People magazine.
9. Look Sexy andBeSexy
Vegans tend to have more energy than meat-eaters, which is perfect for late-night romps with your special someone. (Guys: The cholesterol and saturated animal fat found in meat, eggs, and dairy “products” don’t just clog the arteries to your heart. Over time, they impede blood flow to othervital organsas well.) Plus, what’s sexier than someone who’s not only hot but also compassionate?
10. Pigs Are Smarter Than You Think
Although most people are less familiar withpigs,chickens,fish, andcowsthan they are with dogs and cats, animals used for food areevery bit as intelligentand able to suffer as the animals who share our homes are.Pigscan even learn to play video games.
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FAQs
If everyone switched to a plant-based diet, it could reduce global greenhouse emissions by 49 percent, and food-related land use by 76 percent, according to that same study. Adopting a plant-based diet is also a great way of conserving water.
Is going vegan the best way to help the environment? ›
The production of plant-based foods requires less land, fewer resources, and produces vastly fewer greenhouse gas emissions. In fact, research shows that the carbon footprint of a vegan diet can be as much as 60% smaller than a meat-based one, and 24% smaller than a vegetarian diet.
Why should you become vegan? ›
Research has shown that a vegan diet can help do the following: Promote weight loss. Reduce your risk of heart disease by lowering cholesterol levels. Lower your chances of getting certain types of cancer, such as colon cancer.
Can going vegan save the world? ›
Each individual person who goes vegan can save 200 animals per year, 1.3 million gallons of water, and 1.5 tons of carbon emissions, and the UN reports that a vegan diet can feed many more people than an animal-based diet.
Why is vegan good for climate change? ›
Researchers with Loma Linda University in California found that vegans have the smallest carbon footprint, generating a 41.7 percent smaller volume of greenhouse gases than meat-eaters do.
How could veganism change the world? ›
If everybody went vegan by 2050 we estimated that food-related greenhouse gas emissions could be reduced by 3/4. Cows are the biggest emission contributors. Bugs in their digestive system produce methane and deforestation for their pasture releases carbon dioxide – these gases warm the planet.
What are the pros and cons of veganism? ›
Pros and Cons of the Vegan Diet
| Advantages of Veganism | Disadvantages of Veganism |
|---|
| Enhanced weight loss | Lack of certain nutrients |
| Reduced health risks | Digestive issues and stomach discomfort |
| Development of discipline and self-control | Limited food and medicine options |
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Vegan diets have also been shown to help in the treatment of type 2 diabetes by lowering total and LDL cholesterol and by controlling lipid levels, for example by reducing triglycerides, a type of fat that is also associated with a greater risk of heart disease (Jenkins et al.
How many animals are saved by going vegan? ›
You will save around 730 animal lives after two years of being a vegan. You will also save up to 14,610 lb of CO2, 21,915 square feet of forest land, 29,220 lb of grains, and 803,550 gallons of water!
Does being vegan really help animals? ›
Going vegan is one of the best things you can do to help stop animal cruelty. By refusing to pay for animal products, you reduce the demand for them, which ensures fewer animals are bred to suffer and die on farms and in slaughterhouses.
While there is some scientific research to suggest that going vegan and eating less animal protein can help to prevent diseases, the evidence is still lacking in terms of cold, hard numbers on longevity in particular. However, this doesn't mean that a vegan diet won't help you live longer.
What would happen if we all went vegan? ›
Emissions. Food production is responsible for a quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions, mostly from cows burping methane. Methane is such a potent greenhouse gas that a global switch to plant-based diets would cut emissions from food production by 28 per cent – that's the equivalent of India going carbon neutral.
Can you survive only being vegan? ›
With good planning and an understanding of what makes up a healthy, balanced vegan diet, you can get all the nutrients your body needs. If you do not plan your diet properly, you could miss out on essential nutrients, such as calcium, iron, vitamin B12, iodine and selenium.
Why should the world go vegan? ›
Save the Planet
Meat production is wasteful and causes enormous amounts of pollution, and the industry is also one of the biggest causes of the climate crisis. Going vegan is more effective than switching to a “greener” car in the fight against the climate crisis.
Does going vegan really help the planet? ›
Today, the UN says meat and dairy (farmed livestock) accounts for 11.2% of manmade greenhouse gas emissions. But, if we all went vegan, scientists believe the world's food-related emissions might drop by 68% within 15 years, limiting global warming.
Does one person going vegan make a difference? ›
Using a vegan calculator, it was calculated that the average person who goes vegan for just one month can save the lives of 30 animals. That is basically one animal a day that can be saved of that cruel fate simply by going vegan.
Are vegan substitutes better for the environment? ›
High impact of meat consumption can be reduced with substitute products. Plant-based meat substitutes have on average 50% lower environmental impact.
Why won't going vegan help the planet? ›
Giving up meat has little effect in stopping climate change if everything else in the modern world continues. Your plant-based diet won't help the planet if those plants are: Grown with herbicides and pesticides. Grown with artificial fertilizers.
Is going vegan actually better? ›
Drops in LDL cholesterol, insulin levels, and body weight
Scientists also found study participants following the vegan diet had about a 20% decrease in fasting insulin levels and lost an average of 4.2 lbs more than those following the omnivore diet.
Does going vegan reduce your carbon footprint? ›
Going Vegan could reduce an individual's carbon footprint from food by up to 73 per cent, a University of Oxford study found. However, carbon footprints from vegan diets vary and you need to make sure that all the food you consume is produced as locally as possible in order to truly reduce your carbon footprint.
