There are so many reasons why a person goes vegan! Check out my posts under the veganism tag, such as:
★ The Thinking Animal: Compassion Beyond “Pets”
★ Plant vs Animal: Vegan Health in a Nutshell
★ An Inefficient Truth: Veganism Improves Your Ecological Footprint
★ The varied reasons people go vegan from folks featured in My Favourite Vegan
Why I’m Vegan!
I went vegan for the health and well-being of animals. The fact that veganism has so many health benefits for me as well is a pleasant side-effect, but it’s not the primary reason why I am vegan. A “dietary vegan” is more correctly a “strict vegetarian.” Veganism is not just a diet – it encompasses all areas of life. Vegans avoid animal by-products not only in food but also in clothing and cosmetic products, and avoid anything that’s been tested on animals as well. Treating animals as commodities to be exploited, used and abused rather than as the thinking, feeling, breathing beings that they are is just not cool… in fact, it’s repugnant, which is why I don’t support those industries that exploit and abuse animals. Instead, I support animal rights and the end of violence against non-human animals. Part of that involves food choices, but it is certainly not the be all and end all.
Other minor reasons – on an environmental level: animal industries pollute more than all other industries combined (yes, including automotive). On a health level: vegans are less susceptible to many diseases, including cancer, diabetes, and heart disease (check out the largest study on nutrition ever conducted for more information – The China Study by T Colin Campbell – or the work of Dr John McDougall and Dr John Robbins). Vegans often have a lot more stamina, and many elite athletes follow vegan diets while in training. And yes, we get plenty of protein – I’m a rockclimber, I should know!
Protecting the rights and health of animals also, appropriately, protects one’s own health and the health of the planet… and it tastes damn good, too!
Read more about my personal journey on the blog info page and my bio/contact page.
Some Useful Links:
About Veganza & About Me
My Vegan FAQ pageThe basics:
Animal Rights: The Abolitionist Approach
Vegan.org: About Veganism – for animals, environment, & health
Veganhealth.org: vegan health & nutrition information
Vegan FAQ: ethics, health, etcWhere to get fed!
Happy Cow: World Dining Guide for veg*ns
Cruelty-free Shop, Australia
Vegan Essentials, USA
International Vegan Society, UK
Veg*n Network, Victoria, Australia
Veg*n Society, Queensland, AustraliaRadio, recipe books/forums, and film:
Vegan Radio
Vegan Freak Radio
The Post Punk Kitchen
Earthlings: documentary filmMy Other Blogs:
veganza@twitter – a soundbite-style record of the foods I eat, links to vegan-related articles and interests, vegan parenting bits and pieces, and other miscellany!
veganza@tumblr – images, links, various vegan things, and other pretty things.
This is by no means an exhaustive list!
Some folks are obsessed with whether or not a vegan diet is “natural.” What does human biology indicate? Here’s a neat little chart comparing digestive systems that’s worth a gander.
