Conscious Attitude To Food And Goods That We Consume

Introduction

In this assignment I cover the topic “Veganism”, the word “Vegan” was first used in 1944 taken from the first three letters and the last two letters of “Vegetarian” in order to create a brand new word, although the concept has been around for many years before that, many people still question it’s ethics and you can find many controversies about it, in many parts of the world, moreover, veganism and vegetarianism differ in a lot of aspects, and for the purpose of better understanding of the topic, I will be comparing them while I explain my subject more. Refraining from the use/consumption of animal products, is what makes a Vegan, in other words, that’s what people who practice this type of diet call themselves, however, there are many categories and levels to being a vegan, they’re not all under the same classifications, This practice is followed by many people around the world, a list mentioning the most famous vegans around the world, includes the famous actor Alec Baldwin, the mega famous comedian Russell Brand, the viral singer Billie Eilish and many more familiar names who chose this diet for several different reasons, to put it in another way, veganism is a rising trend, whether it’s to become a healthier person for the proven benefits of a plant based diet, or to protect the life of animals.

Veganism and its types

Veganism is not consuming or using animal products including leather, meat, poultry, seafood, dairy, eggs and bee products. The vegan society was founded by Donald Watson in 1944 with a charity in the United Kingdom having the same title, that started modern day veganism as we know it today, that is to say, it’s important to note that it is not just the consumption of such products that they avoid but also its use, since it’s a lifestyle choice rather than a diet. To that end, due to the huge popularity of veganism at the current day and age, many categories now exist that stem from the same root, veganism. Plan-based eaters: also known as dietary vegans, followers of this practice only refrain from consuming non-vegan products, but don’t mind it being in their cosmetics or articles of clothing, they eat grains, fruits, nuts and vegetables, they prefer wholegrain foods, to this end, this diet is also suitable for breastfeeding or pregnant women, some subcategory diets are whole-food vegan diet, the starch solution and many more. Ethical veganism: animal rights advocates, following veganism for the purpose of practicing a more caring as well as ethical lifestyle and making better ethical choices, furthermore, they claim to have compassion animals, and despise the killing and exploitation of animals for consuming them or for the benefit of humans, such acts can be avoided by refusing to buy non vegan non cruelty free products, whats more, products which contains things derived from animals and not visiting zoos or places where animals are held “captive”. The choices they make all point towards the animal rights movements, ethical vegans don’t view all vegans as vegans, some may even argue that plant based eaters are not vegans, since they don’t advocate for the bettering of animal lives and protection, and may be following the diet for reasons like losing weight but not avoiding animal cruelty.

Raw veganism: a combination of raw foodism, and veganism, it eliminates all animal-derived foods and goods, likewise, any food processed or modified from its natural condition, along with high-temperature cooked foods, this diet was called “ one of the worst of 2018” by BDA, however, it’s not fairly new, just gaining popularity lately, similarly, followers claim its beneficial for the heart, another key thing is that it requires good planning, or not only it could become a dangerous diet, but it could also cause severe nutrients deficiencies and teeth weakness, which is why its recommended to take supplements if following this diet. HCLF vegan: which is high carb coupled with low fat diet, pretty self-explanatory, its said to have a few pros, not to mention, one similar to ethical veganism which is saving animal lives, reducing chances of getting cancer, and losing weight. Processed food is also avoided, eating 2500-3000 calories per day and drinking 2.5-3 liters of water, exercise is a also encouraged when following this diet, having said that, if its not followed correctly could lead to gaining weight instead.

Vegan vs vegetarian

Some people think veganism and vegetarianism are the same thing, for their lack of awareness around these topics, by contrast, they’re actually different in many ways, in comparison, there’s a gap between the both terms, vegetarians eat everything but meat, however vegans don’t use, eat or wear anything from animals, a vegan would strive to reduce the exploitation of animals, avoid wearing leather, silk, wool, honey, any animal derivatives, for the bettering of self, environment and animal lives. Then again, vegetarianism is a food diet, veganism is a lifestyle.

Veganism around the globe

In Australia, veganism is on the rise, the number of new food goods with vegan labelling have grown three times higher in the past five years, that said, with fast food chain restaurants starting to offer vegan friendly choices like vegan burgers, to suit the half a million vegans populated in the country, and continuously growing, opposing to the consumption of mean in Australia, which is decreasing, due to the awareness of the horrific actions of animal abuse, and the necessity of food ethics. In America, 6% of the population are vegan, and the two top reasons are for their health and animal protection, with the number of conscious consumers rising as well as plant based food consumption. In United Arab Emirates, plant based diets are trending, with this in mind, it’s normal to notice that people are very well conscious of environmental and health trends, especially in Abu Dhabi, so healthy living, and veganism in particular make progress speedily, although the younger generation complains about the opposition of their parents to their different lifestyle choices and complying to a regimen ‘with too little protein provided that grocery stores however,conform to demand and provide beef, vegan sandwiches, and tofu alternatives on some kind of constant basis, in view of knowing that there’s more to veganism than just vegetables and fruits.

Veganism and health

Studies show that individuals with a vegan diet, mostly have lower body weights, cholesterol and glucose. However according to HackYourHealth Youtube channel, some may argue that veganism or following any diet could be tied with psychological factors or affect the mental health of these individuals as they become obsessed with food labels, obsessive thinking, obsession with health, that kind of negative mind set and state of mind as well as not doing emotionally good. So on one hand, a well-planned vegan diet can lead to an increase in muscle mass, memory improves, mood lifts, helps prevent strokes, and better digestion on the other hand, nutrients deficiencies can result, a person can gain weight if their diet is not well constructed, some examples of nutrients that might deficit is firstly, vitamin D, which can cause thinning/ fracturing of the bones, weak muscles, depression and anxiety. Secondly, calcium, which protects against cancer, and high blood pressure, a well-balanced diet has calcium which in return will protect the individual’s bones. Thirdly, omega 3- fatty acids, those nutrients are responsible for reducing triglycerides.

Veganism and the environment

“Animal agriculture is completely messing up our planet, and nobody is aware” states Christian hextrum, an environmental speaker. Nonetheless, Right now animal agriculture is responsible for fifty one percent, of all greenhouse gas emissions. Our global rainforests are basically our earth’s lungs, taking in carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen, notwithstanding, it’s a shame that an acre a second is being destroyed, and the leading cause is animal agriculture, it’s also responsible for ninety one percent of amazons destruction because of the amount of land they all need to survive, let’s take one and a half acres for instance, that’s enough for thirty seven thousand pounds of plant based food or three hundred seventy five pounds of meat. As the world’s craving for beef grows, countries worldwide are demolishing vast areas of land to create more space for both animals and croplands to feed them, to give an illustration, from tropical forests of Brazil to old pine forests in China, whole habitats are now being damaged to fuel biological dependence on meat. Significantly, as seen by scientists at the Smithsonian Institution, seven land-value soccer fields are demolished every minute to produce more place for farm animals and plants which feed them. Cattle, land mammals, and such food which are notably raised for human consumption are one of the main consumers of water in the United States of America, one individual pig could consume more than twenty gallons of drinking water each day.

Importantly, it turns out what we put in our plates matter a lot, and one personal decision can really have a great impact in the planet, livestock greenhouse emissions is equal to transportation emissions, all the cars, trains, planes and ships on the planet, it takes about a billion tons of grains to feed animals, above all, if we take these amount of grains we can feed three point five billion people instead, which is a compelling statistic. All things considered, farmed animals are land hungry, over eighty percent of the world’s farmland is used for animal production, but it produces only eighteen percent of the world’s calories, in addition, you need to feed a cow about ten kilo grams of mostly grains, for it to grow by one kilo gram, and for chicken that’s about three to four kilo grams, this suggests that a lot of food is used to feed animals, that we would then eat, growing animal feeds means more land per calorie of food is needed to produce beef than broccoli. It can be seen that global meat consumption is growing around the world, by almost three percent a year since nineteen sixty, in the public vegans opinion, without large scale dietary changes towards more plant-based diets, they believe that we would have a very slim chance of staying below dangerous levels of climate change.

Vegan food

It would seem that, a list of vegan food would include: all fruit types: frozen fruit used for juices and smoothies such as strawberries, bananas blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, pomegranates, etc its used as a way to reduce food waste so instead of throwing left over fruits that you feel like you no longer need at the moment, you can freeze them and use them later on when you are craving it again, and according to researches, it doesn’t lose its nutrients but it could be argued that sometimes it even increases its benefits if frozen at peak ripeness. dried fruit such as dried fig, dried raisins, dried apricot, especially if they don’t contain added sugar, fresh fruit, with incredible benefits to the human body and it’s systems; all vegetable types; seeds and nuts: sunflower seeds, chia seeds, sesame seeds, almonds, hemp seeds, brazil nuts, pumpkin seeds, pine nuts, all which provides us with the required amount of vitamins, as well as biotin, iron, calcium, etc. this suggests that vegans could be consuming enough nutrients if they take the time to plan it well ahead; whole grains : millet, bulgur, oat, brown rice, whole wheat bread, which are good sources of fiber and minerals and could potentially lower risk of heart disease; carbohydrates : vegans are able to control the heaviness of the carbs, this proves that vegans don’t always have to be associated with a heavy carb diet, a possibility of switching to low carb is possible.

Conclusion

In conclusion, although traditional families frown upon vegan practices, following a vegan diet could reap many benefits to the environment, economy, and our life on this earth as a whole, people don’t take the time to learn the facts about veganism in the first place, which leads to a lot of misinformation, and vegans are very passionate about their lifestyle, again, rightfully so, it isn’t a concept created by the modern age people, but a term that has been expressed for many years back, to sum up this assignment I would say, if one is not able to become fully vegan, being somehow more conscious about the food you eat and the goods you consume can make this world a better place.

References

1. Carbs are not the enemy – here’s why. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.veganaustralia.org.au/carbs_are_not_the_enemy_here_s_why.
2. Gál, K. (2018, October 26). Eating low-carb as a vegetarian or vegan: Best foods plus meal plan. Retrieved from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323470.php.
3. Team, A. Y., & *, N. (n.d.). Vegan and Vegetarian Staples: Nuts and Seeds. Retrieved from https://activatedyou.com/nuts-seeds/.
4. Petre, A. (2016, November 1). The Vegan Diet – A Complete Guide for Beginners. Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/vegan-diet-guide#section2.
5. Glenza, J. (2019, December 24). Are vegetables vegan? The man taking aim at animal products in organic farming. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/dec/24/vegetables-vegan-organic-agriculture-farming.
6. This Is the Healthiest Dried Fruit, According to a Nutritionist. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.health.com/nutrition/dried-fruit-benefits.